About

The "Besides the Obvious" Prank is a prank in which the prankster asks a victim, "Besides the obvious, what's one thing you would change about yourself?" suggesting that there is one obvious flaw that the person has, forcing them to wonder what that flaw is. The trend was popularized on Instagram Reels and TikTok between late April and July 2026.

Origin

On April 29th, 2026, TikToker^[1] @lukefrompooks posted a video where he pranks his partner by asking her, "Besides the obvious, what's one thing you would change about yourself?" She proceeds to ask what the obvious is, then says, "The fact that I don't ab-se you." The video gained over 1.7 million views in three months.

Spread

The Besides the Obvious prank went viral between May and July 2026, primarily on TikTok and Instagram Reels.

On May 12th, 2026, Instagram^[2] user bradymedearis posted a version of the prank that gained over 8,300 likes in two months.

On May 28th, the official NFL @Chargers TikTok^[3] page posted a video in which the members of the Los Angeles Chargers football team are asked the question, garnering over 7.8 million views in two months.

On June 5th, TikToker^[4] @taylorbcarter posted a video where she plays the prank on her husband, who eventually answers that he would want bigger calves, garnering over 19.2 million views in a month.

On July 20th, 2026, a viewer called in to the H3 Podcast live on YouTube^[5] and played the prank on the host, Ethan Klein, who responded by hanging up. The episode gained over 324,000 views in three days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References