Down for Love (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

1
To me, it's really important to find love
'cause that's what makes you human.
I'm looking for love of a girl
who is brilliant, intelligent,
beauty both inside and outside.
My perfect man could be
funny, generous, and kind.
Very young, slim, and blonde.
[producer] Are you romantic, Libby?
People say that I
I'm a hopeless romantic,
so I guess so. [chuckles]
Yeah, I'm down for love. Yes, I am!
[narrator] We all want love,
companionship, and affection,
to love and be loved.
Will you be my boyfriend?
[narrator] But finding that special person
isn't always easy.
Tip of the day.
Treat your girl as a princess.
[narrator] This series follows
New Zealanders living with Down syndrome
as they go on a series of dates
I have some butterflies in my stomach
right now.
You scrub up well.
exploring the ups and downs of romance
[woman 1] If the date goes wrong,
I might cry.
and the complexities of relationships
[producer] Do you two want
to have children?
Um, no.
in the search for true love.
- You are a wonderful lady, ain't you?
- That's me.
- I don't like her.
- [woman] What?
I love her.
[twinkling]
- [producer] Are you ready, Josh?
- [claps] Oh yeah, I am ready.
I'm Josh Raymond Bradley.
I am nearly 21.
I've been looking for love
for a long time.
My perfect girl's gotta be
nice, awesome,
cutest girl I know.
- [producer] Why do you want a girlfriend?
- I love cuddling and kissing.
[narrator] Josh lives in Auckland
with his parents, Nicola and Todd,
and his brother, Max, and sister, Keira.
You guys should do uh,
paper, scissors, rock to see who starts.
- [Josh] Yeah.
- Paper, scissors, rock.
- He's awesome. [laughs]
- [Todd chuckles]
Slightly biased, but I think he's awesome.
Tip it over on the first go.
Come on, Joshy.
[Nicola] Nothing really fazes Josh.
I got it.
He is the most positive person
I think I've ever met.
[Josh] Oh no, it's not gonna fall!
I reckon Josh will be an awesome boyfriend
'cause he's so he's s
He's very generous as well.
Very generous and very caring.
[producer] But so far,
true love hasn't found Josh.
[Josh] I've been looking for a girlfriend
for four years,
and it's really hard and frustrating.
Okay, it.
[Nicola shrieks playfully]
- [laughter]
- [Todd] I think you just quit, Josh.
[Nicola] Josh!
Josh was our first,
and we were quite young
for this day and age, I suppose.
- I was 26.
- Yeah.
[Todd] We didn't know anything
about Down syndrome.
[Nicola] It was, uh
It was a a huge shock.
A lot of learning happened
in the next, uh, very quick period.
Patience is probably the first thing
you you learn and have to adjust to.
I wasn't patient.
I was the most unpatient person
you've probably ever met, eh? Yep.
Okay. [chuckles]
[jaunty music playing]
[Nicola] So we've chosen to bring Josh up
in himself, knowing that he's in charge.
[Todd] He chooses
the direction he wants to take.
- [Josh] Yes!
- [Todd] Josh.
[playful grunting]
I love wrestling.
[playful grunting]
Gotta be my dream job.
These are the wrestlers.
Ultimate Warrior.
Ric Flair. He's a dude.
He says, "Whoo!"
I love Ba Batista.
And I like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin!
[chuckles]
[Nicola] Get him, Joshy.
[producer] It's a sport where Josh
has the edge on his brother, Max.
[laughter]
- [Max] I'm done.
- [Nicola] Winner!
- [Todd] Got him.
- Winner.
- I did beat up Max.
- [laughter]
That was a hell of a match.
[upbeat music playing]
[narrator] There is one match
Josh hasn't been able to win though.
Max has a girlfriend, and he doesn't.
[Josh] My brother
started kissing and stuff,
and it made me feel, "I wanna do it!
I wanna do it! I wanna do it!"
[narrator] And it's not
for want of trying.
[Josh] On Tinder, I got,
like, messages from girls and stuff. Yeah.
It says, "Happy man, ladies' man."
Ain't that the truth.
[narrator] But Josh's fortunes
may be about to change
as he ramps up his search for love.
It's gonna be awesome.
[jaunty music playing]
Well, my name is Libby Hunsdale,
and I am 19 years old.
Down syndrome is actually
an extra chromosome
which allows you
to learn differently from other people.
It just gives me
a lot of joy and happiness.
Love to me, actually,
is someone who you can trust
and someone who you can talk to,
and someone that is that is 100% loyal
and honest with you all the time.
[producer] Have you ever
experienced love, Libby?
Um
Only with my parents, but that's about it.
