If you've ever watched an HGTV show like Fixer Upper, Flip or Flop, or Property Brothers, you've probably seen the trends in design that come and go throughout the years.
Some of them look absolutely stunning but end up being inefficient, expensive, and sometimes down right useless.
The trends are a flash in the pan in the fast paced home buying market because people find out how terrible they really are in practice. We went to Reddit to find out exactly which ones were the worst.
Redditor wazzel2u asked:
"What is a terrible trend found in new home design?"
These are honestly just laughable.
Going in the open.
"Open concept bathrooms."
"I don't need to see you taking a dump from my bed."
- 02K30C1
"My dad has a huge bathroom that's open concept and has high ceilings, like the toilet is surrounded by nothing for a solid six to ten feet in all directions but the one where it's backed against the wall. I don't know why but there is some deeply buried primal instinct that comes out when I use that bathroom, I feel panicked. Like my lizard brain is screaming, 'Don't sh*t out in the open you're going to get eaten by a bear.' I hate it. It's unnatural."
- mandy_skittles
"A someone who lives in Alaska this fear is not unsubstantiated. Its also a reason to carry around deterrent like a high power firearm in to the bathroom... which comes out handy too when the bear steals the poop knife."
- Traumatized-Educator
"And In contrast, vanity and bathtub open to the bedroom, but the toilet is in a tiny stall that isn't even big enough to put an extra roll of TP in."
- helena_handbasketyyc
Hollow doors.
"Hollow interior doors that don't keep sound out from within the house and hallways - especially hollow bedroom doors when you're trying to sleep."
- Back2Bach
"I just purchased another home and one of the first things I did before making an offer was 'door inspection.' Having solid exterior AND interior doors is important to me. I would say it's more of a builder cost cutting measure rather than a trend though."
- TickTacWhat
"You know, this kind of thing perplexes me. So often I find people make changes to up the value that I think are ugly or irrelevant, but a serious QoL upgrade like good doors gets ignored? I don't understand people's home priorities man."
- Qadim3311
"As an appraiser, we look at the overall general condition and quality of a home. Things like doors and windows certainly don't go unnoticed, however, there's no real difference to the average buyer between types of doors. People mainly look at what condition they're in and are they functional."
"Now, if we're talking high end homes, then the quality of finishes really matter, including building materials. I've started adding solid doors as a personal preference as well, but I'm doing it for my own comfort, not for added value."
- Purposefulpurple
Storage is a must.
"Lack of storage space. Just bought a new home and didn't realize how little space there was. We have one storage closet upstairs. That's it."
- A_Bit_Off_Kilter
"It's so weird - I grew up in a place with snow - so these were critical and in every home (even new construction as of 6 years ago) but I live in warm climate now and have no use for it - since we don't need to shed layers and snow covered boots - so they don't have those here. Never really gave thought to it until you said that."
- cantwaitforthis
"Absolutely this! The house I just moved out of had zero storage aside from bedroom closets. It was something we didn’t notice when purchasing, but sure did when moving in. Luckily the house I’ll be moving into very soon has a good deal of storage space."
- Annhl8rX
"One of the 'games' I play when watching house hunters is 'where do you keep the vacuum cleaner?'"
- tjdux
Mullet houses.
"Go to a high end gated community development ($800k - 2M price points in my area) front of the homes is beautiful stone, brick, etc., but on the back every house has cheap ugly vinyl siding all the same color as far as the eye can see. I never understood this since you actually spend time in the back yard not the front."
- MisterSolid
"Mullet houses. Business in front. Vinyl in the back."
- Express_Simple9726
"It's obviously a cost saving measure. Typical on McMansions where they want to sell you as much house as they can without spending too much building it."
- PD216ohio
The TV is too high.
"I really don't like the fireplace design where you are intended to put your TV over it. A TV is way too high when over the fireplace."
- 0rangePolarBear
"This is why I don't like fireplaces in general. Most people who don't live in areas where fireplaces are functional don't even use their them more than once a year. Despite this, if your living room has a fireplace, it pretty much determines the layout of the whole room with almost no flexibility."
"Every TV I've seen mounted over a mantle has made my neck hurt just seeing it for the first time, but it would look stupid to put a couch in front of it, so basically there's no good options if you have a fireplace."
