Chappell Roan’s hit song “HOT TO GO!” just celebrated its one-year anniversary, meaning it’s been a full year since the rising pop princess graced us with the modern equivalent of the “Y.M.C.A.” dance.
For the uninitiated, “HOT TO GO!”’s chorus has a built-in dance, which Roan teaches the crowd every time she performs the song. It includes spelling out the title’s letters with your arms — which, as two viral TikToks just demonstrated, could have some unintended side effects.
In a video that’s amassed more than 40 million views, LA-based duo Hannah Berkowitz and Matt Barrett-Miller were doing the dance together when things went downhill. At the song’s first letter T, Barrett-Miller’s arm swung directly into Berkowitz’s neck. She collapsed onto the couch as Barrett-Miller apologized and cut the camera.
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Naturally, commenters had thoughts. “This just in! the HOT TO GO dance is a GREAT self defense technique,” one pointed out.
“See how he did that? Not very mindful, not very demure,” chided another.
Barrett-Miller himself was in the comments section, too: “I’m still so sorry Hannah,” he wrote.
Three days later, the pair returned to TikTok with an update, posting a silent video showing Berkowitz now wearing a neck brace.
Again, the comments section sounded off. “You see how [he’s] looking down and reflecting on his actions,” reads a comment with more than 300,000 likes. “That is very mindful, very empathetic, very demure.”
“Dude u should get into karate,” recommended another commenter.
Neither Berkowitz nor Barrett-Miller have explained exactly what happened between the two videos — and both are comedians, so take their antics with a grain of salt.
But whether Berkowitz was actually injured enough to need a neck brace or if it was only a skit, it’s easy to imagine the “HOT TO GO!” dance turning dangerous in the way they portrayed. Just think of the size of Roan’s crowds these days. The next time you’re at a Chappell concert (or hear “HOT TO GO!” in the club), be sure to dance responsibly.
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