‘You Move Like AI’: Pennsylvania Woman Tries Hurdles Like an Olympic Athlete. She Goes Viral For Stumbling Her Way Through

A track runner from Bucknell University has gone viral because of her valiant, yet catastrophically failed, effort to run a hurdles race. It seems that the internet has gained its latest meme on TikTok with Ella Majeran and her goofy attempt at hurdles (@ellasuperspam33).

Majeran, who is from Pennsylvania, shared a video on TikTok captioned “putting myself in with Olympic hurdlers to see if anyone notices.” Of course, she was not actually racing Olympians. The joke was that she edited Olympic hurdle clips alongside footage of herself to see whether viewers could “spot” her. Instead, she stitched runs of Olympic hurdlers and her own running in one video, posting it to see if TikTok would spot the amateur among pros.

At first glance, the setup makes it seem like viewers are about to see another elite hurdle clip. Then her footage appears. At her first hurdle jump, Majeran stumbled, and the hurdle fell forward. She didn’t faceplant, but she did sway like a tree against a storm. The athlete swayed left, then right, then changed lanes. Then, she finally found her balance.

She tried jumping her second hurdle, but her foot caught one more time. Ella had to pause before trying to run again. It’s almost as if during that pause, she was rethinking the choices she made in life that led to that very moment.

TikTok couldn’t get enough of her clip, and it gained more than 6.8 million views. But even more hilarious than the TikTok itself were the comments beneath the video.

Is she AI-generated?

Even the Gatorade corporate TikTok account took notice of Ella’s video and commented below it. They wrote, “waitttt, which one were you?” clearly playing along with Ella’s joke that she couldn’t be spotted among Olympic athletes.

One commenter wrote, “First time using legs?” If so, it’s abundantly clear that Ella was not instructed on how to use her legs. Other social media users even compared her to a newborn giraffe learning how to walk.

Another comment reads, “When your legs don’t work like they used to before.” Perhaps this comment is from Ed Sheeran’s burner account.

So many others think Majeran was AI-generated. A comment said, “You move like AI.”

Someone else chimed in and said Majeran was “stealing AI jobs.” Her discombobulated running does, in fact, look like it was prompted with ChatGPT.

Another commenter asked, “Can you check this, please?” Just to be sure that Ella isn’t a robot. And below that comment was the captcha “I’m not a robot” tickbox.

One social media user sarcastically commended Majeran, saying she’s the “first person to breakdance on hurdles.”

One said, “Did you recently just trade your voice?” Everyone would believe it if she had been a mermaid before this running incident.

From viral wobble to real hurdler

In a follow-up video, TikTok users were so stunned by her improvement. One commenter wrote, “Wait, I saw the viral one first, but the difference is so drastic that I didn’t even recognize you.” Another joked, “You finally figured out the controls, I see.”

But as Majeran explained herself, the first clip she posted was apparently her first attempt at hurdles. At present, it seems that Majeran is now the track star she’s always dreamed of becoming. She claimed that she’s now “6th in state,” which is a major feat for somebody who has become an internet meme for their clunky running

Nevertheless, it appears that she’s a good sport about the GIFs and memes. She commented that she’s “very happy” to hear that she’s made lots of people on the internet laugh.

(featured images: Ella Majeran)

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]