We asked, you answered. In a world of online and app dating, many of us go into dates not knowing much about the person we’re meeting. If you’ve ever had a bad date, rest assured, you are not alone. We rounded up some of the weirdest dating stories that our readers submitted, and, trust us, you’ll be glad these didn’t happen to you.

Anonymous from Kansas City

“I think my favorite story is how I was dating a guy for about 5 months and one day I texted him asking if he wanted to come over for dinner. He never responded. The next day, he posted a picture of Venice Beach. So I texted him and asked what he was doing in LA. Turns out, he moved to LA and this was his way of dumping me…by literally moving across the country to pursue a modeling career. Jokes on him though because that didn’t pan out and now he is living at home with his parents in Saint Louis.”

Anonymous from Ridgewood, New Jersey

“I met the guy on Match, and we met for dinner. I pulled up to the restaurant a bit early, so I went in to sit at the bar and wait…as I was looking out the window into the parking lot, I saw a guy get out of a beat-up truck wearing VERY short tan corduroy shorts and a beat up cut-off sleeved flannel shirt… I prayed it wasn’t my date but, of course, it was. I gave it a chance, thinking maybe his personality was okay, but when we sat down, he mentioned how pleased he was that I was attractive, then proceeded to 1) down some pills and 2) start talking about the adult porn sites he likes. Even the waiter came up to me when the guy went to the restroom and asked if I needed any help! Ugh, THE worst.”

Anonymous from Akron, New Jersey

“While in college, I had met a guy through my best friend.  She said he “had a good heart.” He was tall and cute and he asked me out. Great. For the date, he asked that I meet him at his house so we could watch a movie (this was before “NetFlix and Chill,” so watching a movie actually meant watching a movie). I met him at his house and we got into his car. He wanted to take me somewhere special on our way to Blockbuster, because it was almost time for the sunset. We stopped at a river bank. The moment had complete potential to turn romantic. However, bugs were coming off of the river, and before we knew it there were hundreds of bats swarming around our heads. We raced to the car and got out of there as soon as we could.  It got worst. When we arrived at Blockbuster, I had to open an account in order to rent a movie, because he was banned from renting movies there. In the car on the way back, he promised he would return the movie first thing the next morning because, he said, “It will be my only chance to return it because starting Monday I’m under house arrest for a 30 days”….Between bats, hearing he was banned from Blockbuster, and learning he was soon to be under house arrest, I can truly say that was the worst date I have ever been on.”

Anonymous from St. Louis, Missouri

“This guy had asked me out multiple times and finally, mainly to stop him from asking, I agreed. We were to meet at an Irish pub and when I arrived, he was already drunk. I sat down at the table and he snapped his fingers at the waitress, ordered me a beer (I didn’t like beer at this point in my life), and called the waitress ‘Legs’ the whole time. He ignored me for most of the ‘date’ to watch some game on TV and I discreetly texted a friend to call me. When she called, I dramatically said I had to go, without giving him an explanation and left quickly. Never, ever again.”

Anonymous from Denver, Colorado

“I was asked out on a date by a guy who I thought was very attractive and seemed nice, which I thought I needed at the time. He took me to a pretty fancy restaurant, which I appreciated, but the good start to the date quickly plateaued, then went downhill. The first red flag was when he insisted on ordering for me. He ordered shellfish, which I’m allergic to, and then assured me that it wouldn’t kill me because it was the “best in town.” I’m not one to be bulldozed by a man, so I let the server know that I wanted nothing to do with shellfish and ordered what I actually wanted, which deeply offended my date. And he let me know it. After the shellfish fiasco, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and proceeded to ask me questions that were printed on there. I asked if he had prepared questions in advance, but no, it was a list of questions he found on the internet by Googling “good questions to ask on a first date.” He insisted on asking them all. It was not a conversation, it was an interview… except that after my every response he replied with “OMG you’re so amazing!” or “I just love you!” or “I’m going to marry you someday.”  By the end of the list, he had thoroughly convinced himself that he was in love with me, and that we were going to get married. I needed to get out of there but he was my ride. This was pre-Uber days so I figured my best escape was just sticking it out and having him take me home. I could let him down gently tomorrow, right? At the end of the dinner, we were walking out and he mentioned that he saw some people at a nearby table that he knew. We walked to the table and he introduces me to none other than his parents, grandma, an aunt and a cousin… as his FIANCÉ! WHAT?! They all stood up, called for champagne, and congratulated us. Hugs all around! At this point, I’m staring daggers at him, but he just has a goofy-looking grin on his face like it’s the best moment of his life. After everyone sits down again, I tell them that we are not engaged and that this is actually just our first (and last) date. They looked like I had just killed a puppy right in front of them! They were so disappointed! I excused myself to the bathroom to call a friend and have her pick me up. With the help of a server who had witnessed the entire event, I snuck out the back door and I never saw any of them again.”

