The Golden Surge on OLD

A few weeks ago, I told FDS I bought an OLD subscription for a month and found that there was literally no one worth swiping on. Recently, though, I learned about something called the “golden surge” — when the algorithm goes into overdrive and feeds you attractive, compatible matches right before your subscription ends, hoping you’ll renew. My subscription ended yesterday evening, so I decided to test this theory. Sure enough, in the very last hour before it expired — after a two-week dry spell — I magically got three matches. All of them were good-looking, tall (5’9”+), highly educated (grad school, Ivy League), financially stable, and child-free. Perfect on paper… but I had a feeling they’d be gone before September. It’s been 24 hours, and two of the three are already out.

Guy #1 started off fun until we talked about plans. I said I was busy all weekend and suggested next week, and he hit me with: “We’ll play it by ear.” Immediate ick. I replied, “ok lol,” and stopped engaging. Hours later, he spiraled, accusing me of only responding because he gave me a rose (the app’s highest “gift”) and then unmatched me. Honestly, the trash took itself out. “Playing it by ear” = “I have no plans, zero initiative.” If he were genuinely interested, he would’ve locked in a time and reservation instead of leaving things vague.

Guy #2 was worse. He doesn’t own a car and immediately expected me to do the heavy lifting — literally. He suggested I pick him up from the station, drive to his city (which I hate because the drivers act like traffic laws don’t exist), or meet him halfway, which was still in that same city. I offered alternatives: Uber, car rental — anything. But he kept pushing his agenda, ignoring my boundaries entirely. Eventually, he freaked out, saying “no” three times in one sentence and declared it wouldn’t work unless I compromised. I wished him a nice life, unmatched, deleted, and blocked his number. For about 15 minutes, I debated leaving his number open in case he reached out, but then I realized: why give him that power? Done and dusted.

In total, I’ve met eight guys recently, four from this subscription. And despite the last four sounding perfect on paper, this entire experience taught me one thing: subscription or not, these men are still the same low-effort disappointments at their core.

Guy #3 is still hanging around, but honestly? If he fumbles, he’s out too. Fingers crossed, but I’m not holding my breath. 😌