MINNEAPOLIS -- Olivia Stapleton always wanted to visit all 50 states. What she hadn't planned on was going on a date in every one of them — and doing it in just six months.
The Minnesota native will have over eight dates a month as she travels across America. They will range from adrenaline-inducing parasailing to a laid-back bike ride along the beach. Oh, and those dates will be in front of millions of viewers on social media as part of the "50 Dates 50 States" series, which has nearly 600,000 TikTok followers.
"This is a crazy adventure," she said. "I love to travel — life is too short not to."
Stapleton was selected from more than 1,200 applicants who applied to the series' website. She stood out for her spontaneity and genuineness, said Matthew Wurnig,who created the "50 Dates 50 States" two years ago.
"I felt like she was being authentic, fun and goofy in her application," he said. "I could tell she would treat everyone with respect and just have fun with it!"
Except for Hawaii and Alaska, Wurnig and Stapleton will be traveling across the country in the official "50 Dates 50 States" vehicle. Stapleton already had her Hawaii date. It just so happened that she went there on a trip with her parents a few months ago.
"It was incredible. I had a date in Honolulu and then the next day we flew out back to Minnesota," she said. (She declined to share the rest of her Hawaiian adventure since it hasn't been posted to the series' social media pages yet.)
She has yet to start her cross-country dating journey along with Wurnig, who is from Montana, but is currently preparing for the trip from his sister's house in Waconia, Minnesota. They plan on departing for their road trip in mid-April, Stapleton said.
Until then, Wurning is posting videos of the best that Minnesotans have to offer on the "50 Dates 50 States" TikTok page. One features a Jucy Lucy from Matt's Bar, complete with hot, dripping cheese. (The video was flagged by TikTok as an activity that could result in injury.)
In the first two seasons of "50 Dates 50 States," Wurnig traveled to all 50 states and went on dates he planned himself, posting videos of each date on social media, including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. That feat that took him more than two years.
Now, with Wurnig switching roles from bachelor to host and planner, he hopes to condense that time into just six months for the series' third season.
As creator and owner of the "50 Dates 50 States" brand, he is in charge of sifting through hundreds of applicants seeking to woo Stapleton, all of whom must describe themselves, suggest a unique date idea and share any special talents or skills that they have. They also have to submit a picture for Stapleton to approve of.
Wurnig runs background checks on the applicants, and plans lunch, dinner and an activity for each date. "I want to highlight the unique things in each state," he said.
Despite all the exciting outings she's likely to have, Stapleton says her perfect Minnesota date is sitting down and immediately clicking with a guy and then going out for karaoke at one of the bars in downtown Carver, Minnesota, down the street from where she grew up.
A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in marketing and business analytics, Stapleton said she's not sure what the future holds for her career.
In case you're wondering how this will all be paid for: Everything on the trip, including Stapleton's salary, will be covered from sponsors and TikTok's Creator Fund.
"I truthfully don't know what's going to happen and come about from this journey, but I'm so excited for it," Stapleton said.
