In 2016, a senior in a Minnesota high school decided to display a very… different talent at his school’s talent show. Mike Senatore’s “talent” show bit began a trend that spread like a disease across America. His talent? Bottle flipping. All across the country, children from grade school to high school are attempting to recreate Mike Senatore’s long, sought out talent.

Across varied social medias such as vine, instagram, twitter and facebook there are videos of people trying to obtain the perfect bottle flip. Once the “perfect” bottle flip is achieved there is often repeats or slo-mo of this very difficult task; often times, the song “Ultimate” by Denzel Curry is playing in the background. Why do high school students seek achievement of the bottle flip? I turned to some high school students for the answers.

Vin Giordano, a student in grade 10 at Freehold Township High School considers himself an avid bottle flipper. He flips bottles countless times per week. When asked why he flip bottles, his response was “It’s fun.” Vin had no idea where bottle flipping came from; he’s just seen it on social media.

Along with Vin, Mark Baloyan, grade 11, also admits to regular bottle flipping. He knew where it originated from and claimed to be doing it before Mike Senatore. He claims to have tamed his addiction, but when asked why he previously did it, his response was, “I’m a meme lord.”

I attempted speaking to a number of seniors about the concept of “bottle flipping”; and to my surprise, only two of them were willing to speak of, or admit to the act. Jordan Mitchell, an avid bottle flipper who knows the talent show origins is pretty passionate about her bottle flipping. When asked why she participates in bottle flipping, her response was: “I’m a living meme. And sometimes, when you’re bored or make a good joke, the best way to fill the time is to bottle flip–similar to dabbing.”

Tiffany Dente, who is also a senior, recently picked up on the bottle flipping trend. She knows its origins, and believes bottle flipping is a waste of time. She claims to not understand why she’s doing it. When asked why she continues, she says, “It’s addicting– I can’t stop.”

However, one senior, Jessica Wilson, was ready to describe her hatred toward the act. Jess was aware that it had originated from a talent show bit. When asked why her hatred was so strong, this was her response: “I just find it to be pointless and stupid. If the majority of people are successful at flipping a bottle, than it really isn’t a talent at all.”

As you can see, Mike Senatore began a trend that crossed through the borders of Minnesota and spread itself across America. There are many people who take part in the act to fit in, or just for fun. On the other hand, many people despise the act and see it as a waste of time. Nonetheless, it’s happening and as trends tend to, it will fade, it’s just a matter of time.