# What Theyre Doing Is Very Smart But Also Very Dangerous

"What They're Doing Is Very Smart but Also Very Dangerous" is a TikTok meme format that went viral in April 2025, combining cute animal footage with a deadpan narration template set to 2slimey's "Saddest Story" and its heavy 808 beat[2]. The format parodies nature documentaries through JuggTok-style editing, with creators captioning clips of animals (and later, random subjects) doing something "very smart" but "also very dangerous"[2]. The trend quickly mutated into anti-meme inversions and verbose expansions, and spawned the slang term "gurting" to describe clever but risky behavior[1].

## Origin
On April 3, 2025, TikToker @sanchez321.2 posted a video of penguins with the caption: "See these penguins? I knew this was going to happen. What they're doing is very smart. But also very dangerous"[2]. The video used 2slimey's "Saddest Story" as its audio. Over five days, it picked up roughly 224,600 likes[2].

That same day, TikToker @hystxric uploaded a structurally identical video about two bears fighting, writing: "Look at these two bears fight. I know what's going on. What they're doing is very smart. But also very dangerous"[2]. This version pulled over 170,600 likes in five days[2]. Which of the two posted first on April 3rd is unclear[2].

- **Platform:** TikTok
- **Creator:** @sanchez321.2 (original poster, penguins version), @hystxric (original poster, bears version)
- **Date:** 2025

## Overview
The meme follows a rigid caption formula applied over animal clips or viral videos, all set to the same audio track. The full template reads: "See this [X]. I knew this was going to happen. What they're doing is very smart. But also very dangerous"[2]. The "X" slot gets swapped for whatever subject appears in the video, whether that's penguins, cats, bears, or eventually famous internet clips and memes.

What makes it work is the contrast between the serious, documentary-style narration and the completely mundane or absurd footage underneath. The meme sits at the intersection of JuggTok (a TikTok subculture built around bass-heavy audio and short comedic edits) and soft irony, functioning as a parody nature documentary[2]. The backing track, "Saddest Story" by rapper 2slimey, gives every clip an overblown dramatic weight with its distorted 808s[2].

## How It Spread
The trend took off fast. By April 5, 2025, TikToker @.yslime posted an iteration featuring a swimming cat that racked up over 357,100 likes in just three days, making it one of the biggest early hits[2].

The format quickly jumped from animal footage to existing memes and viral videos. On April 4, @rizzreaperofficial applied the template to the Devious Reptilian Backshots video, earning over 24,600 likes in four days[2]. Two days later, @botjackpot used footage from the "I Knew This Was Happening" meme, gaining more than 143,400 likes in two days[2].

The phrasal template itself started mutating. On April 6, @gyrozeppeli.com posted an anti-meme version that flipped every element of the original: "Ignore them birds. I never knew this would happen. What they're doing is very dumb. But also completely safe"[2]. That inversion got over 99,800 likes in two days[2].

By April 7, @streamslides pushed the format further with a verbose expansion about peacocks, stretching the original caption into an elaborate, overwritten version[2]. It hit over 66,200 likes in a single day[2].

The meme also generated new slang. "Gurt" and "gurting" emerged on TikTok and JuggTok as shorthand for doing something that is "very smart but also very dangerous," directly referencing the meme's catchphrase[1]. The term traces back to the "Gurt: Yo" joke (a pun on "yogurt"), but gained its current meaning through association with this trend[1].

## How to Use
The standard format works like this:
1. Find a video clip of an animal, person, or situation doing something that can be framed as both clever and risky (or, for comedic effect, something completely harmless).
2. Set the video to the "Saddest Story" audio by 2slimey.
3. Add the caption template: "See this [subject]. I knew this was going to happen. What they're doing is very smart. But also very dangerous."
4. Post to TikTok.

## Fun Facts
- The meme's two origin videos were both posted on the exact same day (April 3, 2025), and nobody knows who posted first[2].
- The swimming cat version by @.yslime outperformed both of the original videos, hitting 357,100 likes compared to the penguins' 224,600[2].
- "Gurt" as a slang term originated from an entirely separate yogurt pun before getting absorbed into this meme's vocabulary[1].
- The anti-meme inversion ("very dumb, but also completely safe") became almost as popular as the original format within days of the meme's launch[2].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is "What They're Doing Is Very Smart but Also Very Dangerous"?
It's a TikTok video meme format where creators caption animal or viral footage with a deadpan narration template: "See this [X]. I knew this was going to happen. What they're doing is very smart. But also very dangerous," set to the song "Saddest Story" by 2slimey[2].

### Where did the meme come from?
Two TikTokers, @sanchez321.2 and @hystxric, both posted the first versions on April 3, 2025, featuring penguins and bears respectively[2].

### What does the meme mean?
The humor comes from applying serious, documentary-style narration to footage that doesn't warrant it. The format parodies nature documentaries through JuggTok editing, treating ordinary or silly clips as if they show high-stakes, genius-level behavior[2].

### How do you use the meme?
Find a clip (animal footage works best), add the "Saddest Story" audio track, and write the template caption with your subject swapped in. Variations include anti-meme inversions and verbose expansions[2].

### Is the meme still popular?
As of April 2025, the meme is actively viral on TikTok, with top posts reaching hundreds of thousands of likes within days and the format still producing new mutations[2].

### What is "gurting"?
"Gurting" is slang that grew out of this meme, meaning to do something that is very smart but also very dangerous. It originated from the "Gurt: Yo" yogurt pun but gained its current meaning through the meme's catchphrase[1].

### What song is used in the meme?
The audio is "Saddest Story" by rapper 2slimey, which features overblown 808 bass that gives the videos their dramatic, overserious feel[2].

### What is an anti-meme version of this trend?
TikToker @gyrozeppeli.com created an inversion that flips every element: "Ignore them birds. I never knew this would happen. What they're doing is very dumb. But also completely safe"[2].

### Is this meme part of JuggTok?
Yes. The format blends JuggTok's bass-heavy editing style with soft irony, creating what's essentially a parody nature documentary[2].

## References
1. [who is gurt](<https://trendsmask.com/who-is-gurt-146954.html>)
2. [What They're Doing Is Very Smart but Also Very Dangerous - Know Your Meme](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-theyre-doing-is-very-smart-but-also-very-dangerous>)

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