Today, we have come to film with a very special guest,
who is very enthusiastic about American food.
Well.
It’s fried chicken dinner. It can’t be small.
I'm so excited about this one, man.
Keith doesn't really need an introduction.
You've probably seen my horrific face on youtube before.
‘Cause I'm one of the try guys and I do a show called "Eat the Menu".
And I take at least one bite of every single item.
It's the only thing that's made me want to vomit so far.
In England as well, we often have more trimmed down menus.
I've been overwhelmed in America.
Oh yeah.
It never ends.
It's crazy. It's like a catalog.
When I do an eat the menu,
and there's less than 60 items, that's a small menu.
I was about to say. This looks like an eat the menu to me.
Yeah, this is not that.
What kind of prep do you do?
I don't eat for at least 16 to 18 hours before.
And then I'll try to work out the morning of,
and that's the only food I eat that day.
I'll eat from about noon to six straight.
Wow.
Oh, it's a six-hour shoot.
Yeah.
You're like an endurance athlete.
I like to think of it as athletics.
I'm constantly trying to get a red bull sponsorship.
What I'm doing is incredibly edgy sports.
Definitely dangerous.
It's not good for you.
I realized we could have done Jollibee.
Right at this moment.
I like Jollibee but Popeyes is considerably better.
Popeyes I think is easily the best fast-food chain in America.
So what we have here is the classic fried chicken.
Theirs is known for being especially crispy.
It has all those extra crunchy tendrils sticking off the chicken.
It does look good.
And then the biscuits which we should maybe even just start with the biscuit.
Because the biscuits, they smell crazy like butter.
- Oh my gosh. - Out of control.
It smells like just butter melting.
Oh oh.
Oh, that's good.
That is good.
It's like a really really buttery scone.
It's a really dense savoury scone.
I mean it's quite dry.
That's why you would either put a jam on it
to have something sweet.
It's a very high contrast.
Or you would, like I would, literally dip it into mashed potatoes and gravy.
Let's do it.
It's kind of crazy…
Wow, that looks like ice cream.
Oh yeah.
Dip that, like straight up?
Yeah, make sure you get the gravy part of it, too.
Oh, that's good though.
We're just dipping our toes in.
I think that the fried chicken is really where it's at.
Grab your favourite piece.
All right.
Are you a leg man, are you a thigh guy, are you a breast boy?
You know what, I'm gonna start with a leg.
I'll do a thigh, I think thighs are kind of the best.
A thigh for a thigh guy.
Oh wow.
That is good.
You can hear the crunch of that batter.
I really want the spicy one.
Yeah, get the spicy one.
The spicy one has way more flavour I think.
It's like, just like light sort of kick but it has a little more flavour as well.
Where the biscuits go the chicken must also.
This is also, this is very like common American thing to do.
Stick your chicken in the mashed potatoes, get some gravy on it.
Dipping?
- I've never seen that before. - Really?
I think it's something that happens just because we love to dip into stuff.
Now I’m gonna force you guys to indulge me and try some of my hot sauces.
I thought you'd never ask.
They're meant to be hot sauces that aren't too hot.
Warm sauces.
Yeah, kind of yeah but really flavourful.
Warm sauce…
It doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
It doesn't.
I call it not "too hot sauce".
That's better.
It's kind of like a buffalo-y ranch.
This is specifically for chicken?
This one is but it's really good on anything that's fatty.
It's a little more complex than typical buffalo sauce would be.
- Yeah, it is. - That is good.
It's tangy.
So this is your hot sauce.
Yes, it was because I have a really low spice tolerance and I love big flavours.
And hot sauces have some of the best flavours but they also come with... They hurt.
And they hurt me just more than other people so I wanted to experience…
that sort of flavour without as much heat.
It's subtle but it's definitely still a hot sauce.
It's a hot sauce but it's not like,
you put two drops on and suddenly you're crying.
I don't know if you can tell but I'm really enjoying this chicken.
It’s incredible.
This is incredible.
So if you like this…
This came out and it was such a big deal with how good this chicken sandwich was.
