‘Why I love being a third wheel’

“Everyone is a third wheel, has been a third wheel, or knows a third wheel,” repeat third wheel Peter Alden, 29, says.
The New York software salesman became a “third wheel” expert after his Instagram account (@imnotathirdwheel) shot from 600 followers to 80,000 this month.
The schtick: Alden happily photobombs a weekly photo of his brother Ben and fiancee Marissa acting like the typical Instagram couple — cuddling on vacation, romancing in the park, smooching under mistletoe — with Alden as the perpetual third wheel.
And he doesn’t mind a bit.
“A lot of people look at it like, ‘I have to tag along’; I look at it like, ‘I can’t wait to go out with my best friends,’ ” says Alden, who’s single and looking. “If anything, it’s more [about] changing your mindset about the situation.”
He first created the account to give friends and family a laugh, but it’s helped change the concept of third wheelin’ from a burden to a bonus.
Here, Alden shares his tips on how to take the awkward out of the odd number.
Pick the right activity
“I’d probably stay away from restaurants that have candles,” Alden says. He first third-wheeled with Ben and Marissa over brunch, his go-to three-person outing.
“There’s no pressure, it’s not like they’re itching to get back home.”
Outdoor activities also keep things moving and provide a chance for conversation.
Be confident the couple wants you there
It’s easy to feel like an unwanted tagalong, but couples actually profit from having a Luigi to their Mario and Princess Peach. “It can mix things up a little bit in a nice way,” Alden says.
“They know everything about each other. I live vicariously through them as a couple, and they live vicariously through me as a single guy finding his way through New York’s dating scene.”
Look to make a new friend — not an enemy
“You need to make the other person, the one that you don’t know, like you,” Alden says. “The third wheel isn’t there to judge [a friend’s relationship with a significant other], you’re there to be a part of it.”
Be playful about PDA
If the couple starts to get awkwardly affectionate, Alden recommends going a little overboard yourself. “If you look at my pictures, when they’re kissing each other I’m trying to kiss them as well,” he says. “At least [then] they understand that it’s sometimes a little much.”