Camryn Manheim

Camryn Manheim Instagram – I was invited to another “Dinner With Strangers” this week, which is basically a way to meet people too proud for speed dating and too hungry to do an escape room.
The concept: the host invites several wildly interesting humans and asks us to submit 5 facts about ourselves like, “I traveled with the circus for 2 years,” or “I played the triangle in a symphony concert,” or “I do a surprisingly accurate impression of a fax machine.”
Over guacamole and chips, the host reads the anonymous tidbits, and we try to guess who confessed to what. It’s like the game of Clue, but for childhood trauma and questionable life choices.
The whole thing feels like an FBI profiling seminar. I’m analyzing who looks limber enough to be a contortionist or who’s old enough to know what a fax machine sounds like.
After a few margaritas, everyone’s swapping stories, and the trivia paints a bigger picture.
By dessert, I was outed as a rebel and accidentally pitched three Pilot ideas for future dinners.
Points go for correct guesses, sneakiness, and trivia so random not even your own mother would suspect you. As a fan of unnecessary structure, I was in spreadsheet heaven.
But beyond the rules, people are endlessly fascinating when you give them two hours, decent food, and a mild threat of public humiliation. I walked in knowing one person, and walked out knowing seven delightful, talented everyday superheroes.
My mantra: say “YES” to things that terrify you (except skydiving and most open mic nights). When you say, “NO” nothing new happens in your life. When you say “YES,” any number of magical things could happen.
Huge thanks to Tony Sepulveda for hosting and to everyone who brought their A-game, quirks, and confessional chaos.
And an anemic congratulations to Grant Show for knocking me out of first place on the last question. 🥇
@tonysepulveda @frankiepines @grant_show @maggiesajak @kate_mulligan_ @gillesmarini @davidjzuckerman #DinnerWithStrangers | Posted on 20/Nov/2025 23:19:54