Category: That’s Bananas

Aliens. Florida. Naked people doing crimes. Stories so weird, dumb, or oddly impressive, you’ll wonder how they’re even real – and maybe wish they weren’t.

Olive Garden Lets You Buy Soup by the Gallon

Move over, endless breadsticks. Olive Garden fans have discovered something even more comforting—and arguably more absurd: you can buy Olive Garden soup by the gallon. Yes, a gallon. Of soup. Served in what can best be described as a bucket.

This glorious carb-heavy revelation has been making the rounds online, even though it’s technically not new. The secret? It’s hidden in plain sight on Olive Garden’s catering menu. So if you’ve ever dreamt of slurping Zuppa Toscana straight from a jug, now’s your chance.

The gallon-soup options include all the classics: Chicken & Gnocchi, Pasta e Fagioli, Minestrone, and Zuppa Toscana. You can order a full gallon or a half-gallon, and while prices vary depending on location, it’s a pretty serious deal compared to individual portions. According to Food & Wine, you could pay around $2.50 per bowl this way—versus the usual $12 when ordering soup à la carte.

Naturally, this has turned into a bit of a meal-planning hack. A full gallon serves 12 people, making it ideal for family dinners, office lunches, or a week of cozy leftovers. Just don’t expect to show up and order it dine-in.

The catering portions are strictly for takeout or delivery. So no, you can’t post up at the bar with your soup bucket and freak out the waitstaff.

There’s one catch: no breadsticks are included. You’ll need to order those separately, which feels like a missed opportunity but also a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of gallon-sized soup dreams.

The discovery is yet another example of how fast food and restaurant chains are quietly leaning into bulk-buy culture. From Costco’s legendary rotisserie chicken to Taco Bell’s Taco Party Packs, it seems like America is on a mission to make “family size” the new “regular.”

And honestly? We’re not mad about it.

So the next time you’re craving comfort food in volume, skip the drive-thru and head to Olive Garden’s catering page. Just remember to BYOB—bring your own breadsticks.

WNBA Faces Ongoing Battle With Sex Toys

The WNBA has a bizarre problem on its hands: a wave of fans throwing sex toys onto the court during games.

Over the past week and a half, arenas in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Phoenix have all dealt with these disruptions. The most recent incident came Thursday night, when an object hit the court in the final seconds of the Atlanta Dream’s win over the Chicago Sky. In Los Angeles, a tossed toy nearly struck Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during a game against the Sparks.

Police say a man in Georgia has already been arrested for two separate incidents, including the first known court hit in Atlanta on July 29. He reportedly told officers the stunt was “supposed to be a joke” meant to go viral.

He now faces four misdemeanor charges, including public indecency and indecent exposure, which could carry fines, jail time, and even sex offender registration. In Phoenix, an 18-year-old was arrested for throwing a sex toy into the crowd, striking a fan in the back. He told police it was part of a trending prank.

Security experts say these items are notoriously difficult to detect because they contain no metal, meaning arena scanners can’t pick them up. Short of full pat-downs or bag bans, it’s challenging to stop them at the door. Ty Richmond, president of Allied Universal’s event services division, says legal consequences may be the strongest deterrent.

“The decision to prosecute and show examples of how people are being handled is very important,” Richmond explained. “Without a doubt, it will make a difference.”

The WNBA has made its stance clear: anyone caught throwing objects on the court will be banned for at least a year and prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.

“The safety of everyone in our arenas remains a top priority,” the league said Friday, adding it’s working with local and federal law enforcement to pursue felony charges where applicable.

For players, it’s not just a safety issue — it’s a respect issue. “Everyone is trying to make sure the W is not a joke and it’s taken seriously, and then that happens,” Cunningham said on her podcast. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve called the trend “the latest version” of the long-standing sexualization of women in sports.

Despite arrests and league warnings, at least one crypto-based prediction market is now letting users bet on whether sex toys will appear at future WNBA games — a reminder that for some, this dangerous stunt is still being treated as entertainment.

