Family Clearing Out Freezer Horrified at What's Been in There for Years

A family was left stunned and ever so slightly bemused after making an unexpected discovery while clearing out their freezer.

The surprise discovery was documented on video by Ruby Summerville. "The whole family was spending a long weekend doing jobs around the house and garden," she told Newsweek. "The freezer hadn't been cleaned out since it was first bought a few years back."

Some 48 million people get sick in the U.S. every year from foodborne diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Around 128,000 of these people are hospitalized, while as many as 3,000 die.

Staying on top of what is and what isn't safe to eat is therefore of paramount importance. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that, in the case of frozen and refrigerated food, sometimes it can come down to something as simple as smell. "Anything that looks or smells suspicious should be thrown out," the FDA's official guidelines state.

Yet, when Summerville's dad came across a mysterious food item, wrapped in foil that carried with it a distinctive smell, he appeared hesitant to throw it out, and his daughter was curious to know why.

In a video shared on June 10 to TikTok under the handle rubysummerville11, she can be heard asking "what did you find?" as her dad unwraps a note that accompanied the small food item. The note carries an ominous warning that reads: "Do not eat all at once. Will f*** you up."

Summerville's dad then unwraps the foil to reveal what looks like a brownie, appearing confused if not slightly alarmed at what he finds inside.

"I knew what it was," she said. "It wasn't mine, though. It was funny to see my dad's reaction 'cause he had forgotten obviously." Summerville said her dad had received it "several years ago from a lifelong friend."

Summerville added: "I was a bit confused why I wasn't aware we had a brownie in the freezer. But I did think it would make a good TikTok."

That's certainly proven to be the case, with the clip accumulating 4.1 million views and counting. Some found it very relatable. "Same thing happened when my great aunt died," one TikTok user commented. "We shared the brownie - was a great weekend remembering her...I think."

A second wrote, "Personally I would eat the whole thing at once," while a third posted: "went to check my freezer...nope no brownies."

Summerville said she has a pretty clear idea as to why the video proved so popular. "It's obviously not staged, and it makes viewers who maybe like to smoke or have brownies feel a bit normal and better about themselves."

Summerville added that it's inspired a few people to go searching for something similar in their home. "A few of the comments mentioned them going on the hunt to find an old stash," she said.

The story had a happy ending too, with Summerville saying that her mom and dad ended up splitting the brownie: "They said it was the greatest brownie ever and are trying to find the recipe."

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