About
In the season premiere of Amazing Race (Season 17, 2010), a contestant named Claire Champlin of the Home Shopping Network team was given a simple task of catapulting watermelon at stationary targets several meters down a field. After missing several attempts, Claire re-evaluates her strategy and tries again. This time, however, the watermelon gets caught in the loading band and launches back at her face exploding into a red misty cloud of fruit. The contestant was not injured in the incident, but has been quoted as saying “I had the worst headache of my life”.
Follow-up interview
Due to the enormous internet and media hype caused by the accident, Entertainment Weekly conducted a follow-up interview with Claire to talk about the episode and how she managed to survive such a hit. In addition to her new found nickname “Watermelon Girl”, she diffuses any claims that the incident was staged, claiming that although she appeared to be fine after wards, she did in fact suffer from numbing pain in her face and lips and a “brutal” headache for days after. Upon concluding the interview she staes “Everybody said if I tried to do it again, there is no possible way I could. I’m not even going to attempt it. I thought I was going to go down in history for so many other things. But if the watermelon is my claim to fame, I guess I’m just going to take it and run with it. A watermelon, it can’t hold me back.”
Spread
Since its original tweet from CBS on September 7, 2010, it has been re-tweeted over 100 times, viewed over 10 million times – not including the 11.2 million who tuned in to watch the episode, and has been remixed / edited dozens of times.
Derivatives
There are dozens of popular remixes on Youtube, most of which edit the original video in such a way that it creates the image of a FPS (first person shooter) game. This also includes the popular catchphrase “Boom! headshot” and “Pow! right in the kisser”. Another notable video was created that interviews a watermelon and discusses the events that took place.
Watermelon revenge interview
Boom! Headshot Remix
FPS Doug Version
Ebaum’s world Remix
Heroes of Newerth Remix
Keyboard cat
Guile’s Theme
C-C-C-Combo Breaker!
Honeymooners Edition