It was all a stunt.
A New York woman duped dozens of guys who thought they were going on a Tinder date.
A huge crowd of men looking for love gathered in Manhattan’s Union Square on Saturday for a chance to court the woman. But when the guys showed up, Natasha Aponte told them they'd be battling it out to win her affections.
She began eliminating the guys left and right like on the dating app, saying she was “swiping” right or left on them to their faces.
“People behind in the back were kind of booing me and then the people in front were like, 'What?'” she told Inside Edition. “It was just a mixed reaction because no one has ever had this happen."
Those left standing were even told to show off their athleticism by doing push-ups.
Turns out it was all part of a stunt to raise social awareness — and reaction on social media is mixed.
“Act of genius” was one tweet. But others denounced the prank as “degrading” and “shameful.”
Rob Bliss owns the ad agency that came up with the stunt.
"The planning process took years actually and I think it was important to take all of the Tinder experience and bring it into the real world because everything that Natasha did is something that we're already doing online,” he told Inside Edition.
“I am actually willing to take the punches just because of the meaning behind the message. We're not saying that this is right, we're actually agreeing with everyone saying this is wrong, so why do we allow it to happen online?” Aponte said of the men being duped.
Aponte did pick a guy, but added it is unlikely they are meeting up again.
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