Shit Tyrone, Get It Together

On June 30, 2009, Jeopardy! aired Season 25, Episode #5727, and contestant Tyrone Rogers from Maryland achieved something remarkable: a score of negative $1,500. While his competitors posted positive balances, Tyrone's red number stood out like a monument to bad buzzer timing.

4chan noticed. The screenshot surfaced with a caption that would become a catchphrase: "Shit Tyrone, Get It Together." The format spread to Tumblr, where it became shorthand for any spectacular failure. Got a problem? Shit Tyrone. Made a mistake? Get it together.

The meme peaked in 2009-2010, riding the wave of early reaction image culture. Derivative images applied the phrase to fictional Tyrones and famous failures alike. Facebook pages collected the best examples. Tumblr gifsets racked up thousands of notes.

But the format had no staying power. By 2012, newer memes had replaced the simple screenshot-and-caption style. Tyrone Rogers returned to obscurity, his moment of game show misfortune preserved only in ancient forum archives.

He never did get it together. Neither did the meme.