‘Must’ve been frozen’: Woman buys watermelon from Walmart. Then it starts collapsing
A Walmart shopper is demanding answers from the mega-retailer after her watermelon seemingly randomly collapsed in on itself. In a viral clip, Raquel Janae (@gyaldem_ari) shared footage of the aftermath of a Walmart watermelon bursting on her stove top.
“What the [expletive], Walmart,” Raquel demands over and over in her minute-long TikTok. She shows how her kitchen floor was splattered with water, courtesy of a watermelon that was sitting on her stove. The stove was turned off, she says, so there is no immediate cause visible as to why her Walmart watermelon would collapse the way it did.
Her camera pans from the floor to said watermelon, which has a severe dent at the top, the exterior caving in to form a hollow mess inside. Raquel is disgusted, once again imploring Walmart for answers. As the video comes to a close, Raquels shows a pulpy mess inside, which makes her gag.
Viewers are horrified
Raquel’s video of the “disgusting” watermelon earned over 118,000 views, with viewers surprised she still even shopped at Wally World.
“I never get fruits or meats from Walmart,” one user stated. Raquel replied that she shops at Walmart for the convenience: “It’s just easier. I hate going to 3 different stores just to shop.”
A second user echoed that they are “surprised people still getting their groceries from Walmart.”
One user speculated as to why the watermelon would suddenly burst open. “Must have been frozen,” they said.
Why do watermelons burst open?
It seems that having been frozen is not necessarily the cause. A Today article tackled this phenomenon in a 2023 article. According to the sources on that story, their watermelons were spontaneously combusting and “foaming.” But what exactly caused this to happen?
“This is probably due to the heat. The fruit, if slightly damaged, can begin fermenting. If enough fermentation occurs, which produces gas, enough internal pressure may build up for the watermelon to crack or pop,” one of the experts, Keith Schneider, told Today. The main culprit would be excessive summer heat.
What’s up with Walmart watermelons?
This isn’t the first time a Walmart shopper has gone viral for their dissatisfaction with their watermelons. In 2023, the retailer made headlines after several shoppers began noticing strange things about the fruit. In one clip from 2024, a man experienced an exploding watermelon that resembled Raquel’s. It had completely imploded, oozing red pulp everywhere. In another, a shopper claimed the exterior of their watermelon was “peeling” off, implying it had been painted on, leading viewers to debate whether it was real fruit.
@gyaldem_ari @Walmart ♬ original sound – Raquel_janae
The Mary Sue has contacted Walmart via media contact form. We also reached out to Raquel via TikTok message.
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