[narrator] Libby lives in Whanganui
with her grandmother, Barb.
Spreading the news
[Libby] I can't dance.
[Barb giggling] I'm leaving today
Me and my grandma
just get on like a house on fire.
[Barb] Oh my goodness.
[Libby] What happened? [giggling]
[Barb] They're meant to be scones.
[Libby laughs hysterically]
Well, at least you tried.
She's fun to live with.
She's my best friend.
[Libby] I like your outfit.
It is cool.
[both laugh]
[Barb] We love doing
a lot of the same things.
It's like having
a girlfriend living with me. [chuckles]
[whimsical music playing]
Okay, my room is down here.
I did put some decor up onto the walls,
like my guitar certificates
for what I've been in.
I love pink. It
I think I'm a bit too obsessed
with the color of pink,
mostly because it stands out quite a lot,
and it's very girly.
Also,
I have, um [chuckles]
my ideal partner.
He is very good-looking, obviously.
I would 100% love to have a boyfriend,
but the thing is, um,
when you have an intellectual disability,
it is so damn hard
to find someone
that is on the same level as you
when it comes to
communication and intelligence.
- [Nicola] What am I doing?
- [Josh] You're buffering.
- [Nicola] You gonna do the cheese?
- [Josh] Yeah.
[Nicola] Okay. All right, then.
[Nicola] Why is it hard
to get a girlfriend?
'Cause
'cause [sighs]
my my speech.
Mm. Okay. That's probably
a good reason why it's hard.
[Josh] Yeah.
All you girls love me though. Yeah.
[Nicola laughs quietly]
The girls do love you. Why Why is that?
Why do you reckon the girls love you?
'Cause I'm cheeky and funny.
[Nicola giggles]
I'm looking for, like,
funny and cheeky like me.
Hmm. That's pretty good.
I like those qualities.
What's another good quality
to have in a girl?
Strong and sexy.
[chuckling]
"Pretty" might be
another way of putting it.
And pretty.
Mm. Okay. Cool.
Just because he's got an extra chromosome,
and that's that's, uh, real easy.
He's got one extra chromosome.
It shouldn't make him
any different from you and I.
Um and every human has that urge
of wanting love and wanting a connection.
And, yeah, he should have that too.
That's a gorgeous photo.
[Libby] Yeah.
- God, look how chubby I was. [giggling]
- Yeah, I know.
[Barb] Libby's quite mature.
I mean, she's been through experiences
that a lot of children her age
haven't been through.
[Libby] My mum,
she was diagnosed with brain cancer
when I was only two years old,
and I had to live with her seizures
for about 12 years of my life.
[tender music playing]
She sadly passed away
with my grandma right by her side,
and Grandma was crying.
And I remember walking in that morning,
late morning,
and I saw my mum
[voice catching]my mum dead and stuff,
and I had a full-on panic attack.
Like, that was the first time in forever
that I ever had that, so, yeah.
My mum taught me that life is too short
to even care what people think of you.
[Barb] And that was your first walk.
I took you down the road
from the hospital.
The day that Lib was born,
one of Kim's friends rang me
and said that she had Down syndrome.
I started crying,
and I kept thinking,
"Oh, she'll never go to her first ball."
"She won't do this, won't do that."
How wrong was I? [chuckles]
[big band music playing]
[narrator] In fact, Libby's achieved
so much more than most girls her age.
She was chosen to play the lead
in a new film called Poppy
about a girl living with Down syndrome.
[Libby] The film mirrored my own life
because Poppy's parents died,
and we both never had a boyfriend before.
You're just too cute.
Aw!
[Libby] It felt really, really cool
because I get to finally have
that experience
of having a boyfriend,
even though it was just a film.
Nice!
[tender music playing]
[narrator] And that's
given Libby confidence
to start looking for love for real.
- We haven't done a walk in a long time.
- No, we haven't.
[Libby] My perfect boyfriend
would be someone that is loyal, honest,
trustworthy, fun,
and has a good sense of humor.
- [Barb] Made it.
- [Libby] Yeah.
[narrator] Later this week, Libby will be
going on her first blind date,
swapping small-town Whanganui
for the excitement of downtown Auckland.
Josh will also be honing in
on finding his perfect partner.
Someone that's right for you
is someone who can laugh
and have a good time
and just overall be a fun person.
- Somebody to go to the pub with.
- [Max laughs]
- [Josh] Yeah!
- [producer] Do you wanna get married?
Yes! Yes! Yes!
- Yeehaw! I love weddings. [laughs]
- I know.
[Nicola] So, how do you think
you're gonna be on a date, Josh?
[Josh] Just wear the smart clothes.
