Somethings in this life are inescapable—death, taxes, and if you spend enough time on the internet, there is no way to currently avoid the “there’s no way” meme.
Like most memes, this one started innocuously enough. TikTok user @MiaTomeo recorded the emotional reaction she and her parents had after receiving the news that she had been accepted to Tulane University. In the video, she jumps up and down and her teary-eyed dad leans in to read the computer screen, saying in disbelief, “No way. There’s no way.” She shared the video in December and for whatever reason it caught the attention and imagination of the internet and has racked up over five million likes.
@miatomeoposting bc i love these videos and this is the happiest i’ve been for a while getting into my dream school :):) #college #collegeacceptance #tulane♬ FOLLOW ME – egmacc
According to meme database KnowYourMeme.com, a few days after Mia Tomeo uploaded her video to the site, TikTok user @aaron.ps used the social media site’s duet function, which lets users interact with content posted by other users, to riff on the video posted @miatomeo. That video featured @aaron.ps’s video on the left captioned with: “Me drinking water for the first time in a week” with @miatomeo’s surprised and emotional reaction video on the right, captioned with “My organs”.
From there more and more TikTok users started to use the joyful reaction video in a variety of contexts and soon enough, a new meme was born. Now people across TikTok are using the so-called “there’s no way” reaction video to create new video collages and comedic vignettes, spreading Tomeo’s joy and excitement across the internet.
Here are just a few of the many, many creative examples:
@adambrancs♬ FOLLOW ME – egmacc
@itsahlyssai relate to this heavy miatomeo
@lalamilanWas trying to show them how to cook chicken & they freaked out 😩 with miatomeo
@heyelizaWE ARE HOME!!! katehudson007 #duet with miatomeo
@kingbachMomma raised me right. miatomeo amandacerny #comedy
@iconiccpinkk😳#duet with miatomeo #totheleft #foryou #foryoupage #dueticon #viral
@walmart1934#duet with miatomeo #fyp #foryourpage #clearance #christmas #tiktok
@thebracesguyWhen you find out braces comin’ off 🎉 #duet with miatomeo #foryou #braces (Read Bio ✌🏼)