The beloved sitcom Friends dominates the TV screens to this day. It’s become a cultural staple; so much so that there is an episode running on TV pretty much any day at any time. How well people know the show has even become a popular theme on quizzes, and a recent one sparked some debate about the theme song “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts.
Friends Still Causes Debates
The show’s theme song was a chart-topping hit and is a karaoke favorite to this day. Most die-hard Friends fans can sing it by heart, but those famous claps made themselves the center of a debate: how many are there? A recent clip from the quiz show The Wheel revealed that it’s not as simple as it seems.
On the show, celebrity baker John Whaite and a contestant were faced with the question of how many claps accompany the song. They had options for three, four, five, or six claps, and they struggled to decide. It’s surprising, considering many people believe there are way more claps than that. The contestant attempted to figure it out by singing and clapping along. At first, Whaite wasn’t pleased with his partner’s timing, and host Michael McIntyre had to ask if overlapping claps was the best strategy.
So, How Many Claps Are There?
They switched to taking turns, with Whaite starting, singing, “So no one told you life was gonna be this way… clap, clap, clap, clap.” The contestant believed it was five claps, while Whaite was confident it was four, despite the common misconception that it’s five. In the end, Whaite’s advice was considered and four claps was locked in as the final answer. After some suspense, it turned out to be the correct answer. Whaite proved himself a true Friends enthusiast.
However, viewers at home had varied opinions. Some were convinced it was more than four, with guesses ranging from five to eight claps. It’s safe to say that the debate over the number of claps in the iconic Friends theme song will go on among fans for eternity.