Teen’s Quest for Free Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets May Break Twitter
The Internet is here to help make sure this kid keeps his stomach -- and his wallet -- full.
Carter Wilkerson, 16, is a high school student from Reno, Nev. who is trying to score free chicken nuggets from Wendy's for a year by getting 18 million retweets.
Yes, 18 million, which blows away the most retweeted tweet of all-time. More on that in a minute.
Here's how the whole thing went down. Wilkerson tweeted at the fast food chain and got a response, propelling him to rise to the challenge. And they say teens are lazy?
Eighteen million retweets would shatter the record, currently owned by Ellen DeGeneres and her epic Oscars selfie from a few years back.
Wilkerson is now on the case, trying to rally support from other Twitter users.
Wilkerson, meanwhile, is enjoying the attention. “It’s pretty exciting," he told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "I’m one of those people who isn't usually looking for attention. But since it started, it’s been pretty cool. In school, it’s fun because everyone knows about it.”
He's also surprised how this whole things has turned him into a superstar. "I sent out the tweet as a joke, but then they responded with the outrageous number," he said. "I thought 'Consider it done' would be funny among my friend group. Then I put the screen shot up and it started gaining momentum."
Momentum, indeed. Everyone on Twitter, it seems, is cheering on Wilkerson, as the hashtag #NuggsForCarter has taken off. Even United, which is in the midst of a PR nightmare, is cheering him on (although, to be fair, it sent out its tweet before the scandal erupted).
Several other big names have also joined the cause.