I fell into this YouTube rabbit hole of disgraced YouTubers

[Lance Uppercut]

It’s, interesting, sad, and educational. I think every young person should watch them, especially if they have dreams of being some kind of famous. but damn…being an influencer seems like it sucks.

Mostly videos by this guy V2 or Wavywebsurg or penguinzero

youtu.be/k2iTmdU0fyM

Constantly trying to go viral, and if you do, constantly trying to chase that high and stay relevant. The constant pressure to keep creating. If you find some success you’re either boxed into your genre and unable do anything else, or you gotta keep evolving as trends change. Then one day, after your views and subscribers fall, you find yourself at 40 with no other life skills or work experience cause you spent your youth on YouTube/twitch/Instagram. And the slightest slip and everyone’s out to cancel you. People keep receipts and they can find anything.

While not at the same level of infamy as the YouTubers I saw (and knew nothing about beforehand), it made me think of the YouTubers I do know.

Man, 4 years ago, Doug walker had a pretty decent reputation. Now, after the change the channel thing, he’s getting ripped apart.

I always thought James Rolfe was pretty in the clear of controversy. But everyone hates those screen wave guys and people always talking how his videos aren’t good anymore and his credibility is a bit damaged after admitting one of his monster madness videos “accidentally plagiarized” another review. Not to mention complaints about Rex viper videos. I always like most of his attempts to diversify (ex board James, rental reviews) while staying true to his old stuff like Avgn and his movie reviews. Though I gotta say, that podcast was pointless.

Irate gamer keeps on retiring and coming back. And last I saw, his live streams and podcast were giving angry old man vibes complaint about woke culture and media and conspiracy theories.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Not so much disgraced, since she was never "in grace" to begin with, but it was incredibly satisfying to see the woman whose only real talent is finding new ways to get upset by Brie Larson's mere existence get dunked on by the very people she was trying to be like.

[thechase]

A recent takedown of Mr H Reviews by Doctor Who fan MrTARDIS, if you scroll the comments, you'll find a number of former Mr H fans who used to sub to his patreon and enjoyed his analysis of Alien and Predator movies...until he began to focus too much on the court battles with Amber and Johnny and from there snowballing into full anti-woke campaigning, which turned them off of his brand.

[Lance Uppercut]

OH man, it's only been a month and now some of the "video essay" youtubers I got hooked on are being called out by other youtubers trying to cancel them.

I swear, some of these people, just love hearing themselves talk and think they sound so smart.

Also, back during the whole Channel Awesome backlash, I saw one guy tear apart a nostalgia critic and it was as long as the original video. Then he plugged his patreon where he would do more if people paid him. I'm like "these people hate these 'problematic' youtubers but clearly leaching off them by making videos about them". It's like the equivalent of a reaction video of a reaction video.

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

TvTropes' "overshadowed by controversy" and "role ending misdemeanor" pages for web original content is some crazy stuff.

[Joker]

Oh Channel Awesome I remember when that was riding such a high and then it all disintegrated, I didn't know Doug was still active. I still follow Todd in Shadows and Cinema Snob's stuff.

Honestly for me I prefer when content creators just stick to the niche they are passionate about. If they start going off on tangents, bring up personal life stuff or other things replace the bread and butter that brought them to attention, I kind of wonder if they were truly passionate about it in the first place.

Consistency helps a lot with my viewing: Maximilian Dood, Dice Tower, Guerrilla Miniature Games, Tolarian Community College (The Prof) and Tabletop Minions are all solid, consistent and although I don't watch everything they cover I can dip in on topics I like.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

I appreciate the increasing trend of people trying to prevent themselves being cancelled who were never relevant in the first place.

[Deleted]

Turkey Tom is another channel I think you would enjoy, it's the same kind of thing.

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

~looks into camera~

SIGH

"Guys, I never wanted to make this video...some things came up from my past I'm not proud of..."

[Alexander The So-so]

I highly recommend the channel Joon The King for this kind of content. He’s covered a lot of the, erm, “greats.” Wings of Redemption, Doug Walker, Mumkey Jones, Shane Dawson, and more.

Fredrik Knudsen of Down The Rabbit Hole also made great videos on DarksydePhil, Wings of Redemption, Noah Antwiler, and Terry A. Davis of TempleOS infamy.

[The Ichi]

In fairness RE: James Rolfe, his controversy mostly had to do with the Screen Wave guys latching onto him. James himself is still going strong to the point that people that do try to get angry at him can't find any dirt on him besides the fact that he's...balding?

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

Mar 14, 2023 4:46:21 GMT -5 Lance Uppercut said:

Irate gamer keeps on retiring and coming back. And last I saw, his live streams and podcast were giving angry old man vibes complaint about woke culture and media and conspiracy theories.

