In Sept. 2025, Gabriella Carr posted the very first video of her new experiment, introducing her idea of trying to get rejected 1000 times. For Carr, the idea of the project was to apply to many things that she is passionate about, like auditions and brand deals, with the intention of being rejected. What started as a passion project to seek out new opportunities went viral, with the New York Times recently writing an article about her journey and her big Instagram following of 92.7K.
Carr, who is only 22, started this experiment to accomplish her dreams and to terminate the anxiety of trying new things and learn not to dread being told no. Things she wanted to focus on achieving included applying to auditions, pursuing brand deals and travel-related projects.
Although she only started this experiment in Sept. 2025, it has shown tremendous success. In her red journal, with “The 1000 Nos of Gabriella Carr” written across the top, she writes down everything she has applied for, and so far has received 105 nos but has had many significant yes’s. With her most recent yes being an opportunity to go to the 2026 Winter Olympics, offered by a kind stranger who came across her video of trying to get rejected by the Olympics. Other opportunities she has received include a voice-acting gig from a publishing company, a part in a play that performed 11 shows, the title of 2025 Inaugural American Natural Miss, her Dutch citizenship, and brand deals with Armani, Garnier, and L’Oréal.
Carr’s success has inspired others to also try their own versions of this project. Influencer and entrepreneur, Doaa A. Zaher, is trying to get rejected but is focusing on boosting her business, Muzzy. Another influencer, Marcus Coorrothers, set up a spreadsheet to track his status, type and stage of his experiment of applying to jobs, networking and other things he can come up with.
It is common to have rejection anxiety, especially in high school. Many students agreed that most high schoolers have a fear of being rejected and that this fear can cause people to miss out on new opportunities. Sophomore Emmy Hensley said, “I do think a lot of high schoolers have a fear of rejection, just because schools talk a lot about how important college can be, and a lot of the times students do get rejected from colleges they want to go to,” Hensley continued to talk about missed experiences from fear of rejection, “I think it can in certain situations where a lot of people will be worried that something goes wrong instead of thinking about the positives of the situation.”
Although most students said they would not try out this experiment, some said it could help them improve their mindset and gain new experiences. Junior Rachel Osterholzer mentioned that she had heard of Carr and would consider trying the passion project for herself. She said, “I have, and I do think that’s a really cool idea… because I heard from her that it led to many opportunities for her…”
What started as a way for Carr to accomplish her dreams and learn to put herself out there turned into a viral social experiment. It has inspired many people to take risks, start their own versions of the project and have the opportunity to go beyond accomplishing what they thought possible. Carr’s rejection journey is still ongoing, so if you want to see what happens next, go look at her social media accounts @gracefullygabbie.
