Global Courant
ANAHEIM, Calif. – When a workplace affair rocked their group and shattered the internet, The Try Guys went from four to three members.
Now the beloved YouTubers have entered their “tri-guy” era – and their fans are still following them enthusiastically.
In their first VidCon appearance since cutting ties with founder Ned Fulmer in October, Try Guys co-creators Zach Kornfeld and Keith Habersberger received overwhelming support at the annual conference for digital creators, fans, executives and online brands. (Co-creator Eugene Lee Yang was not present.)
The group became popular on YouTube for its vlog-style review videos where they tried things like tasting entire menus at popular food chains, or trying out a machine that simulates the pain of childbirth. Their success has spawned books, a Food Network TV series, merchandise and media ventures.
But in September 2022, amid internet speculation, Fulmer said in a statement on his verified Twitter account that he “lost focus and was in a consensual working relationship.” group at the forefront of mainstream attention.
Months later, fans old and new alike said they are ready to continue that viral saga.
“I think after all that’s happened, it’s pretty inspiring to see them recover and grow,” says Chad Sahilan, who has been watching Try Guys videos for nearly five years.
He said the attention paid to the cheating incident felt “out of proportion” and that he was impressed with the “graceful” way the remaining three members handled the ensuing publicity crisis.
Sahilan was one of hundreds who showed up to see Kornfeld and Habersberger, who appeared on a panel and recorded a live podcast on stage during the conference.
Ryan Montoya has followed The Try Guys since their BuzzFeed days and said she was thrilled to see Kornfeld and podcast producer Miles Bonsignore, whom she now considers essentially a fourth Try Guy, live for the first time.
Internet personalities Zach Kornfeld, Ned Fulmer, Eugene Lee Yang and Keith Habersberger of The Try Guys attend The 6th Annual Streamy Awards on October 4, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Dick Clark Productions
Montoya said she felt a change in mood since the group moved on last year after the Fulmer scandal. The content seems more carefree, she said, and the members seem almost happier.
“I think they are doing better for themselves. They actually make videos that I think they enjoy more often,” she said. “I mean, they literally do vlogs in the car. It is awesome.”
In an interview with NBC News at VidCon, Kornfeld and Habersberger said last year’s sudden virality seems to have piqued the interest of some older fans — those who first signed up when BuzzFeed dominated YouTube in the mid-2010s — for their content. , leading The Try Guys to refresh their perspective on what they want to do as creators.
“The fans have been incredibly supportive and really great. They still are,” Habersberger said. “Some are really sweet and bring it up when they meet us, and they say, ‘I’m just so glad you’re still here and doing things.'”
I’d much rather have a small group of people actually ride or die for what we do than have them go viral.
-Try Guys co-creators Zach Kornfeld
Over the past year and for the foreseeable future, Habersberger and Kornfeld said The Try Guys are focusing on cultivating projects they’re passionate about rather than chasing large numbers. That, they said, means passing on opportunities that they know would be easy to look at, but don’t align with the content they actually want to produce.
“We’re evolving the brand, and that means a lot of things: the content is evolving, our cast is evolving,” Kornfeld said. “We give ourselves the freedom and permission to experiment and do wild things, things that might not be justified from an algorithmic perspective.”
But for some newer fans, including VidCon attendee Amber Marley, the flurry of attention surrounding the Fulmer scandal was what put The Try Guys on her radar in the first place. Marley said she vaguely knew about the group beforehand, but didn’t really discover its contents until she watched the explainer video, which provoked so much internet commentary that it was spoofed on “SNL”.
From then on, Marley said, she began exploring the group’s other videos. She said she was consistently entertained by The Try Guys’ willingness to put themselves in awkward situations just for the experience.
“It’s really cool that they try all kinds of different things, even if it puts them in a predicament of ‘I don’t think I’m going to like this,'” Marley said. “I think if you have the opportunity to try something you haven’t tried yet, and it’s not that crazy, you should definitely try it.”
When he experienced fan support at a real-life event like VidCon, Kornfeld said he reminded him how “mind-bogglingly meaningful” it is that millions of viewers resonate with what The Try Guys do. He said as the group moves forward as a brand, it appears to be cultivating a stronger relationship with its existing fan base.
“I’d much rather have a small group of people actually ride or die for what we do than have them go viral,” Kornfeld said. “We are done going viral. I don’t need that anymore.”
