In the world of dating, the unfortunate truth is people either play the game or get played. Looking for love means putting your heart on the line - but not everyone is willing to risk it all without knowing if their investment will be rewarded.
However, one woman and her brutal "tests" to vet prospective beaus have been largely pillorised online after she shared her several uncompromising deal-breakers in a video to TikTok.
The woman, who goes by the username @RespectfullyGabby, said a man won't get past a first date if he fails her three tests.
"Here are some tests that I play on men in order to see if they're going to be able to provide and protect me," she said in the beginning of the clip, which has since been viewed more than 150,000 times.
"'Cause if they're not, I don't f**king need them, and you shouldn't either."
Gabby began with a widely debated topic in the dating landscape: who should pay on the first date. She dismissed any counter-arguments, branding the concept of a 50-50 split "bulls**t".
"First date, he needs to be paying, 100 percent. And if he's not, then like - goodbye."
To illustrate her second test, Gabby explained that she had recently ran into someone she knew from social media at a bar. When the night came to an end, they ordered separate Ubers - and it was all downhill from there.
"His Uber came first. He was like, 'oh no, I'll wait for you'. Me in my head, I was like, 'you don't have to wait for me' - being kind, whatever. And this man gets into his Uber and takes off," Gabby continued.
"It is 4am in Miami, Florida, where no good is to come. Everything is shut down and I'm standing by myself in the middle of the f*****g street? Immediately no, immediately no.
"If you don't care about my safety and making sure that I get into my Uber safely, you're done. You're done for. And then if you don't go ahead and double-check that I made it safely? Bye.
"This man failed my protection test so he'll never hear from me again. You need to be walking her to her car, to her Uber, wherever, to make sure she gets home safely. And then text her to make sure she got home safely."
For her last test, Gabby said she will always say she is cold - regardless of the temperature - to see if her date will offer her his coat or outerwear.
"If you have a jacket on or like some kind of over-shirt, I will always, without a doubt, say that I'm cold - because I want to see if you'll give me the shirt off your back," she said.
"And if you don't, you're dead to me."
While Gabby's extreme evaluation of potential partners struck a chord with some like-minded viewers, others were quick to brand her approach to dating as "crazy".
"Men don't need to provide and protect for every single woman that they meet. You're confusing a first date with a husband or serious boyfriend," one responded.
"So you're looking for a traditional man, okay cool. Are you a traditional woman though? I highly doubt it," another pointed out.
Referring to her second example, a third added: "I'm confused. You told him to go ahead but [you're] upset he went ahead?"
"Agreed, they should pay. But, I personally wouldn't have said no he didn't have to wait. I would have said 'thank you!' and let him wait with me," another chipped in.
"That's unreasonable... good luck," a fifth commented.
However, some agreed with Gabby's vetting process, noting that failing the second test in particular is an important indicator of their character.
"If a guy doesn't make sure I get home safely after our date, I won't go out with him again, no matter how good the date was," one said.
"Normally I don't agree with tests because it's all about being sincere... but this is just common sense stuff to look out for the lady you're with," another added.
"The fact that this is the bare minimum of respect and dusties in the comments are trying to convince YOU that you are the problem," a third said.
It's not the first time a woman's rigid list of rules for the man in their life has provoked outrage online. In 2019, a woman's Reddit post went viral after she shared a code of conduct she had written for her husband in order for him to attend a bachelor party, stipulating that he couldn't drink, swear, "play wrestle" or use drugs.
