Mediacorp actress in viral 2013 Crimewatch clip finds it cringey too

For some reason, Crimewatch has been seeing a resurgence on TikTok despite questionable standards in its script and the acting.

Just in case you aren't familiar, Crimewatch is a local docu-drama series that reenacts crimes solved by the police and has been on air since 1986.

First, it was a soundbite of "the woman was too stunned to speak" that went viral in early November.

Now, it's a 2013 clip about two ah lians arguing and TikTokers have been creating their own spin-offs by either re-creating the scene or memeing the original video.

Speaking to 8days on Dec 26, Mediacorp actress Jernelle Oh — who played one of the ah lians — said that she's not affected by netizens calling it "cringeworthy" although she did it find it cringey.

She said: "I thought I did okay when I saw it eight years ago. But now that I'm rewatching it again, at the start, I did find it cringey. But the more I see [the scene], the more I become immune to it, because the cringe part doesn't affect me anymore."

The 27-year-old, who was a finalist in Star Search 2019, added: "I think everybody has a side that is louder and ruder, it's just whether or not you'll show that side on a daily basis. So, while I was acting that role, I really let go and became the ah lian that I can find deep inside me."

Jernelle shared that she got an audition for the role because her police officer uncle knew the producer for the series.

She also revealed that this isn't the first time the clip has gotten online attention — the same episode was featured in a video by a local content creator in October last year.

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She said: "It went semi-viral, and my friends sent me that too."

Jernelle also joined in on the recent trend with her reenactment and it has garnered 1.7 million views so far.

@ohyushi

Its 2021 and your 2013 ? ah lian voice has resurfaced... ? ##foryoupage ##fyp ##funny ##sgtiktok ##tiktoksingapore ##crimewatch

♬ why not you are nothing but a - ??SG Must Watch La!

Shanice Koh — the other actress in the clip — posted a follow-up and one netizen called it "the duet we have been waiting for".

@shanicekoh31

##duet with @ohyushi here we go?##fyp ##tiktoksg

♬ why not you are nothing but a - ??SG Must Watch La!

bryanlim@asiaone.com