Texas cheerleader’s invisible box challenge goes viral
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Texas cheerleader’s invisible box challenge goes viral

There’s finally a viral video challenge for 2017.

Screengrab via Ariel Olivar/Twitter

Samantha Reichstein— | Last updated
BTW

The ice-bucket challenge swarmed social feeds in 2015, and the concept of posing like a mannequin conquered 2016. It seems that 2017 has found its own internet fad just before 2018 begins with the “invisible box” challenge.

College football player Dontez Hines originated the challenge in August when he tweeted a video of himself miming “stepping over” a box.

https://twitter.com/thecvmevp/status/898554150480470016

Texas high school cheerleader Ariel Olivar reignited the challenge last week after posting her own video to Twitter, mimicking Hines’ movements with the caption “challenge accepted.” The successful attempt went viral with more than 142,000 re-tweets, and it’s now inspiring many users to try the trend.

Just like planking, the invisible box challenge has taken on a life of its own. Here’s how it goes down:

  1. Give the invisible box (placed in front of you) three pats
  2. Place one leg on top of the box while the other leg “hops” over
  3. Have both legs then hit the ground

Olivar has become a master of the invisible box, earning a spot on the Today show where she showed off to hosts Savanah Guthrie, Jenna Bush Hager, Hoda Kotb, and Dylan Dreyer. But the foot manipulation is harder than Olivar makes it look.

According to Men’s Health fitness editor Ebenezer Samuel, the illusion takes a ton of strength and stability to pull off. While some have finessed the one-legged hop, others have epically failed at reproducing it.

https://twitter.com/ayeedhanika/status/937958664417132544

Some people refuse to even try. Star Trek actor William Shatner tweeted about the challenge, saying  “And BTW don’t ask me to do the invisible box challenge; the answer is no.”

Samantha Reichstein

Samantha Reichstein

Samantha Reichstein is a former intern for the Daily Dot whose work focused on entertainment and politics. She's written for the Bump, the Nest, the Knot, the Austin American-Statesman, Austin Way Magazine, and Broadway World TV.

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