You don't pick your dates. The cast does.

Brandon J. 36

Brandon runs into burning buildings for a living, but a first date terrifies him. He married his high school sweetheart at 23, and they built a life on Houston's south side with two kids, a backyard grill and Sunday dinners that never ended on time.

Four years ago he lost her to cancer. Since then he has been all dad: school drop-offs, 24-hour shifts, braiding his daughter's hair from YouTube tutorials. His kids, now 12 and 9, are the ones who told him it was time.

“I told them to pick someone who could handle a Tuesday. They heard something else.”

Neha P. 33

Neha works the overnight shift in one of Austin's busiest emergency rooms. She can calm a panicking family, stitch a forehead and eat a granola bar in the same five minutes. What she cannot do, according to everyone who loves her, is make time for herself.

Her mom has been sending her "just look at his profile" texts for ten years. Her best friend, Kayla, thinks her mom's picks are all accountants named Rohan. Neha quietly said yes to this show because she is tired of being the person everyone leans on and nobody takes care of.

Javier R. 41

The son of Cuban immigrants who arrived with nothing, Javier has built condo towers on Brickell and a reputation to match. He is charming, generous and always has a reservation somewhere you can't get into. He is also 41, never married, and known among his friends for vanishing right after date three.

He spent most of his thirties in New York before moving home to Miami. He says he's finally ready to stop chasing and start building something that lasts. His younger brother says he'll believe it when he sees a fourth date.

Brittany C. 36

Brittany grew up in the front pew of her father's church in Third Ward, and she still bakes the pound cakes for every Sunday fellowship. Three years ago she opened her own bakery, and by 5 a.m. most days the line is already out the door.

Her marriage ended two years ago, quietly and painfully. Since then she has poured everything into the shop and her faith. She's ready to love again, but she wants someone who shares her values without needing her to shrink.

Travis B. 46

Travis runs a 200-acre cattle ranch north of Houston that has been in his family for four generations. He's up before the sun, knows every animal by name and drives a truck that is roughly 40 percent dog hair, courtesy of his golden retriever, Biscuit.

He and his ex-wife split five years ago with zero drama. They just grew in different directions. They still co-own the feed store in town and talk almost every day. Travis is a romantic who hasn't met anyone who loves the quiet life as much as he does.

Vanessa G. 34

Vanessa started dancing ballet folklórico at five and never stopped. Today she owns a dance studio on San Antonio's south side where she teaches everything from salsa to wedding first dances, which means she has choreographed hundreds of love stories and is still waiting on her own.

She was engaged at 29 until her fiancé called it off six weeks before the wedding. She kept the venue deposit as a reminder to never plan a future around someone who isn't sure. She's fun, fearless and fiercely loyal, and she wants a man who will actually get on the dance floor.

Kevin T. 40

Kevin left a corporate finance job at 34 to open a 30-seat ramen counter in Montrose, named after his grandfather Kenji. His parents still haven't fully forgiven him. Six years later there's a two-hour wait every Friday and a write-up framed by the register.

The restaurant has been the love of his life, and his last two girlfriends would agree. He's realized that building something great means nothing if he goes home to an empty apartment every night. He wants a partner who gets the hustle but reminds him to take a night off.

Anna K. 38

For years, Anna's job was making other people look and feel like the best version of themselves. As a fashion consultant in New York, she dressed clients for boardrooms, red carpets and first dates, and she could read what someone needed the second they walked in the door.

Reading her own life was harder. A divorce came first. Then came a new boyfriend who seemed like a fresh start and turned out to be the most toxic relationship of her life. When she finally walked away, she walked all the way: she packed up her apartment, left the city and moved to Tampa to start over with sunshine, space and a clear head.

Anna admits her own picker is broken. So for the first time, she is handing it over to thirteen strangers who are dating from the same pool she is.

Amanda S. 44

Amanda runs her own fishing and sunset charter out of Galveston, and she is the only female captain at her marina. She's tough, funny and can back a 32-foot boat into a slip in a crosswind while telling a story. She's also a single mom to a 12-year-old son who thinks she hung the moon.

Her son's dad left before his first birthday. For a decade she's put her son and her business first, and dating kept falling to the bottom of the list. Now she's ready to let someone in, as long as he can handle a woman who's more comfortable on the water than at a fancy dinner.

Elias H. 37

Elias runs a pediatric dental practice in Dallas with a waiting room full of video games and a reputation as the dentist kids actually like. Raised by Lebanese immigrant parents in Houston, he grew up with big family dinners, bigger opinions and the expectation that he'd be married by 30.

He was. His marriage lasted six years, ended amicably, and left him with a lot of questions about whether he chose love or chose what his family expected. This time he wants to get it right, with someone warm, family-oriented and confident enough to hold her own at his mom's table.

Gabriela "Gabby" R. 30

Gabby grew up in a loud Puerto Rican family in Tampa's Seminole Heights and sells waterfront condos up and down Bayshore. She is confident, quick with a comeback and the kind of person who knows the bartender's name at every rooftop in town.

She has never had trouble getting dates. Keeping the right one is another story. After her last relationship ended when she found out he had a second girlfriend in Orlando, she decided she's done picking men who look good on paper. Her grandmother has been telling her that for years.

Christian D. 33

Christian runs the marching band at a high school in Sugar Land, where 140 teenagers treat him like the cool older brother. He plays five instruments, writes love songs he has never played for anyone and still lives five minutes from the Filipino family who raised him on karaoke and Sunday lumpia.

He's the guy everyone calls a catch, which is exactly why his single status confuses his whole family. The truth: he was engaged at 29, and she left for a job in Seattle without him. He's been playing it safe ever since. He wants someone who laughs loud, loves big and doesn't mind a little music in the house.

Selam T. 31

Selam is the daughter of Ethiopian immigrants who opened one of the first Ethiopian restaurants in Dallas. She grew up doing homework in a corner booth, speaks three languages and can make anyone feel at home in about thirty seconds. Her smile is literally her job: she's a dental hygienist.

She spent her twenties focused on school, family and paying off loans, and she's proud of every bit of it. Now she's ready for a partner who's grounded, ambitious and not intimidated by a big, close family that will absolutely want to meet him on day one.

Danny N. 33

Danny grew up in Houston's Alief neighborhood, the youngest son of Vietnamese parents who ran a nail salon seven days a week. He moved to Austin at 25 with two duffel bags, slept in his car for a month and now owns a boutique strength gym with a waitlist.

He's disciplined, funny and a hopeless romantic who still writes handwritten cards. His last serious relationship ended because he was always at the gym. He's learned that lesson and wants someone who'll push him to rest as hard as he works.