By Adelaide Ross and Kotryna Brašiškytė

So… you think you’ve had some bad first dates? Check out my interview with Bored Panda to feel like you’re the lucky one (and get a laugh while you’re at it). #firstates #baddates #datingadvice #interview

Adelaide and Kotryna write, “You’ve made a reservation at the trendiest restaurant in your neighborhood. If dinner goes well, you know of a bar around the corner where you can suggest going for drinks on the terrace. You spritz on a little perfume, brush your teeth and hope that the butterflies in your stomach start to calm down. Then you’re off, onto a first date where you could potentially meet the love of your life. Or have a new story to tell as your “worst dating experience ever”.

Dating can be painfully difficult, so almost everyone has a few horror stories in their back pocket to share at parties. 2 weeks ago, Twitter user Andie Dyer asked followers for their bad date stories, and boy, have some of these people been on awful dates. We’ve compiled a list of some of the worst down below for you to read, as well as an interview with Andie to hear what sparked this conversation in the first place and interviews with dating and relationship coaches Rachel New and Megan Weks. So if you’re in a relationship, you can be glad you’ve escaped the cesspool that is modern dating, and if you’re single and looking for love, please don’t let this list discourage you.

If you’re really having a difficult time in your dating life, you might have considered reaching out to a dating expert or matchmaker. To hear some insight from experts, Elite Daily spoke to a few professionals to see just why dating today is so challenging. Susan Winter, a New York based relationship expert noted that hookup culture isn’t making anyone’s dating life easier. “It’s made it hard to define what we’re doing with a person. We find ourselves asking, ‘Is this a date?’, ‘Are we a couple?’, ‘What are the rules?’ ‘What are the expectations?’ ‘Am I one of many?’ ‘Dare I text them first?’ ‘Is it OK to let them know I like them?’ ‘If I express a concern, will they dump me?’ There’s no need for a ‘committed relationship’ if a person is primarily seeking sex. Hookups are effortless, therefore the rigors of being a ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’ have been eliminated.”

Continue reading the full article on Bored Panda to cringe at all 53 awful first dates.