Meeting up with people you don’t know for dates has become the norm thanks to apps like Hinge, but while this can often lead to good things, there’s an element of danger, too. After all, you’re meeting a total stranger. So on these kinds of dates, it’s important to act with an abundance of caution. Otherwise, situations worthy of ‘storytimes’ can happen.
One such storytime was told by Christian Cooks (@christiancooks99). He began in a TikTok, “Have you ever been on a first date so bad it sounds like a made-up story? Because this date traumatized me forever.”
He says he matched with a girl on Hinge who lived approximately an hour and a half away from him, but added that distance wasn’t a barrier in their budding relationship. He noted how they were chatting for two and a half weeks and FaceTiming regularly, and when it came to their first date, it was at a pub near where she lived. Cooks noted that she seemed very enthusiastic to bring him to it, but when he arrived at the pub, the first red flag appeared: there was just one other car in the driveway. There was also heavy snowfall, but despite these reservations, Cooks was convinced to stay.
Red flags emerged
He said he entered the bar, where it looked like not a single light had been turned on. There was a box TV, a dartboard, but seemingly nobody was there. Still, he persevered and chatted to his date, but as the conversation went on, he says he felt more and more uneasy.
He claimed that she kept pressuring him to have another drink despite already explaining to her that he was driving. At this point, he says he is extremely uneasy. The girl claims she has permission to go behind the bar and insists that she makes him a drink. She then disappears and returns with a small bottle, which she says is her “secret ingredient.”
After going to the bathroom, Cooks says he decided to make his escape. After continuing to insist that he drinks the drink she made, she tried to take his car keys, before yelling after him that he’d never make it home in all that snow.
‘That is pure evil’
He then asks viewers if he was overly cautious—but most agreed that something shady was going on.
“That’s the start of a horror movie,” one commented. “Your instincts were exactly right,” one added. “She was up to no good!” While a third speculated, “She must have been working with somebody else to try to get you. That is pure evil.”
The video amassed 445,600 views.
@christiancooks99 Dating makes me scared for my life #dating #relationships #storytime ♬ original sound – christiancooks
Is there something else going on?
However, there may be more to this first date story than meets the eye. As other commenters pointed out, Cooks’ entire account consists of dozens of other stories of crazy first dates he has purportedly experienced. “How many first dates do you go on each month?” one viewer asked. While another straight up said: “Dude, are you telling other people’s first date horror stories, because your page seems to be full of them.”
Indeed, even if he was particularly unlucky, one person experiencing all those bad dates is unlikely. The most likely scenario is that Cooks either has a very active imagination or is taking bad date stories from platforms like Reddit and acting them out as ‘storytimes.’ While The Mary Sue was unable to find this story on other platforms, a further commenter said: “I swear this exact story is on Reddit.”
If it’s true that Cooks is simply acting out a Reddit relationships drama for views, he won’t be the first TikToker to do that. Kinsley Rae (@kinsleyrae2323) previously went viral after saying she was a scorned ex-wife who had got a job at the hotel her husband was using to cheat on her… except, she wasn’t a scorned wife at all. “I currently make Reddit videos,” she explained in another TikTok. “Some are true, some are not. We may never know. I just get content from there.”
Cooks didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment and email.
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