‘I hope he sees this and gets so embarrassed he never asks anyone again’: The viral video that accidentally became a lesson in humility

A man recently learned that mocking a stranger for their band T-shirt can backfire in the most public way possible. A viral video circulating on TikTok captures a six-second interaction where a man approached a woman sitting in a restaurant to challenge her on her music knowledge. The woman, Jo Cotrotsou, was waiting for her food while wearing a black sleeveless shirt with the words Bad Habits printed in pink.

The man approached her and demanded she name three songs by the band on her shirt. As detailed by LADbible, Cotrotsou is the lead singer of the band Bad Habits, meaning she was being quizzed about her own music. She documented the interaction by typing over the video footage: “Guys, I was casually waiting for my food wearing my band’s merch and a guy came up and asked [me] to name three songs.” Her caption simply read, “I don’t know how I should feel about this.”

The band Bad Habits, based in Athens, Greece, was established in early 2019. The group consists of Jo on vocals, Ellie on bass and vocals, Severin on lead guitar, Sellyoursouls on rhythm guitar, and Apostol on drums. Their sound is a blend of classic and punk rock, drawing from influences like The Stooges, the New York Dolls, and The Replacements. Their debut single, California, was followed by their fourth single, Not My Call, released by June 10, 2021, with the band accumulating over 14,000 followers on TikTok since.

The comment section did not let the moment go quietly

The TikTok video was flooded with reactions. One user wrote, “People actually do this irl?? That’s so embarrassing for them,” while another added, “I hope he sees this and gets so embarrassed he never asks anyone to name 3 songs again.” Many suggested Cotrotsou should have turned the tables entirely, with one commenter writing, “You should have said, ‘name the band members.'”

Other viewers shared their own experiences with similar encounters, and amid a wave of viral restaurant moments gaining traction online, including an Arizona man’s steak dispute that drew comparable attention this week, this one stood out for its irony. Several commenters noted they had stopped wearing band shirts entirely because of interactions like this. One user recalled a school principal doing the same thing when they wore a Nirvana shirt.

Bad Habits has spent years moving through genres from acoustic pop to hardcore punk before settling on their current rock style. Their TikTok following has grown steadily, a dynamic not unlike the Instagram follower swings that have made headlines this week across social platforms. The band’s video caption, “I don’t know how I should feel about this,” has since become the most-quoted line in the comment section.