Dating, while exciting, can be pretty tough. Getting to know someone for the first time can be incredibly awkward—especially when the relationship begins behind a screen. Although the internet has made meeting new people much easier, it also has a handful of disadvantages. It may only take seconds to fill out a dating profile and have a plethora of matches to choose from, but there's also a lot of, well, weird and creepy-ness that occurs online. Just take it from the following people, who recently shared stories about some of the worst experiences they've had with online dating.
45. Cat-Napping
Went on a date with this cute girl. We talked about an hour and she was fascinated when I brought up my cats. She was very eager to meet them so we proceeded to go to my place. Spent a few hours just playing with my cats. She was about to leave and before she put her shoes on to go, she says to me, “Oh I forgot something.” And went to grab my youngest kitten, (during the time 4 months old) and picked him up and wanted to walk out with him. I stopped her and asked her what was she doing. Her reply was, “I thought you let me adopt him?”
44. Very Serious
Met a guy on Tinder, we talked for a while on Facebook before a meeting. He decides to come to my work for my lunch break. I was working 3rd shift at the time so this was at like 3 AM. I hung out in his car in complete silence while he played on his phone. Then he started to show me pictures of REAL corpses on his phone. I hopped out of his car so fast. That was my first and last Tinder date.
43. Blast From The Past
I matched with a guy I went to high school with and who I always thought was really good looking and really cool, played sports, well liked by everyone, etc. I probably hadn’t seen him in two years at this point but in his Tinder pictures he still looked the same, so we agreed to meet up for coffee. He comes in with greasy long hair, a beard, and actually looked horrid, and went on to tell me that he dropped out of college and has severe ADHD now. He couldn’t focus on one thing and was fidgeting the entire date, told me how he’s now one with the Earth, and at the end of it told me he was gay. I’m a girl. I seriously thought I was being punk’d.
42. An Intense Interview
Guy kept asking me out for weeks and even called me (we had exchanged numbers eventually) to convince me, so I decided to give it a try. We decided to meet at a bar. He got there 30 minutes late and ordered a coke. Apparently, he was a recovering user. That's not a problem for me, I just thought it was weird that he had agreed to go to a bar. And then, he proceeded to perform on me what felt like a job interview. At some point, I even sarcastically asked, "Am I doing ok here?" After 40 minutes of that, he got up, paid for his coke and said, "I'm gonna go, I have to get up early tomorrow." And left. We haven't talked since.
41. Oral Exam
The weirdest one was probably going out with this dentist guy. We were in a cafe. He then asked to see my teeth and questioned about my oral hygiene. I have pretty good teeth according to him but that was weird.
40. Mama's Boy
I had been on a few dates with a guy I meant on Tinder, and things seemed to be going really well! We had common interests, he was funny, smart, attractive and incredibly kind. One evening he invited me over to his house (we had always had public dates beforehand) and I agreed. The night started out great; he cooked dinner, we watched a movie, and things started to lead towards the bedroom. Before we got there, he asked if he could show me his favorite room in the house. Somewhat confused, I agreed. He opened a door beside his bedroom, and we walked into a baby nursery. Not just any nursery, a nursery with an adult sized crib, changing table, diapers etc. He told me that he was into baby role playing, and would be very happy if I would agree to be his mommy. I’m a very open minded person, but that’s not something I would be able to do for him, and politely excused myself. He messaged me the next day, asking if I would reconsider and I once again politely told him that we could no longer see each other.
39. Plenty Of Fish
I noticed a cute French girl. In her bio, she mentioned there were some tadpoles in a pothole by her house that she wanted to rescue. I never know what to start off with so I figured this would be a good conversation starter. I ended up bringing a ladle (a spoon with holes in it) and we fished a few out of the pothole, put them in a jar and brought them to a nearby pond. The rest of this first and last date was super awkward but hey, at least we rescued some tadpoles.
38. On A Roll
Turns out she was just broke and really wanted a free meal, I found out almost instantly when she devoured almost every roll at red lobster in like two minutes...I still called her back.
37. Romantic Robbery
I went on a date to a live music bar with someone I met on an app. The bar was in a sketchier part of the city, and we ended up getting jumped by some guy. He started out by asking to show us “card tricks,” cornered us, commanded us to kiss each other, and then took all of our cash. It’s definitely my weirdest “first kiss” story. We ended up being a little too freaked out to continue the date, ended up climbing a tree at a nearby park and talking all night, then decided to get some late night waffles. We now see each other all the time and I’ve actually never met anyone I’m so compatible with before.
