“That Backfired” — Man Takes Video to Prove to Wife They’re out of Toilet Paper

There are some struggles our species has faced since the dawn of time. Our constant pursuit of finding the meaning of life is chief among them. Striking a balance between the advancement of our own kind while not succumbing to the comforts we've created along the way is another.

A close third, however, is why men in relationships just can't seem to find anything. Ever.

TikToker Jonathan Curtis (@jonathancurtis9) believed he defied the odds, however, after telling his wife that their home was out of toilet paper. So sure was he of this assessment that when she prompted him to return to the garage where they store their surplus household items, he recorded his journey as proof of this massive feat. Finally, he, and maybe men everywhere, would be vindicated.

He documented what was sure to be a momentous occasion in a viral TikTok that's accrued over 1 million views.

"When you have to prove to your wife there is no more toilet paper in the garage," a text overlay in Jonathan's video reads. He records himself on this verification mission — he traverses the concrete walkway and opens the door to the garage.

Next, he flicks on the light and he can be heard saying, "Let's see what we got up here."

After taking a look at the wares in his garage, one could probably understand why his wife was so adamant about him checking the premises. They've got a good supply of canned sodas, diapers, disposable plates, Ziploc bags, and other various and sundry items.

"Huggies, Ziplocs, presents that need to be wrapped. Nothing, nothing, nothing," he says. So far, it seems that his assessment of the toilet paper situation in their household was on the money. But then, deeper into the garage, high up on the shelf, was an entire package of Quilted Northern bathroom tissue.

"Oh look at that right there that I didn't see, never mind," he says, acknowledging defeat and that she was indeed, correct in her estimation of the household goods supply chain.

Jonathan wrote in a caption for his TikTok that he recorded his return venture in the garage because he was so sure of himself. However, his early celebration proved to be in vain.

"Went to the garage to grab some toilet paper … but all I found was a pack of paper towels on the top shelf. Told my wife, she didn’t believe me, so I went back with my phone to prove her wrong. Let’s just say … things didn’t go as planned."

According to a 2020 piece by Herald-Mail Media, however, there could be an innate genetic reason as to why women are so much better at locating and keeping stock of things while many men aren't.

This is largely attributed to the "hunter-gatherer hypothesis" which is predicated on the basis that in the early days of our species, men would hunt big game while women would gather and forage for food.

The implications of these activities and early social structures of humanity persisted for hundreds of thousands of years.

As a result, men evolved to be singularly focused in pressurized situations requiring fast-twitch muscle responses and split-second decision-making. So early homo-sapiens could work together as a unit to strategically throw rocks and sharpened sticks at a woolly mammoth until it died to ensure they and their unit could eat.

Today, those same instincts are channeled into playing Call of Duty. Women, on the other hand, developed mental faculties for quickly identifying objects down to extremely nuanced details among a sea of foliage, adeptly marking whether or not a plant would kill them and their loved ones or provide the nourishment they'd need.

Now, it's to remind their loved ones that no, they're sure there's toilet paper in the garage because they stocked up when it was on sale and it's not like toilet paper ever goes bad.

There have been challenges to the hunter-gatherer hypothesis, however. Science Direct performed assessments on male and female subjects to determine "gathering skills."

In many of the tests, men outperformed women. Some researchers have also stated that in early human times, similar to the way lion tribes function today, women were actually quite adept at taking down big game, too. Conversely, this Research Gate did publish data with its own test results of male and female subjects that strongly support the hunter-gatherer hypothesis.

While these contradicting findings may frustrate some, at least you can take solace in the fact that one way or the other, you can send a study to your loved one when you could've sworn there were no more chips in the pantry when you checked it the first time. Or if you want to tell your man that there's no excuse for him to be as bad at finding things as he is.