- [Nicola] That's actually a great idea.
- [Todd] Yeah.
[jaunty music playing]
[Barb] Well, I wish
I was a fly on the wall up there.
[Libby laughs]
I am very excited
to go on my very first date
because I've never been
on a real date before.
What sort of boy do you think it'll be?
Hopefully, it's a guy with Down syndrome.
- Yeah.
- It would be a good bonding thing, so
[Barb] It would. Yeah.
[Libby] My perfect date would be
a dinner date on a boat.
There's something about the ocean
which I find so magical
when it comes to love, so
It's not fair.
I wish it was me going on a date.
With somebody like George Clooney.
[both laughing]
[dance music playing]
- We're gonna have a good night, right?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- [Josh] Come on!
[narrator] Tonight
Josh's family are taking him clubbing
with his best friend, Joshua.
[Nicola] What's the plan for tonight?
I'm gonna have a lit night.
A lit night.
[narrator] Todd and Nicola didn't expect
to be out clubbing at their age,
but they'd do anything
to help Josh find love.
We need to find a girl
that's a lot of fun.
[Max] Someone who can do pub nights.
Somebody that likes to come
and have a good boogie. Yeah?
Have a boogie and have a beer.
- You can be my wingman.
- [laughter]
- Why don't you be each other's wingmen?
- Yeah.
- 'Cause, actually, he needs help as well.
- Yeah, yeah!
High five.
[Nicola laughs]
I do though. I do.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Josh and I have been mates
probably since back in year three,
so we would've been about eight.
He's my best friend, really.
Every time I finish hanging out with him,
I leave with a smile on my face.
He's a bit of a ladies' man.
We'll go out, and he gets all of them,
and he leaves me with none, so, yeah.
[chuckles]
But it's actually true.
He draws the chicks.
- Oh, he does.
- Yeah.
- It's insane.
- [Max] Just can't hold one down.
[snickering]
- I was talking about both of you.
- [Nicola laughs]
I really want Josh to find love.
I really do.
He's ready for someone.
It's just he needs a bit of help.
He can't do it on his own.
So you gotta
you gotta introduce yourself.
[dance music playing]
[Joshua] Josh's dancing
is pretty out-there.
He's not afraid to be who he is.
It makes it a great vibe
for everyone around him.
I love it so much. Yeah.
[narrator] Within a few dance moves,
Josh has the floor
and the girls.
[Joshua] See what I mean?
He gets all the attention for himself.
He's got more game
than I do, 100%. [chuckles]
[narrator] But the truth is,
although everybody loves Josh,
it doesn't always translate
into something lasting.
[Todd] So when Josh is out dancing,
he'll usually end up with a lady
that spends a bit of time with him.
The furthest I've seen it go is
a "thank you" kiss.
He's enjoyed the night.
He doesn't often come away with a number.
See you later.
[upbeat music playing]
[narrator] While Libby's in Auckland
for her date,
she's taken on a modeling job.
A useful way
of getting glammed up for the occasion.
[Libby] I just love modeling in general.
You get to get your makeup done
by somebody else
instead of doing it yourself.
- What do you think?
- [Libby] I love it.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- [woman 1] Beautiful, Libby.
- [Libby laughs]
- Give us some of that attitude.
- [camera clicking]
[woman 2] Were you saying before
that your mum used to model?
Yeah, my mum did used to model.
[woman 1] So it runs in your family, then.
Yeah.
My passion is entertaining people
and inspiring and motivating people
to be true to who they are
and to be their best self.
- [camera clicking]
- Beautiful. Look at me.
[narrator] Despite Libby's career success,
there's still something very important
missing in her life.
[Libby] I want a secure life
with someone that's fun,
someone that does have a sense of humor.
A person that is actually there for me
through my lowest and highest.
Put your hands through your hair, maybe.
[narrator] Libby's goal is
to be able to live independently.
This can be challenging
for people with Down syndrome.
[jaunty music playing]
[duck-like quacking]
[giggling]
[narrator] Twenty-seven-year-old Brooke
and twenty-five-year-old Jesse
Better.
[narrator] still live with their parents,
but they want to live together one day.
Behave.
[duck-like quacking]
- Catch!
- Grab that one, quick.
I call him "cupcake," so
He is kind of my sweet cupcake.
[Brooke chuckles]
[squeaking]
Okay. Ew, that's yuck. Ew.
[woman] So, what do you guys think
about moving out?
- What do you reckon?
- I'd like to live in my own place.
[Andrea] Want to get a flat by yourselves?
- [Brooke] Just me and Jesse.
- Yeah, that sounds nice, doesn't it?
[Brooke] I really love Jesse.