36. Heavy Weight Talk
She spent the whole time making small comments about her weight, and how she was "overweight". She was definitely a bigger girl but was also extremely pretty, and I know how it is to feel insecure sometimes so I don't hold it against anyone...but my lord she would not shut up about it. The fact that she spent the whole date bringing it up left me drained.
35. Child Karate
About ten minutes in she karate chopped a child and then spent the rest of the date holding her blouse closed because one of the buttons had come off. Two years later we’re about to buy a house together.
34. Chapped Hands
Maybe not weirdest I guess but just bad. We went to Olive Garden and the conversation just wasn’t clicking. He looked a little different than his photos. The one thing that was weird (maybe it’s just because no one I know does this). But he kept putting chapstick all over his hands. All night. Super weird to me. I’m awkward so I’ll attribute some of it to me. That was five years ago, haven’t spoken to him since that date and he just tried to add me on Snapchat a few weeks ago.
33. Spoiled Dinner
Was so stoked for a date I had with this very attractive girl. The conversation had been great so I wanted to spare no expense. Went out to a nice place. Food's good, the conversation is strong. She takes a picture of her dessert to post on Instagram and then shows me the post with the tagline "When you're on a terrible date but the dessert is fleek." I cringed so hard.
32. Sneaky Snaps
The first date after my ex and I broke up.
I had spoken to her on both Tinder and Snapchat for a couple of weeks until the date. I get to the date and she looks nothing like her profile pics or snaps. We have the date and she even asks me about profile pics and says I look more handsome in real life than on the pics; I, however, can't get myself to lie. But neither do I want to hurt her feelings, so I kind of just answer thank you without repaying the compliment.
After the date, I go in to give her a hug and she pulls me in to kiss me. After that, I just hurried off.
10 minutes later she sends me a snap selfie and once again I'm dumbfounded because it just doesn't look like her! She had mastered the art of just the most perfect angle to look 10 times better in the photos than in real life.
31. Toy Story
I've been on ONE Tinder date. She didn't look anything like the pics, she was much less attractive. We went to the mall and for ice cream and after that she took us to a toy store. She was just walking around looking at the toys. I'm not really a rude person so I stuck with it but it was just terrible. Uninstalled Tinder after that.
30. A Hard Lesson
When I was a freshman in college I went on a coffee date with a guy who had lied about his age. He was 10 years older than I thought he was. Turned out he was an English teacher for high school seniors. I was essentially the same age as his students. Gross.
29. Fatal Attraction
She ran me over with her car after seeing me with another girl three weeks after our first date. After our first date, I had told her I wasn’t interested. Took crazy to a new level.
28. Music Maniac
Went over to his place, turned on some music, and he spent the entire time scoffing at my choice of music and proclaiming how his choices were vastly superior. Went in for a kiss towards the end because may as well try at least and he was still attractive, but he was too busy complaining about my taste in music to even notice.
27. Check Mate
I swiped right because I found his bio humorous. "Just looking for a chess partner." We messaged back and forth and he seemed pretty normal so we decided to meet up for a drink. When I messaged him because I couldn't spot him outside the meeting place he said "I'm the one with a chess board." I had to break it to him that I had no idea how to play chess and that I thought his bio was a joke.
26. Bleeding In Love
We went skateboarding together and she tried really hard to do this one trick to impress me, but she fell and hit her chin and started bleeding. I have never felt so terrible in my life.
25. Lost In Translation
I show up and park across the street (zero parking at her place) and try telling her over the phone number she gave me 10 minutes earlier. Not a lick of comprehension on her part until eventually 20 minutes later she ventures out and sees me. Apparently, she had been using Google translate over messaging the entire time. Worst 40 minute date ever and last time I ever offer to pick someone up on the first date without verbally talking first.
24. Caffeine Feind
I met this girl at a coffee shop. I got iced coffee and she got freshly made hot coffee. She proceeds to tell me how much she likes HOT coffee and chugs the entire cup of boiling hot coffee like it was normal...it wasn't.
23. Inebriated And Disoriented
Me and a guy from Tinder exchanged numbers two years ago. He texted me for months but he never wanted to meet up with me (should have been my first red flag). Just recently he messaged me again and said we should meet up. We went on about four dates. On our fourth date, he had been having beverages all day and was too inebriated to meet up with me for our planned date so I just went to his condo to hang out with him. While there, he proceeded to have a 10 minute long conversation with me thinking I was a different girl. The girl he thought I was, was his best friend's pregnant wife who he’s been having an affair with. Seriously, are there any normal guys out there anymore?
22. Shaken Up
We went out for milkshakes, she was inebriated. Talked about her ex-boyfriend the whole time. Her ex-boyfriend called her, she said something like "What the heck do you want? I'm with my new boyfriend!" I noped right out of that situation.
