Friends set up a romantic version of 'Shark Tank' to pitch their single friends — and it trumps dating apps

With apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge, it's easier to find a potential partner these days than it was decades ago. But using these apps doesn't come without limitations. The tweet-sized bios of people are often not sufficient to judge whether they'll be a good match. Even though a lot many people meet their partners through dating apps, this method might not be best suited for every single out there. Besides, now, in 2025, it seems that dating apps are not the only way to break the stint of singlehood. A woman named Alyssa Lauren Manaig (@alyssalauren) recently shared a video about attending an event where people can pitch their single friends and help them find love, in what may seem like a romantic version of "Shark Tank." 

“Me and my friends found an event where people ‘pitch’ their single friends to a whole crowd,” Alyssa wrote in the text overlay while the video displayed two people standing on a stage and a PowerPoint presentation running on a screen behind them. The footage unfolded an exuberant throng of young people, cheering and hooting, as various individuals went up on stage to make the case for their single friends.

According to a comment by Alyssa, this event was held in Los Angeles and was hosted by a dating event organizer company called Love in LA (@getloveinla) and The Next Fun Thing (@thenextfunthing), a community organization dealing with social events. The event, called "All Hands on Deck," has people pitch their single friends to a crowd, just the way Joey helped Rachel find the date of a soap opera star in "Friends."

Originally inspired by the TikTok iteration trend where people pitched their single friends in social media videos, this concept jumped from virtual reality into a real event. 

It is different from the usual speed dating and is rather an electric matchmaking event where friends become wingmen. The next All Hands on Deck event will be held on March 22.

Alyssa’s video was viewed by over 4.2 million people who loved the idea that finding a partner is way more exciting than the typical dating apps. “Everyone sick of apps gotta get creative,” commented @heyabbyrey. @_dezzztiny said, “This is such a cute and safe way to get out there!! You’re in public, with a friend who knows you best! I love this.” @eternal.evolver shared, “In India, we have these community events where parents pitch their kids." @gillieace6 tagged someone in a comment and wrote, "I'm sure I'll make a bomb [Powerpoint presentation] for you with confetti and bubbles!"

You can follow Alyssa Lauren Manaig (@alyssalauren) on Instagram to watch more videos with her besties.