He's kinda kind and handsome,
and he always smiles
at me a lot. [chuckles]
Makes me laugh all the time.
[Andrea] Jesse,
how many sugars do you have?
I will be choosing two.
I love kissing Brooke.
He likes my singing a lot.
I really like how
Brooke sings is in the shower.
I do not.
Yes.
How much money
do you think you might need to move out?
- Hmm. Nine million dollars, I think.
- Ooh.
[Brooke] I was gonna say 1,000, but okay.
Yeah, I think I think you're probably
closer to the mark on that one.
I really love him that much
'cause he's kind of romantic man
that I ever met. [chuckles coyly]
[sighs]
He's been in my life for the whole time.
I will always love Brooke.
[Brooke sniffles]
[Andrea] Aw, you guys.
[Brooke sobs softly, sniffles]
- [Andrea] You all right there, Brooke-y?
- Yeah, fine. [chuckles]
[Andrea] Yeah?
Oh, it's a bit emotional, isn't it, eh?
Talking about your feelings. Eh?
[Brooke] I like talking about my feelings.
You like talking about them?
Do ya?
Aw. Well, that's nice.
'Cause you're always saying
how hot he is, aren't ya?
- 'Course he is.
- [both giggle]
It's just lovely to see, you know,
a young couple in love
and just enjoying each other.
[Jesse] Let's have fun!
[upbeat music playing]
Beginner's luck, Brooke.
- You mean "good luck," you mean.
- Yeah.
They are really good fun.
They are really funny.
[Andrea laughing] Oh no!
- Oh, hit the showers.
- [Andrea laughs]
I do feel grateful that they met
because I don't know
how it would have been otherwise.
Because, yes, when he was younger,
I used to worry.
What if he never has someone?
- [Andrea] Woo-hoo! Good shot, Jess.
- Yoo-hoo!
[narrator] Jesse asked Brooke to marry him
ten years ago.
He got down on one knee,
and he said, "Will you marry me?"
And I said yes, and I
Before I started crying, and then he
I went in to hug him.
So first we have to live together first,
and then we might get married
and go on our honeymoon.
I like going on honeymoons
'cause it's kinda romantic.
[Andrea] Marriage is definitely
on the cards,
and they've proven to us that it's been
a long-lasting relationship,
which is what we,
as parents, wanted to see.
That's it.
Oh, you like the wriggly bit
where he wiggles his butt, eh, Brooke?
Yeah? [giggles]
[narrator] But there may be a few things
the couple still need to iron out.
[producer] Do you two want
to have children?
- Y
- Um, no, I don't want a baby.
[Brooke] We want to be one happy family.
Just have each other. That's all.
That that's what we want.
Oh, here comes a butt!
[giggling]
[sultry music playing]
[Brooke giggles]
[jaunty music playing]
When you're going into
the world of relationships,
whether it's with friends, lovers,
boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives,
you are going to make mistakes.
[narrator] Guiding people
with disabilities
through the complexities of romance
is something Dave Hicks does at Unitec.
[Dave] When you feel like you are failing,
try and remember that you are learning.
Emotional well-being.
[narrator] That's why
Josh has come to see Dave,
to get some tips
on how best to succeed on his first date.
Josh.
Hey. Hey, Dave.
[Dave] Students with Down syndrome,
they wear their hearts on their sleeve
and are very enthusiastic
about getting into a relationship.
I hear that you're going on a date.
What would be the number one thing
that you're looking for in a girl?
Oh, sexy girl! [chuckles]
- Sexy girl, number one?
- Yep.
[Dave] On our program,
we would help them understand
how to navigate
through the difficult times
after the, uh
what we call the honeymoon period is over.
So imagine now that you've met your girl.
What's the first thing you're gonna say?
What am I gonna say?
Ooh, you look pretty!
Excellent. So you're gonna start
with a compliment. Then what?
And [chuckles]
I'm gonna say,
"How are your grandparents?"
[chuckling] "How are your grandparents?"
Okay.
When you meet her, what are you gonna do?
Hang out,
make out.
[Dave] Aha.
- Yeah.
- Nice.
And have a good time.
What happens if the girl
wants to do something different?
[Josh] I have to go with it.
Yes, that's what you wanna do. Go with it.
That shows me that you're really mature,
and that's gonna go a long way
in your dating.
How do you know if she is the one?
I'm gonna look into in in her eyes.
You look someone in the eyes, you can
feel it where? Where do you feel it?
In my heart.
- In your heart.
- Yeah.
Excellent. So that's why
it's really important
that you need to look into their eyes.
Yeah.
And you feel them,
and they need to look into your eyes,
and they will feel you too.
