Hallelujah! New App Provides 'Rescue Calls' from Bad Blind Dates

Plan Your Escape Ahead of Time or While You're There

We've all been there. You show up on a blind date only to realize within the first 30 seconds you want out of there, pronto. In the past, we've had to rely on friends to provide that much-needed "rescue call." You know, the one where your phone rings and suddenly there's an urgent crisis you need to attend to, forcing you to end the date early. Way, way early.

From now on, however, our friends are off the hook for those rescue calls. The reason: there's now an app for that!

The Bad Date Rescue app was launched, ironically enough, by eHarmony. So it sounds like even they know some of their matches aren't made in heaven. Their solution? Helping you ditch your date in a tasteful manner.

"We can sympathize," admits eHarmony spokesperson Arvind Mishra. "We've all been on bad dates in our lifetime."

READ: 55 Percent of Single People Have Sex on First Date

The app, which is free, provides several rescue call options - including setting up a phony call from a loved one, an employer or even a neighbor informing you of an alleged emergency that needs your attention immediately.

Best of all, the call can be set up ahead of time before you get to the date or you can trigger it to ring within a few minutes once you're on it.

Is eHarmony worried about the rudeness factor? Not so much. "There are all sorts of reasons people want to get out of dates," says Mishra. "We're helping them do it in a way that's fun and light."