Harley Watched Heated Rivalry - [H3 After Dark #4]
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The H3 After Dark crew appreciates audience-submitted memes, particularly those referencing previous chaotic episodes.
- ❖Harley attempts to call old contacts like PewDiePie and Tay Zonday live on air, revealing outdated numbers and a humorous past audio gaffe by Tay Zonday.
- ❖Kate won a 'best dressed' contest at a sold-out Unrivaled women's basketball game in Philadelphia, wearing a rainbow sequin jumpsuit.
- ❖The show 'Heated Rivalry' is praised for its emotional depth and portrayal of a gay hockey romance, particularly a pivotal coming-out scene.
- ❖Deaf Noodles, a former H3 collaborator, has rebranded as a conservative political candidate, Dennis for Change, sparking discussion on internet 'grifting.'
- ❖The Grammys red carpet featured trends like matching outfits, bell bottoms for men, and a prevalence of black and white ensembles.
- ❖Hosts critique Grammys outfits, identifying 'Oreo-coded' dresses and appreciating bold, unique fashion choices over safe ones.
- ❖A new 'Blazing Saddles' workout class in Australia, involving women riding mechanical saddles, is humorously identified as an 'orgasm class.'
Insights
1The Emotional Resonance of 'Heated Rivalry' and Queer Storytelling
The hosts, particularly Kate, express profound emotional connection to the 'Heated Rivalry' series, highlighting its effective portrayal of a closeted gay hockey player's journey and the sweet, affirming nature of its central love story. Harley notes how a specific plot twist, revealing a 'scary straight' character was also gay, deeply hooked him, demonstrating the power of unexpected character development in challenging audience assumptions and fostering empathy.
Kate describes crying hard at a pivotal coming-out moment in the show and emphasizes the importance of visibility for older gay individuals. Harley details his surprise and engagement when a seemingly homophobic character is revealed to be gay, calling it his 'favorite moment in television this year.'
2The Unpredictable Evolution and 'Grift' of Internet Personalities
The discussion around Deaf Noodles' transformation into 'Dennis for Change,' a Republican congressional candidate, illustrates the fluid and often opportunistic nature of internet celebrity. This pivot from cat ears and online antics to a polished political persona highlights how some internet figures leverage their platforms for new, sometimes ideologically contrasting, ventures, often perceived as 'grifting.'
Harley and Kate react with shock to Deaf Noodles' new image as a Republican candidate, noting his 'pod person' appearance and the ease with which he adopted a new persona. They discuss his past controversies and the 'clip farm' nature of his current political debates, framing it as a calculated 'grift.'
3The 'Guarish' Personality Trait and Media Consumption
The concept of being 'guarish' describes a personality trait where individuals actively resist consuming media or engaging with topics if they feel pressured or overly recommended. This contrarian impulse can lead to a rejection of popular culture, even if the content might be enjoyable, as a form of asserting independence.
Harley explains his 'guarish' nature, stating that if someone enthusiastically recommends 'Heated Rivalry,' he would deliberately avoid watching it out of spite. Kate echoes this, citing her refusal to watch 'Breaking Bad' or 'Silver Linings Playbook' due to overwhelming recommendations, even developing an irrational dislike for Bradley Cooper as a result.
4Grammys Red Carpet as a Spectacle of Fashion and Commentary
The Grammys red carpet serves as a platform for artists to make bold fashion statements, often prioritizing unique, dramatic, or even bizarre outfits over traditional elegance. This spectacle invites extensive public commentary and critique, with hosts and audience members engaging in detailed, often humorous, analysis of each look.
The hosts review numerous Grammys outfits, categorizing them as 'Oreo-coded' (black and white), 'futuristic,' or 'dystopian.' They praise artists like Lady Gaga and those wearing Tom Brown for 'batshit' and 'crazy' outfits, expressing a desire for more adventurous fashion over 'boring' or 'prom-like' choices. The discussion includes specific critiques of Sabrina Carpenter's cape, Rosé's 'double stuffed Oreo' dress, and Miley Cyrus's 'thin Oreo' look.
Bottom Line
The rise of YouTubers transitioning into film production, successfully crowdfunding and achieving box office success, indicates a shift in traditional entertainment industry gatekeeping.
