Career
Austin began streaming Runescape on Twitch in 2013. He streamed under the name Rajj Patel, which he says came from him playing with a lot of Indian friends during his childhood. He also spoke in a faux Indian accent online. [4] [7] Austin would later begin hosting various talk and dating shows on his stream. He created The Rajjchelor, a dating show inspired by The Bachelor , and Rajj Royale, a debate show, both of which are presented in an elimination-type format. [7] Notable guests that have appeared on the shows include James Charles, Pokimane, Mia Malkova, and Lil Nas X. [8] [4]
Due to the live, unscripted nature of Austin's broadcasts, a number of controversial incidents have occurred during the shows. In March 2018, the streamer Aqualadora admitted to intentionally killing a dog after Austin asked her to reveal the worst thing she had ever done. [9] In March 2020, Twitch banned streamer Kaceytron after she made insensitive comments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic during one of Austin's broadcasts. [10]
On June 12, 2020, Austin announced that he would be dropping the RajjPatel moniker entirely, after dropping the Patel last name from his persona in late 2019. The name had generated controversy in the past due to his portrayal of Indian people as a white man. [4] [7] In a statement released on Twitter, he stated, "I don't want any part of my image, name, or persona to be inappropriately borrowed from a culture that I don't have the right to represent. So, moving forward, I will be going by my first name, Austin, and rebranding everything as a derivative of that." [11] His flagship shows The Rajjchelor and Rajj Royale were renamed to Love or Host and The Royale, respectively. [7] [12]
In July 2020, it was announced that Austin would be the host of a game show titled Dare Package on the streaming media channel VENN. [13]
On July 11, 2020, Austin, along with rapper Wiz Khalifa, hosted a charity stream for Rise Above the Disorder, a non-profit that focuses on providing mental health services to people of color. [14] [15]
At GlitchCon 2020, a virtual version of TwitchCon, Austin hosted a talent show featuring celebrity judges Andy Milonakis and T-Pain. [16]
On March 11, 2021, Austin signed with the gaming organization 100 Thieves as a content creator. [17] [18]
On February 3, 2022, Austin signed with G4 to host Name Your Price, a 1970s-themed game show inspired by The Price Is Right , with Will Neff. [19] On February 10, it premiered on Austin's Twitch channel. [20] The show ran for two seasons before ending due to G4's shutdown in October 2022.
Austin left 100 Thieves on March 6, 2023, and announced days later that he had joined Misfits Gaming as a content creator and executive producer. [21] [22] A few days later, he announced that his show, Name Your Price, would be revived through Misfits Gaming. [23]
In mid-2023, Austin joined the Fear& podcast as a co-host alongside Hasan Piker, QTCinderella, and Will Neff. [24] [25] [26]
On October 9, 2023, Name Your Price returned for a third season. This season is the first to utilize a touring format, with episodes set to be filmed in front of live audiences in Miami, Las Vegas (TwitchCon), Houston, and Long Beach. Each episode features Austin as a co-host alongside Will Neff, as well as other large streamers as contestants, product presenters, and guests.
On February 17, 2024, Austin along with co-host Will Neff were awarded the "Best Streamed Series" award for Name Your Price at The Streamer Awards.
In February 2024, Austin began hosting a new reoccurring show on his Twitch channel called In the Tub, where he joins fellow streamers in their bathtubs to informally interview them with various game segments throughout. [27]
