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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!

#1

Yup

Yup

reddit.com Report

#2

You Had Me In The First Half

You Had Me In The First Half

carguy_1970 Report

#3

Something's Wrong Here

Something's Wrong Here

Thedepressionoftrees Report

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

the myth that Ireland has leprechauns, I've asked all my short rich friends who live at what appears to be the end of the rainbow and they say they don't what anyone is talking about and then they run away when I don't look at them

Bad Ass69
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Man I traveled for miles to get to the end of a rainbow and all I found was a box of Lucky Charms.SCORE! Their magically delicious.

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

Brilliant answer. And no, this is not the appropriate place to throw in politics.

ThatRandomGuy
Community Member
1 year ago

This comment has been deleted.

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

Dutch people wear wooden shoes. Well mostly we prefer normal shoes like you guys.

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

The myth for Britain is that everyone is really clever and posh… lmfao no we’re not 🤣

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

The myth that Canada burned down the white house in 1812; Canada was not yet a country! It was British soldiers who burned down the white house.

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

Americans tend to believe, as a collective, that the US is better in more areas than most other countries.

Katie Bear
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The myth that Canada is full of eternally nice and sane people.

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

In the UK, that all men go to work in smart suits and bowler hats and carrying a rolled umbrella.

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

That Texas cares about people. Well they do, however its along way down the list from Money.

Katie Bear
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just like Alberta. Apparently we are the Texas of Canada. And I'm not talking about oil.

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

America's 'fake white history'...NO MENTION OF KIDNAPPING/SLAVES AND RACISM TODAY!

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

that we ride kangaroos to school and call prawns 'shrimp'. smh

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

So, no vampires. Just immortal people, then. Like the Highlander. But Romanian.

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

My -in-law and I concur we have seen no proof in the 695 and 679 years respectively.

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

Me, as a pure-blood Transylvanian: pack our s**t, hon, we've been compromised!

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

The myth that alligators are in every body of water in Florida like- bruh no

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

Ever try looking in a...oh wait. I guess a mirror wouldn't work.

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

That's because vampires are masters of disguise and blend in seamlessly. They walk amongst you...

THEBOI4000
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The myth that Americans have easier access to assault weapons then healthcare

brandyy17
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

that you can live the american dream if u come to america.

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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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#4

Florida

Florida

esberat Report

#5

Real Questions

Real Questions

chipfranklin Report

#6

True Story

True Story

Iron_Cub Report

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?!

ludakinjamd Report

#8

Hol' Up

Hol' Up

Putin-is-listening Report

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#9

Koalas And Humans Has Almost Similar Fingerprints

Koalas And Humans Has Almost Similar Fingerprints

Some-Maintenance7583 Report

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.”

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#10

Bruh

Bruh

Lucinda16023 Report

#11

The Coffee Is Free

The Coffee Is Free

MaverickGoose81 Report

#12

Easy Ways To Kill A Husband?

Easy Ways To Kill A Husband?

EstablishmentEast922 Report

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.”

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#13

This Guy Is In Daniel

This Guy Is In Daniel

unionlib Report

#14

'murica

'murica

BlackJim1929 Report

#15

Modern Problems Require Mordern Solution

Modern Problems Require Mordern Solution

austinlockedup Report

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.”

#16

Taliban

Taliban

ElVaNoS7 Report

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#17

Uh

Uh

sittydesklamp Report

#18

😳

😳

Raven9706 Report

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.”

#19

Uno Reverse Card

Uno Reverse Card

artur09876 Report

#20

Wait

Wait

paaandora Report

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#21

I-

I-

Ayo_its_linda Report

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

Turtleguy432 Report

#23

Poor Guy

Poor Guy

ZachSvobodny Report

#24

Hol’ Up

Hol’ Up

Zx2_ Report

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.

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#25

Wait..what

Wait..what

abruptlyash_ Report

#26

Holup

Holup

gh0rpade Report

#27

I Mean... He's Not Wrong Tho?

I Mean... He's Not Wrong Tho?

ExpertAccident Report

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!

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#28

Sick Beat

Sick Beat

anon Report

#29

*sed Noises

*sed Noises

aint-no-user Report

#30

I Love Duolingo

I Love Duolingo

MonadoBoii Report

#31

Mans Been Legit This Whole Time?!

