Hoping to meet a person who will shower you with affection and gifts, but don’t want to spend the time weeding through dating sites filled with average earners?
A new app called, appropriately, Carrot Dating, lets suitors “dangle a carrot" in front of potential dates, bribing them with gifts ranging from a tank of gas to plastic surgery to straight-up dollar bills.
And there's no attempt to dress up what the aim of the app is for, with the first sentence of the press release starting off:
"There's only one method of manipulation that has stood the test of time: bribery. It's a concept so simple that even animals understand--give a dog a bone, and it will obey. Give a woman a present, and she'll..."
"Choose your offer," emphasizes a video posted by the company. "A tank of gas. Sky diving. Dangle the right carrot, get the date."
Carrot Dating was started by infamous tech entrepreneur Brandon Wade, who has repeatedly been inspired by his experience as a "never-been-kissed MIT nerd" to start sites like SeekingMillionaire.com and WhatsYourPrice.com, a dating auction site.
In the press release, Wade proves to be a real charmer: “Women love presents like dogs love treats. Any beautiful girl can be convinced to give you a chance, all she needs is a little incentive.”
And for users of Wade's app, dating doesn't come cheap, in multiple ways. In addition to having to pay for whatever bribe a date chooses, the people who make the bribes — most likely men — also have to buy credits simply to chat with the bribee.
For those skeptical about a dating app encouraging bribery, the FAQ elaborates on the "benefits" of Carrot Dating: "We are teaching men that it’s not okay to show up empty handed for a first date and are training them to strive to become more chivalrous."
Wade's last venture, MissTravel.com, a site to meet women with low funds and dreams to travel the world, inspired some to call out his websites for what seems like pretty blatant prostitution.
But Wade is clearly onto something, however questionable his apps and sites may be: His "sugar dating" empire has netted him at least $10 million.
