Whether it’s a gruesome slasher or a psychological thriller, no horror movie can quite capture the dread of a disastrous first date: you get ready, pick out an outfit, do your makeup, and convince yourself that maybe, just maybe, this person could be worth getting excited about. Then you show up, and suddenly you’re wondering if you can fake an emergency. So, I spoke to six Gen Z women to hear their first date horror stories — and some of them gave me the chills.
First dates are already nerve-wracking. You’re meeting someone new, trying to make conversation, and deciding whether there’s actually a connection or if you’re just counting down the minutes until you can go home. Of course, there’s always the hope that every first date could lead to a happily ever after. But sometimes, the only thing you walk away with is a horror story your friends will hear for years to come.
From bizarre confessions to questionable behavior that should have ended the date immediately to (*checks notes*) snakes, these six first date horror stories prove that romance can sometimes feel more like a psychological thriller.
All names have been changed for privacy. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Emily, 20: “He invited his mom to our first date.”
“I thought we were going to a cute Italian restaurant. Instead, halfway through dinner, he casually mentioned that his mom was joining us because she was ‘in the neighborhood.’ She proceeded to sit between us, ask me about my GPA, and explain why his ex-girlfriend wasn’t right for him. He barely spoke the entire time. At the end, she hugged me and said she hoped I was ‘more mature than the last one.’ There was no second date.”
Sofia, 21: “He brought a spreadsheet.”
“We met at a coffee shop, and everything seemed normal until he pulled out his laptop. He told me he had prepared questions because he wanted to ‘date intentionally.’ I thought he was joking. He was not. The questions ranged from my five-year career plan to whether I wanted children and how I handled conflict. At one point, he literally typed something while I was answering. I left feeling like I had just completed a job interview for a position I didn’t want.”
Jasmine, 19: “He spent the entire date talking about his ex.”
“I agreed to get dinner with a guy from my class, and within 10 minutes, I knew his ex’s full name, hometown, major, favorite coffee order, and the exact reason they broke up. Every story somehow ended with him asking whether I thought she was being unreasonable. When I finally tried changing the subject, he said, ‘You actually look a lot like her.’ I finished my food and immediately blocked him.”
He said, ‘I just thought girls liked guys with hobbies.’
Jamie, 21: “We had a third wheel.”
“I took a girl for a picnic once, and a rattlesnake decided our blanket was the chillest spot to come snuggle.”
Natalie, 22: “He tried to make me pay for his meal.”
“We went to a restaurant that he picked, and when the check came, he suddenly realized he had ‘forgotten his wallet.’ I offered to split it because I felt awkward, but then he ordered another drink and asked if I could cover that too. After I paid, he promised to Venmo me. He never did. A week later, he texted asking if I wanted to go out again, and I told him I was still waiting for my $46.”
Maya, 20: “He pretended to be a completely different person.”
“His dating profile said he loved museums, indie films, and traveling. On our date, he admitted that he had never been to a museum, hated movies, and had only traveled once outside his home state. When I asked why he put those things in his profile, he said, ‘I just thought girls liked guys with hobbies.'”
First dates may be terrifying, but at least the stories are unforgettable. And if there’s one thing these experiences teach us, it’s that sometimes being single sounds a lot less scary.