# Out West Challenge

> A December 2019 TikTok dance by Nicole Bloomgarden reached Fortnite and The Tonight Show.

- Owner: Nicole Bloomgarden
- Kind: Activity
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2019-12-28
- Peak date: 2020-02-13
- Spread Score: 22 (Niche), v1.2
- Mechanics: Challenge, Platform jump, Controversy

## Summary

Bloomgarden invited copies with a hashtag and a request to tag her. Ellen’s account and Hype House members joined; she asserted her authorship on February 16, before Usher’s February 29 version. The dance travelled while creator credit remained contested.

## Timeline

- 2019-12-28 — Nicole Bloomgarden (@nicolebloomgarden) (TikTok) — Bloomgarden posted her dance and asked participants to tag her and use #outwestchallenge.
- Feb 2020 — Hype House members (Retail) — Several Hype House members performed the routine at the NBA All-Star game.
- 2020-02-13 — Ellen DeGeneres (TikTok) — As #outwestchallenge began trending, Ellen DeGeneres' TikTok posted a dance video featuring @officialfikshun.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/out-west-challenge

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Out West Challenge.” Case HIS-00961. Spread Score v1.2: 22/100. Updated 2026-10-17. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00961