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Life is unpredictable, and things are not always what they seem. Sometimes, you’re reading a seemingly innocent post on social media, and suddenly you encounter a shocking twist that has you saying, “Hold up… What?” If you live for those surprising moments, we’ve got the perfect list for you, pandas. 

Below, we’ve gathered some of our favorite posts from the “Hol’Up, wait a min” subreddit that might make you do a double take. Prepare to be saying, “I did not see that coming”, and be sure to upvote all of your favorite posts. Otherwise, Bored Panda might spontaneously combust... Hold up!

#3

Something's Wrong Here

Something's Wrong Here

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When I was in university, I had an acting teacher who drilled into us the importance of “Dukes of Hazzard Turns”. I know all of you pandas out there might not get the reference (don’t worry, I didn’t either at first), so I’ll explain what he meant by that. In the 80s sitcom The Dukes of Hazzard, there were many reckless driving scenes where the characters would take abrupt, sharp turns, so anyone watching could have never anticipated where the driver was heading. What my acting teacher wanted to see from us with “Dukes of Hazzard Turns” was sharp contrasts in our characters.

It’s exciting to watch people quickly change their tactics in pursuing their objectives; audiences eat it right up. So I can’t help but think of that acting professor when viewing the photos from the “Hol’up” subreddit. All of these posts definitely have “Dukes of Hazzard Turns” within them. Some of them are surprisingly wholesome, while others get dark very fast. But as readers, we love these sudden plot twists, and we can’t get enough of them.   

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It’s no secret that audiences love plot twists. We see them in films like Get Out, Gone Girl, Parasite, Scream and countless other classics. But what is it about these sudden turns that we can’t get enough of? According to Vera Tobin, a researcher at Case Western Reserve University, movies “exploit our natural tendency to anticipate what’s coming next.” So it can be extremely exciting when our expectations are proven wrong by a shocking plot twist and extremely disappointing when we somehow stumble upon a spoiler.

Tobin explains that we all want to have some idea of what we’re getting ourselves into when we read a book or watch a film, so we’re interested in knowing the genre. But the “curse of knowledge” comes into play when we’re worried about something being spoiled. “You only have one opportunity to learn something for the first time,” Tobin writes. “Once you’ve learned it, that knowledge affects what you notice, what you anticipate – and even the limits of your imagination.”

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#7

What Predates On Tigers?!

What Predates On Tigers?!

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A Wild Bean
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I googled it, elephants and bears can sometimes be a threat to tigers

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#9

Koalas And Humans Has Almost Similar Fingerprints

Koalas And Humans Has Almost Similar Fingerprints

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Two_rolling_black_eyes
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Drug busts at unsanctioned raves. When a koala gets Chlamydia, they can't just go to the family vet because the wife will see the copay on the credit card bill and ask what's wrong.

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Tobin goes on to explain that plot twists can also do a great job of pulling everything together in a story. “A major part of the pleasure of plot twists, too, comes not from the shock of surprise, but from looking back at the early bits of the narrative in light of the twist,” she notes. “The most satisfying surprises get their power from giving us a fresh, better way of making sense of the material that came before. This is another opportunity for stories to turn the curse of knowledge to their advantage. Once we know the answer to a puzzle, its clues can seem more transparent than they really were. When we revisit early parts of the story in light of that knowledge, well-constructed clues take on new, satisfying significance.”

#11

The Coffee Is Free

The Coffee Is Free

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Vanessa Richardson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like my men like I like my coffee—sliding off the roof of my car as I drive away🙂

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#12

Easy Ways To Kill A Husband?

Easy Ways To Kill A Husband?

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But the joy of being surprised doesn’t only come from plot twists in films and books. As this list makes very clear, we can have “Hol’up” moments in our daily lives at any moment, and our brains still love them, even when they’re not scripted. “It’s a strong neuro alert that tells us that something is important about this moment and we have to pay attention,” Tania Luna, the co-author of Surprise: Embrace the Unpredictable and Engineer the Unexpected, told The Takeaway, explaining the “surprise sequence”. “Our cognitive resources are basically hijacked and pulled into the moment. That’s one of the things that’s really uncomfortable for some people, but also exciting for some people because your attention is completely in the moment.”

And if you’re a person who considers a surprise party to be your worst nightmare, Luna says that it’s possible to become more open to the idea over time. “I think about surprise in two perspectives: Embracing it and engineering it,” she told The Takeaway. “You have to train your brain to be more comfortable accepting surprise, and by that I also mean surprise readiness—being comfortable with uncertainty, ambiguity and change. Especially these days, that’s an incredibly important skill.”