If you really like someone,
maybe even love them
[Josh] Ooh!
what will you say to them?
You mess with my mind.
[both laughing]
Perfect. Yeah, okay.
You mess with my mind.
I know with your awesome eye contact,
and you know that when it's the right one,
you're gonna feel it,
that you are gonna find that one
one day, okay?
- Yeah.
- All right, good luck.
[Josh] Good luck.
Most important thing? Have fun.
- I will.
- Okay.
[sweet suspenseful music playing]
[narrator] At a waterfront apartment
in Auckland,
Barb's helping Libby get ready
for her blind date.
[Barb] Goodness. What are you gonna wear?
I've got no idea, but I'll try them on.
Here we go.
[Barb] Okay, it looks fabulous.
Twirl around and let me look.
It's a cool dress, but I'm just wondering
if it's gonna be too hot.
[Libby] Okay, here's the second option.
- [Barb] Oh, Mum's dress.
- Yeah.
I love that.
Yeah, it feels like
I've got a piece of Mum with me, so
Yeah, well, you definitely have.
Turn around.
- It's gorgeous.
- Yeah.
- Except your label's sticking out.
- Oh God. We can sort that.
If it said "made in Paris," it'd be okay.
[raucous laughter]
[Barb] You look fabulous, darling.
First date.
Mum would be proud.
[upbeat music playing]
[narrator] Libby's date
is 21-year-old Damian,
who's passionate about animals
and break dancing.
Gel my hair so it's nice and
smelling clean.
And then this is the aftershave.
[narrator] Damian lives with
an intellectual disability
known as global developmental delay.
This is also his first-ever date.
[woman] You look lovely. Very handsome.
[jaunty music playing]
Fifteen minutes until you go.
[giggling nervously] God!
- Just be yourself, darling.
- Okay.
I'm sure whoever the boy is,
he'll love you.
- We'll see about that. [chuckles]
- True.
[narrator] This afternoon,
Libby's chosen to take Damian
on a luxury cruise of Auckland's harbor.
[sweet suspenseful music playing]
- Hi.
- Hello. Hi. How are you?
I'm good, thank you.
- What's your name?
- Damian. What's your name?
- Hi, Damian. My name is Libby.
- Libby. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too. You scrub up well.
Yeah. Have you been on a boat before?
I've been on boats before,
but nothing like this, so
- [Damian] No, me either.
- [Libby giggles]
Oh my God!
- [Damian] You wanna go on the boat now?
- Yes, sure. Let's do that.
[Damian] All right.
[man] Hi. Welcome aboard.
[Libby] Thank you.
- Do you like dancing?
- [Libby] I love dancing. Do you?
Yeah, I like dancing. What else do you do?
Oh my G I do dancing.
I am also an actress.
- I've got a movie coming out soon.
- Actress? Wow.
- Yes.
- What movie is it?
It's called Poppy.
Poppy. Oh.
- Yeah. It's about a Down's girl.
- Oh yeah?
- Who thinks she can do
- About you?
- Not necessarily, but almost.
- Oh. Ah.
[Libby] So, what style of clothes
do you wear?
[Damian] I like black.
- I like black as well because
- Yeah.
This is a leather jacket.
Ooh, very classy.
- Thank you.
- [chuckles]
And when it comes to dates and stuff,
I like to wear my mum's dresses and stuff.
- That's nice.
- 'Cause it it reminds me of her.
So I don't really have a
have a mum, though, so
- You don't have a mum?
- Well, I do, but I don't.
- She kind of passed away. Um
- Oh. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
- About five or six years ago.
- Oh wow.
- Yeah. I don't really see my dad. Yeah.
- Aww.
Yeah, me either.
He kinda has a new new life now.
- Same with my dad.
- Yeah.
[Damian] I got you something.
Oh my God. What did you do?
Like candles?
- I love candles.
- You can smell it if you want.
- Oh my Go
- For you.
- Oh, it's so sweet. Thank you so much.
- Very nice.
- I'll pop that in my room when I go home.
- Yeah, nice.
- Here you guys go.
- My God, this looks so good.
Well, the date is going amazing.
Damian is a wonderful boy.
[Damian] Um, I like how she's an actress.
It was a shock
when she told me about that.
I think she's a nice, lovely girl.
[narrator] Buoyed up with confidence,
Libby takes the helm and a risky maneuver.
This is so scary.
Oh my God, I think it's gonna touch.
I wanna see if it's gonna touch.
- [Damian] All right, you got this.
- [Libby] This is so scary.
Once we're out on the other side,
I want someone else to drive.
Back to your right a little bit.
That's it.
- [Libby] Can't believe this is happening.
