TikTok Is Very Skeptical Of 'Skittles Popcorn'

After filming a skittles popcorn hack on their iconic show "Live with Kelly and Ryan,"Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest were quick to post the social media-perfect trick to TikTok. But what should have been a viral snack-attack recipe was met with more commenters questioning the candy popcorn combo than praising it. This might have you confused — surely the idea of throwing skittles into popcorn isn't a crazy one? However, Ripa, who was in charge of making the snack in the clip, wasn't just combining the candy with pre-popped popcorn: She was melting skittles into the kernels as they popped.

Indeed, Ripa claims you can create a rainbow of a salty treat by mixing in oil, one color of skittles at a time, and popcorn kernels in a bowl. Then, she stated foodies should throw the combined ingredients into a covered pan until the kernels are fully popped, to end up with a skittles-flavored treat. However, despite Ripa's claims, the users of TikTok aren't convinced the trick actually works. And for good reason.

The video's comment section is flooded with TikTokers insisting the "Live with Kelly and Ryan Show" hack is a copout. "THIS DOESN'T WORK OML," cries one user. "Try it didn't work burn taste in the trash it went," stated another.

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Making Skittles popcorn for our After Oscar Show this Monday!

♬ BARELY BREATHING – Grant Averill

And it turns out that the TikTokers who gave the hack a go, only to be left with burnt popcorn, is not alone. In fact, Ann Reardon, known for debunking internet trends on her YouTube channel How to Cook That, felt the need to attempt the trick way back in 2020. The verdict? The skittles will likely burn before the kernels are fully popped. However, despite this, How to Cook That did verify that the whole skittles and popcorn concept still has the potential to work.

While the "Live with Kelly and Ryan Show" commented that you should roast your snack on medium heat to prevent it from burning, How to Cook That reported that it would be best to throw out the idea of popping kernels with skittles and oil altogether. Instead, to make skittles popcorn, Raerdon insisted cooks should melt butter, skittles, and corn syrup together in a pot before throwing in pre-popped popcorn. Then, after the treat is coated, cooks can bake dry the pieces in the oven before enjoying a non-burned snack.

As How to Cook That noted in their video debunking the viral skittles popcorn, the reason why the trick will likely not work is because the sugar in the candy is prone to burning fast. So when you see someone online melting a sugary treat and popcorn kernels together on the stovetop, know that the hack that will also probably end up setting off your fire alarm. As two TikTokers proved, the viral chocolate-popcorn trick that involved melting a candy bar over kernels likely won't work either. And, as another user showcased, that seems to also be true for a hack that insisted TikTokers pop the snack in melted caramel candy.

However, just like the skittles popcorn trick, that doesn't mean making caramel or chocolate popcorn at home is out of reach. To enjoy popcorn coated with a chocolate topping, one TikToker reports you only need to melt the sugary part of the treat by itself first, before coating your popcorn with the sweet topping and allowing it to harden in the fridge. If you're after caramel popcorn, try making your own caramel by boiling water, sugar, oil, and butter together, before adding it to your popcorn and putting the snack in the oven to harden.