+
upworthy
Pop Culture

Behold 'watermelon pizza,' TikTok's latest and weirdest food trend

Suddenly pineapple doesn't feel so controversial.

watermelon pizza, watermelon pizza TikTok
Canva

Would you try it?

Just when you think that all flavors of pizza have been created, guess again. A new version has rolled out and it’s taking the internet by storm.

Its name? Watermelon pizza. You read that right. Watermelon + pizza. It’s a thing.

watermelon pizza TikTokWatermelon Sugar GIF by Harry StylesGiphy

You might be picturing watermelon as the topping in this unique dish—much like its fruity predecessor, the pineapple. But no. As the creator of watermelon pizza, Oliver Paterson, reveals in his now viral TikTok, the juicy fruit actually serves as the crust.

There are a few key details that make this recipe work, as Paterson, known on TikTok as @elburritomonster, explained to Fox News.


First, the watermelon has to be grilled on both sides for five minutes prior to toppings, to “remove as much moisture as possible to avoid a soggy mess,” according to Paterson.


It’s also “vital” to substitute the standard tomato-based sauce with barbecue sauce, as “BBQ is already a tried and tested flavor combination with watermelon.” (I for one did not know this to be true, but sweet and tangy is a pretty unbeatable combo.)

@elburritomonster

I can’t actually recommend this enough

♬ Watermelon Sugar - Paul Moonlight

Lastly, Paterson swaps out chorizo for the usual pepperoni. Then, voila. You have a dish that “tastes sweet and smoky, with fatty salty richness,” he told Fox News.

However, get just one of these three things wrong and the results are less than fruitful. This was the case for Domino’s Pizza in Australia when it tried and hilariously failed to recreate Paterson’s recipe in its own TikTok video.

@dominosau

Y’all keep asking us for a low carb option 😏🍕Nah fr when we saw @elburritomonster make a watermelon pizza, we HAD to give it a go.

♬ original sound - Domino’s Australia

Unsurprisingly, watermelon pizza has sparked a heated culinary debate online. Comments were across the board on this one, ranging between “I’m calling 911” to “I mean… add melted cheese to anything and it would be delicious.”

No one seems to agree on the legitimacy of this new flavor combination. Still, watermelon has undoubtedly done the impossible—using it for pizza has put an end to the war on pineapple.

“Suddenly pineapple on pizza isn’t so bad,” one person admitted in the comments.

Another conceded, “Pineapple on pizza is normal compared to this.”

There you have it, folks. Watermelon isn’t just for outdoor picnics and a Harry Styles song. Not anymore.

Paterson seems to know a thing or two about creating quirky snack options. His TikTok is an online buffet of unique food creations—in particular, epic burritos.

You name it, and the guy has somehow turned it into a burrito. I’m not kidding.

Like this Scotch egg burrito:

@elburritomonster

Would you eat a Chorizo Scotch Egg and Chicken Burrito? 😅

♬ Gone up in Flames - Morning Runner

Why choose between a Scotch egg and a burrito, when you can have both?

Or this made-with-leftovers burrito:

@elburritomonster

Best use of leftover KFC 😋

♬ Paper Planes - M.I.A.

Un-clucking-believable.

And here's beef Wellington in burrito form:

@elburritomonster

Have a look at the recipe if you’re in the mood for a ✨ fancy✨ Beef Welly Burrito 😁

♬ original sound - Elburritomonster

The cooking instructions are sung to Billie Eilish, no less.

As for his watermelon pizza, it might become a passing internet trend, as so many things on TikTok are. Or, it might surpass the Hawaiian, who knows? The only thing to know for sure is that life is about all kinds of experimentation.

Family

Woman goes to huge lengths to adopt husband's ex-wife's baby to save him from foster care

She had lived in foster care and didn't want it for the newborn with no name.

Christie Werts and her son, Levi


Christie and Wesley Werts have taken the idea of a blended family to the next level. When the couple fell in love five years ago and married, they brought together her children, Megan and Vance, and his children, Austin and Dakota.

As of January, the Ohio family has five children after adopting young Levi, 2. Levi is the son of Wesley’s ex-wife, who passed away four days after the child was born. The ex-wife had the boy prematurely, at 33 weeks, and died soon after from drug addiction and complications of COVID-19.

