Tiger King For whatever reason, “Tiger King” was easily one of the most talked about things during the COVID-19 lockdown. The Tampa Bay-based crime documentary was watched by 34.3 million people in just its first 10 days of release. The show’s thought-provoking characters, especially Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, who operates Big Cat Rescue in Citrus Park, took the internet by storm—stirring conspiracy theories, debates and most importantly, memes. Credit: Photo via NETFLIX

Zola (2020)

Locations: Tampa, St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach, Largo
In 2015, A’Ziah King composed a Twitter thread telling a personal story about her life during a 48-hour period in Tampa Bay. The thread went viral, so much so that King’s story is now a professionally-produced movie, titled “Zola.” The film was shot in Tampa Bay and features a variety of well-known locations, like the Atlantis Gentlemen’s Club, The Ranch House Grill, Publix at Dolphin Village Shopping Center, the Westshore Grand Tampa, the Dolphin Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach, Alpine Liquors, and more.

Photo via A24

Hot property in St. Pete Tampa Bay’s housing market is on fire, literally. Back in 2019, a realtor posted a St. Pete property for sale using a picture of the house on fire. The smoking hot post went viral, so I guess this fiery technique works. Credit: Zillow

‘You know I had to do it to em’ Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso and Lucky Luciano all have one thing in common, creating works of art. The legendary “You know I had to do it to em” post, featuring Tampa-native Luciano’s pink-on-pink outfit and incredible ankle tan, is nearly eight years old. Lucky for you, you can recreate Lucky’s pose right here in Tampa—but we won’t include the address because the neighbors are already annoyed about all the people re-doing it to ‘em. You can also now buy your very own You Know I Had To Do It To Em YouTooz collectible minifigure for $29.99.

Gator in Clearwater kitchen This wouldn’t be a true Florida list if we didn’t include at least one gator break-in. This 11-foot alligator was found cooking up in a Clearwater kitchen after breaking through the window and making himself at home. If you’re new to Tampa Bay, be on the lookout for roaming gators during mating season between the months of May and June. Credit: Photo via Clearwater Police Department

The $5,000 manatee nugget That’s one high-priced piece of poultry. In 2020, a woman in Riverview posted a manatee-shaped chicken nugget for sale on her Facebook Marketplace for a whopping $5,000—listed under “collectibles” in “new” condition, of course. The post has since been removed, so there’s no telling as to if the nugget sold or eaten. Credit: Melinda Britt Disbrow/Facebook

The shark draggers Unfortunately, not all Florida natives have the same respect for our amazing wildlife. Matt Wenzel and his buddies filmed themselves dragging a live shark by a rope tied to the back of their speedboat. Online backlash ensued and Wenzel ended up receiving 10 days in Hillsborough County jail and 11 months probation. Credit: Screengrab via Facebook

Tampa’s hairless creature This cursed image surfaced the Twittersphere earlier this year and raised many questions—mostly, what is that? From a chupacabra to the dog in “Coco,” Twitter users took their best guesses at what this mysterious Tampa animal could be. A Zoo Miami spokesperson later stated that the animal is most likely a coyote with a bad case of mange, but still be cautious when walking your dog late at night. Credit: Screengrab via Blizzjuuheardd/Twitter

Tampa’s own, Chester Stone If you’ve been to Hope’s Food Store in East Tampa, odds are you’ve interacted with internet-personality Chester Stone. All day long, Stone performs jokes and creates conversations with customers coming in and out of the store. His old Instagram had over 110,000 followers and now there’s currently a fan page dedicated to his videos, @chesterstone745, with over 13,000 followers. Credit: Justin Garcia

”So long, sucker!” A Clearwater lawyer got blasted online after posting a video on Facebook of himself stranding a stowaway raccoon to die 20 miles offshore after finding him catching a ride on his boat—yelling “So long, sucker!” as the raccoon hits the water. The lawyer issued an apology following the backlash and never had charges filed against him. Credit: SCREENGRAB VIA THOMAS COPE/FACEBOOK

We're surprised you didn't pull your social media manager in middle of writing that great tweet. #NationalRoastDay— Wendy’s (@Wendys) February 11, 2021 When Wendy’s roasted the Rays Whoever runs the Wendy’s Twitter page deserves a raise after this one. The fast food chain did indeed “keep it spicy like [their] nuggs” when it roasted the Rays by referring to the team’s highly criticized decision to pull star pitcher Blake Snell in Game 6 of the World Series—a decision many believe cost the Rays the Series.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady) Tom Brady ‘retiring’ Remember that time when Tom Brady ruined Gasparilla? Whether you were a die-hard Bucs fan or simply owned a cell phone, everyone was aware when the G.O.A.T. confirmed retirement rumors that had been circling the internet hours before. Tampa Bay fans had trouble sleeping at night the next 40 days—that is until Brady announced he’d be coming back.