Damn, this guy is like herpes

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

May 3, 2023 15:21:15 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

In fairness RE: James Rolfe, his controversy mostly had to do with the Screen Wave guys latching onto him. James himself is still going strong to the point that people that do try to get angry at him can't find any dirt on him besides the fact that he's...balding?

Lady Emily did a GREAT video about the backlash to AVGN. James himself seems to be a pretty cool, well adjusted dude. There's just something... Off about the screensaver people. Especially that Justin Silverman guy (who also once invited f***ing Chris Chan to a convention fully intending for Chris to humiliate herself, which she did).

[The Captain]

Mar 14, 2023 5:40:49 GMT -5 Mighty Attack Tribble said:

Not so much disgraced, since she was never "in grace" to begin with, but it was incredibly satisfying to see the woman whose only real talent is finding new ways to get upset by Brie Larson's mere existence get dunked on by the very people she was trying to be like.

Always fun to see a pick-me get destroyed by the very people she was trying to attract.

[Lizuka #BLM]

On the Channel Awesome stuff it feels like the real unsung person who paid for that whole thing is Brad Jones. His videos usually barely get any views at all these days, with a very clear pattern since it happened of him just desperately trying new formats to try to find a new audience and none of it working, and he makes a fraction of the money people like Phelous and Todd do on Patreon. Just feels like he completely fell off from really being on anyone's radar in any meaningful capacity.

And it sucks since I used to watch his stuff pretty religiously and he was often a go-to for when I needed something for noise but he kind of just showed his ass so thoroughly during that whole thing that I haven't watched him in years and have no real desire to ever again.

Though he also scammed me once on a Kickstarter so that's fun.

[tirtefaa]

May 3, 2023 15:21:15 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

In fairness RE: James Rolfe, his controversy mostly had to do with the Screen Wave guys latching onto him. James himself is still going strong to the point that people that do try to get angry at him can't find any dirt on him besides the fact that he's...balding?

I think it's more than the Screenwave guys.

Overall, a lot of it I think comes down to complacency. While any creator is going to have a certain formula to them, I'd say that for AVGN, it's regressed. James has shown that he's capable of finding ways to freshen up the act or doing something that makes the episode unique, but I can't tell you the last time he has come close to that.

For years, James essentially said that he wrote all his material, but when the Monster Madness plagiarism incident came to light, he did everything he could to shift the blame off himself.

Truthfully, I actually don't blame him for the plagiarism thing, but it brought up a lot questions. For a guy as seasoned as he is, and having help with the writing side of things, why isn't there more/better content coming out? For AVGN alone, he does maybe 4 or 5 a year, and none of them I would say are of good quality in terms of the writing. And don't tell me it's the game capture either, since most games he's reviewed don't take much time to beat.

And this ties into the final thing, his shooting setup. James is easily one of the most prominent YouTubers out there, and he still insists on shooting in his basement. He's shown the ridiculous hodge podge of lights and camera set ups he's done, something that could understandably be a nightmare given the location. Why not have a studio? Don't tell me you can't afford it! This would solve a large number of issues, and cut down on the amount of time it takes to set up everything.

This was really frustrating to see a few years ago when he was showing the behind the scenes of the Shrek episode, where he was tied up with the onion in his mouth and it kept falling out...yet James was shooting all of this on his own. WHY? That is beyond absurd. I can't believe a guy that has nearly 4 million subscribers is THIS amateur. Maybe he enjoys making it difficult on himself, but at this stage, he should be doing better. And the best way to solve that is get out of your comfort zone and make the changes that are going to lead to better quality overall.

This isn't an attack on James the person, who seems like a nice guy. But he's his own worst enemy with his approach to his content.

[Sigma: Current SRW Champ!]

May 3, 2023 16:14:47 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

May 3, 2023 15:21:15 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

In fairness RE: James Rolfe, his controversy mostly had to do with the Screen Wave guys latching onto him. James himself is still going strong to the point that people that do try to get angry at him can't find any dirt on him besides the fact that he's...balding?

I think it's more than the Screenwave guys.

Overall, a lot of it I think comes down to complacency. While any creator is going to have a certain formula to them, I'd say that for AVGN, it's regressed. James has shown that he's capable of finding ways to freshen up the act or doing something that makes the episode unique, but I can't tell you the last time he has come close to that.

For years, James essentially said that he wrote all his material, but when the Monster Madness plagiarism incident came to light, he did everything he could to shift the blame off himself.

Truthfully, I actually don't blame him for the plagiarism thing, but it brought up a lot questions. For a guy as seasoned as he is, and having help with the writing side of things, why isn't there more/better content coming out? For AVGN alone, he does maybe 4 or 5 a year, and none of them I would say are of good quality in terms of the writing. And don't tell me it's the game capture either, since most games he's reviewed don't take much time to beat.

