Originally published at: The fall of Epic Meal Time | Boing Boing
…
2 Likes
Saved you a watch:
They made the same video over and over again for 5 years.
20 Likes
Honestly surprised it wasn’t cardio-vascular issues that ended it.
7 Likes
Too many snacks before the epic meal, that’s how you kill an epic meal.
3 Likes
@dnealy seems to be on a big “Why did X fail?” YouTube kick lately. I approve 100% – a good post-mortem is tons of fun.
1 Like
I do go through curiosity cycles and I am definitely on a “rise and fall” video essay kick.
Some of them are entirely too niche to share here, though. I doubt anyone but me wants to watch a three hour video essay about how WWF should have booked the WCW invasion.
I just try and give you guys the good, evergreen stuff.
5 Likes
You’re a gem, I was curious but didn’t want to slog through a protracted ad-roll optimized video to find out.
Pretty much what my guess would’ve been. I found EMT’s content an amusing distraction but long term it was never going to sustain viewers, and i’m pretty sure Harley Morenstein was aware. I have a vague memory of watching an interview with him where he spoke about wanting to do more work behind the scenes and diversify there. I don’t know what he’s been up to these days but i’m too lazy to check 
His particular brand of content was never really stuff i watched on the reg anyway, i mostly watch science, educational, art, and cooking related vids
1 Like
Yeah this seems like an unnecessarily deep dive into the failure of a one trick pony. Early on in the video, one young man said something like, “When I was in 10th grade, it’s all anyone was talking about!” And my immediate thought was, “Oh, well that explains why it didn’t last.”
1 Like
Yeah I dont believe the video’s premise that the group’s infighting and business-side concerns are what doomed the channel.
The problem is that “weird food in huge quantities” is a novelty. Novelty songs get about 5 weeks on the chart before they lose their bullet.
2 Likes
If Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time couldn’t sustain, why would Epic Meal Time which was more polished but less charming have a better trajectory?
5 Likes
1 Like
Epic Heart Attack.
2 Likes
Agreed, the problem with post-mortems is always the lack of a control group. Were infighting and side concerns unique to this failed enterprise? It’s the converse of the logical flaw in only studying successes and trying to figure out what caused them…
1 Like
Odd that this article doesn’t have an actual link to the Epic Meal Time channel.
I was a huge fan of EMT back in the day, but then they started veering away from novelty and into upping the shock factor, and it was no longer interesting to me.
Some of their early videos were really fun, and the one thing I am glad of is that their actual trained chef on that show ended up with a channel of his own.
1 Like
The last bastion of 2008’s Youtube lives on, in the vlogbrothers, John and Hank Green. Every one of their videos has a heart that is often lacking in the polished media we’re spoiled with these days. Yet they still move with the times.
I never even heard of it. Was it good?
There are other old school content creators still going strong. Of the ones that i watch often and that come to mind is Philip DeFranco is still a good source for news (started in 2007), and Good Mythical Morning which is always fun.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
