A chain letter began circulating online in 1999, aiming to get New Kids On The Block's 1989 music video "Hangin' Tough" on Total Request Live. The goal was to create a humorous moment. Weeks of attempted trolls filling the online ballot box led to a dilemma for TRL: succumb to the online mob or risk undermining their countdown's legitimacy.
TR(ol)L: New Kids on the Block, Total Request Live and the Chain Letter That Changed the Internet.
The internet prank of playing an old New Kids on the Block music video on MTV's "Total Request Live" in 1999 sparked a significant reaction from the show.