- [Damian] Wow. You're doing it.
- Wow.
- [captain] You've done it.
Okay, somebody else's turn now. [giggles]
[seagulls calling]
[Damian] Oh wow.
Thank you.
[Libby] I'm loving it so far.
It's been so fun.
He's nice.
[producer] Boyfriend material or not?
Not too sure, but I will hang out with him
again at some point when I'm free,
and hopefully,
we'll get to know each other a bit more.
[heartwarming music playing]
[narrator] With the help
of the Down for Love team,
Josh may also be about to meet
a potential girlfriend
as he prepares to go
on his first-ever blind date.
Bit nervous of the date.
[Nicola] That's fair enough.
I'm a little nervous for him,
but I know that he'll be fine.
You'll be fine, hey?
- Yeah, I'll be fine.
- Yeah. You'll rock it.
- You'll bring out the charm.
- Yeah!
[Nicola giggles]
[girl] I'm feeling excited.
The only thing that's,
like, could go wrong,
I'm a bit concerned about,
is that they don't like each other.
[sweet suspenseful music playing]
Yeah, he's, uh,
he's quieter than he normally is.
Yeah, I hope he comes out of himself
and and shows who he is
and that they hit it off.
- Have a good time, sweetie pie.
- [Josh murmurs nervously]
Have a good time.
Ha! Have a great day, Mummy.
- Beep!
- And I'll beep to you too.
You look awesome.
[fun suspenseful music playing]
[narrator] Josh has chosen Rainbow's End
for his date,
where he works as a part-time cleaner.
But today, it's no work and all play.
His date is 25-year-old Hayley,
an aspiring writer from Alexandra.
Skin's looking great.
[narrator] Hayley lives with
an intellectual disability
and is here with her support tutor Laura.
[Laura] So, what's your ideal man?
My ideal man is someone who's really kind,
someone who will love me for who I am,
and, uh, someone who doesn't mind
a bit of dark humor.
[Laura] What would
your ideal date be in Auckland?
Doing the bungee jump
off of the Sky Tower.
I'm not a big fan of heights,
but I do like to live life
a little dangerously.
- Put your lips together.
- Ah.
Gorgeous.
- How do you feel?
- Really good.
He's a lucky man.
[narrator] With Hayley running
a few minutes late,
Josh's first-date nerves
seem to have vanished.
[suave rock music playing]
[sweet suspenseful music playing]
Hello.
Hi.
I'm Hayley.
- I'm I'm Josh Bradley. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
Thank you. They're lovely!
[narrator] Having had all the tips,
it's up to Josh now to pull this off.
Never been here before,
so this is gonna be awesome.
What are your interests?
My interests Well, I really love reading.
You'll always find me
with a really good book in my hand,
like Harry Potter or Twilight
or The Chronicles of Narnia.
I also like writing,
so if I don't have a book in my hand,
I've either got a pen in my hand
or I'm sitting at my laptop writing away.
Also like a lot of music
from the '70s and '80s.
This morning,
I was listening to "Somebody to Love,"
and I was like,
"Well, that's very appropriate."
How about you?
Uh I like music around, like, Macklemore
and Ed Sheeran and Eminem.
[Hayley] Oh, nice!
- Do you want to go in?
- Yes.
- Ready?
- I'm ready.
Me too.
Here we go!
[Hayley screams]
[Hayley continues screaming]
- [Josh laughs]
- [Hayley] Whoo!
[Hayley screams]
This is sweet!
Oh my gosh. That was fun.
I loved it as well. [chuckles]
[heartwarming music playing]
Ooh, what do you do in the morning?
On Tuesdays and Fridays,
I like to go to the gym.
Oh, that's what I do!
I go to the gym and get stronger.
Cool.
[Josh] What drink do you like?
Well, I enjoy a hot chocolate
or a chai latte if it's cold.
For me, I drink beers, coffees.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
- Oh.
- And maybe vodka.
Oh, right, okay.
[Hayley] Thank you.
[Josh] And are you smart?
Yes. People would say that I was smart.
[Josh] You look beautiful.
[Hayley] Aw, thank you.
And you look very handsome.
I think he's absolutely lovely,
and he's very kind.
It's going absolutely wonderful.
- [heartwarming music continues]
- [playful screaming]
[Josh chuckles]
I'm going around in circles!
Someone help me.
Watch me. I'm I I'm a fast thrower.
- [man] Aw, so close, buddy.
- Damn!
That's all right.
- [producer] Is she your type of girl?
- [Josh] I think she is.
But we'll have to see.
[narrator] With Hayley and Josh
not quite sure whether they're a match,
they've got one more shot at romance
at the local Italian.
