Single people now have a remedy to feeling better about their loneliness: By watching NBC's Undateable. The series, which had its second season premiere on March 17, revolves around five guys — plus two main female characters — who spend their time shooting the shit in a local bar discussing relationships gone wrong.
One of those guys is Ron Funches, who plays Shelly on the show. He's not always in the spotlight, but he's sure as hell gotten our attention. In a recent phone interview, he described his character Shelly as a "space cadet" and "weirdo." From punchy one-liners to playful facial expressions, his big, burly, fun-loving demeanor make him the classic funny guy in the gang of single men — played by the likes of comedians Chris D'Elia, Brent Morin, Rick Glassman and David Fynn.
To promote the new season, Funches and his co-stars are hitting the road. Fynn plays host during the one-night-stand of comedy, complete with solo and interactive sets, at The Comedy Zone on March 30. Funches, who stars alongside of Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart in the upcoming flick Get Hard, is no stranger to the stand-up front and plans to dish out some of his own material while on stage.
When asked about his real-life relationship status, Funches shared that he has a girlfriend, but quickly shot off a playful "Why? Are you making an offer?" Since he's such an expert, we spoke with him about qualities that play a role in making folks undateable and how to overcome them to find romance — or at the very least, to get a date.
Confidence (over and under) clusterfucks: Funches warns that being overconfident when trying to win over a lady can be a bad thing. "You don't want to be like Burski [the character played by Glassman] who is always putting his foot in his mouth and doesn't know how to speak to women properly," he says. "I think ladies know that you want to sleep with them, so you don't have to tell them to their face all the time when you first meet them. You have to be a little more coy, but you don't want to be under-confident and end up just being a friend. You want to be confident and clear about what you want. I think everyone appreciates it when you're upfront."
Rub-a-dub-dub: On the show, Shelly doesn't seem to have a problem with bubble baths, but Funches reiterates the importance of hygiene during the interview. "You gotta bathe well. It's good to smell good."
Candy Land: On a past episode of Undateable, Shelly busts out with the following statement about himself: "I identify with piñatas. I am also adorable and full of candy." Funches thinks Shelly tries to make up for his lack of confidence by eating candy. "He's too busy eating candy to focus on ladies. Having food portion control with your candy, that's a good one, too."
Hoodies for hobos: What's in your wardrobe can play a huge factor in who you'll get in your bed. "You gotta wear more adult clothing and not short shorts and hoodies all the time, if you want to attract a nice woman."
Sweet surrender: "Be nice and be sweet. I like to open doors and treat a lady like a queen."
Smartness with the phone: "Sometimes I like to be a little more old-fashioned. I still call people and talk to them over the phone. I think that's when you can tell if it's someone you really want to date and be with for a while. Do you want to call them? Are you willing to go the extra mile instead of just texting?"
True to yourself: "It's important to just be yourself and find your match based on that. Not every type of person is going to be a match, so you've got to find the type of person that works for you."