Million Dollar Extreme

Last updated

Million Dollar Extreme
Mde.jpg
Medium Internet and television
NationalityAmerican
Years active2009–2016
Genres Post irony
Sketch comedy
Surreal humor
Notable works and roles Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace
Members
Former membersCharls Carroll

Million Dollar Extreme (MDE) was an American sketch comedy troupe known for their alt-right and white supremacist fans, cultivated by founder Sam Hyde. [1] [2] [3] [4] Nick Rochefort and Charls Carroll joined Hyde as group members. [5] The group has been inactive since the cancellation of their show World Peace in 2016.

Contents

The group's first YouTube channel was permanently banned in 2018 for violating the website's community guidelines. The group continued to post online videos on several related YouTube channels after the initial ban. [6]

YouTube channel

Million Dollar Extreme started out making sketch comedy videos on their YouTube channel, which David Weigel described as "absurdist" and "transgressive", often centering around themes mocking political correctness. [7] Sam Hyde's monologues, recorded on his iPhone, were also a staple for video content on the channel. [8]

Hyde also performed numerous public pranks that he uploaded to the MDE YouTube channel. Most notably in 2013, Hyde delivered a fake TEDx talk titled "2070 Paradigm Shift" at Drexel University. [9]

The troupe had various issues with online terms of service violations due to their content and fanbase. On May 4, 2018, the MDE channel was permanently removed from YouTube for a violation of the site's community guidelines. [10] On September 10, 2018, the group's subreddit on Reddit was permanently removed for violations of their policy regarding violent content. [11]

World Peace

In 2015, MDE were slated to have their own live action 15-minute sketch show on the cable network Adult Swim. [12] It was to be set in a post-apocalyptic nightmare world that satirizes the current political climate. [5] Titled Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace , the series premiered on August 5, 2016. [13] Three weeks later, after World Peace was subject to internal controversy at Adult Swim due to Sam Hyde's connections to the alt-right, [3] [2] [1] [14] it was announced that the show would not be renewed for a second season. [15]

Critical reception

Christian Williams of The A.V. Club described them: "Some videos borrow Wonder Showzen 's toolkit, wielding subliminal blips and eye-straining text in service of subversive ends. Some make use of the Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! aesthetic, and some are surprisingly slick, with excellent, eardrum-shredding music courtesy of talented mystery-men like Orangy and Vaervaf." [6] In the view of Philadelphia 's Andrew Thompson: "The mission of Million Dollar Extreme has always seemed a spin on afflicting the comfortable, except its targets usually aren't the comfortably powerful. To the extent that satire exists in MDE's comedy, it feels like more of rationalization than a reason for the shock itself." [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Sam Hyde Speaks: Meet the Man Behind Adult Swim's Canceled "Alt-Right" Comedy Show (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Adult Swim Talent Want The Network To Cancel Its Alt-Right Comedy Show". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "The Underground Neo-Nazi Promo Campaign Behind Adult Swim's Alt-Right Comedy Show". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Thompson, Andrew (October 6, 2013). "WATCH: TEDx Drexel Got Pranked This Weekend". Philly Mag.
  5. 1 2 Lincoln, Ross (March 3, 2016). "Adult Swim Comedy From Sketch Troupe Million Dollar Extreme Gets Series Order, Official Title". deadline.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Williams, Christian (April 23, 2013). "Take in the work of the comedy provocateurs in Million Dollar Extreme". The A.V. Club .
  7. ↑ Weigel, David (December 23, 2016). "The story behind the sudden cancellation of Adult Swim's Trump-loving comedy show". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Take in the work of the comedy provocateurs in Million Dollar Extreme". April 23, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Comedian Gives Ridiculous Prank TED Talk". Business Insider .
  10. ↑ Stephen, Bijan (September 12, 2018). "Reddit has banned QAnon". The Verge . Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  11. ↑ Daro, Ishmael (September 11, 2018). "Reddit Banned A Page That Trafficked In White Supremacist Content, But The Problem Is Much Bigger". Buzzfeed News . Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  12. ↑ Stanhope, Kate (May 7, 2015). "Adult Swim Upfront Slate Includes 12 Pilots, Two From 'Robot Chicken's' Seth Green". The Hollywood Reporter .
  13. ↑ "Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace" . Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  14. ↑ Sims, David (November 17, 2016). "The Battle Raging Over Adult Swim's Alt-Right TV Show". The Atlantic.
  15. ↑ Blistine, Joe (December 5, 2016). "Adult Swim Cancels Controversial Show 'Million Dollar Extreme'". Rolling Stone.
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