Almost everyone has had annoying teammates at least once. You know, the ones who turn group projects into an exhausting experience, acting like they’re the smartest people in the room with nothing to show for it. They make you count down the days until you never have to see them again.
This student found herself dealing with these kinds of people for weeks. She kept her head down, finished her share of the work, and resisted the urge to argue every time another smug remark came her way. By the time the project was wrapping up, she stumbled across the perfect opportunity to get even, and it was far sweeter than anyone expected.
More info: Reddit
Anyone who’s survived a group project knows that only one difficult teammate is enough to make the work unbearable
Image credits: veevc83 / Magnific (not the actual photo)
This student found herself stuck with super-annoying teammates who never stopped judging her
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Magnific (not the actual photo)
While they went on an absolutely unnecessary field trip, she stayed back to finish the work that actually counted
Image credits: rawpixel / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Their celebratory potluck gave her the perfect opportunity to serve the sweetest, most harmless revenge in the form of brownies
Image credits: Taco_
Her teammates fell in love with the fudgy flavorful brownies and begged for the recipe they were never going to get
The Original Poster (OP) was in a group project with teammates who constantly made snide remarks at her. They ridiculed her lifestyle, as they assumed they had a superior moral standing to her just because of their vegetarian ideals. As if that wasn’t enough, they insisted on turning a straightforward assignment into an over-the-top campaign about sustainable agriculture.
Things came to a head when they decided the project needed farm visits that would eat up several days of their already packed schedule. The narrator refused to follow them as she didn’t think the visits would meaningfully impact the project. While they were off on a field trip, she stayed behind to do the bulk of the work that actually made it into the finished project.
Once the assignment was over, the group celebrated with a potluck, which gave the poster a chance to get her payback. She brought a tray of homemade brownies using what she swore was the best brownie recipe ever. Predictably, everyone loved them. The tray was thoroughly wiped clean, and they were practically begging her to send them the recipe.
She happily promised she would, but never did. She would make up several excuses anytime someone reached out to ask. Even years later, she still got occasional texts from her teammates asking for the recipe. After weeks of putting up with their sour attitudes, making sure they spent the rest of their lives chasing the best brownies seemed the sweetest revenge.
Image credits: user17581499 / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Workplace and team researchers define incivility as low-intensity rude or disrespectful behavior that violates basic norms of mutual respect. While the teammates’ comments may seem minor on their own, research shows that repeated condescending remarks can gradually erode trust and cooperation within a group.
Harvard Business Review agrees that small acts of rudeness can make collaboration harder and leave teammates less willing to contribute. Good teamwork depends on more than everyone doing their own share of work; how people treat each other matters a lot as well.
In addition, respectful collaboration doesn’t necessarily require everyone to agree, but it does require basic courtesy and open communication. As Indeed’s career guide notes, strong teamwork is built on mutual respect, empathy, and awareness. These qualities are missing in the annoying teammates, and maybe they deserved the delicious payback.
Netizens couldn’t get enough of how harmless the payback was. Many called it the most wholesome revenge because nobody was hurt, and the only real consequence was the teammates spending years wondering how to recreate the best brownies they’d ever tasted. Do you think the poster took things too far, or was keeping the recipe the best way to settle the score?
Readers think that the poster's revenge is perfectly wholesome, as years later, the teammates were still asking for the recipe for the legendary brownies
