"She Made Them Take Their Shirts Off. It Didn't Change a Thing."
Last week, one of King Jack's dates said he was "date maxxing" — and honestly, she wasn't wrong. The man watched 12 episodes, came with notes, and still called his winner "Eric." Season 12 Episode 2 brought the opposite energy: a Kween who showed up with her standards already locked in and absolutely zero interest in performing for anyone.
If you haven't watched Season 12 Episode 2 yet, go watch it first. There are shirts that come off, a man who describes his sexuality as Bugs Bunny, and a divorce reveal that nobody saw coming. You deserve to experience all of it without me telling you how it lands.
Kween Kristina is here. She is not here to fix you.
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Kween Kristina
Before we get to the Kween, we need to talk about the co-host situation. Scott Sanderson was back on the Graze stage. If you're new, Scott was the King in Season 10 — the South Dakota farm kid turned compliance officer who picked a therapist named Veronica because she made silence feel comfortable. Previously, he went on Love Is Blind Minneapolis on Netflix, genuinely looking for a wife, and came back without one. Now he's hosting alongside Tobi Shamu, which is a full circle moment for the Minneapolis DNP crowd. His opening move as co-host: admitting he's a "Type A people pleaser" who wants the plan for the night but won't be the one to make the decision. "That's left me right here in the same spot I was last year," he told the crowd. A full year of self-reflection, zero change. Respect the honesty.
Then Tobi introduced the Kween. "She's 27, a private chef, and she's not here to fix anyone — she's looking for a man who's already done the work." Kristina Hanson walked out to "Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna. Well, she actually walked out before Tobi finished her intro. She got to the stage early, sat down, and asked "Did you want me to stand?" They reset. Did the whole intro again. It was the first of many moments where Kristina moved on her own timeline and the show adjusted around her.
Kristina is 27, born in Russia, adopted and brought to the U.S. at eight years old, grew up in southwest Minnesota near Mankato, and has been in Minneapolis for nearly a decade. She's Persian and Russian. She works as a private chef for a family of four (going on five and a half years), has a degree in digital marketing, and is building a business on the side. She does daily meditation, journaling, breath work, reads constantly, works out every morning, and spends summers on the lake. She has been single for three years by choice. Her last situationship ended three months ago — five months in, the guy was four years older with the maturity of a 20-year-old. She is done.
Scott played Mary Kiss Ghost with her: good looks, good job, or good manners. She ghosted good manners. Tobi and Scott both paused. "She didn't mean to kill good manners," Scott said. Kristina didn't correct him. She married good job and kissed good looks. She said her ick is someone who sleeps with their socks on. She said her non-negotiable is that her partner needs a positive male role model in their life — not an athlete, not their weekend friend group. Someone older, with experience and wisdom. Scott asked if Jaden McDaniels counted. "He's hot, but no."
Three men. Ten minutes each. Blind dates. Let's see who passes the test.
Date #1: Remy — The One Who Shared His Drink
Remy walked out to "3005" by Childish Gambino, which is the kind of song that says "I'm going to be here whether this works out or not."
He is 30 years old, born in Miami, Dominican and Haitian, fluent in French, and moved to Minneapolis less than a year ago to start over after a relationship ended. He does freelance stained glass, builds headboards and tables, and DJs on the side. He lives in northeast and fell in love with the city's art community before he fell in love with anything else here. His friend Matt put him up for the show because Matt thought he and Kristina would get along. Matt was right.
This date had a different energy than the rest of the night. Remy opened by asking Kristina her name — which Tobi noted was a good sign because it meant he hadn't researched her beforehand. She said her friends call her Kris. He told her his name. They started talking about music. She mentioned going to Vail for John Summit's Experts Only tour. He mentioned seeing Excision at the Armory and loving the underground house scene.
They found each other in the overlap between structure and spontaneity: she's a planner who will cancel plans for the right friend, and he's a spontaneous person who moved to a city where he didn't know anyone because the people felt right.
The defining moment was quiet.
They were talking about being picky, about knowing what you want, about not wasting time on people who haven't figured themselves out. Remy said his first year single was intentional — he wanted to experience himself. Kristina shared that she'd been adopted, grew up in an orphanage in Russia, and came to America at eight. She said it shapes her but doesn't define her. He listened. He didn't try to fix it or make it a moment. He just listened. Then he told her she looked cute in her blazer. "I wish it was 80 degrees so I could show off a little," she said. "Might have a little something for you at the end," he replied. (He did. He absolutely did.)