- [server] Chicken pizza.
- Pizza.
- [Hayley] Thank you.
- [server] There you go.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you very much.
[Josh] What do you like to do?
I think I enjoy
a bit of everything, really.
Travel, music, reading, writing.
Life without humor's a bit dull.
Very dull.
[Josh] I love her smile.
And pretty.
I think he's very nice.
I think he's lovely.
Have you ever been to a concert before?
Actually, the last time I was in Auckland,
I went to go and see Mary Poppins,
which I thought was really cool.
- [Josh] Did you see Michael Jackson?
- No.
Oh.
So, would you want
to stay in contact with me?
- Yes.
- [Hayley clears throat]
Um
Facebook?
Yes.
Okay, well, if I had a piece of paper
and a pen, I'd write it down for you.
Oh!
[producer] Do you think
there's a future for you and Hayley?
Oh yes.
For you.
[producer] Boyfriend material or not?
Um [chuckles awkwardly]
Probably not.
Not for me, no. I think he's lovely,
but no, don't think so.
[uplifting music playing]
[Barb] Well, what did you think
of the date with Damian?
It was actually really good.
We communicated really well.
Yeah, he looked really nice.
- Yeah, he did. Really nice.
- Yeah.
Yeah, I would like to go out
with him again but as friends.
You don't think you fell in love?
Yeah, no butterflies in my tummy,
no pounding heart.
But you'd still like to find somebody
with Down syndrome that suited you?
Yes.
I want to find someone
who has the same level
of intelligence as me,
and it's so hard to find that.
Well, I'm sure Mr. Right is gonna be
just around the corner.
Yeah, hopefully. [chuckles]
[narrator] With a second date
on the cards soon,
Libby's not got long to wait to find out.
[jaunty music playing]
[narrator] With Josh and Hayley parting
as just friends
[Nicola] Hi.
Josh and his mum have come to see
Jesse and Brooke
to get the lowdown
on long-term relationships.
We're finding it a little bit tricky
to navigate the dating world.
The biggest struggle I've found, probably,
is meeting girls the same age
[Andrea] Yes.
that aren't necessarily
already connected. [chuckles]
- [Andrea] Yeah.
- Like Jesse and Brooke.
How did you guys meet?
We first met at, um, StarJam.
- I was 14. You were 11.
- [Jesse] Yeah.
And then that's where we first met.
In lots of ways with dating
when you've got Down syndrome,
that's different to other types of dating.
With Jesse and Brooke,
they have known each other
for such a long time,
and so it was
kind of a natural progression.
Does love make you happy?
Well, Jesse makes me happy.
Sometimes he tries to kiss my face,
and he says, "Oh, you have broccoli lips."
[Jesse laughs] Broccoli lips?
[Brooke laughs] So
We've also struggled with other parents
not necessarily being
in the same frame of mind about dating
and that sort of thing.
Because if you have a boyfriend
or a girlfriend, what might that lead to?
Sex. Yeah,
that's what they're worried about.
If they're not comfortable
with their child
If they're still seeing that child
as being a child rather than an adult,
then, of course, you're not gonna
want to touch that at all, are you?
You're like, "I'm gonna avoid that.
Not gonna go there."
It's not just about him finding a partner.
It's about you finding parents
that you can relate to and you can have
those sorts of discussions with.
[Nicola] That are on the same page.
Have got the same sort of outlook on life.
[narrator] Two people that clearly are
on the same page are Jesse and Josh.
So, some pretty ladies.
- We got tons of girls.
- Oh!
- Lots of sexy girls!
- Yeah.
- [Josh] Oh, look at that!
- [laughter]
Oh my gosh.
[Josh] He hello!
Pillow fight!
- Oh yeah, yeah, yeah!
- [laughter]
Come on, boys. Really?
This is only for Josh, Brooke.
[Brooke] Yeah, I know that.
[Josh] Um, I might take your book with me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! [laughs]
[both snickering]
[narrator] With Josh
on his continued search for love,
he's looking forward
to his second blind date.
- [Nicola] What part are you excited about?
- Meeting the girl.
Yeah? Well, I'm excited for you.
I hope it goes well.
[narrator] This time,
he'll be meeting a young woman
who also lives with Down syndrome.
Someone who's equally excited
to meet a young man just like him.
What do you think of this place, Lib?
This is the type of vibe
I want my dream mansion to have.
Wow, me too. Can I come and live with you
in your dream mansion?
[giggling] If you want to.
So, excited about this date?
Very excited.
But I am very nervous.
Like, I don't know
what the vibe is gonna be like
between for both of us, so
- Well, fingers crossed.