Anonymous from Queens, New York

“I had recently gotten out of a pretty serious relationship and after three months of wallowing in self-pity, I was ready to have someone take me out and make me feel special. My first mistake was hopping on Tinder, but I had swiped right on a friend of a friend I had met a few times, so I assumed this was a safe bet. He was mad cute, and a smooth talker so I pretty quickly agreed to go out with him, without knowing too much about him (mistake number two). We went out to eat at a restaurant, and while looking over the menu, he tells me I can get any and everything I want, so I’m thinking, hey I’m gonna be treated right tonight. A waiter comes by and my date and him start talking like they know each other. Turns out he works there, which you know what, I think, great maybe we’ll get a ton of perks. He then says he’ll be right back and leaves, going into the kitchen. He comes back 15 mins later with a food tray of plates, any and everything I wanted. Super excited, I dig in, just before the waiter friend comes back and says that some guy “is here, so be careful.” I’m assuming he’s talking about the manager, since he seemed paranoid and suddenly left again. Like 5 mins later I hear yelling, and my date comes storming out of the kitchen with the manager following behind, yells some more, points at me, and eventually makes it back to the table. What happened was, he was FIRED right there, because he kept STEALING FOOD! Like the food I was currently eating! I was stunned and mortified, because the whole restaurant was staring at us. After like 5 mins of him ranting, he decides to go back and talk to the manager some more. I got a to-go box, packed up my stolen food, and bailed. It was the most embarrassing and confusing date I had ever been on and literally scared me from dating for like two months.”

Anonymous from New York, New York

“I was on a third date with a boy that I really liked. We both go to college in Maryland but live in NY. So, when we were both home for spring break, we figured that we’d have a fun night out in the city. Before I left, I told my family that I was going on a date and told them his name. The date was going amazing, we were having a great time, so I was out a little later than expected and wasn’t looking at my phone. I finally glanced down at it later in the night and saw dozens of texts from my parents asking where I was and when I’d be back. I quickly sent a text back apologizing for being out of touch and letting them know that I’d be home soon. I looked up from my phone and the boy that I was on a date with had a weird expression on his face. He showed me his phone and asked if an email he had just received was from my parents. The subject line read “from _____’s parents. We want to know she’s ok”. My parents were so concerned about me being out of touch that they found this boys email and emailed him during our date asking where I was. I was HORRIFIED.”

Anonymous from Charlotte, North Carolina

“My worst date is summed up in a question he asked me: “Do you get fat in relationships?”

Anonymous from Baltimore, Maryland

“He told me I had real potential to be attractive and that I should go to the gym with him and make him regret turning me down.”

Anonymous from Los Angeles, California

“So my boyfriend at the time and I were on vacation in Bali. We decided to eat at a Mexican restaurant one night for dinner while there. Both of us LOVE spicy food, so naturally, we order the spiciest peppers and salsa to put on our food. We were staying in a beautiful and secluded hotel on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Our room was very outdoorsy, so we had an outdoor shower and bathroom. We started hooking up when we got home from our night out. We first started with a little foreplay.. then, all the sudden, the foreplay started to hurt. I tried to endure it wondering if I was just sore. Then, all the sudden, it hit me. I knew why I was in so much pain. THE PEPPERS!!! It was still all over his hands, mouth, and tongue–and now it was all over me in all the wrong places. I started screaming and crying and immediately ran to the outdoor shower (in the middle of the night) to wash myself off. That’s one way to kill the mood.”

Anonymous from Denver, Colorado

“I had just broken up with a long-term boyfriend and decided to try online dating. For one date, the guy asked me to meet him at a Starbucks. He was fifteen minutes late with no courtesy call. Once he arrived, it was about 45 minutes of non-stop ego-boosting stories on his end about his college days as a baseball player, how rich his family was, his applications to med schools, and how he was now entering law. I eventually leaned into the humor of it all, and really stroked his ego just to stay entertained. He asked me (literally) three questions: What was my favorite story about him, was I impressed yet, and did I find him interesting. Seriously, this guy! When we left, he said that he would call me. I laughed and said, “Really, dude, please don’t. Really, really don’t.” And he chuckled, kissed me on the top of the head, squeezed my shoulders and said, “It was probably really nice to meet me.”

Anonymous from Boston, Massachusetts

“I once ended up at this guy’s apartment, and he was giving me a tour.  When we got to his bedroom I thought I noticed a picture of me out of the corner of my eye.  It turned out to be a vision board. It was filled with pictures of me he had found on the internet, along with photos of kids and a house. It was our first date!”