1. At one point on an ordinary Friday, more than 800,000 people were watching two BuzzFeed employees trying to make a watermelon explode with rubber bands.
In fact, according to Facebook, more people tuned in to watch it live than any other live video. At the peak of its 45-minute runtime, 807,000 viewers were watching at the same time. (BuzzFeed is among a group of Facebook Live paid media partners.)
3. Some people questioned their life choices.
6. Adults forgot to adult.
7. Many experienced watermelon-induced anxiety.
Tbh this watermelon video is giving me more anxiety than going to parties
— Carly Ledbetter (@ledbettercarly)
Testing my anxiety threshold watching @BuzzFeed try and pop a watermelon with hundreds of rubber bands via live video. #IMNOTOKAY
— Teresa Cumming (@calculuv)
9. It took 686 rubber bands, blood, sweat, and tears to finally get the watermelon to burst.
11. And the internet was obsessed.
that was the best watermelon related content since that rugrats episode about the seeds
— Alex Fitzpatrick (@AlexJamesFitz)
14. #watermelon began trending in the country.
16. People offered hot takes on #watermelon.
Are we a stronger America because of @BuzzFeed's #watermelon blow-up? Think pieces to come.
— Liz Steelman (@lizsteelman)
Now that Buzzfeed has set the bar I'm really looking forward to the Washington Post setting a live alligator loose in the newsroom
— Christopher Mims (@mims)
19. Where were you when BuzzFeed exploded a watermelon?
The year is 2030 and my son asks "Daddy where were you when @BuzzFeed exploded a watermelon with rubber bands as 700,000 people watched on?"
— Bobby Blanchard (@bobbycblanchard)
21. History was created.
The 2 llamas, Old Spice Guy, and that old Mad Men cartoon avatar generator nod approvingly. "Welcome, watermelon. You're home."
— Anil Dash (@anildash)
22. 800,000 people watched this momentous occasion. 315,000 commented on the Facebook live video.
800,000 people just watched a watermelon explosion. I'm not going to lie - I was one of them. #WATERMELONEXPLOSION 😂
— Rose Montag (@rosemontag_)
23. Except this guy.
- Usain Bolt won again in Rio. He's now the first man to win 3 straight gold medals in the men's 200m race ⚡️
- Brazilian authorities have indicted US swimmers Ryan Lochte and Jimmy Feigen after allegedly lying about being robbed in Rio at gunpoint.
- Donald Trump's campaign chair isn't the only aide to have helped lobby for a pro-Russian governing party in Ukraine.
