Here are a few “worst first date” stories that aren’t violent or scary but certainly memorable for all the wrong reasons:

1. The Dinner Disaster

Sarah met Mark through a dating app and they arranged to meet at a nice restaurant. They seemed to hit it off through messages, so she was excited. When Sarah arrived, she was shocked to see Mark was wearing sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt. As they sat down to eat, he ordered the most expensive dish on the menu, then proceeded to spend the whole dinner talking about his ex-girlfriend and how much he missed her. The final straw came when Mark insisted on splitting the bill, but in the most awkward way: he asked Sarah to pay for her half of the appetizer, while he paid for his main course, because “he hadn’t planned on spending so much that night.” Sarah left the date feeling more embarrassed than anything, realizing that sometimes, what seems like a great match online doesn’t translate in person.

2. The Overzealous Compliments

Tim and Saida met through a mutual friend and decided to go for a coffee. Right from the start, Tim was very complimentary—almost too complimentary. At first, it seemed sweet, but after several comments like, “You’re like a model!” and “I don’t even know how to talk to someone so beautiful,” Saida started to feel uncomfortable. As the date continued, Tim became even more intense. He started saying things like, “I can already tell we’d have beautiful children” and “You’re perfect; I feel like I’ve found my soulmate.” Saida, who was already feeling overwhelmed, tried to steer the conversation into more neutral territory, but Tim kept circling back to her looks and how lucky he was to be with her. She quickly ended the date and politely excused herself, deciding that a little self-assurance was great, but over-the-top flattery wasn’t.

3. The Food Fight

Emma met Rishi on a dating app, and they decided to meet at a trendy restaurant known for its quirky dishes. Things started well, but the date quickly took a nosedive when Rishi insisted on ordering a dish that was known to be messy—spaghetti with sauce that splattered everywhere. As Rishi tried to eat, he managed to spill sauce on Emma’s dress and his shirt. To make matters worse, he didn’t apologize; instead, he laughed it off and made a joke about how it “made the date more interesting.” As the evening continued, Emma couldn’t help but feel like she was on the receiving end of a bad slapstick comedy routine, with Rishi dropping food, knocking over glasses, and getting sauce everywhere. She left early, secretly relieved the date was over.

4. The One-Upper

Jack and Anna hit it off immediately, with lots of good banter on their first date. But as the evening wore on, Anna realized Jack was trying a little too hard to impress her. Every time Anna mentioned something interesting about herself—whether it was a trip to Japan or a new hobby—Jack would quickly follow up with something “bigger” he had done. For example, when Anna mentioned she had been to Paris for a short weekend trip, Jack responded with, “Well, I spent three months traveling through Europe, and I’ve been to every country there.” At first, it was just a little irritating, but as the night progressed, it felt like Jack was trying to outdo every small accomplishment of Anna’s. The date ended with Anna feeling like she hadn’t had a conversation so much as a one-sided monologue. It didn’t take long for her to realize she didn’t want to be with someone who constantly needed to “one-up” her.

5. The Long, Awkward Silence

Masha met Alex on a dating app and was excited about their first date at a cozy wine bar. When she arrived, Alex seemed nice enough at first, but as soon as they sat down, the conversation just… stopped. They both awkwardly sipped their drinks, staring at each other, neither really knowing what to say. After a long silence, Masha tried to fill the gap with some questions, but Alex only gave short, one-word answers. The only thing keeping the conversation going was the sound of clinking glasses and the occasional awkward laugh. Halfway through the evening, Masha realized that the silence was becoming unbearable, so she tried to wrap it up early, but not without an awkward “let’s do this again sometime” that neither of them meant. It turned out that they had absolutely nothing in common and were completely mismatched, which made the whole night feel like an awkward performance rather than a date.

6. The Non-Stop Talking About His Ex

Lily went on a date with Ryan, who seemed like a great guy on paper. He was charming, funny, and seemed genuinely interested in her. However, as soon as they sat down, Ryan immediately started talking about his ex-girlfriend. He went on and on about how “she just didn’t get him” and how heartbroken he was after the breakup. Lily tried to steer the conversation in another direction, but every topic seemed to somehow loop back to his ex. He even mentioned that he was still “sort of friends” with her. By the time the date ended, Lily realized she hadn’t learned anything about Ryan, other than how deeply he was still hung up on his ex. Needless to say, there was no second date.

7. The Overly Enthusiastic Planner

Verena met Ash on a dating app, and they immediately hit it off. However, during their first date, Ash was so eager to plan the next steps that it became overwhelming. After only one drink, he started talking about their “next date,” asking Verena where she liked to go on vacation, what kind of activities she enjoyed, and how they could plan a weekend trip together. Verena, feeling both flattered and slightly panicked, tried to steer the conversation toward something more relaxed. But Ash wouldn’t let up—he pulled out his phone, showing her pictures of places he wanted to visit with her and casually talking about how “they would make a great team.” Sophie quickly realized that Ash’s intensity was more about his own excitement than any real connection, and she had to politely end the date early.

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Moral of the Stories: While first dates can be unpredictable, most of the worst experiences are simply due to mismatched expectations, awkward behavior, or lack of communication. It’s important to keep things light and fun, avoid putting too much pressure on the situation, and be yourself. After all, sometimes the bad first dates can lead to the funniest stories!