Natasha Aponte, The Mass Tinder Date Woman, Says There Was An Unexpected Twist Ending

ICYMI, last Sunday, a Tinder user named Natasha Aponte showed up for a date in New York City with not one, not two, but dozens of men she'd matched with on the app. Her matches were planning to meet her to see a DJ set, but Aponte herself took the stage and suddenly they were a part of Natasha Aponte's mass Tinder date. While many of the men left, some stayed to learn more about Aponte's intentions. Ultimately, with the aid of producer Rob Bliss, Aponte sorted through her matches IRL by having the men compete in races and push-up contests. Naturally, the internet had a lot of questions, like... Why go through all that effort? Why summon all those men under the ruse of a one-on-one date?

Aponte and Bliss appeared on Good Morning America on Thursday, Aug. 23 to answer those exact questions.

"The purpose of making this video was to simply take the Tinder experience and bring it into the real world," Bliss explained on the morning show.

The pair has been working on the event for two years and intended it to be a social experiment, according to GMA.

"It's kind of become socially acceptable to like disqualify people and say, like, you have to be X height, you have to work X job," Bliss said. "This project proved that doesn't matter at the end of the day."

A video taken by the DJ Nick AM captured Aponte's remarks as she welcomed her dates and shared that her frustration with dating apps brought her to this point. In keeping with her desire to show how women now have the upper hand, Aponte asked the guys to raise their left hands if their last relationship ended because their girlfriends broke up with them. Once hands were raised, those men were shown the door. “Please leave because I completely trust her judgment,” Aponte can be heard saying in the video. After all, who hasn't wanted to reach out to a seemingly perfect person's ex to get the tea?

By the end of the event, Aponte chose one man from the crowd to go on a real date with her, according to GMA. Both during and after the mass date, Aponte received backlash — first, from men who felt duped and later, from people on social media.

"I'm taking all of the hits right now, but I don't mind that," she told GMA. "Because I know who I am and I'm secure in myself."

Aponte and Bliss set out to make a point about dating apps. They certainly caused a stir. Happy swiping, friends — and the next time someone asks you out, maybe consider asking about their intentions before you say yes.

Correction: A previous version of this article quoted Natasha Aponte, but those quotes could not be confirmed. The post has been updated to include verified quotations from Ms. Aponte.

Check out the entire Gen Why series and other videos on Facebook and the Bustle app across Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.

Check out the“Best of Elite Daily” stream in the Bustle App for more stories just like this