- Revenge_of_the_Khaki
The bedroom is not big enough.
"Bedrooms that are only juuuuust big enough for a double or queen bed and a nightstand."
- makovince
"But they use that extra space upstairs for a 'loft' that no one is going to f*cking use."
"My house was built in 2006 and has what can only be described as a 'proto-loft.' The upstairs bedrooms are still a decent size, but there is what was described in the real estate listing as a 'nook' that’s just big enough to fit a couple of chairs that will never feel the warmth of a human a**."
- b-minus
Too many rooflines.
"I don't like it when they have like ten different rooflines that are only a foot or two deep. Are they hoping it looks like an older house that's had many add-ons done?"
- LeonardGhostal
"My brother's house has this and my god the leaking and drainage problems it has! His siding is rotting away from it."
- Coconut-bird
"One thing it does is hide shoddy workmanship. It's a lot harder to see that the framing isn't straight or the cheap materials are sagging if there are no flat surfaces more than 10-12 feet long."
- katlian
People Explain Activities They've Added To Their Post-Pandemic Bucket List | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
While we've all been cooped up for the better part of two years, many of us have been dreaming up exciting plans for the future. Maybe it's finally time to s...Cookie-cutter layouts.
"The grotesque housing developments of the same like 4 models and 3 colors with no trees. Not to mention the houses are built like sh*t. The terribly inefficient road layout with a million cul de sacs."
- Individual-Text-1805
"Cookie-cuttervilles."
- valkyriespice
"Exactly. They're all the same and all soulless. There's a liminality to them. Something about them is so creepy and completely unnatural."
- Individual-Text-1805
The barn door trend.
"Barn doors are so stupid. It's a heavier, more expensive, harder to open door. And then it still has a public bathroom-style gap that eliminates actual privacy."
- mywifemademegetthis
"We had one of these for the bathroom door in our freaking hotel room one time. Guess what happened when someone took a shower? The ENTIRE room filled up with steam and felt like a rainforest."
- neko_brand
"They're fine for a closet, but it's horrible for something like a bathroom because of the gap. Give me a pocket door over a barn door any day."
- s404064
A garage made for two... kind of.
"Garages that fit two medium sized cars with about one inch to spare."
- kryppla
"...in Texas where nobody owns medium sized cars"
- havereddit
"I tell people we have a one and seven-eighths car garage."
- west-egg
Never enough secret doors.
"The lack of secret bookshelf doors. I mean, who designs their custom home and does not Include a bookshelf secret door? People design houses for a reason, and that reason should be secret doors."
- foxsable
"Heck yes! This is my plan: we're planning on doing an addition in a few years, and I'm totally including a secret bookshelf door to my office and other cool hide-a-ways. I want some whimsy and adventure in my life and I freaking love escape rooms!"
- kc2sunshine
More room for washing up.
"Most sinks are absolutely terrible. Looking better is nice, but not at the expense of hitting your hand on the bowl every time you wash your hands."
- zed910
"The sink in the utility room at my grandparents house was amazing. Grandad was like 6'4 in his prime, with a crazy wingspan. He said when they added that part of the house (utility room and attached greenhouse, it's dope as all hell tbh) he bought the deepest sink he could find so he would have room to actually wash his entire forearms after gardening. It's like a restaurant sink. It's magnificent."
- lovelylayout
The affordability.
"Not being able to afford one."
- NotSoGreatOldOne
"This bothers the hell out of me."
"My parents bought their home for 2x what my father earned annually, in a good suburb of the state's capitol. His salary wasn't particularly high or anything, pretty average for its time."
"Where can I buy a house for 2x my annual salary? Literally nowhere in the country. Not even the sh*ttiest, most desolate and remote places have a house I can buy for that price range."
- Richard_D_Glover
"My parents asked me and my husband the other day why we hadn’t bought a home yet. When I said we couldn’t afford one they point to our combined salary of $75k and said we should be able to afford a lovely house in a nice neighborhood, maybe even some land. They went on to explain that they had bought their first house (in the 80’s) for $70k and that it had been a very nice 3 bedroom home with a little land. I tried explaining that where I live falling apart crack-dens are being listed upwards of $150k. They just kept saying we weren’t looking hard enough. The older generations are just soooo out of touch these days."
