On a fateful March evening in 2025, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon gifted the world a musical spectacle so absurdly delightful it could only be described as a fever dream set to a karaoke track. The Triple Thru-Et Challenge, featuring Jimmy Fallon, Nick Jonas, and Adrienne Warren, wasn’t just a game—it was a chaotic, word-alternating sing-along that left audiences laughing, cringing, and humming “Mr. Brightside” in a way they never thought possible. Buckle up, because this is the story of three vocal powerhouses trying to navigate a musical obstacle course with the grace of a toddler on roller skates.
Picture the scene: the iconic Tonight Show stage, bathed in neon lights, with Jimmy Fallon, the king of late-night shenanigans, standing alongside pop heartthrob Nick Jonas and Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation Adrienne Warren. The premise of the Triple Thru-Et Challenge is deceptively simple: each participant takes turns singing one word of a song, cycling through all three until the tune is either gloriously completed or hilariously derailed. The songs? Classics like The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” The result? A glorious mess that’s equal parts musical genius and comedic trainwreck.
Let’s start with Jimmy. The man’s no stranger to ridiculous games—his Tonight Show resume boasts everything from lip-sync battles to egg roulette. But the Triple Thru-Et Challenge pushed even his boundless enthusiasm to the limit. With his trademark grin and a glint of mischief in his eyes, Jimmy dove into the first song, “Mr. Brightside,” like a kid cannonballing into a pool. His job was to kick off each line, which sounds easy until you realize he’s trying to keep up with Nick Jonas, who sings like he’s auditioning for the role of “Greek God of Pop,” and Adrienne Warren, whose voice could probably summon angels. Jimmy’s delivery was less “pitch-perfect” and more “guy who sings in the shower and thinks he’s nailing it.” He’d belt out a word, then immediately look like he was second-guessing his life choices as Nick and Adrienne followed with laser precision.
Nick Jonas, looking like he just stepped out of a cologne ad, brought his A-game. The former Jonas Brother and current Broadway star (he’s starring in The Last Five Years with Adrienne, by the way) has pipes that could make a microphone blush. But even Nick wasn’t immune to the chaos of the Triple Thru-Et. Every time it was his turn to sing a single word, you could see the gears turning in his head, like he was solving a musical Sudoku puzzle. “Jealousy…” he’d sing, only for Adrienne to swoop in with “turning…” and Jimmy to nearly choke on “saints…” The man deserves a medal for keeping a straight face while Jimmy flailed like a Muppet on a sugar high.
And then there’s Adrienne Warren, the Broadway dynamo who can belt a note so powerful it could probably knock the socks off a statue. Fresh off her Tony-winning performance and gearing up for The Last Five Years with Nick, Adrienne approached the challenge with the poise of a seasoned pro and the enthusiasm of someone who knows they’re about to steal the show. Her words in the song were delivered with such clarity and gusto that you almost forgot she was only singing every third syllable. When the trio tackled “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Adrienne’s contributions were like little vocal fireworks, exploding with precision while Jimmy and Nick scrambled to keep up. She was the anchor, the MVP, the one who made you think, “Okay, maybe this game isn’t completely unhinged.” Spoiler: it was.
The real comedy gold came from the sheer absurdity of the format. Singing one word at a time is like trying to assemble IKEA furniture with two other people and only one screwdriver. The transitions were clunky, the timing was off, and the laughter was unstoppable. At one point, Jimmy got so caught up in the moment that he started dancing like he was auditioning for a Bon Jovi music video, complete with air guitar and a questionable hair flip. Nick, ever the cool cat, tried to stay focused but couldn’t help cracking a smile when Jimmy accidentally skipped a word, throwing the whole trio into a musical tailspin. Adrienne, bless her, just powered through, probably wondering how she went from Broadway to this glorious nonsense.
The audience, both in the studio and at home, ate it up. Social media lit up with clips of the trio’s performance, with fans on X calling it everything from “the funniest thing I’ve seen all year” to “a crime against music, but make it iconic.” One user summed it up perfectly: “Jimmy Fallon turning ‘Mr. Brightside’ into a musical relay race is the chaos I didn’t know I needed.” The game wasn’t just a test of singing ability—it was a test of teamwork, timing, and the ability to not collapse into giggles when your co-star sounds like they’re gargling the lyrics.
By the time the segment wrapped, the trio had mangled two rock anthems, shared a few high-fives, and left the audience in stitches. Jimmy, ever the showman, declared it a tie, because apparently, there’s no loser when everyone’s having this much fun. Nick and Adrienne, fresh off their Last Five Years performance of “The Next Ten Minutes” earlier in the show, proved they could handle both serious artistry and Fallon’s brand of late-night lunacy. It was a reminder that The Tonight Show thrives on moments like these—where celebrities let their guard down, embrace the ridiculous, and remind us all that sometimes, the best way to enjoy music is to laugh at it.
So, what’s the takeaway from the Triple Thru-Et Challenge? It’s not about hitting every note or nailing every word. It’s about three ridiculously talented people diving headfirst into a game that’s equal parts absurd and endearing. Jimmy Fallon, Nick Jonas, and Adrienne Warren didn’t just play a game—they created a moment that’ll be replayed, memed, and cherished for years to come. And if you ever find yourself trying to sing “Livin’ on a Prayer” one word at a time with your friends, just remember: it’s harder than it looks, and you’ll probably need Adrienne Warren to bail you out.
Stream the full hilarity on Peacock or catch the clips on YouTube. Your sides will thank you.