Vengaboys "pleading" with TikTokers to stop doing the viral "Up & Down" challenge
You remember Vengaboys. They like to party, preferably in Ibiza while yelling “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!” They also like to move up and down, but not, they are now clarifying, in the way quarantined TikTokers are interpreting the song.
It was roughly three weeks ago that TikTok user sioned69 inadvertently launched the “Up & Down” challenge, which underscores a complex aerobic maneuver—it’s all hands and knees and core—with the Dutch dance group’s 1998 chart-topper, which, as you can see in the below clips, pairs nicely with the movement.
@sioned69 Taking it up a notch on this fun Friday 🤪my abs are on fire 🔥#abcrunchchallenge #fyp #foryou #couplegoals #hubbywifey
This is good news for Vengaboys. TikTok’s become one of the foremost vessels of virality for music nowadays—Lil Nas X owes “Old Town Road”’s success to the social media juggernaut—and having your song infect the platform means you’re about to move a shitload of units. That, however, isn’t stopping them from begging the world to stop this madness, lest our out-of-shape masses collapse onto each other, snapping bones and bruising skulls.
“We are of course delighted with the huge success, but we still want to ask the TikTok community to stop this challenge,” Vengaboys’ Captain Kim says in a press release. “If you break a finger or sprain your wrist, you still have to go to the hospital where they have more important things on their mind right now.”
The group’s D-Nice is even more emphatic: “At least TikTok has added a warning to the ‘Up and Down’ challenge videos. And even though we can see that a lot of people are having fun, we are pleading with them to stop.”
They make a good point, obviously—as you can see in clips like this—but, like most viral TikTok trends, there’s a mesmerizing quality to this union of song and movement.
@kylaanng9 lolll family bonding #fyp #coronabreak
@tarynituppppppp wait for it #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #dontletthisflop #stayhomestaystrong #keepingbusy
@morgwestby when the beat drops #flexed #pointed #foryou #fyp @meganwestby97
https://www.tiktok.com/@southernbelleinsults/video/6815282767857798406
Thankfully, the song’s role in TikToks has evolved over the weeks, resulting in more elaborate stunts and skits that are less likely to end in bodily harm.
@crissa_ace Pass the rock 🏀 (part 3)…
@benjamanus Like for the level 8 attempt 🤣 #foryou #viral #like #follow #challenge #houseoftiktok #try #goodluck
@fitnessmimi She loves her fetch machine! #goingpro #godoggo #dogsoftiktok
That’s better! Now more than ever it’s important we keep our sharp, bony knees away from each other’s weak, brain-filled skulls. Chew on that while revisiting the band’s bygone hit below.
Send Great Job, Internet tips to [email protected]