21. Ruining The Mood
Went to see a movie. The movie we planned to see was unavailable but I talked about the fun of seeing a movie you hadn't heard of with no expectations. We both went to the toilet before entering and I waited outside the movie where we agreed. Turns out she changed her mind on going to the bathroom and went straight in. Because I waited I had to move to my seat in the dark, as the movie had started. Finally got seated next to her and it turns out the movie is about criminal assaults and other crimes. Putting an arm around her just never felt like the right move. We didn't have chemistry anyway, but I sure messed that one up.
20. Knot Into It
We met at a coffee shop and were just talking and telling each other facts about ourselves. He just happened to casually mention that he’s into bondage and is really good at tying knots. He even asked me if I wanted to see him do it in the middle of the coffee shop.
19. No Laughing Matter
Met this decent looking dude on Tinder and he seemed fairly smart and interesting. We decided to go on a date at 11:30 p.m. to this cute gelato place. I meet him and realize that I'm definitely not attracted to him, but we have a pleasant time anyway. We drive around in his car for a while before I recognize it'd be impolite not to invite him over. So I do, making it clear that I'm not looking for anything beyond friendship. Then we start talking again in my house and I find out he doesn't think women are funny for some stupid reason and is just sexist in some distorted way. I excuse that although I'm pretty ticked off and then he asks me if he can stay over since he lives with his parents and doesn't want to disturb them late at night. So I let him sleep in the other room though I'm just uncomfortable with it at this point, and he leaves in the morning. He left his jacket behind and it's still in my house. I didn't want to meet him again so I dumped it somewhere.
18. Fishy Behavior
Went over to the dude's house. He was weird from the get go. Talked NON-STOP about nonsense and made sound effects for anything and everything. Showed me around. We ended up in his room with him serenading me with his guitar right off the bat. Then he rips off his shirt to reveal his goldfish tattoo. Not a real goldfish, the snack kind. Then just leans in to kiss me.
Needless to say, I had my friend fake an emergency and I had him blocked on Tinder and my phone before I left the end of his street.
17. Marching Away
This was January of last year when there was a bunch of women's marches. We'd chatted a bit and she seemed like someone I'd really dig. Get to the place and she brings up the marches and how she is thrilled that they're coming together and such. I'm really liking the conversation and such, but she then starts bagging on pretty much every other woman in the place, "Ugh, she should not be wearing that," etc. Complete put-off for me; she seemed confused about why I ghosted her afterward and thought we had a great time.
16. Window Shopping
Last week I had a date with a guy in an Ikea, of all places. He had to go there anyway so it was more practical to him to combine his visit there with a date. Funny thing is that he was the one that didn’t want to go on a second date after that. My face must’ve shown him how I excited I was being in an Ikea...
15. Crazy Committed
Went to a local cafe, the date went well until she flipped the crazy switch. She started inquiring when we would get an apartment together, as well as have children. Also, how many children we would have. She ended up messaging every day, multiple times a day, wondering why I didn't want to talk to her. I ended up calling her and just telling her it wasn't going to work. She flipped and told me our relationship was built on lies and she was breaking up with me. We only went on one date.
14. Sleeping Beauty
I picked up this one girl from her house and she fell asleep until we got to the restaurant.
13. Sobering Soccer Game
While talking before the date he explained that he doesn't drink or smoke or do any substances. While on the date he told me he was going to use a substance the next day. When I brought up what he previously said he argued with me about how sugar is more addicting than what he was about to use. Sure, buddy. We were at a soccer game and he became aggressive and started making weird grunting noises. The worst part? I overheard the people behind us say "Oh look these two are on a first date. It's not going well. Do you see how uncomfortable she looks?" Hilarious now, but painfully awkward at the time.
12. Farmer's Market Fiasco
This girl on OKCupid invited me to a farmer's market. I'd never been to one. I thought maybe we'd go, enjoy the experience, then stop somewhere for drinks, etc.
I show up, and she's got multiple reusable shopping bags. The "date" was walking around chatting in the heat while she did her grocery shopping. The conversation was along the lines of, "What's your favorite vegetable?" I don't think "sauerkraut on a bratwurst" was the answer she was looking for.
On the bright side, I walked her to her car (where we tacitly avoided the subject of another date) then walked over to a brewery and was introduced to the wonderful world of take-home growlers.
11. Repeat Offender
Probably the one where she got arrested right after the date, and then we hung out again and she got arrested right after that date as well.
