Sh*t Nobody Says at BU

Things you think, but wouldn’t be caught dead saying

| From BU Today | By Amy Laskowski. Video by Christine Riccio (COM’12), Allison Lynch (SHA’12), and Katie McCormick (CAS’12)

It all started with a Twitter feed. In August 2009, comedy writer Justin Halpern began posting his father’s often salty, always opinionated, observations. The site, “Sh*t My Dad Says,” became an instant sensation and morphed into an eponymous best-selling book and a short-lived CBS sitcom, starring William Shatner.

Like most popular ideas, Halpern’s creation has inspired countless knockoffs. First, there was last year’s YouTube and Twitter phenomenon “Sh*t Girls Say,” a side-splitting series of videos with guys dressed in drag repeating clichés young women frequently say, like “Twinsies!” and “Get these chips away from me!” Since its initial posting, “Sh*t Girls Say” has racked up nearly 12.5 million views. Dozens of other parodies followed, including “Sh*t Hipsters Say” and “Sh*t Cats Say.”

Perhaps it was inevitable that the phenomenon would lead to “Sh*t People Don’t Say,” sly asides of people saying things they would never be caught dead saying in real life. Capitalizing on the popularity of these videos, three BU students have produced “Sh*t Nobody Says at BU.” Created by Christine Riccio (COM’12), Allison Lynch (SHA’12), and Katie McCormick (CAS’12), the video has been viewed more than 19,000 times since they posted it to YouTube on January 29.

“Sh*t Nobody Says at BU” creators Katie McCormick (CAS’12) (from left), Christine Riccio (COM’12), and Allison Lynch (SHA’12). Photo courtesy of Christine Riccio

Lines in the video range from “Do you need print pages? Because I have a ton in my print quota!” to “Who’s Dean Elmore?” and “Nice Crocs!” Riccio says the trio spent a Sunday brainstorming, shooting, and editing, and posted the video later that evening.

“People like the ‘Sh*t People Say’ videos because there’s a truth behind each of the lines,” Riccio says. “But at the same time, we had to strike a delicate balance between not being too mean, and not saying anything offensive, including anything that could be construed as racist. We think the ‘Sh*t Nobody Says at BU’ is funnier because it’s the opposite of what you’re expecting, and we tried to think of things that only the BU campus would understand.”

The video wasn’t Riccio’s first time posting to YouTube. She began CMR Productions with her sister (a high school senior in New Jersey), and the two regularly post humorous videos they make with friends.

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