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First Dates has shown Australia the perfect man, but you probably missed him.

After the emotional marathon that was Married At First Sight, fellow dating show First Dates is the perfect antidote we’ve been crying out for.

It’s funny, entrancing, painfully awkward and almost too relatable. In short, it’s car crash television in the best sense.

But amongst the crazy dates and quirky characters we’ve seen over the past few seasons, a true hero has emerged.

He’s there every night, wears a vest and can make a stiff cocktail.

Cam-the-bartender-feature
Image: Channel Seven
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Yes, we're talking about Cam Pascoe, the bartender.

Acting as the nervous dates' fairy godmother (who can also make a mean martini) he dishes out the wisest relationship tips and advice you've ever heard.

Eager to pick his romantic brain, The Binge hosts Laura Brodnik and Tiffany Dunk called him up - and promptly confirmed that he really is the most perfect man.

He also shared some juicy gossip about what really goes on on set.

Listen: Cam the First Dates bartender spills all the beans. Post continues after audio.

 

 

Often asked his advice by nervous participants, he says it's the return daters who ask him the strangest questions.

"A couple of the return daters ask me why it didn't work the first time. That's a go away and reflect yourself question," he said.

"Generally if people ask for tips and advice, it's cliched but I tell them to be themselves. I mean I think it's wrong to go in there thinking that you;re going to find the love of your life. If you go in there just as an open book, you're giving yourself a better chance at connecting with someone than if you're trying to put on a false image."

But there's the advice he gives and then there's what he really wishes he could say.

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Bit cute. Gotta admit. (Source; Channel 7.)

"I want to say 'Pull yourselves together' sometimes! And 'Put the shot down' would be another one I'd like to say," he says.

"They come in nervous and what you want to say is 'It's ok to be nervous and it's ok to feel uncomfortable meeting a new person'. This is a new experience, just embrace it and enjoy it."

And his own view on love will make you instantly swoon.

"What excites me about the people I date is the different things about them, the conversational topics, the varying opinions," he told The Binge.

Love vision. Image via Channel 7.
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"For me, love is like a mirror. First when you look at it you see a reflection, only what you want to see. After a while the mirror cracks a bit and what you're seeing is not the mirror but the wall that is standing behind it, so those are the things that make relationships work rather than just the shiny reflection."

Looks like Osher might have some serious competition.

As a real bartender, Pascoe says his job has changed dramatically since dating apps came on the scene.

Bartending has really changed since dating apps came on the scene.

Tinder has changed the game. Image: iStock
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"It used to be a place where people came to find other people on blind dates or whatever, but now you can pick Tinder dates from a mile away They sit at opposite ends of the bar, they pass little glances at each other, you know 'IS that what he looks like in the picture?' 'Oh, he didn't have a moustache in his picture before', you can kind of pick them," he says.

"The old-fashioned notion of just getting up and talking to someone that you find interesting or attractive is, I think dating apps have taken out that sense of courageousness and have made us even more fearful of who we are."

But this time spent observing people on dates has meant he's picked up an innate sense of being able to pick which ones will work out.. and which won't.

He knows which ones will work out. Image: Channel 7
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"I read somewhere that human beings make a split second judgement and you can kind of see the disappointment or excitement register on a person's face as soon as they walk in the door," he says.

"What really changes a date is not necessarily the physical appearance but the voice and the confidence, so it is disheartening when you see disappointment straight away. But you kind of hope they are honest and open and if they don't end up going on a second date, at least they've met someone new."

He has plenty of time to practise at least, with filming taking place for around 10 to 12 hours each day over three rounds of dates.

Listen: First Dates, Dirty Dancing and all the long weekend binging. Post continues after audio.

"While it does look really casual and stand offish, we're actually involved the whole way through the process until about 10pm or 11pm when we finish. And all those couples in the background are also single people trying to find love too, they're just not the ones we focus on at that point in time," he explains.

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"There are six dates in the day, everything is off the cuff, there's no script, there's no go-overs, basically you just see a linear storyline from start to finish and we hope that there's some funny and amusing moments in there."

There are certainly plenty of those - and they're all captured by the 36 hidden cameras all over the place.

"Often you see reality shows where you kind of feel like the energy has left it. We just cover the story from start to finish and so you get those real human moments when they're interacting. First Dates is not about prizes, you don't win anything, I guess the prize is the second date."

And just when you thought he couldn't get any better, Pascoe told Laura and Tiffany that he doesn't get paid any extra or talent fees for his love wizardry.

"We just get paid, we just work and do our jobs. The waiter and waitresses work there, all the chefs are from that restaurant, I bartend and Shane is a restaurant maitre'd from Melbourne," he said.

"So we just get paid as normal, we don't get talent fees or an exorbitant wage or anything like that. We just do it because we really like the show and the concept and the producers have become really good friends of ours."

Someone give this guy his own dating show already.