(clicks mouse)
♪ (dramatic chord) ♪
- (Finebros) All right, so to start, we're going to be showing you
a series of videos. - Okay.
- (Finebros) But each of them are well-known for being
very cringe-worthy. - Oh god.
- (together) Oh no.
(laughing)
- (Finebros) So at the end of each one, we're going to ask you
to rate it on the cringe scale, one through five.
- Got you.
- Okay. I'm nervous.
- I scare and cringe very easy.
Probably everything is gonna get five.
Just a warning.
- (John Safran) First up, ex-girlfriend Michele Bennett.
Hey, Michele. This is a bit awkward...
but I need to make out with your mother.
- (Michele laughs)
- (John) I need to make out with your mother.
- (splutters and laughs) Okay.
- (John) Um, yeah. - (Michele's mom) All right--
- Oh no! - (mother laughs)
- No--! (moist smooching)
- Oh, the hand holding is the best thing.
- She enjoyed that.
- Oh my god! And she's watching?!
Holy crap!
- (John) Next up, former flame Saskia Moore.
This is a bit awkward. - Why is he doing this?
- What is this?
- (John) I need to make out with your mother.
- What is this show?
- (Saskia) Okay.
(in video: squealing off screen) - Oh no.
- No! No! No! No! (laughing)
(in video: squealing and laughter)
- Mamma tryin' to get it!
- Oh god. Why is he do-- why is he putting his tongue in?
- Is this a social experiment?
(slurpy kissing)
- Oh my god! And the sounds.
- The sounds effects just... (slurping) - (Saskia groans)
- She's just there. Take it! She's like, "(moaning)
Take me to that place!"
- Oh my god!
- Oh, that was the noisiest kiss I've ever heard.
- (Finebros) One to five, how cringe-worthy?
- One. No, I respect it.
- That wasn't really cringe-worthy. That was note-worthy.
(laughing) I'd give it a one.
- I'll say... two.
- It's a three.
- I'd say three.
- I would say that's like a 3.5.
- I'm gonna start at a three, and then I can go below or above
depending upon how bad the next ones are.
- A solid four.
- A solid four. - Yeah, a four. Yeah.
- I have to do a four because if somebody was making out
with my mom that way, that wasn't my dad, or even my dad...
(groans in disgust)
- That is a five! I am not here for that.
That's awkward, that's cringe. No.
- (host) Now Greg, you have some interesting career plans.
- Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego! YES!
- (Greg) I'd like to be either a stand-up comedian
or a baseball manager. - Not bad.
- (host) A stand-up comedian or a baseball manager.
Oh, wait-- come on up here.
Yeah, they just don't want you to talk into the microphone quite that closely.
It's on and it's working fine.
You're okay. - (Greg) Okay.
- (host) So you want to be a stand-up comedian?
Tell me, what kind of jokes do you do?
- (Greg) Well, I make funny phone calls to 1-800 numbers.
- Don't go into the mic! Do not go into the mic.
- (Greg) I make fake surveys and go to random people
who I don't know, and I tell knock-knock jokes.
- Oh, cute! - (host) You can tell he's a comedian
by the way he's working that microphone, you guys.
Yeah, you can just stand right up there, Greg.
It's cool. Just stand right there.
- Greg wanna do what the [bleep] Greg wanna do.
- (host) Would you guys like to hear a knock-knock joke?
- Yes! (audience cheers)
- (host) Okay, Gregory-- - I am so stressed for him.
- (Greg) Knock, knock.
- (audience) Who's there? - Who's there?
- (Greg) Uh, Humpty.
- Humpty who? - (audience) Humpty who?
- (Greg) ♪ They call me Humpty with--♪ - (snickering)
- (Greg) ♪ The Humpty Dumpty ♪ - Oh no!
- (Greg) ♪ They call me Humpty with-- ♪
♪ The Humpty Dumpty ♪
♪ I really am kinda funky ♪
- (giggling hysterically) - (host) Greg, ladies and gentleman!
- Poor kid!
(audience applauds) - Yes!
- Oh, yes! Get the crowd going.
- (Finebros) One to five? - That wasn't cringe-worthy at all.
- Two.
- (together) Two.
- I'm gonna say a two.
- That's a three.
- I'll give it a one.
- Well, that's a one.
I would embarrass myself at that age as well.
- I'd give that a one. I thought that was great.
Good for him, man. You-- you do your comedy.
- Max.
If that happened in 2016, that kid has to get home-schooled.
- 3.5.
I really feel like something worse is gonna come.
I know it.
- Good to have you here.
- (Alki) Thank you so much.
- (Jen) You look beautiful, Anushka.
- (Anushka) Well, I'm a little bit chilly, Jen.
- (Jen) Ah, that's okay.
(Alki farts loudly into mic)
- (Jen) Ah, that's okay.
(Alki farts loudly into mic) - (wheezing) Ha! Ha!
- (Jen) Ah, that's okay.
(Alki farts loudly into mic)
(giggling uncontrollably)
- (Anushka) I don't want to put my mouth on that now.
That's absolutely disgusting. Oh my goodness!
- So he farted? He-- he farted into the microphone?
That's a one cringe.
- (together) Three.
- It's just a three.
- One. It wasn't really cringy.
- I put that one at a three.
- Four. I hated that.
- That one's a four. That's definitely a four.
- That's a five.
- I want to say four.
- That is a one and fun!