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Even though she’s an expert on surprise now, Luna admits that she wasn’t always a fan. “I hated being surprised—I loved surprising others, but I hated being surprised myself,” she told The Takeaway. “[I hated] the feeling of loss of control and the feeling of vulnerability. As a kid, I had experienced a lot of change and my coping mechanism was to say, ‘I’m in charge. I control everything. Nobody controls me and I can control the world around me.’ I was protecting myself from negative surprises. But what I’ve learned is that I was also keeping out joy, wonder, and emotional intensity.”

#21

I-

I-

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Mario Strada
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember asking a question about this to the priest when I was in catechism. It didn't go well. I was put into an empty room to "pray and ask for forgiveness". I came out of that room an atheist. I was 11.

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The element of surprise is a very important ingredient in comedy, and many of the people who were part of these conversations shared on Reddit had excellent comedic timing. From coming up with perfect comebacks to wording things in just the right way, these surprising posts went from mundane to hilarious in the blink of an eye. As comedian Dean Lewis explains in his article ‘The Anatomy of a Joke’, “A comedic surprise is a twist without serious repercussions.”

#22

Well. I Guess This Was Rigged From The Start

Well. I Guess This Was Rigged From The Start

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#24

Hol’ Up

Hol’ Up

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We all love a great “didn’t see that coming” moment, whether it happens in real life, is accidentally caught on camera or is found in a screenshot from social media. Surprise is the spice of life, right? (Or something like that.) So if you’re interested in adding a little bit more excitement to your daily life, be sure to mix up your routine or do something (harmless) to surprise someone else. Whether you believe we’re all plugged into the Matrix or not, your brain might appreciate being caught off guard every now and then. Plus, if you manage to get a picture of it, you can always share it on the “Hol’up” subreddit.

Hold up—How are you feeling about this list, pandas? Are you having whiplash from all of the shocking twists and turns that these posts take? We hope you’re having some fun being surprised and caught off guard. Remember to keep upvoting the posts that went in a completely different direction than what you expected, and let us know in the comments if you’ve had any “Hol’up” moments recently. Then, if you can handle being shocked by even more of these types of posts, you can find Bored Panda’s previous article featuring the “Hol’up” subreddit right here!

#28

Sick Beat

Sick Beat

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Hume
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everyone probably already knows this, but the reason drummers were included in battalions was for morale, coordination on the battlefield, and signaling to soldiers when to reload and fire, which you might think sounds ridiculous, but back then armies worked in line formations, and muskets were slow-firing weapons, so to maximize firing, one line would open fire while the back line reloads, then the front line would kneel to reload giving the back line chance to fire, and repeat.

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#29

*sed Noises

*sed Noises

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#30

I Love Duolingo

I Love Duolingo

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#31

Mans Been Legit This Whole Time?!

Mans Been Legit This Whole Time?!

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#33

Indeed

Indeed

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JM
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah grammar! This reminds me of the book on punctuation called “Eats, Shoots & Leaves”

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#35

The Moment She Knew She

The Moment She Knew She

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#38

One Person Who Is 7x More Likely To Kill You Than Everyone Else

One Person Who Is 7x More Likely To Kill You Than Everyone Else

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#39

I Dont Need Sleep I Need Answers!

I Dont Need Sleep I Need Answers!

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AJay
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm 90% sure that the answer is no it will not incriminate her and that it has something to do with needing the root of the hair to still be attached, but I can't quite remember.

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#42

Feels Bad Man

Feels Bad Man

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Laurinjale
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is actually sad and true for a lot of those guys and girls

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#43

Oops

Oops

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#44

I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up!

I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up!

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#45

Oh 😳

Oh 😳

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panther
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But that would mean actually going into a walmart, and I wouldn't want people to see me in a walmart.

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#46

Don’t Expose Him Like That

Don’t Expose Him Like That

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Huddo's sister
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There was a scene in Degrassi (next class I think) where the innocent new girl is introduced to the trans kid. He says he is trans and se thinks it means transient aka homeless. She ends up dating him though.

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#47

Neil Was Very Opinionated

Neil Was Very Opinionated

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VonBlade
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Buzz and I think standing on the moon is overrated. Just thought we'd let you know, Michael.

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#48

Tyson Is So Sexy

Tyson Is So Sexy

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SomePeopleCallMeMaurice
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Downvote me if you will, but Mike Tyson is a woman beating rapist and I find nothing funny about him. However, the comeback on this post is epic!

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#50

Sorry Bruh

Sorry Bruh

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MrLoufoque
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In case anyone's wondering, Donnerstag = Thursday; Mittwoch = Wednesday; Sonntag = Sunday; Dienstag = Tuesday. Correct answer is C.

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Note: this post originally had 83 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.