At first Elaine is enticed by the idea that he arouses such passion, but when another ex-girlfriend throws coffee in his face on their first date, Elaine checks his background and discovers Alan is a "bad breaker-upper."
Initially, Elaine was captivated by the idea that he inspired such passion. However, upon seeing another former girlfriend pour coffee in his face during their first date, Elaine conducted a background check and discovered that Alan had been an "unreliable divorcer."