- Yeah. [giggles]
Good luck. And don't drink too much wine.
[chuckles] I'll try not to.
- [Nicola] All right, we're here.
- Wow, this is exciting.
Okay, bye, Grandma.
Good luck.
[sweet suspenseful music playing]
- Hi.
- Hi.
- My name is Libby.
- My name's Josh Bradley.
Hi, Josh. It's very nice to meet you.
Very nice to meet you as well.
Um, do you like alcohol?
- Oh yes! Yes, yes, yes!
- [Libby giggles]
So do I, so do I.
Well, actually, I heard
that there is a very nice wine here,
so would you like to go over?
- Yeah.
- So let's go.
[Libby giggles]
These flowers are so nice. Thank you.
You made my day, so
[narrator] Today, Josh and Libby
will be doing a wine tasting together.
[man] Hey, guys. Hey, Josh. Hey, Libby.
- [Josh] Hey.
- I'm Pete. Welcome to the Hunting Lodge.
And somebody told me
that one of you might happen to like wine.
- Yes.
- [Pete] Yes. Or both of you?
- Both of us.
- [Pete] Both of you?
Now, this is a great wine called Albariño,
which you may not have heard of,
and it's a really interesting wine
because it has these amazing citrus notes,
like lemon and lime,
and so give it a try.
What do you think of that?
Oh, I think it's awesome.
- [Pete] Awesome, yeah?
- Yeah. That was great.
[Pete] That's what we like to hear.
So, cheers!
[chuckles]
Calm down.
- [laughs] Yeah, I need to calm down.
- [giggles]
So, which one do you like?
I like this one, this one,
this one, this one.
Well, I can tell. [laughs]
Oh, I've seen you on the movies.
Yes. Yeah.
Well, that is part of what I am doing, so
We have a whole influencing thing,
and people with disabilities,
and employing them just as they are.
Oh wow, that's so awesome.
Do you like going out to nightclubs?
I love going to go to nightclubs!
Oh my God, that's fantastic.
Every time.
Well, I've never been,
but I would like to go.
It's always a big dream of mine
to actually go to a nightclub.
I think that Josh is a very nice boy.
So sweet. [chuckles]
We have stuff in common,
so it's really cool.
My mum actually died of brain cancer, so
- Aw.
- Yeah.
I'm sorry about your loss.
Aw, thank you.
Yeah.
Well [sighs]
you can't keep 'em all, can't you?
[Josh] Yeah.
We have to go at some stage
because it's life, so, yeah.
- Boop!
- Oh, that's so cute.
Thank you.
[Josh] I think that she's pretty.
She has a nice smile.
Yeah, pretty much my girlfriend type.
- [Libby] Oh, that was so close.
- Damn!
Yes!
- [Nicola] How do you think it's gone?
- [Barb] Good.
I watched them through the window,
and I could straight away see
that they clicked.
[Nicola] Oh, really?
Yes!
[Barb] But then Libby came in,
and she said, "Oh, Grandma."
"I like him."
- Oh, that's so sweet. That's so sweet.
- [Barb] I know. So cute.
You can go again if you want to.
- [Nicola] This could work. Yay for them!
- [Barb] Yeah.
Yeah!
- [Nicola] I really hope it does.
- Yeah.
Good job.
Yeah, thank you.
Whoo!
We are 100% vibing together.
It's been so fun today.
Would you like to hang out again?
[Josh] Oh yes.
[Libby] That's good.
Me too.
[Libby chuckles]
- Hey, here's a flower. You like it?
- Aw, thank you.
[chuckles]
That was so sweet.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
Josh is dead keen on finding himself
a nice girlfriend. Yeah. So
Oh, do you think
we should get some contraceptives?
[both laugh raucously]
Maybe not on the second date,
but maybe, um,
before he comes down to Whanganui.
- [giggling]
- Yeah, true.
Yeah, I would love to get married here.
- I'd love to get married here as well.
- Yeah. Buddies.
[Libby] Definitely boyfriend material.
Yeah, we both love each other and stuff.
Yeah.
Did you enjoy that?
Yeah, I enjoyed that.
That's good. I'm glad you did.
Yeah.
Boop!
Oh, you're so cute.
[Libby giggles]
[narrator] Next time
- Hi!
- Hello!
Josh and Libby take things
a step further.
[woman] And dirty dance.
I don't like to break too many hearts.
[narrator] There's more
nervous anticipation.
I'm not able to go to sleep tonight.
I'm just so excited
and anxious to have this date.
Uh, yeah.
[narrator] And someone pops
the big question.
I've been thinking hard on this.
I'm not sure you'll be okay with it.
To love.
[jaunty music playing]