Fainting at Supernova, distracting opponents at CEO 2026: Have Hungrybox’s pop-offs gone too far? No

The art of the pop-off has been perfected in Super Smash Bros. Melee. A grassroots scene known for its grit and passion, the sets can get quite intense, leading to some intense celebrations once someone beats a longtime rival or wins an incredibly difficult match.

One of the most iconic pop-off-ers in Smash is Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma. The raw emotion of the Jigglypuff main collapsing on the Evo stage has remained with the community. But he has also taken the art of the pop-off much further than that.

Two incidents in August have some wondering whether it has surpassed entertainment and become a real concern.

Over the past few years, there have been some very memorable Hungrybox pop-offs that have torn the community.

Five years ago, Hungrybox was streaming an online tournament with pretty low stakes. After a win, Hungrybox unleashed a super long and loud scream. It almost seemed staged. As he said, Yeah motherf-,” his eyes rolled back and he fell out of his chair. Hungrybox reacted to the moment later on his YouTube channel, seemingly unconcerned.

Fans immediately joked that Hungrybox had been “rested” by Jigglypuff, a pretty big meme-worthy moment. But others were scared for his health. It’s not like it’s normal to pass out from screaming. Was Hungrybox getting too hype for his own good?

A year later, Hungrybox competed in the Grand Finals of Get On My Level 2022 against long-time rival Cody Schwab, known as IBDW at the time. After eliminating Cody’s final stock, Hungrybox immediately jolted out of his seat.

But Cody seemed prepared for Hungrybox’s usual antics. He jumped up right along with him, jumping up and down while staring him in the face. It was clear that Cody was salty about Hungrybox’s over-the-top celebrations, especially after beating him. But the Jiggly main seemed unthreatened, staring at him coldly from behind sunglasses before patting him on the cheek.

However, Cody clearly doesn’t have what it takes to do an epic pop-off and started to appear unstable on stage. Later, he admitted he was feeling dizzy from the burst of energy. In the video, you could see him holding on to Hungrybox for support.

Even though Cody later said the moment was all in good fun between the two frenemies, the Smash community is full of extreme haters. Many felt the moment was “cringe” and “salty,” causing Cody haters to come out of the woodwork to keep attacking him. Wrote one gamer on Reddit: “I mean you can’t just create a very unusual and unexpected social situation and then just say ‘bro chill.’ People are gonna have just as unusual and unexpected responses.”

Either way, it was yet another incident where Hungrybox’s notorious pop-offs created drama in the community.

Then, there was the time he threw a chair. After an intense Jigglypuff mirror in the Grand Finals of Get On My Level X, Hungrybox jumped up from his seat, screaming in victory. His chair fell over in the process and his initial reaction was to pick it up and slam it onto the stage.

It was a meme-worthy moment that had tons of fans entertained for years to come. It was really the epitome of a raw outburst, with Hungrybox screaming on stage, his fists clenched, long after the chair had met its demise. And the FGC loves authenticity at all costs.

However, many questioned whether Hungrybox should have been allowed to potentially damage the venue’s property. Was it appropriate to include furniture in the pop-off? This became a huge talking point, with one Redditor noting: “In this moment, no harm was done. But I fear that sometime in the future, whether it’s by Hungrybox or not, a thrown chair could hurt someone on accident, maybe from bouncing the wrong way off the floor.”

Either way you look at it, Hungrybox’s pop-offs have become part of the FGC culture. It’s just what happens. Of course, the expectation of seeing a pop-off has likely led the Melee God to feel a bit of pressure to perform. It’s not just entertainment, but a show of passion, intensity, and grit. It’s the epitome of the Smash scene.

And that has led to some pretty controversial situations in the month of August.

Supernova was the largest Smash event of the year after coming back bigger than before. It’s home to the Combo Contest, an award show, and other displays of fandom beyond the main tournaments. Hungrybox was facing SluG for a spot in the Top 16 when it happened.

He stood up, looked like he was about to do something with the CRT TV, and then fell onto his back. You can see a range of emotions on onlookers’ faces. Some were entertained, some were confused, and some were concerned. Some rushed to see what was wrong.

In response to the concerning incident, Hungrybox tweeted: ” And yes, I had water and a very good lobster roll for lunch prior.”

Despite the memes and jokes, fans were becoming alarmed. This was the second time that Hungrybox had passed out from screaming while playing Melee. While it’s most definitely a mental sport, it’s not really the most active. Passing out from standing up too fast and yelling caused a lot of fans to question his health.

On August 9th, Hungrybox shared a longer message due to ongoing concern. He stated that he has lost weight recently and is exercising. He isn’t unhealthy. He added that his blood pressure is fine. He even went to a doctor after passing out the first time.

“You can’t hear it in the video too well, but I basically scream as loud as I can for an extended period of time, and that’s what caused me to faint,” Hungrybox explained. “I think if anyone tries to yell for 10 seconds straight standing up without taking a breath, they’d get dizzy too.”

Fans thanked him for the explanation and told him to stay safe. But it does raise the question: Should Hungrybox, or anyone, be screaming this dramatically? It doesn’t seem like a good thing for someone to feel pressure from the community to scream and jump around until they pass out, intentional or not.

The following week was CEO 2026. It was Cody versus Hungrybox again in the Grand Final reset, meaning tensions were extremely high. Cody apparently had food poisoning all weekend. If it’s not that, it’s his nose bleeding or controller not working. There’s always something cursed happening to this man. Anyway, the Fox main was on edge.

Hungrybox got a bit excited and started moving in his chair. This apparently caused Cody’s chair to move unexpectedly, creating a priceless reaction from the seemingly neurotic pro. He jumped in fear and then turned to look at Hungrybox, putting up his hands from the startle.

Hungrybox didn’t seem prepared for Cody’s over-the-top reaction, responding with a just as startled reaction. He looked over at Cody then continued to play, hitting Fox with an over air. Cody looked over at him in disbelief, but Hungrybox hit Fox again.

“What are you doing!?” Cody could be seen screaming.

The situation was probably one of the most unintentionally hilarious Top 8 moments of all time. Once more, however, fans quickly turned on Cody for his “overreaction,” saying plenty of negative things about his meltdown and behavior. On X, Cody explained that he had just been surprised by his chair shaking while he was so caught up in the match. “I wouldn’t have won anyway,” he said.

But, like always, this has led to a larger discussion of Hungrybox’s antics on stage. Is it okay to be this animated? Is it fair that he accidentally shook an opponent’s seat? It feels like another moment when Hungrybox’s pop-off could be seen as unsportsmanlike, even though it wasn’t intentional.

Hungrybox’s pop-offs have definitely become larger than life. They damage property, cause him to pass out, and make opponents salty. However, I think it’s just a part of the Smash scene at this point.

I am personally a fan of the over-the-top antics. As my colleague once said, the FGC is too serious and we need more showmen. We need more fun. Sure, Hungrybox should probably check his blood pressure every month. And maybe there should be some rule in place if a distraction on stage calls for a neutral rest.

But I’d never say to stop popping off. In fact, I want more of it. Throw more chairs, who cares? Just write them a check after if you need to.

I love the raw realness of the Smash scene and Hungrybox has always been a big part of it. While those pop-offs are part of his brand, they are also real. You can see the intensity during matches. You can see him holding in all of his emotions as he plays. Those pop-offs are a release after a tough match. A release after feeling like he wasn’t good enough at the previous event.

One-player games are all about improving yourself. There’s no team. It’s just you and the controller. It’s you and your ego. You are trying to prove to yourself and the community that you can do it. That traveling across the country to win $100 was worth it.

If Hungrybox wants to jump around on stage, I’m all for it.