Hot Date


 * For the version in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes, see Hot Date.

Hot Date is a special-edition premium plant in Plants vs. Zombies 2, tied to the 2017 Valenbrainz event. If a zombie one lane above or below gets close enough to a Hot Date, they will switch lanes to the lane the Hot Date is on, similar to the Sweet Potato. He will also explode like a Jalapeno once eaten.

Origins
Hot Date is based on the fruit of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera,) a flowering plant species in the palm family Arecaceae that is cultivated for its edible sweet fruit (also called a date); and the phrase "hot date," meaning an appealing person someone is dating.

Plant Food effect
Hot Date will regain all of his lost health and attract zombies to him in a 4x3 area, similar to Sweet Potato.

Costumed
When costumed, his Plant Food effect will also give him three seconds of invincibility after attracting zombies.

Strategies
Hot Date can be treated as a luring Explode-O-Nut, as the two have really similar abilities, both being defensive plants that when eaten, become an instant kill. However, Hot Date behaves like a Jalapeno, while Explode-O-Nut behaves like a Cherry Bomb. This should not be a problem however, due to Hot Date being able to lure zombies into his lane.

It is a very bad idea to use this plants in levels where you cannot lose plants, because when the Hot Date explodes (even though it kills zombies when it explodes), it counts as losing a plant. Fortunately, it is immune to the freezing wind effects and the Hunter Zombie's snowball attack in Frostbite Caves, since it is a thawing plant that can melt frozen plants. It is also very bad idea to use this against Wizard Zombies and Octo Zombies, since both of them can disable the Hot Date to make the level more challenging. It is a good idea to use this plant against Chicken Wrangler Zombies and Weasel Hoarders, because when released, multiple Zombie Chickens and Ice Weasels will arrive to the Hot Date and when multiple of them start eating it, it instantly explodes to destroy the zombies in its path.

Never use this plant against Explorer Zombies and Torchlight Zombies in Ancient Egypt and Modern Day levels (only when their torches are lit), because these zombies can easily burn this plant without eating it and causing it to explode.

Trivia

 * There is a bug that, after his Plant Food is used while he is exploding, he will become invisible to zombies, and not be treated like he is on the field.
 * This is probably due to the plant being both destroyed and not destroyed at the same time, confusing the game for the plant's current state, and get treated as destroyed as a result.
 * His pupils are larger in his seed packet image than they are in game.
 * Hot Date also has a different eye color in this game than he does in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes.
 * They also seem to be a different color than in-game, being dark blue instead of light blue.
 * He, Sweet Potato, and Garlic, are so far the only three plants with lane changing effects in Plants vs. Zombies 2.
 * He reuses some of Boombox Zombie's textures, specifically the particles and hearts that float around him.