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‘Do you know you have 30 minutes?’: A relatable sound and reality TV legend

Time is of the essence.

Charlotte Colombo

That One Sound is a column from internet culture reporter Charlotte Colombo that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.
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Do you ever feel like you’re running out of time? The people of TikTok do. And this new sound is here to call you out. It’s relatable, memorable, and features a reality TV legend —so it should come as no surprise that it’s been used over 125,000 times. Here’s what we know about: “Do you know you have 30 minutes?”

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@mattheperson

girl the doom

♬ love island is messyyyy – quinta

The sound

As suspenseful music plays in the background, a female voice asks: “Do you know you have 30 minutes?” Ironically, the sound itself lasts nowhere near 30 minutes—it only lasts a few seconds. But it’s long enough to become instantly relatable.

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TikTokers are using this sound to create POVs of situations where, one way or another, we’re worrying about not having enough time. So, there’s plenty of relatable TikToks about taking forever to get ready and time blindness.

But as is the norm with these memes, they’re becoming increasingly abstract and verbose. That’s why there are TikToks about the New York climate doomsday clock, short-lived friendship groups, and going non-verbal.

@miacherisehall like my shoes are on why are you in pajamas love #neurodivergent #autism #adhd #audhd ♬ love island is messyyyy – quinta
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Where’s it from?

The sound comes from the 2000s reality show, The Flavor of Love. The series, which proved to be a hit for VH1, was a dating show that revolved around 20 women who all competed for the affection of rapper Flavor Flav. 

One of these women, and the one who said the line, was Tiffany Pollard. She competed on the show in two different seasons, and while she never actually won, her consolation prize was becoming a reality TV personality. 

The clip first circulated on TikTok in a video posted on Aug. 17. It took the form of a Love Island meme and, to date, has amassed 3.5 million views.

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@qxintxnxx like baby they said be out the house in 30 why you on the patio sulking #loveisland #andrea #rob #trending #fypage #viral edit: DO NOT TAG HER IN THE COMMENTS YALL BEING #messy ♬ love island is messyyyy – quinta

Sound off

This isn’t the first time Pollard has had a taste of viral fame. You know that widely used GIF of someone sitting unbothered with shades on? That’s none other than Pollard in her own reality show, I Love New York.

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Meanwhile, across the pond, Pollard inadvertently caused mass hysteria during a stint in the Celebrity Big Brother house. She mistakenly believed fellow housemate David Guest had died, and since then “David’s dead” has become a piece of pop culture history. So, with this sound, it’s safe to say that Pollard has done it again.

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Now you can watch our That One Sound from TikTok column on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel and keep an eye out for new episodes every Wednesday:

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