Gretchen Mitchell

  • Age: 29.
  • Sign: Aries.
  • Lives in: Loring Park area, Minneapolis.
  • Orientation: Bi.
  • Status: In a relationship.
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in sociology from the U of M.
  • Occupation: Social worker.
  • Hangouts: Anywhere there is live music, Hidden Beach, 112 Eatery, my skyline rooftop.
  • Turn-ons: Sense of humor, nerdiness, blazers.

Gretchen is unapologetically girly. She openly admits she owned 50 purses before age 5 and "values lip gloss over cell phones." "My girlfriend thinks if we had kids, there'd be some controversy because I think it's OK for [3-year-old celeb spawn] Suri Cruise to have high heels," she says. Girliness aside, Gretchen is a Hennepin County social worker who helps people overcome barriers to employment, such as criminal history, and gives them the tools they need to take care of their children. You might spot her at a few venues around the Twin Cities dancing to live music -- she loves Hot Chip, Solid Gold and MGMT.
Chinda Puth

  • Age: 26.
  • Sign: Gemini.
  • Lives in: Longfellow neighborhood, Minneapolis.
  • Relationship status: Taking all applications.
  • Education: College and more college.
  • Occupation: Student/barista/dog walker/liquor store worker bee.
  • Hangouts: 112 Eatery, Town Talk Diner, wherever my crew is.
  • Turn ons: Sense of humor, honesty and swagger.
  • About me: Hmm? Spontaneous, clever ... one of a kind.

Chinda exudes an aura of mystery, from the way she holds her drink to her chic cropped hair to the tilt of her head. Chinda has quite the résumé, too: She's a barista at the Blue Moon cafe, a dog walker ("Three at a time is my limit!"), a liquor store employee and a student at Minneapolis Community Technical College, where she is studying computer forensics. Her friends say she's a catch indeed: "She's someone you wanna marry," says one. "She'll do the oil changes."
Sheena Lynn Perry

  • Age: 27.
  • Sign: Aries.
  • Lives in: Minneapolis.
  • Orientation: Straight as an arrow.
  • Relationship status: Taken.
  • Education: Just enough to be smart and not enough to be boring.
  • Occupation: Stylist.
  • Hangouts: The Firm, Punch Pizza, Acme Comedy Club, any dive bar, the Orpheum, Cafe Twenty-Eight and my local bowling alley.
  • Turn-ons: Perma-smiles, big hearts, wit, go-getters, generosity and chivalry.

Sheena loves her job as a stylist at Nordstrom, mostly because, as she says, "I make women feel beautiful." Sheena lived in Las Vegas a few years ago, working as a go-go dancer and cocktail waitress, and got noticed by the TV show "Fear Factor" in 2004. ("There was no eating on my episode! But I was in a box of lizards and snakes and lowered into cold water.") Things have calmed down a bit since then; she lives in Minneapolis with her boyfriend, David, who says, "She has the best heart of anyone I've ever met. And she's hot."
Elizabeth Wilson Van Thiel

  • Age: 28.
  • Sign: Aquarius.
  • Lives in: Uptown Minneapolis.
  • Orientation: Heterosexual.
  • Status: Newly married.
  • Education: University of Minnesota (journalism major, women's studies minor).
  • Occupation: Executive producer.
  • Hangouts: French Meadow, Red's Savoy Pizza, Bar 508, Lake Harriet or Lake Calhoun, Lifetime Fitness and the rooftop deck at Drive Thru.
  • Turn-ons: Witty people who have a sense of adventure.

Elizabeth is busy. But she likes it that way. The newlywed originally from Green Bay, Wis., estimates that she works about 60 to 70 hours per week as a producer for Drive Thru Productions, a television production company. If she can get away, she loves to travel -- she and her husband had a "crazy rustic" destination wedding in Puerto Rico. The pretty, lively blonde describes herself as "passionate and ambitious." Elizabeth has such a kind heart and she's the hardest worker, says her sister Kat Wilson. "And I will always be jealous of [her] adorable dimples."
Barb Anderson

  • Age: 31.
  • Sign: Sagittarius.
  • Lives in: Minneapolis.
  • Status: Single.
  • Education: High school.
  • Occupation: Apprenticing to become a tattoo artist. I also work at the Guess store at MOA from time to time.
  • Hangouts: Elixir, Envy and Cream.
  • Turn-ons: A man with confidence and good swagger.

Make no mistake: Barb has a lot of tattoos. Sailor Jerry-style pinup girls decorate one arm while Japanese koi fish swim across another. She's had a gun inked on one leg and a "13," her favorite number, right at the base of her neck. "I'm starting to run out of skin!" she says. Anderson is learning the ins and outs of tattooing so she can mark her clients with her personal blend of "independent, fun and edgy style." If you can't find her learning her craft at Defiant studio, seek her out at a nightclub downtown. (Here's a hint: She goes to Cream on Sundays.)
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