Dating can be pretty damn terrible. Essentially, you meet up with an almost stranger or a complete stranger whom you’re attracted to, and have to fill three or so hours with banter that makes you come off as smart and sexy. If it’s going swimmingly, you’re stressing out over how to keep up the good vibes. If it’s a bad first date, you’re struggling with how to call it a night without hurting your date’s feelings.
Not to mention the monkey wrench that online dating throws into the whole process. You try your best not to make it obvious that you have never seen your date IRL before, as you scan the location you’re meeting at, looking for them. Which is easier said than done if they look nothing like their pictures. Or worse, when you meet up with someone you’ve met online, only to find that the reason they’re single is painfully obvious. For example, they smell like old cheese or are extremely angered by small things, like having to wait for a table.
Can it get any worse? According to these 10 people, it absolutely can. Read on for what they had to say about theworst things they’ve ever encounteredon a first date. Their experiences run the gamut from extreme rudeness to total cheapskates and more.
1. Samantha, 23
“On this one date, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Every question he asked me, he would cut my answer off halfway through with a story he just had to tell me on the subject. Most of which involved his college frat brothers. By the eighth frat story, it was actually painful to keep pretending to be interested”
2. Paul, 27
“Girls who don’t offer to pay. Obviously, I’m not going to let you go through with it, because I’m a gentleman. But expecting me to foot the bill, and not even offering a ‘thank you’ when I do, as if it was nothing for me to drop 50 bucks on dinner for the two of us, is just downright rude.”
3. Carline, 29
“Guys who show up late. You’re not even doing your hair or makeup or trekking to our date location in heels. You have no excuse. Even worse: Guys who show up late without texting a heads-up about it or apologizing once they arrive. Have some damn manners! I would hope your mama raised you better than that.”
4. Chris, 26
“When a date laughs at everything I say. I mean, I’m a funny guy, I get it. But guys can always tell a fake courtesy laugh from a genuine one. If you’re not being real with me on our first date, how can I expect you to be real if we end up getting into a relationship?”
5. Anna, 29
“Being on your phone while we’re on our first date. Especially dates who try to play it off as, ‘Oh, this is business.’ In my opinion, unless you’re a doctor who’s on call, there’s no reason you can’t log off for a few hours while we give this first date thing a real shot.”
6. Gaberiel, 24
“Once a girl starts talking about their ex, I’m out. One time I was texting my date to see where she was, when she walked up to me while I was doing it. The first words out of her mouth were, ‘Are you texting your ex?’ Uh, no I’m not. The date was pretty much over before it started.”
7. Sara, 27
“When guys pick a date spot with big-screen TVs so that they can still watch the game. If you absolutely need to watch the game, then schedule our first date on a different night. I can tell that you’re watching TV and not listening to a thing I’m saying.”
8. Steve, 23
“Hating on everything. The food. The service. The location of the date, which I carefully planned. Even if you’re not crazy about all of these things, keep in mind that I really did my best to take you somewhere you’d like. But we’re on a first date, and I’m still learning what you like. So don’t be a hater, and give me the benefit of the doubt.”
9. Gina, 29
“Ranting about politics or religion. I was once on a date where the guy asked what candidate I was voting for. When I said I wasn’t sure, he gave me a very, very long ‘talking to’ about how my apathy is part of the problem.”
10. Jean, 29
“Girls who play with their hair. This is probably just a personal annoyance, but it’s distracting. And if we’re having dinner, it makes me lose my appetite.”
Want more of Bustle’s sex and relationships coverage? Check out our video on what it’s like to be a bridesmaid for hire:
DANIELLE PAGE
