Scott and the team dissect an outrageous American dating story about a man named Darren who demands $50 from his date Joanne after she doesn’t call him back — complete with voicemails, threats of legal action, and a restaurant manager getting involved.
The episode centres on an elaborate online dating catastrophe. Darren, a management consultant, takes Joanne to an upscale New York restaurant called China Grill. When Joanne offers to pay her half, Darren refuses and covers the full bill (totalling $107.83, with a $20 tip). When Joanne doesn’t call him back, Darren escalates dramatically: he emails demanding $50 for her portion, leaves a voicemail insisting she “do the right thing,” mentions legal summons, and eventually calls the restaurant’s general manager to involve them in the dispute. Joanne responds by calling Darren a “first-class creep” and threatening a restraining order. Darren persists with yet more calls. The restaurant ultimately tells Joanne not to worry and offers her free drinks, ending the saga. The team debates whether Darren has a point—she did eat the food and drink the wine—or whether his relentless, threatening approach was completely inappropriate.
The episode also features the Flirt Divert segment, where listeners call in with awkward voicemail and text messages left on the wrong numbers. Highlights include Bernie Nolan accidentally receiving Scott’s drunken message after appearing with him on Mastermind, someone ordering three tons of horsemeat to a stranger’s address, and a concerning message about blood found on a bathroom floor that turns out to have an embarrassingly innocent explanation.
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