GRAMERCY, NY — The actress who duped dozens of men into a phony Sunday date that went viral, was actually a stunt by a marketing agency for a project on modern dating, USA Today reported.

Marketing company Rob Bliss Creative, which famously shot hidden-camera footage of a woman being catcalled as she walked through New York City for an anti-harassment non-profit, curated the mass Tinder date with some 100 men who were made to compete for the affection of actress Natasha Aponte. Rob Bliss, of Rob Bliss Creative, told USA Today he plans to release a video detailing the project on Thursday.



"All I can say is the project/video is about gender, dating, and technology issues, and the absurdity of modern/app dating," he told the newspaper in an emailed statement.

For the Sunday date, Aponte invited unwitting men she had met on Tinder to Union Square for a one-on-one date. Instead, the prospective daters were floored when Aponte walked onto a stage and revealed the dozens of man who had gathered in the square were there to date her.

The scene pic.twitter.com/U0ROAWKDQc

— миша (@bvdhai) August 19, 2018 Aponte began dismissing men who didn't meet her criteria and asked others to physically compete for the date.

"The first elimination is if you think you can support Trump and date a Puerto Rican, now's the time to leave," Aponte is shown telling the crowd in a video taken by a DJ at the event. "If anyone's a tourist or doesn't live in this country, you should leave too. Also anyone named Jimmy. I don't enjoy the name Jimmy."

Men with long beards, Tom shoes and beer bellies were also booted from the competition.

Those still hoping for a date willingly ran a race and performed push ups for a shot with the actress. Video of the spectacle shows nearly a dozen men competing in a sprint.