Would you rather drink a cup of coffee or a cup of cooking oil? How about hurt a puppy or take a sip of alcohol?
These are just some of the questions that have gone viral on a particular corner of TikTok that features videos in which people ask students at Brigham Young University − a college in Provo, Utah owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints − about sex, alcohol and swear words. The videos have become a massive niche on the app, amassing sometimes upwards of 17 million views on a single post and prompting fascination from those unfamiliar with BYU or Mormon culture. USA TODAY has reached out to BYU and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for comment.
The TikTokers who make these videos say they get wide-ranging answers from BYU students, but it's the most shocking ones that tend to go viral.
Daniel Spencer, a comedian with 1.7 million TikTok followers, says he used to film man-on-the-street interviews at BYU, his alma mater, until the school sent him a cease-and-desist letter around 2023.
Spencer, who grew up Mormon but left the church after coming out as gay in 2020, says he believes the videos strike such a chord because they show a culture many people are rarely exposed to − and one that's in stark contrast to stereotypes of other college campuses.
