From a beef between show hosts to a beef between co-hosts, "Ridiculousness" may have been known
for its wild video clips, but it was nothing compared to what happened behind the scenes.
At the beginning of every episode, a warning tells viewers not to attempt any stunts or activities
presented throughout the show. It also condemns the submission of videos of any kind from viewers.
If "Ridiculousness" doesn't accept submissions, then where are they getting their clips? Since
the viral videos come from the internet, it sounds as simple as a Google search, but licensing is a
tricky business. In a 2019 interview with Jon Interviews, host Rob Dyrdek revealed he isn't
the one searching for the videos but instead has a massive organization that handles the process.
A team of people scours the internet, and when the perfect video is found,
they try to make contact with the video's original uploader. Distractify notes that
someone on Reddit claimed to receive a one-time $200 payment for their video. It's unclear if
this is a regular practice for the show, but with an endless supply of videos online,
we don’t have to worry about Rob running out of hilarious content.
Talk about a major earworm. If you’re not old enough to know of the hit '80s rock band "Devo",
you might think the catchy theme song came from "Ridiculousness." However,
the theme song is actually a cover of Devo's "Uncontrollable Urge" from the
band's classic debut album, "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!".
In Season 4, Episode 9 of "Fantasy Factory," Dyrdek teams up with Devo band
member Mark Mothersbaugh to record the cover for "Ridiculousness." Mothersbaugh has an expansive
career himself. Along with co-founding the band "Devo," his solo endeavors have included composing
music for film and TV, such as Nickelodeon's "Rugrats" and Wes Anderson's features "Bottle
Rocket," "Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums," and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." So
next time the "Ridiculousness" theme song gets stuck in your head, you know who to blame.
"Ridiculousness" isn't only big in the US. The show airs all around the globe,
but instead of dubbing episodes, each country gets its own hosts reacting to clips. In 2015,
"Ridículos Chile" was the first international version of the show, followed by "Ridiculous
Made In France," "Vergüenza Ajena: Made in Spain," and more in 2016.
The effective format of "Ridiculousness" has also been used in multiple spin-offs,
including MTV's "Amazingness", "Deliciousness," "Messyness," and "Adorableness." The first
spin-off, "Amazingness," deviated the most from the "Ridiculousness" format. Hosted by
Dyrdek himself, the talent competition ran from December 2017 to January 2018,
featuring six contestants performing in front of judges Chris "Drama" Pfaff,
Eddie Huang, and Krystal Bee. A $10,000 prize was awarded to the final performer standing.
The other three spin-offs do not feature Dyrdek,
but they stay true to his style. Tiffani Thiessen commentates on disastrous food-related clips on
"Deliciousness," James Davis commentates on the kind of clips that make you cry
out "aww" on "Adorableness," and Snooki commentates on pure chaos on "Messyness."
MTV's launch in 1981 changed the course of television by being the first to air
24/7 music-related programming and music videos. However, with the internet offering a new way for
fans to access music content, the network pivoted to the reality programming genre.
This jarring change in content devastated an entire generation. But on August 1st,
2021, MTV's 40th anniversary, the network had the perfect opportunity to cater to long-time viewers.
When scheduling was announced, Gen X was disappointed all over again. Instead of
the usual 113 hours a week of "Ridiculousness," MTV celebrated its birthday by playing the show
for 24 hours straight. Twitter users and outlets such as Barstool Sports expressed their outrage,
while "Ridiculousness" fans celebrated in the background.
A hot topic of discussion around "Ridiculousness" is the long-time feud
between Dyrdek and Daniel Tosh of "Tosh.0." It all started with a tweet from Tosh:
"Congrats @robdyrdek. new show looks very funny & familiar."
Dyrdek tweeted back,
"Thanks you so much @danieltosh!! Maybe later this week you,
@BobSaget and @Tom_Bergeron can come down to my factory and play."
In an interview with Larry King, Dyrdek revealed that both "Ridiculousness" and "Fantasy Factory"
were pitched and sold before "Tosh.0" aired — but "Fantasy Factory" was produced first.
"By the time my — 'Ridiculousness' — came out,
it was already after the first season of Tosh came out, right?"
It can be argued there are more differences between the shows than similarities. The comedy
styles are on opposite sides of the spectrum, with "Tosh.0" taking a more scripted approach
and sprinkling skits into episodes. The argument between the two came to a head
when Tosh featured a sketch targeting Dyrdek for copying his show's premise.
In a now-deleted tweet, Dyrdek responded with,
"I am not a comedian or an actor so unfortunately for @danieltosh
we are going to have to settle this the old fashioned way."
This was followed by Tosh's tweet,
"fair enough but if you have to beat me up,
can we film it and put it on my show so people will actually watch it?"
Dyrdek's co-hosts, Chanel West Coast and Steelo Brim, play a significant
role in the show's success. Brim controls the playback of the clips, slowing down, rewinding,
and zooming in on the funniest moments. And it isn't an episode of "Ridiculousness"
without Chanel's contagious laugh. So how did Dyrdek find his two co-hosts?
Chicago-native Steelo Brim moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. Brim told CBS News
that he was helping Dyrdek’s cousin start a publishing and production company when he met Rob.
"Rob just so happened to come to the studio, like, twice,
and was just like, 'Hey man, you’re funny. We should do a show together.'"
Dyrdek followed through by bringing on Brim as co-host of "Ridiculousness." He
also regularly appeared in "Fantasy Factory" and
Dyrdek's animation series "Wild Grinders" as the voice of Meaty.
In an interview on the podcast "No Jumper," Chanel
explained how she managed to meet Dyrdek through Myspace.
