Lifestyle

42 first dates so bad they should count as character‑building trauma

Bored Panda · Mar 17, 2026 21:20 · 4 min read

42 First Dates So Bad They Should Count As Character‑Building Trauma

Most people want to leave a good impression on a first date. However, some folks are so entitled, lack self-awareness, and have such poor emotional intelligence that just meeting them is a bizarre disaster. Our team has painstakingly collected people’s stories about the very worst, cringiest, and most miserable first dates they’ve been on. It’s the kind of stuff that oozes secondhand embarrassment and continues to haunt your nightmares long...

Our team at Bored Panda has painstakingly collected people’s stories about the very worst, cringiest, and most miserable first dates they’ve been on. It’s the kind of stuff that oozes secondhand relationship embarrassment and continues to haunt your nightmares long after you were glad to get away. Scroll down to read all about these people’s biggest dating disasters.

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In the context of a successful relationship, what truly matters is the dynamic that you and your significant other have with each other. The most vital thing is the partnership that you build together.

What’s less important, on the other hand, are your and your partner’s personalities and who you are as individuals.

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A recent study found that the things to focus on are how satisfied you feel your partner is with you and how appreciative you are of them.

Other things linked to successful relationships include your commitment to your significant other, whether you’re happy with your intimate life, and how you handle conflict.

But above everything, try to focus on how you engage with your partner and what your dynamic with them actually is. This is much more essential than wondering whether the person you’re dating fits your theoretical checklist of what you’re looking for in a partner.

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Some of the biggest relationship red flags and toxic personality traits to beware of are inconsistent behavior, desiring and creating drama, and always wanting attention.

Other behaviors that should set off your inner alarm bells are things like the other person trying to control you and not being able to be happy for you when something good happens.

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According to WebMD, toxic traits also include manipulation and confusing behavior. In a nutshell, you should be worried if the person you’re dating makes you feel uncomfortable and if you can’t fully be yourself around them.

It’s also not a good sign if you constantly feel like you have to defend them or that they never apologize for doing something wrong.

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Overall, it’s a good thing when someone shows their most authentic ‘self’ on a date. That way, you can quickly tell if you’re potentially compatible, whether there’s any chemistry there, what relationship green, yellow, and red flags are present, etc.

Sure, a bad date might make you feel you’ve wasted your time, money, and energy. But it’s better to have a bad date and call it quits than to date someone for longer, only to realize later they’ve been hiding their unsavory character features.

Besides, these situations can help you better understand what you’re looking for in a serious partner. And they make for good stories to warn and amuse your friends (or strangers on the internet) with.

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Not everyone is expecting their first date to go ‘perfectly.’ People can and do make mistakes. And there’s bound to be some awkwardness at first. Besides, thinking about ‘perfection’ puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on both of you. And you never know—your ideas of what constitutes a ‘perfect’ date might be at odds.

That being said, there are lots of ways to leave a horrible first impression. It’s one thing to be authentic and true to yourself. But it’s also important to think before you act if you’re serious about wanting a romantic relationship.

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For example, as per the Guardian, some ways to leave an awful first impression are to arrive late, cancel the date on very short notice, or even fail to turn up.

Other questionable things that are likely to push your date away include stuff like looking different from your profile photo, complaining a lot, and criticizing things too much.

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Meanwhile, other things to avoid doing on a first date are constantly talking about yourself or the people you’ve dated previously, and being overly controlling with your date.

You should also avoid being too sarcastic or self-deprecating. You should be curious to find out more about your date, but you also shouldn’t agree with them about everything. In other words, you should be yourself without dominating the conversation.

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Once you’ve finished scrolling through this list and upvoting the very worst dating disasters, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Which of these stories made you wince and cringe the most? What is the very worst or strangest first date that you’ve had the ‘pleasure’ of going on? What are the main red flags that you keep an eye out for when meeting someone for the very first time? Let us know!

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