Lexi Scherzinger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cIt irks me when people complain about others posting spoilers too soon, because why didn\u2019t you just mute the keywords or simply stay off socials until you watched if it\u2019s that important?\u201d Lexi Scherzinger, a 28-year-old in Florida, tells Yahoo.\u00a0 \u201cEither open your heart or close your phone, girlypop.\u201d<\/p>\n\nWhether it\u2019s because they don\u2019t want to be scared, they know they\u2019ll never make time to actually watch or just want to make sure they understand what\u2019s going on, there\u2019s a legion of consummate spoiler-enjoyers who browse Wikipedia, Reddit, X and YouTube to have twists ruined for them. I spoke to several of them to find out what possesses them to skip to the ending.<\/p>\n
Relief for scaredy cats<\/strong><\/h2>\nTo the anxious and easily spooked, spoilers are a relief, a way to sidestep unpleasant experiences, especially when it comes to horror movies or films and television with heavy themes.<\/p>\n
Liz, a 31-year-old living in Baltimore, doesn\u2019t love all spoilers equally. She estimates that she muted about 73 different names and words ahead of the 2021 WandaVision<\/em> finale. With horror movies, though, she doesn\u2019t mess around: She asked a friend to spoil Final Destination: Bloodlines, <\/em>which helped her decide that she could handle it in her living room, but not in a theater. She says having someone describe the ending is a lot more preferable to witnessing something unexpectedly gory on screen. \u201cWords are fine, but I don\u2019t want to see it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\nHolly Jay reads the Wikipedia plot summary for most horror movies, but other genres too. The 29-year-old Londoner also Googles whether couples end up together in any given work, and whether any dogs die.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always felt better knowing what I’m getting into and if I\u2019m going to be happy with the ending or not,\u201d Jay says. \u201cSome people hate it, and I have to pretend that I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen when watching something with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018The cure to FOMO\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt\u2019s simply not possible to watch all the content that studios and streaming services are pumping out these days, and for people who love being part of the zeitgeist, that\u2019s a nightmare. Spoilers help them keep up with pop culture without having to invest their time in something they might not even like. To Ellys Cartin, a 32-year-old in Idaho, it\u2019s like \u201cpreviewing the menu for an event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\u201cSpoilers are the cure to FOMO,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t have the time or resources to watch every show or movie I\u2019m interested in, but I also want to know enough about the ones I can\u2019t watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reading about what happens on a TV show from someone else\u2019s perspective \u201cflattens\u201d the experience, Cartin explains. She develops a weaker emotional attachment to characters, which makes her feel less disappointed that she\u2019s not actually watching.<\/p>\n
Gemma, a 27-year-old in California, loves how spoilers help her keep up with conversations at work and with her friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\u201cPersonally, I just need to know enough to understand the group chat messages. And the gifs that pop up in the work Slack.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>Gemma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cSome people enjoy shows for the surprise and the intrigue,\u201d she says. \u201cPersonally, I just need to know enough to understand the group chat messages. And the gifs that pop up in the work Slack.\u201d<\/p>\n