25 Worst Date Experiences That Prove That The Bar Is, Literally, In Hell
Redditor u/emily_johnson321 asked, "What's the worst dating experience you had this year?" Because being on a dating app is a literal hellscape, there was certainly no shortage of jaw-droppingly horrendous stories in response. Here are 25 dating horror stories that are so damn bad they might actually be the worst ever:
Note: Stories have also been sourced from this similar thread.
1."We got in a motorcycle accident on our first date, two minutes away from my house. He didn't have insurance for any guest riders, so he made me leave the scene of the accident while I had deep wounds and road rash."
2."My best friend was a guy, and his girlfriend didn't like me hanging out with him. She decided she wanted to set me up on a date to get me out of her hair. My best friend asked me to please do this to get her off his back. Apparently, the guy she wanted to set me up with was her coworker's brother. He was a young widower and a solid guy. I reluctantly agreed, and she gave him my number. This guy called me, and we talked. He told me he was a widower, and we talked about his job, but he didn't ask me out. We had three more conversations over the phone, but he still didn't ask me out. I finally told him if he wanted to go out on a date, it would have to be soon, as I was leaving on a lengthy trip. He said he was waiting. I asked him what he was waiting for, and his reply was...the funeral. His wife's funeral."
"You could have knocked me over with a feather after he said that. I noped out of that conversation ASAP and told him he should wait a while to date. I was sooo mad at my best friend and told him his girlfriend could fuck off."
3."I had a guy I was seeing for a few days over for a movie night. While he was over, my neighbor was stabbed in the throat by his husband. My date held pressure on his neck until he was taken to the hospital. Then, the husband got into a two-hour stand-off with the cops. I warned him I lived in a rough neighborhood, lol."
4."A guy friend of mine — let's call him Z — had been trying to get out of the friend zone. We’ve been friends since 2009. I've told him no, repeatedly. Anyway, a friend of Z's surprised him at a bar when Z and I were getting a drink. This friend and I hit it off, and we decided to meet up for drinks the following weekend. Well, the friend told Z, and he freaked out on both of us. I knew he’d be hurt, but I didn't think it would be that bad, considering he had seemed okay with me and him just staying friends."
"The date happened, and in the middle of it, I turned around and saw Z DRESSED IN A DISGUISE to spy on us. He was in the middle of a pool game, so who knows how long he had been spying. I asked the guy I was on the date with why he told him where we were going on our date, and he insisted that he had no idea Z would show up. Z then interjected himself into our date for the rest of the night and wouldn’t leave. So, I left."
5."Went on a first date with a guy from my college. We ended up going to Chili’s for dinner. As I came back from the restroom after our meal, he seemed nervous and told me to hurry to his car. I thought he was just being goofy, but as we were driving away, he told me that he dined and dashed. I was mortified and said I would have paid if money were an issue. He just laughed and kept driving. Awful experience and awful person."
6."I was going through what I considered my 'hard for art' stage, when I dated mostly musicians and artists. So, one right swipe later, I was meeting this French guy at a bar for a date. I arrived, and I couldn't find him until (conveniently) I‘d finished paying for my beer. There was a jazz band playing, and I asked if we could sit close to them. He said we had to sit somewhere else, explaining, 'I'm a musician, and people here know me.' At this point, I was only staying to finish my beer, annoyed he would invite me out just to try and hide me. But against my better judgment, we sat in some corner. Now, for some reason, my dumbass completely failed to ask this man what instrument he played before our date. Judging by his reaction to people recognizing him, I thought he could be some sort of musical superstar. So, I asked him what instrument he played, and he went into this long semi-sexual diatribe with the intention of me guessing his instrument. "
"To add context, this man had a heavy, deep French accent and — without exaggeration — said, 'When I was a boy, I had a small one. And I would use my lips to suck and blow. When I became a man, I had a large one, so big it wouldn’t fit in my pocket. I could use my lips better, and I loved to suck and blow.' I’m literally sitting almost motionless, maybe hoping that he’s the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, and if I don’t move, he won’t see me. But I just stared silently, speechless. And that's when he told me that he was a famous harmonica player.
It wasn’t, like, silly, or I would've thought maybe he was joking about it to negate the fact that he talked like he was in a porno. He said it with the intention of it being sexual and kept on repeating that he was famous. Now, don’t get me wrong — harmonicas are lovely. BUT BRO, you’re not playing it in Willie Nelson songs or some shit. Literally, no one knows who you are.
So naturally, I asked him to play a harmonica song for me, but he said he didn’t carry a harmonica. WTF kind of harmonica player doesn’t carry their harmonica around? But being the gracious celebrity that he was, he told me his big harmonica was at home, and he could teach me how to play it if I went back to his apartment. I screamed internally but told him that it was my bedtime. I grabbed my coat and left, truly baffled. Before we parted, he handed me a business card, which had a picture of him trying to look brooding and leaning against a brick wall, with a big harmonica in his shirt pocket.
