There seem to be two issues in here; to deal with the straight forward one first, yes, I entirely agree that attractiveness can make you blind - totally unwise is the term I think I'd use. The example of the middle aged guy being smitten with the young lady is a standard one; that we are similarly smitten goes with the territory, and I have to admit to being an extremely bad AF to one of my YFs as a result of letting him twist me round his little finger...

But the wider issue of how we react to finding someone outside our usual AoA highly attractive is more complex. I think it is a chance for us to gain a clearer understanding of what makes us see a person as attractive; what is there in him that is calling to us? One of the more interesting experiences of my life was when a 25 yo joined the organisation I was working for. I was smitten by him - but the attraction was strongly sexual in a way that was unlike my usual reaction to YFs, where the relationship always seems to start with an emotional response in me, only later taking on a sexual element, if ever. But this was different; he did look younger than his years, I should point out, but even so, this was DIFFERENT. I was HOT for him... Sadly nothing came of it; we failed to find anything where we shared an interest, and so, when he moved on after about a year, I lost contact. But the memory of that remains a pattern of a form of attraction against which I compare my subsequent attractions.

So for me in the case of Adam Rippon I'd encourage you to reflect on what the attraction is - and how it compares with your usual experience. And to remember - as I keep on saying - it IS possible to work towards your AoA getting older, which does make life less problematic...