- That's just a one. I didn't really cringe.
I admire that man. I look up to him.
♪ (Justin Bieber, "Sorry") ♪
- Uh-oh.
- (contestant) ♪ You've gotta go and you can't-- hey, sorry ♪
(contestant laughs nervously) ♪ (music continues) ♪
- Oh!
- Oh no.
♪ (music continues) ♪ Oh no!
- (contestant) ♪ I just wanted to say that you're sorry for now, girl ♪
♪ 'Cause I just want-- ♪ (crowd clapping along)
- Oh, the crowd's like... (slow clapping).
(whispering) It's so bad.
- (contestant) ♪ I know you say that's for me ♪
(crowd claps)
- Oh!
- (contestant) ♪ Is it too late now to say sorry? ♪
- Kind of. - (contestant) ♪ Yeah, I know-- ♪
- You need to apologize for this performance. God damn.
- (contestant) ♪ ...say I'm sorry now ♪
♪ (vocalizing soulfully) ♪ (giggling gleefully)
- How did he get to the point where he has a bunch of dancers around him?
- (whimpering) Look at his face! Poor thing!
That one is definitely like a 4.5.
- I'd give it a two.
- Three.
- A five.
- I'll put that as like a three.
- That would be a level four cringe right there.
- Five. - Five.
- I'd say five. Poor thing. - Yeah.
- That might be a six.
- I'll give him a three.
It's like watching a car accident.
- That's probably a five.
He didn't just give up and walk away, and that's so, so admirable.
- Five. He powered through it. I would've run off.
(sploshing liquid)
- Uh-oh. What are you?
Oh no. Oh no.
- Please tell me that's not what I think it is.
- Please tell me that's not shit.
- He's in a vat of feces, isn't he?
(chuckling quietly) (in video: heavy panting)
- Don't-- don't do it. - Don't go!
- What is he doing? - Don't do it.
- No, no, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no!
No, no, no-- come back!
- (exhales) Don't do it. Please, don't do it.
NAAAAAAAAH!
- NOOOOO!
- No! No! He did it. He did it. (laughing)
- Bleh, bluh, bluh, bluh, bluh, bluh, BLUH.
- I'ma throw up. I'm known for throwing up.
- Noooo, why did you do that?!
(laughing in disgust)
(Finebros snickers)
- (feebly) Five? - FIVE!
- Ohhh, that's a five.
- That's, like, a five.
- It it's truly what I think it is, that would be a level five cringe there.
- That's ten. That's a ten.
- That's, like, a one. I wasn't really cringing.
- I think a two.
It's not cringy. It's just really disgusting.
- That is a four.
- (sighs) That's a thirty.
You got me. - (laughter off screen)
- You got me.
- That is, by far, the most cringe-worthy one.
I can't even give it a number.
♪ (dramatic chord) ♪
- (Finebros) So were you familiar with this concept
that there are videos that are labeled "cringe-worthy"?
- (both) Yes.
- Yes.
- I am indeed.
- Yes, I was familiar with cringe-worthy videos.
- Yeah, I'm very aware of them. I hate them.
- I know cringe videos-- it's a very popular thing on the internet.
- It's a little bit of-- what's the word? The German word... "schadenfruede"?
And it's getting pleasure from other people's pain.
- And I see why it's entertaining because people just love
seeing other people at their worst or just doing something dumb.
- (Finebros) Do you feel, over your career online,
that there are videos that you've put out there
that you consider to be cringe-worthy now? - Yes.
- Oh yes.
- Yes, for sure, I've privated a few videos.
- You just kinda have to be like, "You know what?
That's part of me finding my voice."
- Everything that I've ever uploaded is cringe-worthy after it goes live.
- Before I started Game Theory, actually, I created the Game Theory Trailer,
which was like, "Here comes this new show. You're gonna be super-stoked about it."
And it's like, "(cheesily) Do you like video games?"
Oh, it's awful! I have not taken it down.
- (Finebros) Well, some people would say
that when people call a video cringy-worthy
it's primarily making fun of people,
and others say it's exposing weirdness and calling people out.
So what do you think?
Is it okay to watch and discuss cringe videos?
- Uh, it depends. Like, if they're in on the joke.
- I think it depends on the situation.
I know, every time I post a video, I run that risk.
- If you're putting your material out there,
it's always up for criticism.
Any artist goes through this.
- It just depends on how far you take it.
- It is a form of being mean,
and it is a form of bullying, in a way.
- If you're going to laugh with them, then that's okay.
But if you're going to be laughing at them and criticizing them,
I mean, we're all humans. We're all flawed.
We've all done cringe-worthy things.
- I think it's totally okay to talk about something that's entertaining,
that you think is weird, but you don't have to be cruel
or malicious about it.
- (Finebros) So finally, what would be your advice to someone
if they made a video and then found themself
inside of somebody's cringe compilation? - Cringe and bear it.
- Just own it.
It's you, you know, in all your raw sewage,
leather, latex suit beauty.
- Embrace that shit. Keep [bleep] up.
'Cause your [bleep] ups gon get you paid.
- If you find yourself meme-ified and being dragged through the pits of hell,
girl, make a t-shirt and sell it today.
Monetize off that moment and live your dream!
- Thanks so much for watching this episode of YouTubers React.
- Make sure you subscribe to everyone you see below.
Trust me, not cringe-worthy content.
- Bye!
- (both) See you next time! Bye.