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Just before Valentine's Day, when he began promoting this offer, the ladies answering Davis' offer included a psychic, a firefighter, and an assortment of bartenders, waitresses, hairdressers, manicurists and college students, he says.

"I'm going to have to be somewhat quiet about this for obvious reasons," he says. "But the offer is totally on the level."

Lonely Matchmakers Sing the Blues

Other matchmakers were a little shocked by Davis' offer. "It really seems like a desperate offer. The only way a man and a woman are going to connect is if each party feels reasonably secure," says Caren Horvitz of the Jewish Matchmaking Company in Miami.

But even matchmakers can be lonely. Horvitz, 33, has been in the love connection business for 10 years. She, too, is single. "You'd think being unmarried would be bad for business," she says.

"But it's not if you are open and honest with your clients — actually, it can help you relate to them."

To top it all off, Horvitz's mother, also a matchmaker, has been unsuccessful in finding her a match. "It's not that Mom's bad at her job. It's really a lot about timing," she says. "When she was setting me up, I was younger, not as marriage-minded."

Another lonely matchmaker says she'd even date her clients.

"The situation hasn't come up. But, I'm like a lot of other single women, if the right guy comes along, I'm there," says Adele Testani, 26, president of HurryDate, an organization that throws parties for 100 single guests, promising each client a three-minute session with 25 potential matches.

"I don't think It'd be unethical for me to meet a guy at a HurryDate party," she says. "But a $10,000 reward — I think that cries of desperation. I think the guy would be better off seeking the help of another matchmaker."

Davis remains undeterred. "You get to a point in life when you just have to trust your instincts," he says. "Just because other people aren't doing this, doesn't mean it's wrong.

"When I find my bride, I'm sure she's going to be worth every penny."