When Levi was born, he was a ward of the state with no first name or birth certificate.

Keep ReadingShow less
Music

Beyoncé’s cover of ‘Blackbird’ has fans praising Paul McCartney after learning its true meaning

"I already loved Blackbird, and this cover, but knowing this history makes it so much more meaningful."

Beyoncé photo by Blair Caldwell via Beyoncé Press/Paul McCartney by Melissa Lopes via Flickr

Beyoncé covers "Blackbird' and fans are praising Paul McCartney

Beyoncé released a new album recently and unless you've been asleep for the past few weeks, you've likely heard about it. While everyone knew she was going to make a more significant splash into the country music genre, the details of the album were scarce until it's release. To many people's surprise it wasn't simply a country album, it was a genre bender that somehow seamlessly transitioned country, pop, R&B and rap all in one album, Cowboy Carter.

Country music legends like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton made an appearance, with Parton introducing Beyoncé's cover of her infamous song "Jolene." While the spin on that country classic has the internet abuzz over the lyric changes that take the singer from begging to assertively telling Jolene to stay away, it's "Blackbird" that many can't get enough of.

"Blackbird" was originally written by Paul McCartney and sung by a little band he was in named The Beatles. Maybe you've heard of them. The song topped the charts in the 60s and will likely make its way to the charts again with Queen Bey's cover of it. But it's the meaning behind the song that has people talking.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

When a newborn lamb was rejected by her mother, the family dog stepped in to nurture her

A mother's urge to care for a baby is one of the strongest instincts in the animal kingdom

@oliviajaneakers/TikTok (used with permission)

Max took over when Beau's mom refused to care for her.


A mother's urge to care for a baby is one of the strongest instincts in the animal kingdom, but sometimes something somewhere along the line goes haywire. Occasionally, a mom will reject its offspring, refusing to nurture or feed or care for it in any way.

That's what happened to baby Beau, a lamb born to a sheep on Olivia Akers' farm.

"Beau’s mom didn’t want to be a mom. I don’t have an exact answer as to why," Akers shared on Instagram. "I tried EVERYTHING under the sun to get her to accept Beau. Rubbing the placenta for scent, also tried with her milk, giving them time in close quarters. She got progressively more violent, telling me she didn’t want to do this. So I listened."

Keep ReadingShow less

Ramy Youssef at the 2017 MPAC Media Awards

Actor and comedian Ramy Youssef pulled off an incredible feat in his March 30, 2024 Saturday Night Live appearance, mixing religion, politics and humor in a way that disarmed and united people. Some people are calling it one of the best SNL monologues ever, and it's genuinely impressive to watch.

How often have you seen someone manage to talk about religion, prayer, the upcoming election, and something like the bombardment of Palestine in a way that isn't offensive, obnoxious, or overwrought and that's also funny? Never, right?

Youssef somehow did all of that in an 8-minute stand-up comedy routine that was equal parts warm, genuine, heartfelt and humorous.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Couple lives permanently on cruise ships because it costs ‘half’ the price of life on land

"We now have a telephone bill, a ship bill and a few credit card bills for when we go ashore, but that's it.”

A white cruise ship crosses the sea.

Given the rapidly changing cost of living in the United States, lifestyle options that once seemed luxurious are now starting to look like good deals. A growing trend is that retirees are choosing to spend their golden years on cruise ships instead of living in a retirement community.

The latest examples of this trend are John, 76, and Melody Hennessee, 64. Before retiring, John was a doctor and the couple also owned an art gallery in Stuart, Florida. In 2021, the couple sold everything and purchased an RV to see the country, but after a few years, they were exhausted.

“The constant maintenance, fueling, and planning,” he told Realtor.com.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Why Beyonce's 'Protector' song has parents bawling

"Beyonce you gonna need to start paying for my therapy cause the way these tears are flowing."

Beyoncé/Youtube

Brb, grabbing tissues.

Not even 24 hours after its release, Beyoncé’s soulful, genre-bending “Cowboy Carter” album broke records on Spotify, becoming the platform’s most-streamed album in a single day so far this year.

With 27 tracks—ranging from thought-provoking covers to an eclectic array of originals—there’s a little something for everyone. There’s even a more whoopass version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.

But there’s one tune in particular that’s striking a cord with parents. Not to mention making them shed a few tears.

Keep ReadingShow less