It hasn't been the brightest of days here in New York City– it's been rainy, gray, and it kinda feels like we all collectively got dumped (but our ex left in the middle of the night with a bunch of our shit... like our healthcare).
Not to get too kumbaya on y'all, but remember, there is still good in the world, especially in our beloved city.
Check out this update on Rupert's Housemate Hunt; as a refresher, Rupert Hunt is the CEO of SpareRoom.com who is renting out two bedrooms in his insane $8 million West Village Loft for $1 each, in hopes of supporting a couple people who could use the leg up.
Each of Rupert’s two roommates, whoever he ends up picking, will have a bedroom that fits a queen size bed, a walk-in closet, private bathroom, a desk for work, and access to the rest of the big ass kitchen, dining room, and lounge.
His ad on SpareRoom, which you can watch here, attracted 8,975 applications, which Rupert somehow managed to narrow down to six pretty cool finalists, whom we got to chat with ourselves (any chance to check out Rupert's dope pad again).
You might remember that the last time we chatted with him, Rupert noted that the video applicants that were immediately most desirable to him weren't necessarily the ones that were the most entertaining but the most honest and transparent– a sentiment that is reflected in his final applicants.
Below, you can view the six finalists' video applications to give you some sort of insight into what a kindly British CEO looks for in roommates.
Another common trait between them is that all of them were driven, hardworking people. A few of them were even young entrepreneurs, just like Rupert.
[anad]
We tried to figure out Bachelor-style, who had the best chances amongst ourselves but after speaking to all of them, we understand it will be a difficult choice to pick two of them. Can't they all just win? Like set up some sleeping bags in the living room or something?
At Rupert's housewarming party, the group of six shared an intimate dinner (press free, we were kicked out along with the PR team while they bonded) so Rupert could make his final decision.
While unfortunately, he denies that his choices will be revealed America's Next Top Model-style ("Two beautiful roommates stand before me..."), the lucky applicants will be notified that they are lucky residents of the coolest apartment ever very soon.
May the odds be ever in their favor!
1. Caroline
An event producer in Manhattan, right now, Caroline is a Metro North commuter. Like all Metro North commuters, she's eager not to be. Growing up just an hour upstate, she's been familiar with NYC for basically her whole life.
She also told us that in her time exploring NYC, she made an intense list of everywhere she visited and her favorite places and is eager to share them– "I know this place, I love this place, and I want to do it all over again before I leave."
Like a few of the other applicants, the limited arrangement works for her– she's relocating to Europe at some point next year.
2. Nate
A SoCal native, Nate went to business school in Boston, but has been in New York for two years now, so he doesn't seem like a stranger to starting over in new cities. He's also travelled to over 40 different countries and speaks "3.5" languages.
Nate began a healthcare startup and works out of a co-working space in FiDi.
3. Aleichia
Hopefully, Aleichia will be going to Grad school in Scotland next year, so Rupert's short lease would be ideal. She's a writer for HuffPo and has published the book 21 Ways to Live a Fulfilled Life, which is available on Amazon.
Aleichia went to school down south but is a Yonkers native, she shared with us that her interest in NYC derives from it's people and how, as a writer, studying the human condition is easiest in our city. In the future, she aspires to be a screenwriter and her dream adaptation is Paul Coelho's The Alchemist.
4. Kiko
If you pick a video to watch on this page, you should probably go with Kiko's because his SpareRoom pitch also included a tutorial for some dope guacamole. He also let us in on a little secret, the most commonly f*cked up thing about homemade guac is that it's under-seasoned.
While he worked as an architect, Kiko is now an aspiring business owner in the hospitality industry– do we all see the trend now?
5. Cyrus
A hopeful transplant from Burlington, Vermont, Cyrus is another young professional who runs the ski company, RENOUN.
NYC is somewhere he's always wanted to live (duh) and considers himself a flexible, laid back roommate. He's also 6'6" which we know isn't crazy relevant but damn, is this kid tall.
6. Jacob
Another aspiring business owner, Jacob cofounded Ivory Ella, an online store that sells cute Elephant printed clothing and donates part of their profits to the research and conservation organization, Save The Elephants.
The website went kind of viral over night and in 18 months, raised $600,000 for Save The Elephants. He's now looking to move to the city to pursue his dreams of building out Ivory Ella into something bigger.
He admits that while the apartment is nice, living with another founder like Rupert is really appealing.
[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]