By Anandi

Edits and thirst traps are essentially free marketing at this point. There’s almost nothing more powerful than a five-second clip of a gorgeous fictional character sexily smirking on-screen with an obscure song in the background that randomly takes over the internet for entire weeks! And while I’m not an editor myself, I am a certified enjoyer of edits. I’ve definitely been influenced (read: emotionally held hostage) by a good one and ended up watching an entire show because of it. So, major respect to the editors out there.

So, I’m obviously qualified to rank these edits. Here’s my countdown of the most iconic TikTok thirst edits that broke the internet.

Before Gladiator, before The Last of Us, before The Mandalorian, and even before the now-iconic clip of him somberly eating a sandwich, Pedro Pascal had the entire internet in a chokehold with this. A bangin’ edit of his unforgettable portrayal of Agent Whiskey in the Kingsman franchise.

The hat, the sunglasses, the lasso, and him calling Halle Berry “sugar” in a Southern accent are just some of the reasons this blew up. With over 55 million views on TikTok, it’s undoubtedly a hall-of-fame edit—surpassed only by his legendary laughing-crying GIF from 2020

I honestly don’t know a single person who’s still hyped about Stranger Things, but if there’s one part of the show that has always delivered, it’s Steve Harrington. The man went from certified jerk to fan-favourite legend. Genuinely, one of the best character arcs ever.

This 2022 classic was everywhere! You couldn’t scroll without seeing it. Unlike some of the flashier edits on this list, it keeps it simple. I love how editing styles are like little time capsules of the era they went viral in. This one? Just a three-second clip of Steve’s epic hair, intercut with flickering lights and perfectly timed slow-motion zooms. And yet, this bad boy still racked up nearly 48 million views and 7.3 million likes. Iconic.

kcvids didn’t just make an edit; they started a movement with this jaw-dropping, peak-cinema masterpiece of Jacob Elordi in Saltburn that amassed over 23.5M views. The song choice? Absolute perfection (seriously, “Never Be Like You” by Flume was practically engineered in a lab for edits). The beat sync and choice of scenes? Euphoric. And, obviously goes without saying…Jacob Elordi is out here looking criminally fine.

I wasn’t even on the Jacob Elordi train before this, but this edit had me booking a first-class ticket. The video feels like a hypnotic fever dream- fast, fleeting, and reminiscent of a hazy summer fling.

But did you know that there was a whole controversy surrounding this edit?

This is the OG, but a dupe edit (yes, that’s a thing) by another creator actually ended up getting more views, despite being the exact same concept, song, and editing style. Tragic. That account doesn’t even have the ripoff up anymore, but we only recognise the original mastermind here, anyways!

KCvids, you will forever have my respect.

Widely known as THE “Aaron Taylor-Johnson Edit,” this masterful visual spectacle is essentially a love letter to his Calvin Klein ad (and his abs), seamlessly blended with the hauntingly seductive instrumental of Dirty Diana by Michael Jackson. This one has over 17M views. 

While this is the original and deserves all the credit, it has spawned countless spinoffs. And, in my humble opinion, one of them? Easily better.

Now, let’s talk about THAT sequel sitting at 13.6M views. This edit CHANGED LIVES. It’s rightfully regarded as “The Sequel to THE Aaron Taylor-Johnson Edit.” The choice to use clips from his Acqua di Giò perfume commercial for Giorgio Armani? A stroke of genius. The all-black-and-white aesthetic? Immaculate. And the moment he dives off that cliff just as MJ hits that high note? Superfluous.

Oh, and the comment section is an absolute goldmine. Horny women are the funniest creatures alive. I revisit it more than I’d like to admit.

Now, you might be thinking, “Why are the edits with fewer views ranked higher? Is this biased?” And to that, I say YES, absolutely. Sorry, but views don’t always equal quality, and here, we’re all about the artistry, the effort, and the undeniable IT factor. 

You know an edit is BIG when it breaks out of its niche fandom and takes over every corner of the internet like a plague. And this one? It wasn’t just big, it was a full-blown phenomenon. TikTok will forever be basically split into two eras: Before This Edit and After This Edit. With 74 million views, 6.8 million likes, and 1.8 million saves, it cemented its place in viral history and officially crowned Nicholas Alexander Chavez (who before ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ was relatively unknown) White Boy of the Month.

This wasn’t just another viral clip, rather a it was a cultural event. People were catching their partners watching it on the low, students were blasting it in class, and somehow, a college professor even worked it into her lectures. The song was inescapable—log onto any social media app, and within a minute, you’d either see the edit itself or someone talking about it.

And it didn’t just take over fandom spaces. Finance bros, casual TV watchers, people who had never even heard of the show, no one was safe. The cherry on top? His own girlfriend got in on the fun, fully embracing the chaos.

The edit reached Nicholas himself!

In an interview with People Magazine, he admitted, “I could’ve never predicted that. I’m kinda bowled over by the whole thing. I’m glad people are having fun. I became an actor because I love entertaining people. However people bond and connect with each other, it’s all sick.”

Netflix’s entire marketing team wishes they had this kind of impact. The show was already popular, but this edit didn’t just boost it, it turned Nicholas Chavez into a full-fledged superstar and made the series the talk of the town.

Is it weird that a thirst trap of an actor playing a real-life victim of sexual abuse became one of the most-watched videos on the internet? Absolutely. But if nothing else, it’s proof of just how powerful editors really are.

April 18, 2020. The world was in lockdown. People were making Dalgona coffee, debating who really killed Carole Baskin’s husband, and absolutely wrecking friendships over Among Us. And in the midst of it all was Timothée Chalamet, dancing in slow motion, etching toward us to the playful sound of Melanie Martinez.

With nearly 54 million views, this edit invented a whole new style of editing. For months, you could not escape Timmy and his moves. The ripple effect was massive, birthing an entire era of edits, including the now-iconic Steve Harrington edit, which is basically its direct descendant. Thousands of other actors have since been edited in this exact style. We love a trendsetter.

But more than just a viral moment, this edit taps into something deeper, nostalgia. The early pandemic was a scary, uncertain time, and for many, TikTok became a form of escapism. And thus, this edit became a part of that collective memory, helping people smile. I think that’s why it’s till date one of the most rewatched edits.