- MrWhite_Sucks
"My dad and I had this discussion last night. His dad bought his 5 bedroom house for 1.5x his yearly salary. My dad bought his 4 bedroom house for 6x his yearly salary. For me to (maybe) buy a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom apartment in the same city I will have to pay 22x of my yearly salary."
- wanderingsteph
Words are not meant for walls.
"Live laugh love."
- patronsaintofshinies
"OMG. WORDS do not belong on walls! It's like somebody went to Michael's crafts and decorated their home. EAT. 'Kitchen'. 'Wash your hands'. Any iteration of 'In this house....'. I loathe that trend."
- Whats4dinner
White on white on white on...
"All white, white carpet, white furniture, white f*cking shiplap."
- Defcheze
"I blame Joanna Gaines for all the shiplap. I don't think I've seen a single house they've done that doesn't have it."
- nachobitxh
"The shiplap has to be done right or it doesn’t hold up over time. We looked at a house with ship lap and you could see every knot in the wood through the white paint. It would have driven me nuts. The floors were really dark and we could see every scratch and ding in them."
- librachick104
Open shelves.
"I don't know if it's new new, but it drives me crazy when people replace cabinetry with open shelves."
"Don't people understand dust? Bugs ring a bell? Pet hair? Speaking of pets, how do you keep your cats from messing around with that setup?"
- lyan-cat
"Where the f do you cram all the crap that lives on your counter, when company comes unexpectedly? Cabinet doors, people!"
- UsernameObscured
"CA here, earthquakes. Do you enjoy suddenly having a pile of broken glass?"
- OurLadyOfTheChickens
Whether it's open concept bathrooms or a lack of storage, there's a lot that goes into finding a home that is functional and fashionable.
If you're looking into your next home, really take a good look at what you're getting into. Is it functional? Or is it just a bad trend.
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People Who Actually Died And Were Revived Share Their Experiences
"Reddit user AlaskaStiletto asked: 'Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?'"
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
People Explain Which Overly Hyped Foods They Just Don't Understand
We all have our favorite foods, food preferences, and even foods that we don't like.
But there are some popular foods out there that just don't make sense. Nonetheless, we keep seeing them advertised, included in movies and TV shows, and of course, our loved ones ordering them while we look on in confusion.
Curious about others' food preferences, Redditor YarnSpectre asked:
"What's one food everyone seems to go crazy for, but you just don't understand the hype?"
So Much Sugar
"Nutella. It’s just okay."
- Former-Finnish-4653
"Way too sweet for me, I’d probably love it with one-fifth of the sugar."
"Unfortunately that's true of a lot of desserts, though. Most would benefit from a cut of at least 25 percent of the sugar."
- Mindful-O-Melancholy
Not-So-Chocolate Cake
"Red velvet cake. I've had ones that were supposed to be excellent but it's just red cake."
- dedmuse22
"Most red velvet cakes are just s**tty vanilla cake with red food coloring. Get one (or make one) the correct way with non-Dutch-processed cocoa powder, buttermilk, and vinegar. It's an incredibly smooth, very different type of chocolate cake."
- whiskeyclone630
Mastery Makes a Difference
"Those multicolored cookie things that everyone was making into cakes or something for a while? Macaroons? Macarons? I don't think I've ever had one that tasted good. They're pretty, but that's it."
- TensionShift9576
"Macarons. I never cared for them either."
"I had one yesterday at a potluck, homemade ones. They were seriously something else, with some sort of butter cream and jelly inside. Never had anything quite like it. Now I wish I had grabbed a few to take home."
"I still won't eat store-bought ones, though."
- Totally-A-Banana
The Wrong Kind of Spice
"Hot Cheetos or Takis. Anything with the artificially colored spicy powder."
- jadziasonrie
"Takis texture is my issue. They’re like semi-stale rolled-up Doritos."
- addvalue2222
The Sugar Cookies of the Midwest
"Those dry-a** Walmart sugar cookies."
- ComiNotub
"They taste like play-dough cookies came to life."