Mans Been Legit This Whole Time?!

ItsJaaaaake Report

#32

Hol Up

Hol Up

reddit.com Report

#33

Indeed

Indeed

sigourneybeaver Report

#34

I Don’t Like Where This Is Going

I Don’t Like Where This Is Going

Jeremy_Melton Report

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#35

The Moment She Knew She

The Moment She Knew She

jacklsd Report

#36

It Will Be Like That Though

It Will Be Like That Though

Ackackack42069 Report

#37

F*ck Cartoons

F*ck Cartoons

reddit.com Report

#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

yUtrippinBallz Report

#39

I Dont Need Sleep I Need Answers!

I Dont Need Sleep I Need Answers!

Innerpeacedistrict Report

#40

Oops

Oops

anon Report

#41

Strange Trilogy

Strange Trilogy

Orbylgjuofn Report

#42

Feels Bad Man

Feels Bad Man

PickledJuice69 Report

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#43

Oops

Oops

anon Report

#44

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

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

LimeSugar Report

#45

Oh 😳

Oh 😳

reddit.com Report

#46

Don’t Expose Him Like That

Don’t Expose Him Like That

TheChikenWizard Report

#47

Neil Was Very Opinionated

Neil Was Very Opinionated

Prodigy829 Report

#48

Tyson Is So Sexy

Tyson Is So Sexy

selv3rly Report

#49

Domesticated

Domesticated

Tattoomyvagina Report

#50

Sorry Bruh

Sorry Bruh

kodekuzuri Report

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#51

Just Don't Snap

Just Don't Snap

robkohn23 Report

#52

I Love Cheating

I Love Cheating

scooping101 Report

#53

That's One Intelligent Baby

That's One Intelligent Baby

adithya17 Report

#54

Oh Happy Birthday

Oh Happy Birthday

krishmurjani18 Report

#55

Oh

Oh

Amaruq0703 Report

#56

My First Roller Coaster Ride Since This Pandemic Started

My First Roller Coaster Ride Since This Pandemic Started

msdrxn Report

#57

This Is The Way

This Is The Way

MainScientist6 Report

#58

Just Curious

Just Curious

reddit.com Report

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#59

Makes Sense

Makes Sense

Galaxy_star_walker Report

#60

It Just Gets Weirder And Weirder

It Just Gets Weirder And Weirder

grammar-dick Report

#61

Wait What

Wait What

MemeOutMan Report

#62

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

uncle_russell_90 Report

#63

Bro Tried To Save Himself

Bro Tried To Save Himself

danieflorian Report

#64

Man Of Culture

Man Of Culture

Chubby-Coxx Report

#65

Boom!

Boom!

scott3109 Report

#66

The Curiosity Begins

The Curiosity Begins

Parker1055 Report

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#67

How Did They Know?

How Did They Know?

Thrawwwway Report

#68

Ummmmm

Ummmmm

sheblewme Report

#69

Kind Kidney Donators

Kind Kidney Donators

biominimal Report

#70

Mans Had A Real Holup Moment

Mans Had A Real Holup Moment

optaratzx9 Report

#71

Those Men Were Awf- Wait What?

Those Men Were Awf- Wait What?

SkepticDrinker Report

#72

I Dun Wun It

I Dun Wun It

OreoSnorty69 Report

#73

Anytime Bro

Anytime Bro

Ricky_Spanish341 Report

#74

Astrology In A Nutshell

Astrology In A Nutshell

Birzerk Report

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#75

I, Too, Am Like The Eagle

I, Too, Am Like The Eagle

Sinatrafan1915 Report

#76

No Love

No Love

ItsJaaaaake Report

#77

A Bed Is A Bed

A Bed Is A Bed

Depa_reddit Report

#78

Rock His Sh*t Guys

Rock His Sh*t Guys

reddit.com Report

#79

Holup

Holup

coolboylure Report

#80

Holup… You Mean To Tell Me You Don’t?

Holup… You Mean To Tell Me You Don’t?

doublejmsu Report

#81

26 Years Of Experience

26 Years Of Experience

Kracka_Jak Report

#82

Selfie!

Selfie!

264creston Report

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#83

Well We All Screwed

Well We All Screwed

BonesNB_ Report