And this ties into the final thing, his shooting setup. James is easily one of the most prominent YouTubers out there, and he still insists on shooting in his basement. He's shown the ridiculous hodge podge of lights and camera set ups he's done, something that could understandably be a nightmare given the location. Why not have a studio? Don't tell me you can't afford it! This would solve a large number of issues, and cut down on the amount of time it takes to set up everything.

This was really frustrating to see a few years ago when he was showing the behind the scenes of the Shrek episode, where he was tied up with the onion in his mouth and it kept falling out...yet James was shooting all of this on his own. WHY? That is beyond absurd. I can't believe a guy that has nearly 4 million subscribers is THIS amateur. Maybe he enjoys making it difficult on himself, but at this stage, he should be doing better. And the best way to solve that is get out of your comfort zone and make the changes that are going to lead to better quality overall.

This isn't an attack on James the person, who seems like a nice guy. But he's his own worst enemy with his approach to his content.

For James, I think he just enjoys being in his comfort zone. As for the amount of videos, I think his biggest priority is being a dad so he's enjoying doing that more than the videos. It could also explain why he doesn't do things in a massive studio, so he can be with his kids.

[Hit Girl]

Mar 14, 2023 5:40:49 GMT -5 Mighty Attack Tribble said:

Not so much disgraced, since she was never "in grace" to begin with, but it was incredibly satisfying to see the woman whose only real talent is finding new ways to get upset by Brie Larson's mere existence get dunked on by the very people she was trying to be like.

All her videos are basically "something something woke woke woke.....here look at my tits"

[tirtefaa]

May 3, 2023 16:22:30 GMT -5 Sigma: Current SRW Champ! said:

For James, I think he just enjoys being in his comfort zone. As for the amount of videos, I think his biggest priority is being a dad so he's enjoying doing that more than the videos. It could also explain why he doesn't do things in a massive studio, so he can be with his kids.

Yeah, I get it. But unfortunately, like everyone else in the world, he sometimes needs to get out of his comfort zone and do what's best for his business and for his future.

I mean, when he's complaining about how long it's taking to do some of these projects, then he's doing something wrong. If his priority is to his kids, then his mindset needs to be to having an efficient work environment where he can do his job and then have more time to be with his kids.

As it looks right now, James does his work "in his free time", meaning he's spending more of his "free time" on his work instead of having a set schedule which would actually provide more time for him and his family.

[Lance Uppercut]

May 3, 2023 16:14:47 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

May 3, 2023 15:21:15 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

In fairness RE: James Rolfe, his controversy mostly had to do with the Screen Wave guys latching onto him. James himself is still going strong to the point that people that do try to get angry at him can't find any dirt on him besides the fact that he's...balding?

I think it's more than the Screenwave guys.

Overall, a lot of it I think comes down to complacency. While any creator is going to have a certain formula to them, I'd say that for AVGN, it's regressed. James has shown that he's capable of finding ways to freshen up the act or doing something that makes the episode unique, but I can't tell you the last time he has come close to that.

For years, James essentially said that he wrote all his material, but when the Monster Madness plagiarism incident came to light, he did everything he could to shift the blame off himself.

Truthfully, I actually don't blame him for the plagiarism thing, but it brought up a lot questions. For a guy as seasoned as he is, and having help with the writing side of things, why isn't there more/better content coming out? For AVGN alone, he does maybe 4 or 5 a year, and none of them I would say are of good quality in terms of the writing. And don't tell me it's the game capture either, since most games he's reviewed don't take much time to beat.

And this ties into the final thing, his shooting setup. James is easily one of the most prominent YouTubers out there, and he still insists on shooting in his basement. He's shown the ridiculous hodge podge of lights and camera set ups he's done, something that could understandably be a nightmare given the location. Why not have a studio? Don't tell me you can't afford it! This would solve a large number of issues, and cut down on the amount of time it takes to set up everything.

This was really frustrating to see a few years ago when he was showing the behind the scenes of the Shrek episode, where he was tied up with the onion in his mouth and it kept falling out...yet James was shooting all of this on his own. WHY? That is beyond absurd. I can't believe a guy that has nearly 4 million subscribers is THIS amateur. Maybe he enjoys making it difficult on himself, but at this stage, he should be doing better. And the best way to solve that is get out of your comfort zone and make the changes that are going to lead to better quality overall.

This isn't an attack on James the person, who seems like a nice guy. But he's his own worst enemy with his approach to his content.

I feel the opposite. I like the diy guy in his basement style. Reminds me of his old stuff. There had been bts videos where it’s shown him in a big studio and that felt weird. That dungeon episode, apparently the rental reviews were in a studio, essentially and big scale videos where it’s clear the screen wave guys were helping him.

Also a lot of his stuff in his basement look a lot better than channel awesome in their “studio” and hired “actors”