Um, What? 7 WTF Dating Sites You Won't Believe Exist
Because clowns and sea captains need love, too.
Owen Beard on Unsplash Looking for love and playing the dating game can be difficult no matter where you live.
Dimly lit bars, loud dance floors and awkward introductions — yikes!
So it's not surprise so many people turn to online dating sites like OkCupid and Match or apps like Tinder and Bumble in their quest to find "the one", especially when there's a super specific quality or type they're looking for.
As reported in Forbes, "there are more than 2,500 online dating services online in the U.S. alone, with 1,000 new online dating services opening every year," so it only stands to reason they can't all survive by targeting a broad base of singles.
And as Marcella Romaya, co-founder of Gluten Free Singles, tells British Vogue, "More and more people are choosing niche dating sites over larger traditional ones ... It’s just a fact that relationships last longer when partners have similar lifestyles.”
Whether you're looking for a rich someone special to travel the world with or a hottie in uniform, there's a site (and hopefully someone real behind the username) out there for waiting for you.
Here are seven very specific niche online dating sites and apps we can't believe exist, but that really, truly do.
1. Miss Travel
Are you absolutely gorgeous and want to travel but don't have the funds? Or do you have the funds but nobody to be your companion? The site gives both parties the opportunity to get what they want: a person to travel with and the means to do it.
According to the site, ""Miss Travel provides a unique way for wanderlusts to explore the world. Our community is made up of real people interested in seeing the world and sparking new connections. Instead of meeting for dinner and drinks at a local restaurant, our members choose to date while traveling in luxury, staying in the best hotels and indulging in the finest dining."
Members of Miss Travel are divided into one of two categories:
- Generous members: Those who "have the resources to travel in luxury and wish to share the experience with a beautiful companion."
- Attractive members: Those who "desire a lavish lifestyle and enjoy spending time with wealthy people who provide companionship and access to the best that life has to offer."
And no, there's no option to sign up as both.
2. Uniform Dating
Are you a soldier, nurse or pilot, or do you just have a thing for a man or woman in uniform?
Whether you wear one yourself or like those who do, you can connect with singles in pretty much any type of uniform at the click of a button.
Calling themselves, "the first unique online dating service helping people who wear uniform at work (and those who romanticize and share their way of life) find each other more easily," this site is intended for "Police Officers, Firefighters, Soldiers, Military Singles, Navy Singles, Air Force Personnel, Nurses, Marines, Doctors, Psychologists, Pilots, Air Hostesses and other people who wear uniform for their work" to love and be loved.
3. Farmers Only
A farmer's life can get pretty darn lonely.
This site "was founded in 2005 to help single farmers, ranchers and other country-minded folks with down-to-earth values to find love in the United States and Canada," and has become surprisingly popular.
After hearing a divorced farm owner complain about "a lack of like-minded people to date," founder Jerry Miller, "spent six months researching singles in farming communities."
"'I kept hearing the same thing," he says, "'I know everybody in my church, everybody at the store, but I go on these big dating sites, and they just don't understand the lifestyle.' That's when FarmersOnly developed its tagline, 'City folks just don’t get it.'”
4. Sea Captain Date
The name says it all: it's dating for sea captains!
Sea Captain Date claims to be "the internet's number one dating site for Sea Captains who wish to connect with men and women (on land and on sea) who share a mutual love of the ocean."
There, those who are fond of the sea can meet others with a desire to sail.
We would include lots of raunchy sea-related puns, but we think this site actually sounds pretty amazing.
5. The Ugly Bug Ball
As their motto goes, this site offers "real dating for real people."
If you're sick of feeling like every site you try is full of people who don't even bother to read your profile, you may long to meet people searching for the same personality-driven attraction as you are.
Hailing themselves as "the online dating site where genuine singles meet and form relationships," the folks at Ugly Bug Ball says they "have thousands of members just like you, who are looking for fun, friendship, romance and that special long term relationship."
6. 420 Singles
It's exactly what it sounds like, yes.
This app, available for both Androids and iPhones, states that, "Whether you're looking for a smoking buddy or your soulmate, 420 Singles offers a niche dating experience for the cannabis enthusiast."
After all, they say, "Cannabis and dating were made for each other."
7. Clown Dating
"Everyone loves a clown," they say, "let a clown love you."
Terrified of clowns? Then don't even bother, because that's all you'll find here — all clowns, all the time.
You might feel differently after their poignant message however ...
"It's no fun looking for love when you're a clown, behind all the make-up and the red nose is a lonely heart. Clowns are unique entertainers loved by some yet feared and hated by others. Luckily Clown Dating is here to help."
And of course, if you're one of Pennywise's most ardent fans, this one is already right up your alley!
Sam H. Escobar is the Deputy Director at Allure Magazine.