A Michigan woman turned a stranger’s simple favor into an Emmy-level performance—and the internet can’t get enough of her commitment to the bit.
Would you play along if a stranger asked you to pretend to be his girlfriend? Or would you leave him to fend for himself?
Woman Goes Viral For Elaborate Date Rescue Performance
In a wildly viral video with more than 15.2 million views, Maria (@theartannamaria) documented the moment a man at a bar approached her with an unusual request. He asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend to help him escape a bad date.
What could have been a simple intervention quickly escalated into a full-blown, dramatic scene worthy of a reality TV show.
“This man at the bar just asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend to get him out of a date,” Maria said. “So I’m a go do it.”
True to her word, Maria didn’t hold back. She stormed over to the man (who she called Christopher in the video) and launched into a walk that felt like a real confrontation that left no doubt she was the scorned girlfriend.
“Christopher, are you fucking serious right now?” she demanded in the video. “Are you … serious? Who is this?”
When the man attempts to introduce his date as just a friend, Maria doubles down on the performance.
“This is your friend. You know I have your location. Right? And you wanna come here? The friend. No. No. No. No. Who is this? Because I have your location, and I track it, and… I show up, and you’re on a date? Is that what this is?” she asked.
The confrontation reaches its peak, and Maria and her fake boyfriend walk off to continue their “couple’s spat,” leaving the date behind.
Once far enough away, they break into laughter. The man tells her that she must have gotten into a similar argument before with an ex since it seemed so realistic. And that’s when Maria reveals that he chased the perfect person for the bit because she’s actually an actor.
“He asked the right one,” she said in the caption.
How To End A Bad Date
While Maria’s dramatic rescue mission makes for entertaining content, the reality is that many people struggle with how to exit uncomfortable dating situations.
You absolutely don’t need to stay on a date that’s not working out, whether the person isn’t your type, the conversation has fizzled, or you feel unsafe.
According to Cosmopolitan, having exit strategies prepared before a date can make leaving easier when things aren’t going well.
Here are some common exit strategies:
- Have go-to excuses ready. Classic lines like “I’ve got an early start tomorrow” or “I think I’ve got a migraine coming on” usually do the trick.
- Arrange a friend rescue call. One of the most popular tactics is setting up a friend to call at a specific time or texting them to ring with a fake emergency.
- Drop hints at the start. Mention at the beginning of the date that you weren’t feeling well that morning or might need to check a work email about a deadline. Deliver it as an afterthought, but if the date goes downhill, you can return to that excuse without seeming random.
- Don’t feel obligated to stay. If you’re not enjoying yourself, you don’t need to finish your entire meal or stick around for a set amount of time. This is why arranging a shorter first date can be helpful.
- Consider honesty over lies. Sometimes being straightforward is the easiest option. You can let the person know things aren’t clicking and wish them well. Avoid patronizing lines like “You’re a really nice person” or “It’s not you, it’s me.”
Commenters React
“Bruh wanted an exit, she gave him a season finale,” a top comment read.
“Girl you convinced ME,” a person said.
“He owes you some money for this role,” another joked.
“Oh the date was BAD BAD if he grabbed a stranger for help,” a commenter deduced.
@theartannamaria
UPDATE: Anna Maria told BroBible that she was sitting at the bar on the eve of her birthday when the man asked her for help, saying he was being catfished.
“He was shocked I did such a good job so I explained to him how the whole reason I’m in Detroit is for a play I’m in. I’m actually a professional actor,” she shared, adding that the man ended up covering her tab for getting him out of the bad date.