By now, everyone who’s ever been on Tinder has their version of a wild dating story that will surely scar them for life. But model Natasha Aponte set out to defeat them all when she invited hundreds of men to go on a date with her. The catch? None of them knew about the mass date.
RELATED: 10 Celeb Tinder Profiles We’d Swipe Right For
On Sunday, hundreds of men made their way to Union Square in New York City thinking they’d go on a date with Aponte, who they’d matched with on Tinder. Around 6 p.m., Aponte rolled up on stage with two bodyguards and revealed her invite had been an experiment. She then proceeded to make a Hunger Games-style speech, listing everything that would take to date her.
Aponte’s social media experiment certainly took the men and media outlets by surprise, as the story went viral over the weekend. (Honestly, she’s shared videos of Cher saying men are not a necessity but a luxury in the past, so this is part of her brand.)
On Twitter, people argued both sides of her story, and one man, known only as Misha, narrated his interactions with Aponte with a long thread. Misha revealed he first matched with Aponte almost three weeks ago. She explained that because of work she couldn’t meet up with him for almost two weeks but said she wanted to keep in touch with him. Though he though he’d never hear from her again, she texted him back about a week ago to invite him for a date on Sunday. She suggested they meet for a DJ set by one of her friends in Union Square and then go for a drink.
The story is still developing, as digital creative director Rob Bliss defended the model on Twitter, “How about everyone pauses to hear what Natasha has to say about the Tinder project when the video comes out Thursday, before passing judgement.” Bliss is referring to a video that will premiere on Good Morning America on Thursday about the experiment.
Aponte’s speech on Sunday did reveal some information about her background. One of her requirements read, “The first elimination is if you think you can support Trump and date a Puerto Rican, now’s the time to leave.” Her social media suggests that the model and actress is of Puerto Rican descent, as she shares stories related to the Puerto Rican economic crisis on Facebook and often uses the hashtags #latina and #puertorican on Instagram.
Here’s what we’ve gathered about this queen of scam so far.
1
She's a model, actress, and singer
Aponte lists her workplace on Facebook as Wild Models Talent Agency, founded by Kurt Clements in 1998. Her LinkedIn page also suggest she’s worked in several theater productions, such as Shakespeare in the Park’s Julius Caesar. She’s also performed internationally in Lebanon.
2
She partnered with the agency Rob Bliss Creative for the stunt
https://twitter.com/robblissgr/status/1031727753748459521
Aponte’s Tinder experiment was orchestrated by viral marketing agency Rob Bliss Creative. In an interview with Cosmopolitan.com, the agency’s director confirmed his involvement in the stunt and begged people to wait for Aponte’s side of the story.
3
She has a single on SoundClud
The model and actress is also a singer. In 2016, she published her single “All I Need” on SoundCloud. The single has more than 4,000 plays on the music platform.
4
Her speech was Hunger Games style
On Sunday, Aponte stood on the stage in Union Square to recite a Hunger Games-style speech that listed all her requirements for men to date her. “Half of you people here are in relationships, so those people should leave now,” Aponte said. She also asked men who supported Trump and dated Puerto Ricans to leave as well. Oh, and men named Jimmy were also asked to leave.
5
She's a world traveler
Aponte’s Instagram shows the model has traveled all over the world and is constantly on the go. While she resides in New York City, the model has traveled to places like Egypt, Lebanon, Costa Rica, and Madagascar. It’s unclear if the travels are work-related or not. Her Instagram following is currently at 5,520.