We're surprised you didn't pull your social media manager in middle of writing that great tweet. #NationalRoastDay— Wendy’s (@Wendys) February 11, 2021 When Wendy’s roasted the Rays Whoever runs the Wendy’s Twitter page deserves a raise after this one. The fast food chain did indeed “keep it spicy like [their] nuggs” when it roasted the Rays by referring to the team’s highly criticized decision to pull star pitcher Blake Snell in Game 6 of the World Series—a decision many believe cost the Rays the Series.

TB12’s split pants Safe to say Brady hits his squats. During 2020’s “The Match,” TB12 split his pants on national television after sinking a putt on the green, giving the internet a laugh and haters “another reason why he’s not the G.O.A.T.” excuses. Since the incident, the Bucs’ QB has launched his own athletic clothing line, BRADY—let’s hope the golf pants are better quality than the ones he wore that day.

HAPPENING NOW: Videos and photos sent into WFLA show an 'enormous' shark fin near swimmers in Clearwater Beach.https://t.co/n6yDEU6SIY— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) September 24, 2019 WFLA falls for giant shark fin prank The shark scammer strikes. After receiving multiple videos and photos of an enormous shark fin swimming along a few of Tampa Bay’s beaches, WFLA News reposted the content as breaking news. Turns out, it was just a prankster with a “two-foot” fin strapped to his back. Florida Fish and Wildlife officials later had to clarify that the apparent megalodon spotting was a hoax. Don’t forget to stingray shuffle though.

Little Fear Nicknamed after the Buccaneers’ mascot Captain Fear, Little Fear stole Tampa Bay’s heart with his Dougie dance moves and swaggish character. Little Fear, born Christian Bottger, went viral for dancing with the Bucs’ cheerleaders during the football team’s 2012 season and even appeared on NBC’s Today Show.

@marygundel #putinaticket ♬ original sound – ❤️Mary❤️ Dollar General manager fired for viral TikToks Mary Gundel, who formally managed various Dollar General locations in Tampa, was fired by the company after her TikTok videos exposing challenging working conditions went viral and garnered a revolution of sorts. The story was covered by national news outlets and even provoked a corporate response from Dollar General. “It’s about holding Dollar General responsible,” Gundel said. “We want them to change.”

pic.twitter.com/t6hM4Cdpel— Xook (@PadresGeekster) April 11, 2022 The Butt Play Ah, another butt meme. Oakland A’s Sean Murphy’s booty earned him a free base at Tropicana Field and the attention of the world when it bounced off a stray pitch from Rays’ pitcher Chris Mazza. The viral clip has since been memed by millions across social media and brought new eyes to the sport.

Jameis Winston’s “Eat a W” speech Nothing like getting your teammates hyped up by sucking on your fingers. Buccaneers’ former quarterback Famous Jameis delivered one of the most interesting—and definitely most memeable—pregame speeches in NFL history. Fun fact: they didn’t eat a W this game, they lost 30-10.

Home Depot paint fight Four grown men decided to finger paint each other in the parking lot of a Tampa Home Depot and found themselves across the internet by the end of the day. One of them even tried to use a shovel as a paint brush. This isn’t what they meant by “the world is your canvas.”

Kucherov’s shirtless postgame press conference There have been many epic Tampa Bay post game pressers, but Nikita Kucherov’s Bud Light-chugging, hairy-chested performance after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups has to rank among the best. Gotta love Kuch.

Busch Gardens’ gorilla mimicking trainer Monkey see, monkey do. Bolingo, a gorilla at Tampa’s Busch Gardens, went viral on YouTube—5.5 million views, in fact—for his hilarious, trust-building mimic routine with his trainer in which he performs handstands on the exhibit’s glass window.

Podium Guy Florida man steals podium. Parrish’s Adam Johnson, dubbed “Podium Guy,” went viral during the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot for stealing and posing with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s podium. He found himself in a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office a month later.

Fishing with Publix’s fried chicken Finally, something Florida natives and 33-inch snook can agree on: Publix’s fried chicken is delicious. This Florida man went viral for reeling in this lengthy fish off the coast of Tampa using nothing but his pole and Publix fried chicken. Publix, sponsor this guy.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by See Through Canoe (Since 2007) (@seethroughcanoecompany) Manatee fart Definitely not silent, but still deadly. St. Pete-based See Through Canoe Company posted a humorous—yet informational—video on its Instagram of a manatee letting one rip. Don’t dive in when they’re doing their business, because apparently their farts smell like rotten cabbage and sulfur.