UND junior named 'Most Popular Man' in North Dakota

GRAND FORKS – We’ve all heard the axiom “nice guys finish last.”   Thanks to the dating app Lulu and the publication Business Insider, nice guys are finishing first – among them, University of North Dakota junior Lucas Blanchard. Blanchard was named as one of “Lulu’s Most Popular Man in Every State,” based on scores collected by Business Insider and ratings the men received via the Lulu app, which pulls in their Facebook profiles. Women then anonymously evaluated the men, scoring them on a variety of characteristics that measured their desirability. They ranged from whether they could carry on a conversation with the women’s fathers, whether they brought the women flowers or opened doors for them, and how attractive they were, among others. Blanchard, North Dakota’s Most Popular, said he’d first learned of his “Most Popular” in North Dakota ranking when a friend contacted him to tell him he was in a story run in Cosmopolitan magazine. Blanchard was skeptical his aggregate score was based on his attractiveness. “It’s very surprising,” he said. “My sense of humor – it’s probably my only good quality.” He was less certain whether his niceness was the clincher, since the “Minnesota nice” Blanchard, from Richfield, Minn., moved from one state to another also highly touted for the niceness of its natives. Blanchard said he’d dated primarily college women at UND since moving here from Richfield, and had noticed he’d gained more confidence, and more success in relationships, in the intervening years. That could be why in this case, nice guys were finishing first, not last, in terms of romantic potential, he said. “I think it’s a big indicator of success in the dating market,” he said. “I think a lot of people tend to assume nice guys aren’t confident.” Blanchard said while he appreciated the reviews, he was somewhat unnerved by the idea that women might be rating him like a possible purchase on Amazon.com. Business Insider reports that one in four college women uses the Lulu app. Blanchard, who is studying physical therapy and public health education, is currently single, but open to meeting someone. “I like girls who are outgoing … I’m a fairly outgoing guy,” he said. That’s unlikely to be a secret to the single ladies of Lulu, given Blanchard’s top hashtag is #BoysGot Game, according to Business Insider. “And I like pretty girls,” he continued. He ranked character as being a bigger draw for him than looks, however. “Genuinely good people – that’s always nice,” he said. Blanchard admitted that he had yet to see any payoff from his high ranking among Lulu users. “I’m still waiting for that long line of girls,” he said.
GRAND FORKS – We’ve all heard the axiom “nice guys finish last.” Thanks to the dating app Lulu and the publication Business Insider, nice guys are finishing first – among them, University of North Dakota junior Lucas Blanchard.Blanchard was named as one of “Lulu’s Most Popular Man in Every State,” based on scores collected by Business Insider and ratings the men received via the Lulu app, which pulls in their Facebook profiles.Women then anonymously evaluated the men, scoring them on a variety of characteristics that measured their desirability.They ranged from whether they could carry on a conversation with the women’s fathers, whether they brought the women flowers or opened doors for them, and how attractive they were, among others.Blanchard, North Dakota’s Most Popular, said he’d first learned of his “Most Popular” in North Dakota ranking when a friend contacted him to tell him he was in a story run in Cosmopolitan magazine.Blanchard was skeptical his aggregate score was based on his attractiveness.“It’s very surprising,” he said. “My sense of humor – it’s probably my only good quality.”He was less certain whether his niceness was the clincher, since the “Minnesota nice” Blanchard, from Richfield, Minn., moved from one state to another also highly touted for the niceness of its natives.Blanchard said he’d dated primarily college women at UND since moving here from Richfield, and had noticed he’d gained more confidence, and more success in relationships, in the intervening years.That could be why in this case, nice guys were finishing first, not last, in terms of romantic potential, he said.“I think it’s a big indicator of success in the dating market,” he said. “I think a lot of people tend to assume nice guys aren’t confident.”Blanchard said while he appreciated the reviews, he was somewhat unnerved by the idea that women might be rating him like a possible purchase on Amazon.com.Business Insider reports that one in four college women uses the Lulu app.Blanchard, who is studying physical therapy and public health education, is currently single, but open to meeting someone.“I like girls who are outgoing … I’m a fairly outgoing guy,” he said.That’s unlikely to be a secret to the single ladies of Lulu, given Blanchard’s top hashtag is #BoysGotGame, according to Business Insider.“And I like pretty girls,” he continued.He ranked character as being a bigger draw for him than looks, however.“Genuinely good people – that’s always nice,” he said.Blanchard admitted that he had yet to see any payoff from his high ranking among Lulu users.“I’m still waiting for that long line of girls,” he said.