- Significant_Potato29
For Garnish
"I mean, people go crazy in both directions, but cilantro. There’s the whole 'does it taste like soap or not' thing, but it’s usually presented as 'people either think it tastes like soap or they find it amazing.'"
"I am neither. It doesn’t taste like soap to me, but I also don’t love it. Meh."
- Whiteums
"I don't think it tastes like soap, but I do think it tastes weirdly metallic. I don't go out of my way to avoid it in pre-prepared food, but I usually leave it out of things I'm preparing myself."
- caffeinated-tea
Fancy Decor Only
"People like how fondant LOOKS. I refuse to believe a single soul wants to EAT it."
- sorandom21
"It's like eating a candied raincoat."
- BlueShirtGuy
Back for a Limited Time
"Every time it comes back, I’m SUPER excited for the McRib at McDonald's. I bite into one and then… the spongey texture hits me and makes me remember why I don’t need to buy it ever again."
"Then, somehow, McRib season rolls around again two years later, and there I am in line…"
- the_yellow_jello
"I'm convinced this is why they only bring it out every once in a while. Nobody actually likes it, but they wait just long enough for you to forget that it's no good and then hit you with a combo of nostalgia and 'limited time only' FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)."
- FiveAlarmFrancis
A Seasonal Tradition
"Pumpkin spice. It’s fine, but absolutely not anything to make a fuss about."
- AdMaterial9419
"There is a car parts place in a small town I drive through to visit family, and last year on their reader board, they had: 'THEYRE BACK! PUMPKIN SPICE BRAKE PADS.'"
"And now I can never see anything pumpkin spice and not think about it, might have been my favorite reader board sign ever."
- deadcomefebruary
Pure Caffeine Addiction
"Energy drinks like Red Bull or Monster."
- DishIntelligent5645
"I'm an avid Monster drinker, but I totally get it. I'm always trying new and interesting energy drinks I see, but so much of it is just garbage."
"The white Monster tastes like 90s Fresca to me and is the only energy drink I love."
- broniesnstuff
Overly-Complicated Drinks
"Can it be a beverage? Because I kind of hate IPAs but everyone else seems to love them. And I like beer, just not IPAs."
- AngelOvTeOdd
"I have nothing against people who want complex beers. It's just not for me. I want an easy as f**k to drink fizzy yellow beer for when it's hot out. And a nice smooth stout for all other times. When I want more complex flavors, I'll go for wine or scotch."
- I_will_be_me_Arsenal
Just Too Expensive
"What about lobster? I can dig it with drawn butter and I ain’t mad at it. But f**k me if I’m gonna pay $29.99 for a lobster. I’d rather eat shrimp."
- nosaj23e
Questionable Value
"Truffles. I paid $60 this weekend at an Italian restaurant for eight slivers on my pasta shaved in front of me. I barely tasted anything. I don't get the hype."
- heybuddy
Improved Gut Health?
"Kombucha."
- Tiny_Wasabi2476
"Ah, yes, dirty pond water."
- meteorguy
Rich Tastes
"Caviar."
- malYca
"Everyone goes crazy for caviar? Most people seem to dislike it."
"Though admittedly, people who do like it tend to like it a lot."
"That all being said, I really don't like it, either."
- Heathen_Mushroom
When it comes to food, to each their own, but it was interesting to see some undeniable fan favorites like pumpkin spice hit this list.
It just serves as a great reminder for a larger picture idea: Don't be unkind about the things that might bring someone else joy.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.
In 2017, I returned to my office after my lunch break to hear my supervisors discussing Tom Petty. This seemed like a random topic to me until one of my supervisors told me Tom Petty had passed away. He was a huge fan of Petty and spent the next hour or so combing through the internet to get more information.
He came back into the room my other supervisor and I were working in and announced that Tom Petty wasn't dead after all. News outlets had jumped the gun to announce his death, but he was actually still alive.
The next day, I came in to find out that Tom Petty was dead; the news may have been premature, but true.
This is a classic example of the rumor being started on the internet. Sometimes, like with the news of Tom Petty's death, the rumor can run wild and appear everywhere. Other times, the rumor can be seen by just a few people and dismissed. However, a lot of times, these rumors turn out to be true.
Redditors know a lot of internet rumors that turned out to be true, and are eager to share.
It all started when Redditor strakerak asked:
"What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?"
