10+ First dates that instantly ended because of red flags: 'I walked straight out the front door'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
May 5, 2026 3:15 PM EDT

Here's a comprehensive list of all the things you shouldn't do on your first date

On date #1, you'd think most people would be on their very best behavior. 

You would think they would show up clean and smelling good, dressed nicely, and ready to make the other person feel comfortable. 

That's like, the very barest minimum, right? 

But no, as you'll read about here, a lot of people seem to self-sabotage their first dates. 

Maybe it's because they're nervous… And in some cases, they're just not very nice people. 

It's truly shocking how quickly these dates went downhill.

 Sometimes a single sentence ended the date! In some cases, one person literally stood up and left! 

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  • Couple on a first date share a meal together.
    via Yunus Tuğ

    Couple on a first date share a meal together.

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Bruh

    Jinglebell727 He told me he doesn't have kids and doesn't want kids when we matched online. In the middle of the date, he told me he has five kids.
    via Jinglebell727

    I can't imagine the dating pool is enthusiastic about dating a guy with 5 kids, let alone a guy who lies about it first.

  • Oop!

    SummerCrab When he said he was married but that it was okay because I was just a fling.
    via SummerCrab

  • You'll meet a lot of oddballs on first dates

    Sophia-Eclipse He seemed nice on text but when he picked me up he just had a very weird vibe going on, wouldn't speak and basically just said yes or no. We got food and ate in
    via Sophia-Eclipse
  • his car then the first real thing he said was "back to mine?" With a creepy grin. I said no and got out and walked home as fast as I could
    via Sophia-Eclipse

  • The reddest of red flags, because why is he monitoring that, hmmmm?

    Inedible_Bubble It was an amazing date until he mentioned I never put my drink down, or let him refill it.
    via Inedible_Bubble
  • whereismyjim This was when I was in my early 20s. I just got out of a long term relationship, so online dating was new to me. The guy picked me up at my place, and due to where we were, there weren't too many places to go, and we couldn't agree.
    via whereismyjim
  • on where to go. I suggested a bar nearby, he suggest going back to his place 45 minutes away. His excuse was because he needed to check in on his dog. I told him I wasn't comfortable going back to his place on a first date. Then he told me to get out of his car. We
    via whereismyjim
  • were in the middle of nowhere at this point, and it was dark, so I refused. I demanded to be driven back to my place since we weren't going to go on a date anymore and I wasn't going back to his place. Thankfully he did take me home and I got out, he left.
    via whereismyjim
  • He then text me that he thought I would be more fun.
    via whereismyjim

    At least people will tell you who they are pretty quickly! If you can hear them the first time they tell you about themselves, you'll save yourself a lot of time and heartbreak. 

  • akraut 5 mins in "My dog bites people, and you need to be okay with that or we have no future together." Excused myself, paid for my glass of wine, and walked out.
    via akraut

  • Two train enthusiasts meet at a bar, and...

    Shed Montgomery To add some levity to this thread, we met for a drink downtown in Philly. He told me he was a railroad fan and that he knew a lot about the railroad history of the city and surrounding area. Hey, that's cool, I like trains and history too. And then he
    via ShedMontgomery
  • spent 45 minutes talking at me about about lines and routes, various rail companies and their specific histories, different kinds of engines, and so on. I don't mind geeking out, and I'm always down to learn about something someone else is passionate about, but I
    via ShedMontgomery
  • barely even found a space to chime in. I tried a few times to redirect the conversation, but he kept going. Once he ran out of steam, he suggested dinner at a place near where I had parked. When we were by my car, I thanked him
    via ShedMontgomery

  • The biggest fumble for this guy

    politely for the conversation but told him I wasn't feeling it and said goodbye.
    via ShedMontgomery

    This is a very, very common mistake that I see on first dates! Some guys get really flustered and nervous and try to sell themselves to you. They really want you to know everything about them so you can judge them positively, I suppose. But at the end of a date where you've listened for 90 minutes and barely got a word in edgewise, it makes you think that they don't actually need your company after all. Gotta have some give and take! 

  • Two people sit at a cafe during a date.
    via Pablo Merchán Montes

    Two people sit at a cafe during a date. 

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • W H A T !

    I_need_a_date_plz He told me he cut his time short to see his kid in order to make time to see me for our date.
    via I_need_a_date_plz

    Did he think she would like that…? 

  • ImSmarted He drove me to his house on our first date, talking about he needs to pick something up. I told him I'm staying in the car. All we did before that was go out to dinner.
    via ImSmarted
  • BitingArtist First minute of arriving, she started yelling. That was her normal voice. There was just no way I was going to make it through a meal with that so I said sorry and left.
    via BitingArtist

  • This is not it

    Blunde Russ I (M) said to her (F) when she arrived at the bar "can I get you a drink?" She replied "erm... no, it's 2018, I'm perfectly capable of getting my own drink thank you".
    via BlundeRuss
  • Ok... was just being polite but whatever. Then when we sat down she said "ok... you have precisely 5 minutes to entertain me and we'll see where we go from there. GO!" I just left.
    via BlundeRuss

  • Very impolite! It's not a job interview

    utility_minded Girl brought a notebook to our first date. Not a planner, an actual ruled notebook. Every time I said something she'd write in it. I finally asked and she said she likes to keep notes on people so she can "reference things
    via utility_minded

    There's a lot of overlap between job interviews and dates, but you really could make some mental notes when you're on that date instead. 

  • later." She flipped back a few pages to show me and I could see other guys' names with bullet points under them. I was just the next entry. Finished my drink and left.
    via utility_minded

  • She's got expensive taste

    dallassoxfan About an hour in, she said "I don't get the guys that think $30,000 is enough for an engagement ring. This was the late 90s. I noped right out of there. I still know her, and she married one of my friends. She got the ring.
    via dallassoxfan

  • At least she was honest!

    Possible Plastic8698 She told me she went on the date to make her ex jealous
    via PossiblePlastic8698
  • LupusHouseMD All he talked about was his ex.
    via LupusHouseMD

  • The more someone knows about the app, the bigger the ick is

    Wigalix He kept bringing up how many other matches he got on a dating app that was specifically for people really passionate about music; it almost felt like he was
    via Wigalix
  • subtely telling me that if things didn't work out between us that he'd be fine because he was sooo popular on this other app.
    via Wigalix
  • olesud She kept checking her phone and texting someone nonstop. Felt like I wasn't even there
    via olesud

  • He must've done that dozens of times

    itsgo I once went on a first date where the guy told me he was not interested in dating me then tried to get me to go home with him. I had been wondering why we
    via itsgo
  • went to a random cafe in the suburbs, turns out it was attached to his apartment building.
    via itsgo
  • Man and woman eat ice cream together while on a date.
    via Edu Bastidas

    Man and woman eat ice cream together while on a date. 

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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