This trend empowers content creators to bypass traditional studio systems, directly leveraging their audience for funding and distribution, potentially leading to more diverse and audience-driven film projects.
Invest in platforms or services that facilitate creator-led film production and distribution, or identify early-stage YouTube talent with strong audience engagement as potential film producers.
The 'grift' of internet personalities pivoting to political commentary or candidacy, often with drastically altered personas, highlights a vulnerability in public discourse where authenticity can be easily manufactured.
This makes it harder for audiences to discern genuine political engagement from performance, potentially eroding trust in online political figures and movements.
Develop tools or journalistic approaches to analyze and expose manufactured online political personas, or create platforms that prioritize verifiable credentials and transparent funding for political content creators.
Opportunities
Formal Rave Wedding Planning Service
A niche wedding planning service specializing in 'formal raves' or 'anti-weddings' that offer the fun and spectacle of a large party without the 'wedding tax' markup. The service would focus on creative themes, unique venues, and entertainment that subverts traditional wedding expectations while maintaining a high-end aesthetic.
Oreo Ball Snack Product Line
A new line of Oreo-themed snacks featuring 'Oreo balls' with various fillings and coatings, inspired by the visual commentary on Grammys dresses. This could include different 'cookie' and 'cream' ratios, flavors, and textures, moving beyond traditional flat cookies.
Red Carpet ASMR/Sensory Experience Content
A unique media product offering ASMR or multi-sensory content from red carpet events. This would involve recording the sounds of elaborate dresses (swishing, rustling), unique textures, and even curated scent profiles (e.g., 'smelling a jacket') to provide an immersive, behind-the-scenes sensory experience of celebrity fashion.
Lessons
- Consider watching 'Heated Rivalry' for a compelling and emotionally resonant queer romance narrative, especially if you appreciate character development that challenges initial perceptions.
- Be mindful of the 'guarish' personality trait when recommending media; frame suggestions as discoveries rather than mandates to increase receptiveness.
- When planning large events like weddings, explore alternative framing (e.g., 'formal rave') to potentially avoid industry-specific price markups.
Notable Moments
Kate wins 'Best Dressed' at Unrivaled basketball game.
Kate's unexpected win at a major sporting event, wearing a rainbow sequin jumpsuit, highlights the impact of bold personal style and the power of audience engagement in live events. It also showcases the growing popularity and vibrant culture of women's professional sports leagues like Unrivaled.
Harley's Chris Pratt elevator encounter.
This anecdote offers a humorous, relatable glimpse into celebrity interactions, showing how even minor encounters can shape public perception of a star (Chris Pratt's 'douchebag' reputation). It also underscores the often-absurd reality of celebrity entourages and perceived exclusivity.
Tay Zonday's 'audio disaster' Team Fortress 2 stream.
This moment, revisited through a vintage clip and a live call to Tay Zonday, illustrates the enduring nature of internet memes and the early, often technically flawed, days of live streaming. It highlights how accidental viral moments can create lasting legacies for internet personalities.
Deaf Noodles' political transformation to 'Dennis for Change.'
The dramatic shift in persona from a quirky internet personality to a conservative political candidate exemplifies the 'grift' phenomenon in online culture. It raises questions about authenticity, opportunism, and the ease with which online figures can reinvent themselves for new audiences and agendas.
Quotes
"You're not going to come on my channel and do a show on time, are you? How dare you?"
"The content after death circulating around... this is all the conspiracy stuff. The last time I had this much conspiracies and content after the fact is it was probably Tupac Shakur when I was in the sixth grade."
"You know what cost money? Yeah. You could be planning a party and at some point the party planner might be like, 'Hold on a second. Kind of describing a wedding. If this party's happening and someone's getting married, the price is going up.'"
"Something about watching straight men cry over a gay romance is healing me."
"The bar being so low that we're proud that we could react to good like it's an excellently crafted scene and we watch it and enjoy it as it's intended because it's incredible and it's like, 'Oh, look at that, the straight guy.' The bar is so low."
"He's running from the cat ear past is what he's running."
"You can always tell in these romance books that like these people have never played sports."
"I will not perfect the craft of After Dark in order to never overtake our overlords."
"Jelly Roll makes music for people who have tattoos of their kids but not custody."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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