10. Rough Romanian
My first ever Tinder date was with a guy from Romania. He was kind of cute and I thought it was cool that he was from another country. We'd been texting for a week or so and he seemed interesting. We met at a festival and the first thing that I noticed was that he was about 8 inches shorter than I'd expected and didn't look much like he did in photos. Not a huge deal, a lot of people look different in photos. He also had way too much gross-smelling cologne. After hurrying through the festival we sat and chatted for a while and I told him about how I love children and animals. He proceeded to tell me that when he lived in Romania, he used to like to pick cats up by their tails and throw them on top of houses and that it "didn't really hurt them." He also said that he thought Americans needed to discipline their kids more. After the conversation died down awkwardly, I made some excuse about needing to go home. To my surprise, he still wanted a second date.
The next guy I met on Tinder ended up being the absolute best date I've ever been on and we've been together for almost three years now.
9. Dam Cute Date
We went to a pond and looked for frogs and stuff. We saw a beaver! It was great. Not traditional, but perfect for me.
8. Freeloading Finesse
Worst date I went on hands DOWN. A guy acted incredibly interested in me and I gave him a shot. He told me he didn't have any money for a date. Fine, we are in college, I get it! He proceeds to show up, I pay for him the whole time, everything is going great. He asks to see me again, but the next day doesn't even talk to me. Hope the free food was worth it!
7. Girl Interrupted
His girlfriend, ex/girlfriend (not quite sure what she was, as he told me he was single) unlocked his apartment door and walked in on us watching a movie on his couch after we met for dinner.
She was not happy and started yelling and cursing. It was super awkward, especially when her dog she brought came over and started sniffing me.
Luckily he took her outside and calmed her down. She stood about 50 ft away quietly on the sidewalk while I left shortly after. I told him he should probably get off that dating site so no one else has to go through the same awful situation he put me in.
6. Slothing Along
The girl I was on the date with went on for an hour about sloths.
5. Weathering The Storm
She just got out of the hospital and a snap blizzard hit, February 14th, 2014. The bus dropped her off but no taxi or Uber dared drive out to get her so she was stranded at the waffle restaurant. So I took my Jeep Grand Cherokee the 100 miles in the snow to meet for the first time and to save her. I made it 90% of the way, hit some black ice, then slid sideways into a power pole. The guy that lived there pulled out his tractor-trailer and pulled me off the pole. I continued my journey as the knight in shiny, smashed armor. I make it to the restaurant and pick her up. Her door doesn't open because it was smashed in. She climbs over from the other side, casually brushing aside bits of broken glass from the shattered window. We proceed to drive 25 minutes in the snow with freezing air tossing her post-surgery bed head hair around. We made casual conversation. We get to her house and I get out so she can climb back over my seat to get out. She thanks me and we part ways. Come to find out my truck's frame was bent and should not have been driven. 4 years later: We're happily married, going through IVF to have a daughter.
4. Three Strikes
I'm afraid of Tinder because I've had bad experiences with online dating on places like POF and Match. One guy started stalking me because I didn't want to go on a second date. Kept calling, texting, coming to my work until I had my manager tell him flat out to leave and never come back. Luckily he never found my house but I know he was trying to find it. Another guy tried to get frisky after dinner, grabbing my face to kiss me and when I tried to leave the restaurant he told me that he's just really into me. One man I thought was decent and had 3 dates with ended up being married. No plans for divorce, he just wanted a fun girlfriend for weekends. I've never met a serious man online. They all just want hookups. Or they're creepy loners who think one date means we're in a relationship. So I'm never going online for a date ever. Not even going near Tinder.
3. Missed Target
I wanted to have a standard coffee date because you can't go wrong with a coffee date. She was pretty attractive, and when I picked her up she greeted me with a very enthusiastic, "Hey, handsome!" We ended up going to a coffee shop inside of a shopping center.
She didn't want to sit at a table and talk. Instead, she insisted we just walked around the store and commented on all the items on the shelves. I don't think either of us bought anything. It was so odd. I drove her back home soon after and never spoke again.
2. Pizza With A Side Of Cult
Went out with a dude who apparently was just on Tinder to try to convert people to his religion, but it was just a religion that he'd created for himself and it involved using 'science' with actual lab equipment he'd bought off of eBay to try to 'cure death.' And he was convinced that Google had ripped him off and they were out to get him because he was 'the little guy' and 'they're afraid that if I get too much power, I'll expose them for who they really are.' And he bought a cheap garlic chicken pizza for us. Who eats a garlic chicken pizza? What?
1. Too Good To Be True
The weirdest one in my experience was with this guy that liked all the same things I did, laughed at the things I laughed at and liked doing the same things. I'd never experienced anything like it.
We're married now.