Since I know you're wondering, no, he wasn’t 'famous,' but yes, he did actually play the harmonica well from the videos I saw on his website. I obviously never talked to him again, as he legit terrified me. But I keep the card for proof that this event actually occurred."
7."In casual conversation, my date talked about her roommate a lot. No problem, it was a normal conversation topic. The drinks start flowing, though, and I hear more and more about the roommate. They were, like...really close. A bit much, but OK. By the end of the date — at which point she was properly buzzed — she revealed that her roommate was actually...her husband."
8."When I was a sophomore in college, this guy from Tinder invited me to a realllly bro-y college bar. He showed up in sweatpants. I bought us the first round of drinks, but he never got another round, so that was it. I definitely wasn’t drunk enough for what was about to ensue. I was trying to make the most out of the date because he was cute, and I only wanted something casual anyway. I was truly trying to make conversation, but EVERY answer he gave was about football. He said he was on the team (a Google search later on proved that to be false). I asked him what he did for fun? Football. What other hobbies he had? Working out after football practice. Does he enjoy any games or anything? Madden."
"He also took a phone call in the middle of the date. While he was talking right in front of me, I was looking at the decorative signs all over the bar. When he hung up the phone, he saw me scanning the signs on the wall and said, 'So you like to read, huh?' We left shortly after.
He insisted on walking me home. When we got to my apartment building, he went in for a hug. While grabbing me, he whispered, 'I was really hoping to get a piece of this tonight.' You can’t be serious right now.
I said, 'Maybe next time!' and ran away. I didn’t hear from him again until the following Saturday night, at 2 a.m.."
9."I was out on my first date since breaking up with my ex about five months before. We went for pizza, were escorted to the table, and sat down. My ex was sitting at the table next to us. I then went to a singles event not long after, and my ex was there again..."
10."I got to talking to a woman in a club one night and we kind of hit it off. I asked all the usual questions, like what she did for a living and if she had any kids, the latter of which she said no to. I said it wouldn't have made a difference to me if she did have kids, as I had a son myself. Anyway, we arranged a date for a week later. We had a lovely meal and a good time, after which she invited me back to hers. We were drinking wine and messing about when I heard a bang from upstairs. Immediately, I jumped up, thinking there was a burglar upstairs. She said it was probably just her cat, so we got back to messing about. All of a sudden, a kid walked downstairs, about 13 years old. I was shocked, and when I looked at her, it was obvious he was hers. I asked her, though, and she apologized for lying. As I was saying it was fine, another kid walked in, this time a girl about 7 years old, again obviously hers."
"At this point, I'd decided she was a total liar, but didn't want to seem like a dick and just walk out. So, I explained to her that I had a kid and there was no need to lie. Then, another two kids walked in, this time twins. I was floored. She'd gone from being childless to having four kids in the space of five minutes. I asked if there was any more, and as she was shaking her head, another walked in, this time about 4 years old. I told her enough was enough and got up to walk out.
As I was leaving, a bloke walked in with two more kids. I just looked at her, and she slowly, embarrassingly nodded. For those counting, that was now seven!
That was it; I was out like a shot and never saw her again!"
11."I went on a Tinder date that ended in me leaving because his friends showed up at his place with a stolen goat. They wanted to kill it and try to get in touch with the spirit world. I wish I was kidding."
12."I met a guy through a not-so-close friend, but she knew we had similar things in common, so she set us up. We went on about six dates. I even brought him to a work event. Seems great, right? Wrong. He never asked me a thing. He was happy to tell me anything I asked him, but he never reciprocated or asked me any questions about my life. Eventually, I stopped asking him anything personal or even talking about myself. The final nail in the coffin was when I made a comment about the place we were at and asked a question. He ignored me and just responded with something else not at all relevant. I noticed at that moment that he wasn't even listening to me. Finally, I told him how I felt, and he tried to act like he was 'shy' when he first met people. Buddy, I know all about your family, your likes, your career, and schooling, while you know nothing about me. You aren't shy, you are a douche. I was done."
13."My date turned up a foot shorter than he said he was and at least a decade older. Making it all the worse were his tight white jeans. Then, as he came in, he lunged at me to try and kiss me open-mouthed. I dodged it and just left. Got a text saying, 'Was it the jeans??'"
14."I bartend at this craft cocktail bar in my town. It's quite a nice place. My female friend was there visiting, and this one girl came in alone and we hit it off instantly. I let her and my friend chat for a while, and we talked about getting her to join us for yoga. I gave her my number, and she left. I didn't hear from her for a while, but eventually, I got a text saying, 'Hey, I just put on this little black dress to come visit you, and the place is closed!' So we started chatting a bit more, and the conversation was fantastic. We planned a date for that Thursday, met, and again, instantly, the vibe was immaculate. We had to make it brief — 45 minutes only —but it went so well that we were literally making out in the parking lot before we split ways."
"We kept talking again for another week until our second date, and we both made it very clear that we were very much into each other. She even showed me a conversation she had with her sister about how shocked her sister was that she was letting a man pursue her because it had been like two years since she'd allowed that.
