The Globe and Mail

Hayley Jesson, 22, flew to the auditions from Nanaimo Sunday morning, after about three hours of prep time. “5:30 a.m. the alarm went off and I started getting beautiful,” she says.

(Jeff Vinnick for The Globe and Mail)

Kristen Maclean, a labour and delivery nurse based in Kelowna, risked her life, she says, driving to the auditions in Vancouver through rain, fog, snow and more rain.

“Ideally, I would like to be the runner-up, and be on The Bachelorette, so I’d have 25 men,” she says. “Better odds, that way.”

Something on Tracy De Medeiros's dates always goes wrong. One guy seemed to have real potential: good looking, well-established, made her muffins, massaged her feet. Then they kissed. “It was like a baby bird was pecking at me.”

(Jeff Vinnick for The Globe and Mail)

Megan Shakespeare, 23, is a real romantic. Her fantasy first date? An outing on a yacht, followed by a candlelight dinner on the beach, with roses and chocolate. (Someone’s been watching The Bachelor.)

(Jeff Vinnick for The Globe and Mail)

Katie Steele, an educational assistant, was first in line at casting call Sunday, arriving two-and-a-half hours before the designated start time.

“I’m here to find love and try something new, says Steele, 25.

(Jeff Vinnick for The Globe and Mail)

Brittany Vazzaz Vazzaz, 26, has tried online dating, has met people through friends, and has also met potential dates walking her Shiba Inu, Sadie Mae Miso. But it’s been about two years since her last serious relationship.

(Jeff Vinnick for The Globe and Mail)