Somewhere in the middle of the date, Remy invited Kristina to share his drink. She took a sip. Tobi asked why. Nobody had a good answer. It didn't matter. That's the kind of thing that either happens naturally or doesn't happen at all, and it happened.
The Minus 196 Freeze Minute asked Remy what he learned from his last relationship that he wants to carry forward. He talked about communicating boundaries — that the hardest thing he learned was that when someone can't understand your boundary and won't take the time to listen, that's when things fall apart. He said it clearly and without performing. Kristina gave him green flags and didn't say much after, which from a woman who spent the rest of the night holding her cards close was the loudest statement she made all evening.
Date #2: Philip — The Emotional Roller Coaster
Philip LaPlante walked out to "Seeing Stars" by BØRNS and immediately handed Kristina a green flag he'd grabbed from the crowd. "You gotta play to win," he said.
He's 28, a juvenile prosecutor with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, rock climbs almost every day, bikes everywhere, plays piano, and once worked as a whitewater rafting guide in Colorado. He opened by connecting with Kristina on adoption — his older brother is from South Korea, his little sister is from China, and growing up in a family with adopted siblings was one of the most meaningful experiences of his life. He wants to adopt someday.
The date had depth from the jump. Philip and Kristina talked about being intentional, about slow burns, about how the best relationships come from situations where you naturally spend time together and it builds until it's undeniable. He told her he speaks in front of judges for a living and this was still more nerve-wracking. He gave Kristina credit for doing the show — "this takes so much bravery, I'm impressed" — and meant it. For a moment the date felt less like a show and more like two people who understood each other's anxiety about performing.
Then Tobi dropped a detail. Philip had recently gotten out of a relationship. The show said one month. Philip corrected: "They messed it up. 60 days, not 30." The crowd didn't know which flag to wave. Kristina — who had spent her entire intro talking about men who haven't done the work — put her red flag up. Philip handled it well. He said the breakup was mutual, he'd been through worse, he leaned on his friends and his therapist, and at some point you either stay home and wallow or you put yourself back out there. "A lot of healing occurs in the context of relationships," he said. The crowd came back around. Scott noted that Philip "just climbed an emotional mountain."
Then Tobi went further. "Would it surprise you to know Philip has been divorced?" The room shifted. Philip explained: long relationship in college, they were both really religious at the time, got married. He's no longer a churchgoer. "Put it together," he said. Kristina waved green for the self-awareness and the honesty. The crowd was fully behind him by the end. Of every moment in the episode, this is the one that stuck with the room the longest.
The Freeze Minute for Date #2 asked what surprised them most about each other. Kristina said she was surprised by how Philip led with vulnerability right away — that he shared his adoption story and got real immediately. Philip said he was surprised she'd recently gotten out of a relationship too but appreciated that she was still putting herself out there. Both of them said they'd go rock climbing together. It was one of the most mature exchanges of the season so far.
Think you could do better than these three? Applications for Kings, Kweens, and Contestants are open.
Date #3: Colbey — "My Sexuality Is Bugs Bunny"
Colbey Wadsworth walked out to "Darlin" by Jean Dawson, and if you didn't know who Colbey was before this date, you were about to have a very specific opinion within ten minutes.
He is 26, 6'4", works at the Sanneh Foundation (a nonprofit in St. Paul doing nutrition services, tutoring, and sports camps for the community), models on the side, played D2 football at Bemidji State as a defensive end, taught himself backflips after cheerleading, and lives with his best friend near Shingle Creek in north Minneapolis. He is a homebody who, when he does go out, goes to Jetset — because "it's the one place they won't heckle you for asking for a glass of water."
The date started with vibes. Colbey asked about travel, Kristina mentioned Vail (again — she really went to John Summit), he talked about learning to ski as an adult. Then she revealed she's pigeon-toed, which means the pizza position in skiing comes naturally to her. "There are videos," she said.
Then Tobi brought up the detail from Colbey's bio: he has a history of unintentionally being attracted to bi or lesbian women. Kristina looked at him. "I hate to break it to you. I'm definitely not lesbian." She paused. "But I have been bi curious." Colbey didn't flinch. He told the audience he doesn't like to put himself in a box, and when pressed to describe his sexuality, said: "I've described my sexuality as Bugs Bunny. Watch a couple episodes of Looney Tunes and get back to me." The crowd didn't know what to do with that. Neither did Kristina. Neither did I.