"I would go and I would at all the top artists on MySpace,
and then I would at all their top friends."
One of those artists was Dyrdek's cousin Chris "Drama" Pfaff. Through a friendship with him,
Chanel met Dyrdek and hit it off. The rest, as they say, is history.
Yet another feud sparks between Chanel West Coast and radio host Charlamagne tha God. In
Episode 26 of Season 9, Charlamagne appears as a guest host on the show. During the episode,
Charlamagne says he values being straightforward with people and not being afraid to convey
his opinions to people's faces. One of those opinions is about Chanel's rapping abilities.
"She’s saying that ‘cause I told her she’s a wack rapper one time, that’s all."
Chanel defended herself against the claims.
"I’m just saying, though. You can have opinions, but it doesn't mean they're right though."
She then flaunts her long list of accomplishments as an established artist. Outlets blew the story
up, but Chanel admits the beef didn't last more than five minutes. She tells TooFab,
"It's not so much that I took it personally, it's that I knew he was stating I was a wack rapper
on a platform where all my fans were watching. The last thing I was gonna do was let somebody
call me a wack rapper and not use that time right there to state the facts and set things straight."
Can you think of a better job than getting to react to funny videos all day long with
your friends? Still, that doesn't take away from how much hard work it takes
to film hundreds of episodes over the course of 28 seasons. What started as
filming a single episode for 12 hours turned into filming six episodes daily.
Brim attributes this change to the hosts taking on a more improvisational style.
Each episode calls for an outfit change,
and the hosts' energy varies depending on how early or late the production is into
filming. Chanel told In Touch that there's a reason why she sometimes looks tired.
"If you ever see me looking a little extra tired, it's probably either the last episode
of the day, where I was just like, 'forget the touchup, let's get out of here,' or
it's the first episode of the day where I was still really tired."
Dyrdek never wanted to be the old guy on TV. His one true passion has always been entrepreneurship,
but it was impossible to pass up the money that came with his shows on MTV. In an interview
with Graham Bensinger, Dyrdek talked about how he almost walked away from "Ridiculousness".
"I don’t wanna be on MTV when I’m, when I’m 40. I don’t wanna be Kurt Loder."
It's no secret that money has played a significant role in Dyrdek's long-time
partnership with MTV. So how much does he make from "Ridiculousness"? In an interview
on Jason Tartick's podcast "Trading Secrets," Dyrdek revealed the number.
"They would only pay me $35,000 an episode to do 'Ridiculousness,' and then they offered me the
$125,000. And then when I got the integration rights, then I'm like,
'I'm just gonna do this because I can just make millions doing this.’”
Later on, three shows in with MTV, Dyrdek said,
"I was able to get way more money based on the success
of what had happened with 'Fantasy Factory.'"
Of course, that $125,000 is just the talent fee. That number doesn't even
include the money made from integration deals that Dyrdek took advantage of in all his shows.
Dyrdek explained that if MTV didn’t offer a massive paycheck,
Season 4 would've ended his hosting gig for "Ridiculousness." MTV knew the stakes were high,
so when it came to negotiations, Dyrdek had a leg up and got an offer he couldn't refuse.
After the signing of the contract, Dyrdek called MTV a great partner.
As an entrepreneur, Dyrdek didn't just get lucky. He knew exactly what he was doing and
used his platform on MTV as a way to make millions elsewhere. The entire premise of
"Fantasy Factory" was tailored around product integration. Dydek would write intricate,
integrated brand partnerships with advertisers into the show,
and then would use those same advertisers to make other big deals on the side for his own ventures.
Whether he's promoting clothing brands by wearing them on "Rob & Big" and "Ridiculousness" or doing
stunts in a Carl's Jr. costume on "Fantasy Factory," Dyrdek's savvy marketing skills
granted him the ability to broaden his financial reach beyond the MTV network.
In addition to a fun, laugh-filled time, each episode of "Ridiculousness" offers
a variety of star-studded guest hosts. Some of the most popular appearances include from Riff
Raff and Ray J from Season 3; Kendall and Kylie Jenner from Season 5; Eric Andre from Seasons 6,
8, and 20; and Dyrdek's frequent collaborator Christopher "Big Black" Boykin, who tragically
passed in 2017. More recent episodes have seen a decline in celebrity guest hosts,
but some of the show's most memorable moments can be linked to their many guests.
Take, for example, an episode with Kevin Hart where an entire segment
titled "Big Ass Man Pigeons" was inspired by Hart's fearful encounter with an ostrich.
"He didn't move his body but his head like spinned all the way around and he
started following me, and I was like, 'Yo man, get the f--- outta here, ostrich.'"
Only "Ridiculousness" can think of a connection like that. Or Eric Andre's
visits, which largely consist of him flirting with co-host Chanel West Coast
and an email's worth of swear words that needed to be censored after taping. One way or another,
celebrities are always bringing something special to "Ridiculousness."
Most people aren't familiar with Chanel West Coast's long-term connection to the
"Ridiculousness" studio. Chanel has taken many different avenues in her career, from recording
music to acting in MTV's "The Hard Times of RJ Berger" to becoming a supporting cast member on
the reality TV series "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood." However, as Chanel told InTouch, a recurring theme
in her career has always been the Hollywood Center Studio, where "Ridiculousness" does its filming.
"There's, like, this weird divine thing about this studio. Like,
my first job was there. Then I ended up filming 'Ridiculousness' there."
Maybe we can attribute the great success of "Ridiculousness" to this magical occurrence.
One can only hope Chanel's future endeavors will have her revisit the studio time and time again.