S'pore Man, 26, Gets Tinder Gold Subscription From Army Buddies To Find Girlfriend; Still Scores Zero Dates

Finding love in Singapore isn't easy. Especially when you've spent years swiping on dating apps and still haven't managed to score a single date.

Just ask Samuel, 26.

The Singaporean spent around one to two years trying his luck on Tinder, Bumble and OkCupid, but apparently had zero success landing dates.

And it certainly wasn't for lack of trying.

In fact, his army buddies were so invested in helping him find a girlfriend that they even pooled their money to buy him a Tinder Gold subscription.

Unfortunately, not even that could save his dating life.

Samuel, who works as a private barbecue chef while pursuing a part-time finance degree at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), also revealed that he's only been on four dates in his entire life.

In an episode of Gen Z Crash Course, Samuel opened up about his dating struggles to YES 933 host Qijia.

When asked about his friends buying him Tinder Gold, Samuel explained the perks of the subscription.

"Yes. So basically, you get unlimited swipes, right? You can see who likes you," he shared.

So, how many dates did that one-month subscription get him?

"Zero," he said.

Ouch.

And it wasn't as though Samuel was being particularly picky about who he matched with.

In fact, he revealed that he'd set the upper age limit on his dating app to a whopping 100.

Yes, 100.

"Kind of funny, though, because I actually put the age limitation, right? I just maxed it out. Yeah. So you give me, like, 100 years old," he shared.

He wasn't holding back on the swiping either.

"It was just like playing. Like, I was just swiping every day," he recalled.

After Tinder Gold failed to work its magic, Samuel considered paying for another dating app subscription.

But eventually, he decided enough was enough.

"Then after that, I wanted to buy another subscription also, but then, seeing as how the Tinder Gold didn't work out, aiya, might as well save the money lah," he said.

Fair enough. At least his wallet could catch a break.

So why does Samuel think dating apps haven't worked for him?

He believes the problem lies in how quickly people judge potential matches based on their photos, often before getting a chance to know them.

"People don't want to look past the first few photos, right? That stops any chance of, like, building a friendship, right, even on a simple conversation," he explained.

To his credit, Samuel admitted he was probably guilty of doing the exact same thing.

"As much as I may complain, even I may complain about that, but that's probably the exact same thing I would do, right? So, like, double standard, yeah," he admitted.

And when Qijia asked how he'd rate his own looks compared with the average Singaporean guy, Samuel wasn't exactly overflowing with confidence.

"I think I'm slightly below average. Yeah, slightly below average," he admitted.

He even tried giving his dating profile a little extra help by including photos of his cat and food, hoping they'd make him more appealing to potential matches.

Because if his face wasn't doing the trick, perhaps a cute cat and some delicious pasta might?

"I think the biggest thing I was trying to say, right, is that my face is not that good. Look at the cat, look at the pasta, right? For a long time, I always went with the excuse, right, if my face is not so good, then let me compensate with other stuff, right?" he explained.

But Samuel hasn't been sitting around feeling sorry for himself.

He's already lost 10kg and has been working on building his confidence.

And after getting nowhere with dating apps, he decided it was time to try something completely different.

A dating event.

More specifically, a mahjong mixer, where singles could mingle and get to know one another over a game of mahjong.

There was just one small problem.

Samuel didn't know how to play mahjong.

Thankfully, fellow YES 933 DJ Yu Rong was on hand to give him a crash course before the event.

And while Samuel didn't walk away with a girlfriend, he did meet someone who caught his eye.

"I think the night went amazing. I think I found someone that I really think I would like to be with," he shared afterwards.

Not bad for someone who had never played mahjong before.

Still, Samuel acknowledged that his insecurities sometimes get the better of him, especially when he meets women he finds attractive or successful.

"When I meet really gorgeous or amazing and successful people, I tend to get really insecure, and that's my biggest red flag," he said.

But the experience also made him realise something dating apps hadn't quite allowed him to see: There's more to a potential partner than a few profile pictures.

"I think for a dating event, an average Singaporean guy has a lot to offer. He may not be that good-looking, but he has something else — maybe his personality is really good and caring, maybe he has a lot to offer. But you never really know till you meet the person," he reflected.

And despite all the setbacks, Samuel isn't giving up on love just yet.

"Sometimes the greatest challenge is you. You overcome that, you can overcome anything," he said.

Here's hoping Samuel eventually finds his match.

And preferably without his army buddies having to chip in for another Tinder subscription.