by Kirstin Sow
Amassing over 6.3 million Youtube subscribers and over 200 billion views, The Try Guys [Keith Habersberger, Ned Fulmer, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang] create content of themselves trying a host of wacky things from women’s lingerie to performing drag and drawing male models.
As part of their “Summer of Try”, the Try Guys have travelled to more than 20 cities for their nationwide “Legends of the Internet tour”. They selected Singapore as the only Asia pitstop for their tour performance. In catching up with them at the Twitter headquarters, we got some insights on what to expect for their first tour, content creation, their impressions of Singapore.
From screen to tour
For their inaugural tour, The Try Guys wanted to put on a really fun show to meet and thank their fans for giving them the past five memorable years of their lives, and to hopefully inspire more people to go out and try new things. Ned added that he wants to make the show a “music comedy extravaganza”, with a little bit of everything from different costumes, stand-up comedy elements to moving emotional dance pieces. Their tour “Legends of the Internet” was intended to be a fun variety show with a “Rock and Roll Glam” as an overall theme.
The 2.5 hour performance was an emotional roller coaster with entertaining, serious, fun, inspirational and emotional elements bringing audiences on a whirlwind of emotions. There was a lot of singing, dancing, comedic skits, lip sync and plenty of audience interaction during the show.
Through the respective Try Guys’ individual segment, one gets to gain more insights into their lives as they share about the trials and tribulations they faced and how it allows them to grow as a person they are today.
Content Creation in the Digital Age
The Try Guys’ videos are extremely entertaining, but what goes on behind the ideation process for each of their videos? To them, trying new things outside their comfort zone and highlighting the best features of their experiences is entertainment. At the same time, they hope that the new experiences they undergo might be “near and dear” for viewers who are more familiar with the matter, hence providing a refreshingly new perspective on the topic. To give the “most authentic expression”to the topic possible, they would also consult those who are experts in the respective field.
By coming up with entertaining content, The Try Guys hope to elicit a host of responses from viewers. No matter the content format, they hope to cross cultural lines and reach out to global audiences with their humour. It is nice to know that what they do translates well in the Asian communities in terms of making people laugh. They hope that viewers can feel a variety of funny, moving, emotional and inspirational emotions that might potentially allow individuals to seek change in their lives.
Impressions of Singapore
When asked about their first impressions of Singapore, Keith says that he got a really gorgeous city view just from their airport ride. Ned wanted to replicate the luxurious lifestyle as shown in the film, Crazy Rich Asians to visit the “fancy hotel with the pool, get some drinks.”
Our cultural diversity was what Eugene was looking forward to. He was very interested to see the interactions among the different ethnic communities here in Singapore, as it is where “you get some of the most beautiful experiences, not just with food but the way people interact and see how all of these cultures intermix.”
Keith echoes that they will be spending most of their time here eating. Eugene adds on that they really want to try the “legitimate” laksa and chicken rice. When asked if they have tried the king of fruits, durian, Eugene said that it’s not bad, but he prefers it blended in a smoothie form.
After their Singapore pitstop, The Try Guys will be making their way to Portland and Seattle, US and Vancouver, Canada for their final shows in mid October. You may wish to follow their adventures here on their Youtube channel or Instagram page.
