Howard Scott Silverman '97 had never been on television, and he certainly never dreamed he would ever date the daughter of a celebrity.
But last week, he had the opportunity to do both.
Silverman was flown to Hollywood from England, where he is currently pursuing a doctorate in genetics at Oxford University, to appear on two episodes of The Roseanne Show about interfaith dating.
On the show, Roseanne lamented that her daughters could not find "nice Jewish boys" to date.
Silverman and two other "nice Jewish boys" were each matched with one of Roseanne's three daughters. The shows are scheduled to air on May 20 and May 25.
"This was the furthest thing that one would expect in coming to Oxford," Silverman told The Dartmouth last week.
Silverman was chosen to appear on the shows by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, rabbi to the Jewish students at Oxford University, director of the L'Chaim Society and author of two books - Kosher Sex and An Intelligent Person's Guide to Judaism.
Earlier this year, Boteach appeared on The Roseanne Show to talk about his popular first book.
Boteach told her that he was the man to solve the problem, and when he returned to Oxford, he started looking for men who would fit Roseanne's criteria.
He had met Silverman at lectures hosted by the L'Chaim Society and at religious services.
"I was impressed with him," Boteach said. "He immediately struck me as someone who would be appropriate."
He said Silverman's qualities of humility, integrity and his commitment to his Judaism and academics made him a good match for one of Roseanne's daughters.
So, last week, Silverman flew to Hollywood for a week to live the life of a celebrity.
"It's incredible how much attention you get - the concierge takes care of your every request," he said. "It was pretty fun having the makeup person named Leo and the hairdresser named Barbara at my service when I needed to get touched up."
On the show, the three daughters were brought out on stage, and described to the audience. Then their three dates, including Silverman, came out in front of the cameras, and Roseanne gave bios on each of them.
"Roseanne thought I was perfect for her daughter," said Silverman, who was paired with Roseanne's 23-year-old daughter Jennifer.
He said she was very impressed that he is studying to be a doctor.
He said that after their introductory biographies, the three couples were sent off on their dates in limousines.
"The daughter I went on a date with has a lot of diverse interests," Silverman said. "She was a very interesting girl."
The two went to a sushi bar, and then to a bar, where, according to Silverman, they drank a lot of sake and said a lot of toasts.
"We had an incredible time," he said.
The next day, the three matched pairs returned to the studio to film the follow-up episode about how their dates turned out.
Silverman said being on film was natural for him.
"You don't really think about it," he said. "The cameras are there, but they're not obtrusive. You don't really have much time to get nervous."
He said he would definitely repeat the experience.
"If I can't make it as an academic, I'd settle on Hollywood any day," he said.
As for Roseanne's daughter, Silverman had only good things to say.
"She was a very, very fun person, and we would go on a date again."
In fact, Silverman has already ordered a birthday gift - bottles of Tabasco sauce - for his date's birthday, which is coming up in a couple weeks.
"That's something we have in common - very spicy food," he said. He said the two also both love reading, dancing and going out with friends.
In terms of the show's content, Silverman said he agrees with Roseanne that religion is an important thing to consider when choosing a person to marry.
"I don't exclude friendships based on religion, but when you're talking about something that threatens more than just a religion, it's an important thing to consider," he said.
He said Jewish people should understand that "it's OK to actively seek other Jews."
According to Boteach, Jews should look for Jewish mates because he said intermarriage weakens Judaism.
Silverman said he had an incredible time in Hollywood.
"It was one of the funnest two days I've ever had in my life," he said.
Silverman has been asked to be on the show again this coming October for another date in London.
While at Dartmouth, Silverman was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity and the College's club water polo team.
