Our third date lasted 79 days — we have been in paradise, but it surely felt like hell
It was love at first lockdown.
In February 2020, New Yorkers Matt Robertson and Khani Le met on Hinge and had a terrific first date at an Indian restaurant. The enjoyable continued at an axe throwing vary for his or her second date.
For his or her third outing, Robertson, now 34 and a advertising government, and Le, 32 and a publicist, determined they need to go on an adventure.
Over textual content, Robertson instructed they go on a five-day trip to Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
“You solely dwell as soon as,” he remembers saying to himself with a view to justify the danger, “What’s the worst that might occur?”
Le was recreation — regardless of some warnings from mates.
“I mentioned sure, simply throwing warning to the wind,” she mentioned, including, “I used to be sort of like, ‘Drift and see what occurs.’”
On March 17, they boarded a Delta flight at JFK.


They loved three days of ziplining and cocktails at an all-inclusive resort, however the day earlier than they have been to return, they realized that their flights have been canceled indefinitely because of the coronavirus shutdown within the US.
Their third date was each a 79-day nightmare — and the start of a long-term romance.
The pair’s ordeal is the topic of a new Netflix documentary “Longest Third Date,” out Tuesday.
“It was a loopy, surreal expertise,” Robertson instructed The Publish.

After 11 days, the resort they’d been staying at closed, forcing Robertson and Le to scramble for shelter at varied Airbnb places — together with a wall-free treehouse the place that they had to make use of the lavatory in entrance of one another.
“You get actual shut actual fast,” mentioned Le, who had just lately gotten out of a relationship and wasn’t searching for something critical. “There was no hiding in anyway.”
Boredom additionally introduced them nearer — bodily.


“If you’re caught collectively there’s not a lot else to do however drink and f–okay,” says Le within the doc.
At one level, she feared she may be pregnant, which made their state of affairs really feel extra dire than thrilling — as did a near-fatal accident that ended with their rental automobile in a lagoon.
“I used to be like we have now to get again dwelling,” Le says within the doc. “It’s not enjoyable anymore.”

They have been initially set to go away on June 2, however that flight was canceled.
Finally, they made it dwelling later that month by way of a government-sponsored flight to Houston. From Texas, they have been capable of get a flight again to NYC.
By then, they have been a pair.
A month after their arrival dwelling, Le moved into Robertson’s residence in Hoboken, NJ.
In June 2021, they celebrated their 1-year anniversary by getting a blue French bulldog they named Banks.


The three of them now dwell collectively on the Decrease East Aspect. Robertson and Le haven’t any plans to marry — but.
“We’ve loved slowing issues down a bit,” mentioned Robertson. “It’s been enjoyable to only hang around and do regular courting issues that we missed out on within the early levels.”
However the lovebirds don’t remorse their rushed romance, and advise others to contemplate a loopy third date.
“Do it!” mentioned Robertson. “So long as these first two dates are good, do it.”