The King Of Pop
"Michael Jackson writing the music for Sonic 3."
"He actually did, but was never credited on the game because it would breach his contract with his record label."
– -WigglyLine-
"He did the same when he appeared on The Simpsons. He appeared under a pseudonym, and the Producers said it was an impersonator."
"Only years later they confirmed it really was Michael."
"His singing voice was actually done by an impersonator, though."
– given2fly_
The Truth Comes Out
"In 1998, US Men’s National Team captain John Harkes was shockingly cut from the team right before the World Cup. The coach claimed it was because Harkes wouldn’t fit into his new preferred formation, but rumors flew on the early internet that it was actually because he had slept with his teammate Eric Wynalda’s wife. The rumor was so well-known in soccer circles that Harkes expressly denied it in his autobiography the next year."
"Fast forward 12 years to 2010 and Wynalda admits it’s true. The coach then came out and admitted it was why he dropped Harkes, but that he’d planned to keep the secret as long as Wynalda did."
– guyfromsoccer
Video Evidence
"The Tim Burton Hansel and Gretel that aired once on halloween in the 80's."
"I heard for years that it was fake but I knew it was real because my dad recorded everything in the 80s and he recorded that. We let a good friend of ours borrow it and switch it over from VHS to DVD and soon after that it made its way on to the internet , and there it is now. I know it's our copy because the tracking in the beginning is screwed up. Still have the VHS."
– Frozenthickness
"There was a similar story with a Nickelodeon movie called Cry Baby Lane. It was supposed to be so scary that Nickelodeon got complaints and denied its existence for years. Someone uploaded a taped copy to youtube about a decade ago."
– PattiAllen
The Movie Business
"That North Korea hacked Sony Pictures because of The Interview movie."
"I worked in the movie business at the time and the account managers at Sony all basically needed to get new identities as all of their personal information got leaked online."
– OldMastodon5363
"My partner worked on that movie and the production bought all the crew 1 year of an identity theft tracking service."
– CMV_Viremia
Keep Away From The Ears Of Kids
"Some banned episodes or scenes of cartoons."
"For example, I remember there was a Dexter’s Lab cartoon where he clones evil versions of DeDe and himself and they swear like every other word (censored of course), and people debated whether it even existed cause they only aired it like once. Now it’s pretty accessible online."
– Spledidlife
Yes, It's True
"Echelon, a massive electronic espionage system by the US and allies to intercept all electronic messages, especially emails."
"In the mid-nineties it was a topic on conspiracy BBS boards. A lot of people in my bubble at the time (mainly uni students in Europe) were including fake threats to the US in the their email signatures as a way to "protest" and "fill the system with false alarms" (obviously useless)."
"Then, in 1999-2000 came out to be true and a lot of security service agencies from UK and other US allies started to admit they were part of the espionage network."
– latflickr
How The Mighty Fell
"John Edward’s love child."
– ACam574
"A reminder that he was cheating on his wife while she was hospitalized for cancer treatment."
– Fanclock314
Ugh...
"Carrie Fisher's heart attack. Some a**hole who was on the same flight was livetweeting the whole medical emergency and justified it by insisting she was just making sure the family was informed."
– everylastlight
It Actually Happened
"Every year around her birthday there was a rumor that Betty White died. When I heard she died, I scoffed, saying that dumb rumor is back.... then saw it on the news. I was in shock."
– Known-Committee8679
"The fact that Betty died literally right before she turned 100 is such a Betty White way to go out."
– Paganigsegg
Big Actor, Small Roles
"I distinctly remember some rumors about the reason why Bruce Willis was taking so many roles in sh*tty movies before it was announced he has dementia."
– KampferMann
"RedLetterMedia did a deep dive on his recent movie activity to try and work out why exactly he was taking part in basically scam-movies. They noticed he had an earpiece in one of the scenes and joked that the director was feeding him lines. I remember they even disclaimed over the rumours at the time, and possible made a follow-up vid when it was revealed to the public."
– CardinalCreepia
What To Do Next?
"That the writer of LOST were making it up as they went."
"Turned out to be absolutely true."
– homarjr
That last one was kind of obvious!
Do you have any to add? Let us know in the comment below.