Our second date arrived, and we were holding hands across the table, staring lovingly into each other eyes. I was like, 'Wow, is this what it's like to fall in love?' She gets a phone call, and I see her holding back tears. She said she had to go to the hospital. Her mom has been in poor health for about four years, she said, and it's starting up again. She was profusely sorry and made sure to say that she wanted to see me again as soon as possible, kissed me, and left.
I was worried sick about her, so I texted her the next day. However, the message only registered as sent, not delivered or read. So, curious, I picked up the phone and called, and that's when I figured out my number was blocked. Several months later, and there was no word or sight of her.
I've been ghosted before, but never anything like that."
15."She came to visit me in my city for a date over a few days. She told me that she got a job in Memphis and didn't wanna do long-distance while we were on the way to the hockey game we spent $800 on for good tickets. A few days later, we went to a sports conference together, and this dude was flirting with her. He got her number and asked her to come drinking with him downtown and go back to his place for fun. She legit asked me if I’d be OK with her going to hang with him instead of us hanging out."
16."I took a girl to a free comedy show on a Tuesday night, and I was constantly the butt of every comedian's jokes. Some of the lines directed at me include, 'She is way too far out of your league!' 'You took her to a free comedy show? Are you broke?' 'Oh, you study Finance? That's boring; she shouldn't have talked to you!' and last but not least, 'This relationship isn't gonna last.' Understandably, there wasn't a second date."
17."I got out of a long-term relationship, and maybe six months later, I started feeling comfortable dating again. Around that time, I struck up a conversation with a woman in line at a Starbucks and ended up asking her out. It was my first date post-break-up, and she said yes! We met up a week later, and in the middle of the date, she told me that I was going to be great friends with her boyfriend because we both liked snowboarding. I didn’t know what to do, so I kind of smiled and nodded along. I just assumed that I hadn’t made it clear enough when I asked her out that I wanted it to be a date. Anyhow, that’s when she started her sales pitch. It was a pyramid scheme for energy drinks."
18."My date ordered three bottles of wine at dinner. I had maybe three glasses in total, which means she had nine glasses on her own. When she tried to order a fourth bottle, the waiter cut her off. She caused a scene and got us kicked out of the restaurant. I called her an Uber, and while we were waiting, she pissed herself in the parking lot. Finally got her into the backseat of her Uber and went home. She texted the next day, saying, 'Hey, sorry I missed our date last night, I must have taken a nap and slept through it. Reschedule?'"
19."I had a man incorrectly mansplain my old job to me — something I had experience in for 11 years, plus a degree. His experience? He listened to a Joe Rogan podcast about it once."
20."I hadn't dated in over a year because of how badly the last one left me, mentally. That eight-month relationship left me an absolute shell of a human because of how terrible that man was. It took me a VERY long time to even speak to a man again, let alone agree to go out with one. I had someone I'd matched with years ago on an app randomly reply to a snap story I posted, and he pursued me. I was hesitant but figured it'd been a long time, and I should try again. This man was spewing shit about how he really wanted a relationship, really liked me, blah blah blah. He even INTRODUCED ME TO HIS FAMILY and was planning future events and shit."
"Well, I quickly learned he was very much still on dating apps and was not as serious as he said, because he matched with my cousin. With the same 2+ year old pictures as when I first matched with him. He had a whole ass conversation with her about how he's not seeing anyone or sleeping with anyone else. It made me think I was probably one of many, and this was literally exactly what happened with my last ex. Dying alone seems better and better every day."
21."I met a lovely girl over Tinder, and we really hit it off. We had a great conversation and decided to meet in person for coffee the next day. She showed up on time, looked just like her pictures...and brought her boyfriend."
22."I met a girl on Craigslist. After a few messages, we set up a date at a bar downtown. I showed up, and she was already there with a guy friend. No biggie, I figured she was just playing it safe. They were sitting at a two-person table, and the place was packed. They already had drinks, so I grabbed one for myself and put it on my tab. She and her friend then proceeded to ignore me the whole time. Like, I'd say something, and neither one acknowledged it unless I asked a direct question. Even then, I get one-word answers with attitude. So, I finished my beer, paid my bill, and left without saying a word. Later, I get a barrage of messages about how I'm an asshole for sticking them with their own tab."
23."I met a girl on Tinder. Her dad had just died, and the first time I met her, she asked me to go to his funeral."
24."I was going on dates with a woman I met off Bumble. We went to dinner three times, and in-between dates, she and I had intimate convos. She shared her journal entrees with me and thanked me for being there for her and listening. On the third date, she asked me to be her best friend."
25.And finally, proof that maybe there is, actually, some hope: "We went on a first date and waited 60 minutes for food at the restaurant. Cue awkward conversation. Then, we went to a movie, and the movie jammed in the middle, so we had to wait 20 minutes for them to fix it. Cue more awkward conversation. On the way home, the car broke down, and he insisted we couldn't call any of my brothers or sisters for a ride, so we walked the four miles home in the snow. We have been married for 37 years. ;)"
Do you have any dating horror stories like these? If so, tell us about them in the comments below or via this anonymous form.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
