Utah billboards advertising an “LDS millionaire looking for his wife” are gaining national attention.
The billboards say there will be an “exclusive VIP event” on June 7 and refer to a website. The website answers common questions about the event and offers an application to any women interested in getting the chance to meet the LDS millionaire, whose identity remains unknown.
The application features questions about body type, previous relationships and Church activity.
Amy Stevens Seal, CEO of The LDS Matchmaker, is in charge of the event and is working with the millionaire to find a wife.
Seal, along with her matchmakers and dating coaches, received her matchmaking certification from the Matchmaking Institute in New York City.
Seal created the dating service The LDS Matchmaker eight years ago. Seal and her team meet with every client to better understand who they are and what they want.
“I try to get to know their story, their relationship history, their top-10 lists of qualities that they’re looking for in a match and why they’re looking for that,” she said.
Once they understand what their client is looking for, she said, they interview candidates and facilitate dates between potential matches.
Seal and her team decided to do something unique for this particular candidate.
Erin Schurtz, one of Seal’s dating coaches, came up with the idea. Seal said Schurtz is a fan of reality shows and personally knew the bachelor before he became a client.
Seal said Schurtz told her she wanted to make a big splash and draw women who might not know about The LDS Matchmaker, finding the “hidden gems” for their client.
Seal said she and her team of matchmakers will narrow the currently more than 400 applicants down to 20 women who they feel are a good match. Those women will meet the mystery bachelor at the June event, and he will select two women to receive a second date.
The billboards advertising the millionaire are gaining attention on Twitter and other social media. Seal said she has an interview lined up with Good Morning America.
Multiple commenters on Twitter and other social media are shocked by the billboards. Twitter user @trickyfinn said with the hashtag #smh, or “shaking my head,” “only in #Utah.”
Saw these billboards driving around town this weekend…only in #Utah #smhhttps://t.co/VXXPbtYu4q
— trickyfinn (@trickyfinn) May 6, 2019
Comment sections on news sites like The Salt Lake Tribune are filled with questions about the emphasis on wealth in the billboard. User Kenneth Ranson said, “It does seem kinda transactional doesn’t it.”
Seal said they decided to focus on money because women are attracted to safety and security.
“I would say the majority wants to stay home and raise the kids. And life is expensive. And so having a guy that you know is set financially is very appealing to a woman,” she said.
Money often leads to issues in marriage and can result in divorce, Seal said. She said she felt they were eliminating those issues by including money on the billboard.
User madbluebird commented on The Salt Lake Tribune’s website, calling it “a scam that will not turn out well for the applicants.”
The event has been compared to dating shows like “The Bachelor,” “30-Day Bae” and “Provo’s Most Eligible,” but Seal said she believes this endeavor will be more successful for the LDS millionaire because it is different from most reality shows.
“Our goal is to not create drama. It is to make it classy and make everyone feel comfortable,” she said. “The way we have it set up, we’re not going to do some big rose ceremony where people are crying because they weren’t selected. It’s going to be a lot more tasteful.”
Their June 7th event and the two dates that follow will not be televised. Applications close on May 31st. Seal said they have already received over 400 applications from people as young as 18 and from places as far as Ukraine.
