In Oct. of 2007, Jess Wellens thought it would be funny to trick his girlfriend, Jeana, into eating what she thought was just a harmless spoonful of cinnamon; Since then, the couple's escalating prank wars have generated more than 150 million video views. (ABC NEWS)
They're now called YouTube's "craziest couple." But in October of 2007, Jess Wellens thought it would be funny to trick his girlfriend, Jeana, into eating what she thought was just a harmless spoonful of cinnamon.
"She didn't know what the reaction would be" -- it really was cinnamon, which is tasty sprinkled on French toast and revolting if you eat a whole mouthful -- "so I dared her to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon. She tried it, she started choking like crazy, I filmed it, and I put it on the Internet," Wellens said in an interview with ABC News' "20/20."
They are 29 years old and live in New Jersey. Jeana requested that her last name not be made public.
As was just becoming the trend back in the early days of online video, Wellens videotaped Jeana's shocked, gagging reaction and posted the video to the website Break.com.
The result? A viral smash hit that quickly generated millions of views, more than 4 million and counting. Yet the prank didn't sit well with Jeana, who wasn't about to take being "punked" lying down.
Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m. ET
"I was mad because so many people saw the video, and then one day I was like, 'Well, he put me on the Internet, and it was embarrassing, so I'm going to do it to him,'" Jeana explained.
Jeana retaliated by setting up a hidden camera in their kitchen and smacking Wellens in the head with a pan. It was a shot across the bow in what would quickly become a viral prank war on Break.com.
The war began generating so much popularity on Break.com that the couple decided to create their own YouTube channel, prankvsprank. Their payback playback was a huge hit.
"This is overwhelming, for something so crazy that we did together just for fun, like, turned into this whole entertainment for millions of people," Wellens said.
Some people might question what exactly is wrong with these two, but it's just a bit of fun for them to spice things up.
"It keeps our relationship exciting, I guess you could say," Wellens said.
Their pranks have gotten more elaborate, as when Wellens pretended to give Jeana an impromptu haircut or -- perhaps the most elaborate -- when Jeana spent several days setting Wellens up to think she was cheating on him.
"That was a very strategic video. I had a lot of planning with that one," Jeana said.
The couple realize this isn't exactly how nice people behave. "It's how crazy people behave," Wellens said with a laugh.
They've filmed more than 100 pranks on each other, and their YouTube page has generated more than 150 million views.
"When they're executed really, really well, everybody really gets a kick out of it," said Mitch Rotter, general manager at Break.com.
It's that window into a spontaneous and funny moment that keeps people coming back for more, Rotter said.
"Somebody is completely unassuming -- they're not expecting this to happen -- and their response is honest, it's authentic. It's becoming more of a reality form of entertainment," he said.
Rotter said he thinks Jeana and Wellens have captured such an audience because no matter how many lines they cross, their relationship keeps going strong.
Jeana and Wellens Like to Watch, and Laugh
"I think what really resonates is the idea that there is a couple that's in a relationship that not only allows each other to do this to one another, but actually thrives and gets off on it," Rotter said. "They've been able to cross every single line that you can think of, and not only survive it, but actually get stronger because of that. And so, I think people are invested to see how that story unfolds."
Wellens and Jeana's YouTube page has been such a hit, they've spun it off into a popular daily video blog documenting the more mundane aspects of their life. Their bread and butter still appears to be those pranks, however.
They don't know when, where or how the next prank will unfold, the couple say. But in the end, it's not about the page views, it's about sitting back when the dust settles and having a good old-fashioned laugh.
"We like to watch it together and laugh about it later," Wellens said.
Added Jeana: "At the end, after all the anger's out, it's always a joke."
Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m. ET
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.
No comments:
Post a Comment