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This woman tricked dozens of her Tinder matches into competing for her love in a Hunger Games style competition

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Image: Mikhail Budhai
Image: Mikhail Budhai

A woman in New York took dating to the max when she took the idea of finding love being a battlefield. She invited dozens of men to show up for an intense Hunger Games style dating contest to compete for a date with her. 

A Twitter user identified by USA Today as Mikhail Budhai shared the bizarre experience in a series of tweets. In his thread, he explained that he swiped right on a woman who gave him her number and asked to meet in N.Y.C.’s Union Square. 

However, when he arrived, he was greeted with a crowd of dozens of men and cameras. Confused, he watched as the woman took to a nearby stage and told the men they would be competing to go on a date with her, giving what he described as a “Hunger Games speech.”

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Mikhail’s tweets are hilarious and also express the sheer audacity and confusion someone would feel when they’re unexpectedly led to compete for a date that they thought they already got. 

Another man in the crowd, Amir Pleasants, told The Independent that most of the men were upset, but some stayed to take part in the games. After about an hour, a winner was reportedly chosen.

Good Morning America (GMA) reported on the stunt noting that Natasha Aponte, who characterises herself as an actress, model, and singer, was behind the elaborate ruse. 

But she didn’t act alone. 

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A creative director named Rob Bliss of the viral video agency Rob Bliss Creative, issued a statement to GMA saying that it was “an entirely creative endeavor.” Rob told GMA that the goal of the project was not to sell anything but simply to make a statement.

"The video is about the gender, dating, and technology issues of what it's like to be a woman on a dating app, as well as the absurdity of modern dating," he said. Rob Bliss

Creative was also responsible for the infamous “10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman” video, which shone a much-needed light on catcalling.

Check out GMA’s report on the event here:

In a tweet to Gothamist, Rob said that “all relevant information” concerning the event would be released on August 23rd.

So looks like we’ll see what was up with that soon. 

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