This strange saga isn’t just a PR headache. It’s forcing the WNBA to confront both fan behavior and deeper cultural attitudes toward women’s sports — all while trying to keep the focus where it belongs: on the game.

Social media reaction from players has been blunt. Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison wrote, “ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please do better. It’s not funny. Never was funny.”

We definitely agree with her. But this meme is still funny.

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The Heinz Ketchup Smoothie Is Here… and People Don’t Hate It

Ketchup in a smoothie sounds like the culinary equivalent of wearing socks in the shower… but hear us out. Heinz and Smoothie King just teamed up to create the Heinz Tomato Ketchup Smoothie, and early taste testers are saying it’s actually… good?

The whole thing started when Smoothie King posted a cheeky teaser: “If tomatoes are a fruit… is ketchup a smoothie?” That opened the door for the most unexpected collab of the year.

Before you gag, it’s not just a cup of blended ketchup. The recipe combines strawberries, raspberries, apple juice, açai sorbet, and yes, Heinz’s signature tomato ketchup. According to a People magazine writer who tried it, the drink is “sweet and tangy” with a surprisingly smooth blend of savory and fruity flavors. In other words, it’s not a spoonful-of-condiment situation — more of a gourmet twist on the fruit-and-veg juice trend.

Food writers from multiple outlets have backed it up, saying the ketchup adds depth without overpowering the sweetness.

If you’ve ever added tomato to a fruit smoothie at home, you might get the idea… though it’s safe to say few people have done it with a squeeze bottle.

The catch? It’s only available for a limited time in select Smoothie King locations, and you’ll need to be in one of six metro areas to try it: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or New York City.

So yes, it’s part marketing stunt, part “what if?” experiment, but it’s also tapping into a growing trend of using savory flavors in sweet drinks. Think salted caramel, chili chocolate, or celery in your juice cleanse — only this one comes with a red squirt cap.

Will it become your new go-to breakfast order? Probably not. But for anyone curious (or just in it for the bragging rights on Instagram), the ketchup smoothie might be one of the least gross “weird food collabs” we’ve seen lately. And if nothing else, it proves that Heinz isn’t afraid to stir the pot… or, in this case, the blender.

Bad Apple: A Woman Set a Man’s Front Door on Fire Over $7

Most people will let it slide if you don’t pay them back for a sandwich, or your share of an Uber. But in Maryland, one woman apparently decided that $7 was worth going full supervillain.

Police say 51-year-old Janice Oney was arrested after she intentionally set a man’s front door on fire because he owed her… seven dollars. Not seven hundred. Not seventy. Seven.

The victim told authorities he’d known Janice for years. On July 3rd, she showed up at his home demanding the money. They argued, she left, and for a brief moment, it looked like that was the end of it. Spoiler: it was not.

A few minutes later, Janice allegedly returned armed with a bottle of gasoline. She poured it on his front door, lit it on fire, and then made her getaway… on a bicycle. (Because nothing says “criminal mastermind” like fleeing a blaze at 8 mph.)

Luckily, the man spotted the flames and managed to put them out before they caused serious damage.

Oney is now facing a laundry list of charges, including first- and second-degree arson, malicious burning, reckless endangerment, and destruction of property. Police didn’t say what the $7 debt was for… coffee, gas money, maybe a used lawn chair from Facebook Marketplace… but whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t worth a felony.

So the moral of the story? If Janice is on your Venmo request list, pay up immediately.

Ash-Spreading Ceremony Interrupted by Constipation Ad

Spreading a loved one’s ashes is usually a deeply emotional, solemn moment. But for one family near Seattle, their heartfelt goodbye turned into something else entirely thanks to a poorly timed Spotify ad and one extremely unfortunate sound effect.

They gathered on a boat in the Puget Sound in mid-July to honor someone they’d lost and say farewell, and they queued up a touching soundtrack for the moment – Frank Sinatra’s soaring version of “The Impossible Dream.” And that’s where things took a sharp turn.

