The internet just lost its mind over an exploding watermelon
For about 30 minutes on Friday, more than 730,000 people were glued to a live video of two BuzzFeed staffers putting one rubber band after another over a watermelon.
We all knew where this was headed - a dead watermelon - but the internet couldn't not watch.
The explosion generated more than 3 million views, and it even triggered some audible cries here at Tech Insider.
After the live video, BuzzFeed motion pictures producer Jesse McLaren posted this slow-motion clip of the magic moment:
???? pic.twitter.com/Nfqf5PUwn5
- Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) April 8, 2016
The rest of the internet's mind seemed blown by the spectacle.
Cole Ledford was so captivated by the live video that he forcibly delayed work.
I literally just moved a meeting back because I'm busy watching a live stream of @BuzzFeed employees putting rubber bands on a watermelon
- Cole Ledford (@ColeLedford11) April 8, 2016
And Mark Gongloff on Twitter single-tweetedly predicted the (immediate) future of digital media.
In newsrooms everywhere, journalists are being let go to make room for more of this https://t.co/TtTOjE0AiF
- Mark Gongloff (@markgongloff) April 8, 2016
Afterward, BuzzFeed senior editor Chelsea Marshall, who joined BuzzFeed social strategist James Harness to explode the watermelon in the video, posted this gorey shot of the fruit and its murder weapon.
Me and @JamesHarness exploded a watermelon on Facebook live and then the rubber bands we used went into this ball?? pic.twitter.com/t3gyz6JX5z
- chelsea marshall (@theseamar) April 8, 2016
As cool as BuzzFeed's stunt was, I have to say the clip below - uploaded to YouTube in July 2012 by The Slow Mo Guys - is my absolute favorite explode-a-watermelon-with-rubber-band experiment video.
The Slow Mo Guys shot their explosion with a Phantom Flex at a blistering 1,600 frames per second, not a handheld iPhone, and the result is gorgeous:
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