"What's up everybody?
Welcome back to my laboratory, where safety is number one priority!"
Sound familiar?
If so, you must be a fan of Taras Kulakov, the YouTube sensation who works under the
stage name Crazy Russian Hacker.
His series of "life hack" videos and scientific experiments have raked in over 10 million
subscribers, and it's easy to see why.
After all, this is a man who drops five-pound gummy bears into liquid nitrogen.
Let's take a look at some lesser-known facts about Crazy Russian Hacker.
Gone swimming
Taras Kulakov does it all.
He'll show you why you shouldn't throw away the lids on Pringles containers.
He'll demonstrate what happens when you dump thirty pounds of dry ice into a swimming pool.
And if he's near a pool that's full of water, Kulakov can swim like a fish.
"I was actually a swimmer for about sixteen years, and day to day I wanted to be Olympic
champion."
Growing up, Kulakov practiced twice a day, waking up at six in the morning to swim for
two hours.
Then he'd go back to the pool and swim until 6 at night.
But he revised his Olympic dreams after cutting his foot on a sharp tile: Kulakov had to go
to the hospital and get four stitches, without any local anesthesia:
"It was painful, and I'll never forget that.
Having stitches without any anesthesia sucks.
Please don't do it."
Yes, he's really Russian
Kulakov has lived in America since he was 19, and claims he was born in the Soviet Union.
But some naysayers don't believe that.
"Some people still think I'm not Russian, and I don't know why.
Tell me why people think I'm fake Russian."
He lives in a secluded farm right outside Asheville, North Carolina, with two Siberian
huskies, and a cute Alaskan Malamute puppy named Gus.
We should probably also mention his pet iguana.
And his cockatoo, Gamma:
"Hello, Gamma!
Hello!”
This is Kulakov's fiancé Katherine, and they've been engaged for about two or three years.
"You look like you're on your way to some weird rave, with those glasses and the shirt."
Katherine spent the better part of 2018 planning their wedding, and she's the first to admit
it isn't really her thing.
"I've tried to sit down so many times…
I get five minutes into it, and I'm just like, No."
Before he was YouTube Famous
Kulakov suffered through several dismal jobs before finding success on YouTube.
He landed his first gig when he was 18, working as a busboy at a restaurant called Cheetah's
Cafe...
But working at a certain department store chain is what set him on the path to fame.
"I used to work at Walmart but I hated the job, so I start making videos and I love it
now."
His early YouTube videos explored his interest in origami.
It wasn't particularly popular, so Kulakov decided to try something new.
His first-ever Crazy Russian Hacker video demonstrated how to walk on eggs without breaking
them…
eventually.
Suddenly, a YouTube sensation was born.
He's not a great beekeeper
Since 2016, Kulakov had been taking care of several beehives... but something bad happened
in January 2018.
"What’s up guys?
Today is going to be a little bit of a sad video.
I have here seven hives, beehives, and six of them did not make it through the winter."
He suspects condensation caused the bees to freeze to death.
The fact that he fed his bees sugar syrup in the winter may have also been a factor.
Because of this unfortunate setback, Kulakov considered retiring from beekeeping, but ultimately
decided to keep on learning.
"I know what I did wrong… never making the same mistake."
Poor and loving it
In 2013, Kulakov revealed his favorite experiment to date was "How To Peel An Egg The Russian
Way."
"And just blow as hard as you can….
Frickin’ crazy, huh?"
These days, he can happily chow down on a hardboiled egg and not have to fight for it...
but that wasn't always the case.
"I have two brothers and I have three sisters, and I also have one half-brother and one-half
sister."
Kulakov says his family grew up poor and it was "pretty awesome," since everyone had to
think on their feet.
Every day, the kids would have to split their treats… the cakes, the cookies, the candy
bars.
"If you split it unfair, one piece is way bigger than the other one, then because you
didn't split it the right way, I get the bigger piece."
That resourceful spirit is at the heart of his videos, and what makes them so addictive
and engaging... whether he's playing with liquid nitrogen, opening Cheetos like a boss,
or making a Coca-Cola bottle do this:
"Whooooa… where did it go?"