They had the free version of Spotify

The touching moment was ruined – or depending on your perspective, improved – because the person playing the song didn’t have the ad-free version.

Just as the final note faded out and everyone was no doubt holding back tears, an ad kicked in. And not just any ad.

Cut the fart SFX!

The ad was for some sort of constipation remedy and opened with a loud, prolonged fart sound. Because nothing says rest in peace like a digital toot echoing across the water.

What followed the fart wasn’t any better. The first spoken line of the ad was “This is the quickest way to clear out stuck poop.” 💩(Whoever wrote that ad copy is one classy individual.)

They had a great sense of humor about it

Everyone on board burst into laughter, and the guy who filmed it joked later that his mom “really needs to subscribe to Spotify Premium.”

The fact that they weren’t devastated makes the whole thing strangely beautiful in its own way. A serious ceremony with a totally unserious interruption – and a reminder that even in grief, laughter can still find its way in.

The natural question from people on social media is whose ashes were they – and would they find it funny? If so, maybe it was their parting gift.

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15 Unhygienic Habits We All Secretly Do (Even Though We Know Better)

Despite surviving a global pandemic and stocking up on hand sanitizer like it was gold, it turns out many of us are still out here living like hygiene is optional. Someone on Reddit recently asked, “What’s extremely unhygienic but everyone seems to do it anyway?” The answers were equal parts horrifying and relatable.

So before you go touching your face, let’s take a grimy little tour through the gross things we’re all probably guilty of.

  1. Sticky condiment bottles at restaurants. Yep, the ketchup is basically a community petri dish. Delicious.
  2. Licking your fingers while counting money or flipping pages. We know this one is bad, but the finger-lick-flip combo lives on.
  3. Placing tortillas on top of the packaging instead of the counter. Congrats, you just upgraded your clean countertop for plastic touched by 40 different hands in the grocery store.
  4. Eating while bowling. Everyone focuses on the rental shoes, but the real horror? Bowling ball finger holes. You’re basically marinating your mozzarella sticks in germs.
  5. Using your phone on the toilet. We all do it. Then we take that same phone to bed. Sweet dreams.
  6. Neglecting to wash your sheets regularly. If your bedding smells like “vintage sleep,” it’s probably time.
  7. Plopping your suitcase on the bed. That bag’s been rolling through airport bathrooms and taxi floors. And now it’s snuggling your pillows.
  8. Wearing outside shoes indoors. Basically a parade of public restroom bacteria, now starring in your living room.
  9. Trusting ice machines. Ever seen one cleaned? Exactly.
  10. Touching gym mats with your bare skin. Bonus points if you’re also sweating buckets onto them.
  11. Letting cats roam on the counters and dinner tables. To be fair, cats go wherever they want. But maybe wipe down that surface before prepping your sandwich.
  12. Sticking unwashed hands into shared snack bags. It’s not a party until someone’s fingers go elbow-deep in the Doritos.
  13. Showing up to work or school sick. Maskless and coughing in shared spaces? A modern classic.
  14. Not washing your hands after, uh, private activities. Not great. Please wash.
  15. Buffets. Self-serve food under a sneeze guard? Bold move in a post-pandemic world.

Basically, we’re all just a walking episode of Dirty Jobs. But hey, at least we’re in this mess together. Maybe give those hands a quick rinse after reading this? Just saying.

Hate Running? Science Says Learn to Juggle

If the idea of lacing up for a run or squeezing into a crowded gym makes you break out in hives, here’s a fun alternative: try juggling. Yes, really.

According to a recent feature in The New York Post, juggling is more than just a party trick… it’s surprisingly good for your brain and body. Multiple studies are now pointing to real cognitive and physical benefits, even if you’re just juggling two balls (which, let’s be honest, is most of us).