The date got spicer. Colbey mentioned wanting to kiss his roommate — his best friend of ten years. He said it's half a joke and half real. The roommate is in the crowd. The roommate has a girlfriend. The girlfriend is apparently fine with it. Scott brought Kristina's sister Sabrina on stage to do a secret code word test where Colbey had to say "trust" in a specific way. He tried. Sabrina tried to demonstrate. Nobody could do it. Tobi moved on.
The Last Freeze Minute of the night went nuclear: "When is the last time you hooked up with somebody?" Tobi counted down from three. Both answered simultaneously. Kristina said, "Saturday" and Colbey said "three weeks ago". They high-fived. The crowd filled in the blanks on their own.
Shoot Your Shot: Chris with the K
Tobi opened it up. The room went quiet. One man walked up.
Chris (with the C, because there was already a Chris with the K on stage) is 38, from St. Paul, and works at Ava.
He also already knows Kristina. They've had Indian food together. "Indian food sounds like a date?" Tobi asked. "No, there was other people there," Chris said.
It was unclear how well they knew each other, and the two-minute date did not clarify this. He was charming. She was guarded. Shout out Namaste Cafe, not sponsored.
Kristina did not invite Chris into the final selection. "No one else came up here. But it's okay," Chris said. "If they're scared, they're scared." Fair.
The Abs Check: "Pony" by Ginuwine Played and Nobody Was Ready
Before making her decision, Kristina had one request. "I know it's cold out, but I would love to see what's underneath the shirts." It was maybe 40 degrees. This is an outdoor stage. These men had layers on. "Pony" by Ginuwine started playing through the speakers. All three stood up.
Remy did not wait for the countdown. Kristina started to count — "three, two" — and Remy was already done. Shirt off. No hesitation. Colbey followed suit. Philip took his time — slow, deliberate, presentation over speed. Scott: "I was also judging on how slowly or fast they took that shit off."
Tobi asked Kristina if the abs check changed her decision. "No," she said. "But it was nice to look at. I appreciate it." She had already made up her mind. The shirts were a courtesy.
The Elimination: The Crowd Wanted Philip. Kristina Didn't.
Kristina ran through all three dates. On Remy: "I felt like we had a really good connection. It was a very natural, flowing conversation and I really appreciate that." On Philip: "I really appreciated your vulnerability. The depth. The amount of work you've done on yourself to understand your capacity." On Colbey: "You lost me at the end a little bit. But the first part of the date was good. I just need clarification on why you want to kiss your roommate."
Colbey's response: "It's not gay to kiss the homies." Scott, without missing a beat: "It's also fine if it is gay to kiss the homies." Best co-hosting moment of the season.
Kristina eliminated Philip first. The crowd audibly disagreed. Ladies, if you're reading this, he's single. You've seen him without a shirt. You know where the climbing gym is.
Kristina then eliminated Colbey's friend group energy. Before she did, Kristina asked if she had to pick someone at all. She hesitated. "What if someone else already asked me?" Tobi: "I know nobody did." There was a mysterious "George" in the crowd. Nobody fully understood the George situation. Tobi ran with it: "Where's George? Where's Curious George?" Scott: "I'm more curious than George." The bit lasted about thirty seconds longer than it needed to and was somehow perfect.
Kristina picked Remy. Remy accepted. "I'll cook for you," he said. "Do you cook?" Kristina asked. "Spam eggs and rice, baby." They're going to Martin Garrix for the second date. Remy offered to pay for her ticket and pick her up. First concrete second date plan of the season that doesn't involve a four-hour drive to South Dakota.
The Verdict
Kristina came in as the most guarded headliner Season 12 has seen — measured, particular, monotone at times in a way that made the crowd work harder to read her than she worked to charm them. She ghosted good manners in a party game. She asked three men to take their shirts off in 40-degree weather and then said it didn't change her mind. She hesitated when asked if she even wanted to pick someone. And then she picked the man who didn't perform. Remy wasn't the most polished. He said "fuck them" about his own clients. He pitched spam eggs and rice as a meal. He took his shirt off before anyone counted to one. But he was the one who shared his drink without asking, spoke French to her because he wanted to and not because Tobi told him to, and talked about boundaries like someone who actually learned something from getting hurt. Philip deserved more time and the crowd knew it — that exit was the loudest disagreement of the night. Colbey deserves his own show where he explains Bugs Bunny sexuality to a panel of therapists. Season 12 is two for two on chaos. Minneapolis, we're just getting started.
Want to Be on the Show?
Date Night Podcast is actively casting Kings, Kweens, and Contestants for upcoming episodes in Minneapolis, Denver, and Scottsdale. Whether you want to be the headliner or you think you've got what it takes to win someone over in ten minutes — we want to hear from you.
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