Man overhears 2 women at a bar. Then they reveal the 1 question every woman should ask on a first date: ‘Million dollars worth of free dating advice’

A man sitting at a bar caught dating advice one woman gave to another, which he says changed the way he views relationships. Anthony Imbrunone (@anthonyimbrunoneshow) posted about the revelation on TikTok, which prompted throngs of other people to chime in with their own dating woes.

"I was sitting across from two women at a bar last night and I overheard them talking about dating and how horrible it is with men these days. And there was a million dollars worth of free game for chicks," he says.

As his video continued, he delved deeper into the conversation he overheard: "I'm gonna give it to you right now. Girl 1 says to Girl 2: when you're talking to these guys online on these dating apps, ask them to describe their dream girl."

Imbrunone went on: "Girl 2 goes why would I do that? That seems a little weird. Girl 1 goes because if it sounds anything like a child or a slave, you know to stay away. And that stuck with me," he says as his video comes to a close.

Throngs of people who replied to Imbrunone's video said that they weren't surprised to hear Girl 1's piece of advice. Many of them penned their own dating anecdotes that only seemed to lend further credence to the sorry state of relationships in 2026.

"Last guy I matched with, I asked him 'if there was a character in media that portrayed your perfect match, who would it be?'" She said that while she shared a picture of Phil Dunphy from Modern Family, his reply was one rooted in physical idealization.

According to her, the man sent her a link to the profile page of an Instagram model, and when she asked what he liked about her, he went on to comment on her physical body proportions. Another person who replied to Imbrunone's clip said that they believe there's a certain Oedipal element that dictates what men are looking for in a relationship.

"They want Mommies not partners," they wrote. Others shared their own barometers for whether or not a person is a suitable match. "If he has more than one sports betting app on his phone, run," one wrote.

Another individual remarked: "Promise you though, 99% of the time they will describe a child AND/or slave-mommy or a dominatrix-mommy. It is beyond extremely difficult to find any man who is looking for an equal partner to love," they said.

The Institute for Family Studies penned in February of 2026 that dating among young adults is in a recession. In a survey of 5,275 people aged between 22-35, 74% of women said that they either didn't date or only went on a few dates over the course of a year.

64% of women also said that they too, weren't actively dating. Additionally, only a third of the people who participated in the analysis expressed that they had confidence in their ability to go out on dates.

Other key findings saw that the overwhelming majority of both men and women stated that they were looking to form "serious relationships" and "creating emotional connection[s]" with partners.

Mtch.com also shared data that appears to corroborate the aforementioned findings. The website writes that "steadiness matters" when it came to individuals polled in its own assessment on the state of modern dating.

"When asked to choose what matters more in a relationship, singles are more than twice as likely to prioritize peace and emotional safety over passion and excitement (34% vs. 14%). Among women, that gap widens to 40% vs. 9%," the website wrote.

Furthermore, single individuals who submitted responses to the query stated that while they don't have a significant other, they haven't ruled out the possibility of falling in love. 72% of folks surveyed said that they're keeping the door open, emotionally, for the right person to come along.

Folks in the same query also commented on whether or not they would be ready to instantly date someone if they believe they found the right person. 57% of Gen Z individuals and 51% of Millennials replied that they would pounce at the opportunity to do so.

Those who belong to Gen X, and Boomers weren't as zealous about shacking up with someone so soon, even if they thought a relationship with the person could be promising at 41% and 28% respectively. Of course, age might be a factor in these responses.

In a separate piece, the Institute for Family Studies writes that at large, women's desire for marriage has decreased over time. Conversely, the percentage of men who want to get married has remained more or less the same.

In fact, the outlet wrote in the 2026 piece that "for the first time since the 1970s, high-school girls are now less interested in marriage than boys," as per this Pew Research poll. The same article highlights how employment dynamics may have influenced this shift in attitudes.

As more young women adopt liberal life philosophies and enjoy greater socio-economic standings (in March of 2026, women officially outnumbered men in the workforce) the outlet found a correlation to these shifts and a lack of desire for marriage from women.

And this has had an effect in relationship dynamics as well. The outlet states that 6 out of 10 Gen Z men and women believe that men and women should share equal financial responsibilities, which includes "paying for dates."

One long-standing facet of sex and gender dynamics hasn't changed, however. And that's when it comes to men protecting women. 74% of women and 78% of men believe that those with Y chromosomes should take it upon themselves to look after women in a dangerous situation.