Researchers say the act of juggling can improve hand-eye coordination, reaction time, posture, and even balance. One neuroscientist explained that it actually “changes how quickly you react to objects, how well you coordinate between two hands, and how you keep your posture under control.” Translation: you might not become a circus performer, but you will sharpen your reflexes.

And it’s not just a brain booster. Juggling counts as light physical activity. Apparently it can burn up to 280 calories an hour, about the same as a brisk walk. So yes, you can technically burn off that latte while throwing things at yourself in the living room.

What’s even more encouraging is that it doesn’t require Cirque du Soleil-level talent to see results. A 2022 study followed a group of seniors learning to juggle and found that every single one of them eventually managed to juggle three balls. It took practice, but no one was left out.

Aside from being a decent workout and a brain booster, juggling is low-impact, cheap, and can be done indoors (read: no weather excuses). Plus, it might even give you a cool party trick.

So if you’re over burpees and done pretending yoga is “relaxing,” grab a couple of tennis balls and start dropping them. Just remember: if you’re not chasing at least one ball under the couch, you’re not doing it right.

https://www.thetopicalfruit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-1166200099.mp4

A Zoo in Denmark Wants Your Pet—So They Can Feed It to a Lion

Move over, Disney. There’s a zoo in Denmark that’s rewriting The Circle of Life… and not everyone’s thrilled about it.

The Aalborg Zoo in northern Denmark just sparked a social media firestorm after a Facebook post invited the public to donate their pets – specifically so they can feed them to lions and other carnivores. Cue the outrage.

Seriously?? Who would do this??

Before you start clutching your dog or cat in horror, let’s clear something up: the zoo isn’t after Fluffy the golden retriever or Mr. Whiskers. According to its website, only healthy small animals are accepted, including rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, and – perhaps most eyebrow-raising – small horses. Yes, horses.

So what exactly is going on here? The zoo says it’s about giving their carnivores a more natural diet. Large predators in captivity, like lions, tigers, and lynxes, benefit from eating whole animals, fur and all, because it mimics what they’d consume in the wild. They argue it’s more enriching for the animals and reduces waste in the broader ecosystem. It’s not exactly a new concept in the zookeeping world, but advertising it to the public? That’s where things get a little… controversial.

Instagram is outraged

Understandably, social media users are losing it. Some are calling the policy “barbaric,” and others say they’re disturbed that anyone would part with their pet bunny or pony like it’s an expired can of soup. Memes, rage-posts, and lots of “What’s wrong with you?” comments are currently flooding the zoo’s social accounts.

But not everyone is upset

It’s not all outrage. Some folks are defending the move, calling critics “soft” and out of touch with how nature works. A few are even praising the zoo for being transparent and practical about food sourcing.

For the record, the zoo claims that any donated animals are “gently euthanized” before being offered as lunch to the apex predators, so it’s not exactly the Hunger Games happening behind the scenes.

Still, if you’ve got 10 surplus guinea pigs and you’re thinking about a donation run, be warned: the zoo has a four-animal limit per visit. You’ll have to schedule your pet purge accordingly.

The whole situation raises big questions about ethics, ecology, and the uncomfortable reality of what “feeding the animals” actually means. But one thing’s for sure: this zoo’s Facebook page is wild right now.

Courtesy of Aalborg Zoo

“Ozempic Face” Is Sending More and More People to Plastic Surgeons

Losing weight quickly might be great for your waistline, but it’s not always great for your face lines.

Thanks to the rise of drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, there’s now a new wrinkle in the weight-loss conversation—literally. It’s called “Ozempic face,” and according to some doctors, it’s driving a fresh wave of plastic surgery procedures.

While it might sound like a joke, the trend is all too real. The gist? People are dropping pounds fast on these GLP-1 medications, but their skin isn’t keeping up. The result is sagging, wrinkles, and an overall “sunken” or “aged” look that has some users sprinting from the pharmacy to the med spa.

Who coined the term “Ozempic face”?

