Singles dream of dating feeling like a hilariously wholesome sitcom, but it can also be a cringeworthy reality show with episodes titled "Mommy's Boy at the Restaurant" and "The Awkward Movie Night."
Recently, a person who goes by the nickname Nocta on X asked other platform users to describe the worst dates they've been on, and their post immediately went viral.
As of now, it has been viewed over 22.3 million times, with thousands of people contributing their experiences to the discussion, so we decided to scour the thread and show you the most memorable ones.
Continue scrolling to check out our hand-picked entries and the talk we had with dating coach Blaine Anderson — you will find it spread out between the images.
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These stories might represent a broader picture. Among those who are on the dating market – the 15% of American adults who are single and looking for a committed relationship or casual flings – 67% say it's going either not too well or not at all well.
While single-and-looking men and women report equal levels of dissatisfaction with their love lives and the ease of finding romantic interests, women are more likely to say they have had some particularly negative experiences.
Ok, early in the list but I have to admit this first post has set the bar pretty high. I'm sure it CAN get worse, but I'm not sure how.
Singles are often open to seeing people with many different traits and from a variety of backgrounds, which also entails a level of uncertainty.
"Especially with someone you're not very familiar with, my best piece of advice for planning a first date is to avoid getting too creative!" Blaine Anderson, dating coach and founder of Dating By Blaine, told Bored Panda.
"Asking a woman to drinks tends to be a safe and time-tested bet. Find a bar you love, particularly one that has non-alcoholic options because not everyone drinks these days, and then feel free to use it as the venue for all of your first dates. Because you'll always be at the same spot, you give yourself something like a home court advantage with this strategy!"
I had similar happen. We had spoken in line for months. He came for a visit and we went into the city centre. He got a tattoo of my name,I big letters down his forearm. After going home he called me to tell me he was going to move in with me. Told,not asked. Freaked me out. Blocked him.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons why a date might take a turn for the worse, but Blaine, who has helped over 3,000 people find love, thinks guys tend to make two mistakes over and over again.
"The first one is exclusively focusing on forming an intellectual connection, and not a physical or emotional one," she explained. "This is a mistake that intelligent and introverted guys make in particular!"
"The second one is over-sharing, and talking too much about themselves. I think a lot of guys feel like they need to impress the woman they're out with, and they don't realize that they talk too much about themselves as part of that process," the dating expert added.
It can be quite difficult to end a date early in a polite and smooth manner, even if it isn't going well. "You always want to balance being direct with being empathetic," Blaine Anderson said.
"Depending on how early you want to do that, there may not be a truly polite way — cutting a date off after less than 30 minutes is probably going to feel rude no matter how smooth you are."
Nope. Not on a first date. Even years in, I still ask my husband first if I can have a bite.
All together now boys and girls ... RED flags awaving, RED flags ahoy!
Did you have his phone number to call him back? No wait, you couldn't, he stole your phone.
However, if you're in a situation where you just have to hit the escape key, Blaine suggests saying something along the lines of, "Hey, I'm so grateful you took the time to come here to meet me. I can tell I'm not feeling a romantic connection, and I want to be respectful of your time, so I want to part ways for now, but I genuinely wish you all the best."
"Just don't be surprised if the person you're out with asks for more of an explanation!" she added.
It can be exhausting to keep putting yourself out there when Cupid has turned his back to you. Which is probably why almost half (49%) of Bumble users are prioritizing their own work/life balance over actively looking for love.
However, you might run into your special someone even if you're not trying to. Just keep your eyes open, and remember, there's no such thing as a perfect date.
Anyone who is rude to staff is an instant turn off. Treat people decently.
Yay for us another south african. Ocean Basket is a chain of fish and chips restaurants. Not romantic, not fancy.
wow. For non-South Africans, Kauai is a health food takeout restaurant. Apologies for the cultural appropriation to the Independent Kingdom of Hawai'i.
Note: this post originally had 67 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
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Once went on a date with a guy I met in a business setting, he ordered oysters for both of us and then watched me intently as if waiting for the oysters to take effect. All while gradually increasing the sexual innuendo in the conversation. I claimed a headache and had him drive me home, it was very uncomfortable and that was the last time I ever let a man pick me up for a date.
Went on a date with a guy who checked into the hotel I was working at as a receptionist, I had to drive because he was from out of town, he got blackout staggering drunk, talked about his visit to a country that he couldn't even pronounce correctly, and told me I was probably dealing with a lot of trauma because I was not impressed with his behavior. I drove him back to the hotel and ditched him with the parking attendance. The next day when I was at work again his ex-wife called to apologize to me for his behavior. Apparently he is so incompetent she has to still handle his travel arrangements even though they're divorced.
Two, that I remember. One who had never heard of personal space and claimed he wasn't wearing a wig, so he pulled it just to show me and the wig slid off. Two: an ex soldier from NI who insisted on telling me about the s*x doll they had bought for their barrack room because "the local girls deliberately caught STD" and how the doll had no hair left, etc, etc. I smiled politely and left.
Once went on a date with a guy I met in a business setting, he ordered oysters for both of us and then watched me intently as if waiting for the oysters to take effect. All while gradually increasing the sexual innuendo in the conversation. I claimed a headache and had him drive me home, it was very uncomfortable and that was the last time I ever let a man pick me up for a date.
Went on a date with a guy who checked into the hotel I was working at as a receptionist, I had to drive because he was from out of town, he got blackout staggering drunk, talked about his visit to a country that he couldn't even pronounce correctly, and told me I was probably dealing with a lot of trauma because I was not impressed with his behavior. I drove him back to the hotel and ditched him with the parking attendance. The next day when I was at work again his ex-wife called to apologize to me for his behavior. Apparently he is so incompetent she has to still handle his travel arrangements even though they're divorced.
Two, that I remember. One who had never heard of personal space and claimed he wasn't wearing a wig, so he pulled it just to show me and the wig slid off. Two: an ex soldier from NI who insisted on telling me about the s*x doll they had bought for their barrack room because "the local girls deliberately caught STD" and how the doll had no hair left, etc, etc. I smiled politely and left.