New York-based dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank claims credit for coming up with it. (Yeah, Paul?? We want receipts!!) But whether he actually coined the term or not, he’s definitely an expert on this stuff.

According to Dr. Frank, rapid weight loss can make facial fat disappear before the skin has time to bounce back. It’s especially true for people over 40. By the time you hit your fourth decade, your skin has lost some of its elasticity… or potentially gone full catcher’s mitt.

In other words, your body gets smaller, but your face suddenly starts doing a spot-on impression of a prune. And the solution for more and more Ozempic patients seems to be a follow-up appointment with a plastic surgeon.

Not everyone needs the scalpel.

Fillers can help restore some volume, and they’re often the first option newly skinny folks opt for. But Dr. Frank says more patients are now opting for full-on facelifts or skin-tightening procedures.

“You can only refill a deflated balloon so much.“

Yeah, Dr. Frank doesn’t mince words. Though he does admit sometimes fillers can be enough.

“You can only refill a deflated balloon so much, and often surgical intervention is necessary. [But sometimes], just upping the dosage of their volume replacement is more than enough. Someone who may have used one syringe of filler in the past is now using two or three.”

“Ozempic face” is just a trendy term.

To be clear, this isn’t just an Ozempic issue. Any rapid weight loss can do this, whether it’s from dieting, surgery, or a different medication.

But with drugs like Ozempic exploding in popularity, doctors say they’re seeing a noticeable uptick in patients seeking cosmetic fixes to go along with their slimmer bodies.

The Ozempic / facelift link is just a theory… for now.

There’s no conclusive data yet tying the rise in plastic surgery procedures directly to these weight-loss drugs, but anecdotally, experts say it tracks.

For now, it’s another example of how the path to looking better sometimes comes with unexpected detours—and in this case, sometimes a knife.

The Great Calendar Glitch of 1582, Explained

No, your iPhone’s calendar isn’t broken… it’s just showing one of the weirdest quirks in modern history: the Great Calendar Glitch of 1582.

Here’s the deal. Scroll back to October 1582… notice anything different? The dates jump straight from October 4 to October 15, skipping 10 days. If you’re asking yourself why, it’s because you’re actually seeing the Gregorian calendar reform in action.

So, what happened?

Before 1582, most of Europe used the Julian calendar, which had been introduced by Julius Caesar way back in 45 BCE. Problem was, it miscalculated the solar year by about 11 minutes. That tiny error added up over centuries, slowly shifting the calendar out of sync with the seasons. Religious holidays like Easter were drifting farther and farther away from the spring equinox.

To fix it, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar, which corrected the error by tweaking the leap year rules and, yes, deleting 10 days (which became 11 in some places due to accumulated differences). So when the change took effect in parts of Europe, the calendar literally jumped overnight from October 4 to October 15 in 1582. Those in-between days? They just… never happened.

Not everyone switched right away

Catholic countries like Italy, Spain, and Portugal made the switch immediately. Protestant and Orthodox countries, however, took their sweet time. England and its colonies didn’t adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752 — by then, they had to drop 11 days instead of 10. Russia didn’t switch until 1918.

Alaska lost 11 days in 1867?

Alaska was owned by Russia until 1867. And they were still on the Julian calendar when they sold the land to the U.S. So, Alaska had to skip ahead 11 days overnight, and then they also had to repeat the same day again when the International Date Line was redrawn from the eastern border of Alaska to the western border. (Although it’s cold and dark there, so maybe they didn’t mind.)

A lot of people were not happy about it

In some places, people thought they were being robbed of days of their lives.

So yeah, your phone’s calendar is giving you a peek into one of the most quietly chaotic timekeeping changes in history. And if you were planning a birthday party for October 10, 1582… bad news. That day literally didn’t exist.

@thetopicalfruit

Why are 10 days missing?!?Comment below (wrong answers only) #calendar #mystery #fyp #whoa #October1582 #thetopicalfruit

♬ Ghosted by an Angel – Melo Nada
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