That all the popeyes just were completely sold out nationwide.
What?
And then every other fast food place was like f***.
Every single chain launched a new fried chicken sandwich in the next two years.
But there is, I fully believe, it's still the very best one.
That is good.
You also dip this guy in the mash?
F******* go for it, bro.
Wow, okay.
You can do anything you want.
So Keith, going back a bit.
You started out in improv comedy and then, moved on to Buzzfeed.
So while I was doing improv, I was living in Chicago to make sketches.
You need to have somebody who knows how to use a camera and how to edit them.
So I just slowly picked up skills as we needed to make stuff with.
Until I knew how to do kind of basics of everything.
Moved to L.A..
And was trying to find a job and applied to lots of places.
Then eventually applied to Buzzfeed.
And they were the only people who ever called me back.
And on my first interview, they were like,
we need somebody who has basic skills and these things.
And I was like that's what I have.
And then within a year of working there, we actually made the first try guys video.
Totally an accident.
Is that the ladies' underwear one?
Yeah.
Wow.
I'm really glad it was because if you said no, I'd be...
What else could it have been?
It's a weird one to pick out of thin air.
That first video is something like 2 minutes 20 seconds long.
And over the next now eight years, we have hundreds and hundreds of videos.
We, four years ago, started our own company.
Been super fortunate and very fun and we've got a great team of people.
We have also now no longer have to have a basic proficiency in everything else.
We can hire people who have full proficiencies in each of those things.
That’s awesome.
And it's been really fun.
This is incredible.
I mean look, can you see like the layers of that?
That’s juicy meat.
Now you should try the spicy one though.
Because the spicy one not only uses the spicy batter,
but it uses spicy mayo.
- Oh my gosh! This is a monster! - Yours is kind of…
It kind of looks like a hand.
Visible crunch.
Oh, that's really helping appetising.
Oh, the crunch though.
That is an improvement.
The heat is so much more aware of...
Oh, it's glorious and you know what it needs…
a little bit of potato and gravy.
I want some of that.
I'm so glad you guys are into dipping into the mashed potatoes.
All day long.
It does say something about the British mindset, when it comes to cuisine.
That is kind of inventive.
Ooh, someone's using their imagination.
When you go into a fast-food restaurant that you haven't done yet,
do their eyes light up in hope?
that you're about to spend like two or three thousand dollars?
Well, I mean the fast-food ones, sadly you don't rack up that high of a bill.
They’re more like three to four hundred dollars.
Now when we do like Chili's or Applebee's…
Yes, it's like probably fifteen hundred dollars, two thousand dollars.
But I don't know if they're excited, I'm there.
You know.
That means that the kitchen will not slow down.
Because I'm gonna be there nearby for five hours.
So you don't order everything all at once?
Well, I do but we stagger the pickups.
Okay.
Now when I'm doing the chilli's or Applebee's, I try to put myself close to the restaurant.
So like I'll get a party bus and sit outside of it.
No!
Are you serious?
Because I want the food to have as best of a chance as it can to be good.
Dedication, people.
So this is red beans and rice.
The beans are going to be underneath that little layer of rice.
It's like a savoury ice cream sundae or something.
A lot going on with the textures.
Wasn't really sure what to expect.
If you don't like it, I'm not concerned.
Sorry. I really…
It's okay if you don't like it.
I really hate that.
That’s totally…
I think it’s more acquired than the other tastes are.
Your enthusiasm was carrying us through, all the way to this point.
It’s strong.
Ollie hit a wall.
I mean, by any objective measure, you guys have made it.
But does it feel like you've made it?
Or is there always that kind of like striving feeling like-
We’re not Mr beast.
I think we're very happy with what we have built.
We're always trying to like be better.
Like all of us came to L.A. with different creative goals.
You didn't envision this being yourself.
Maybe 15 year old Keith did.
Eating entire pizza hut pizzas by myself so I was doing some training.
You're living the original dream.
There must have been moments like,
I can’t believe we get to do this.
It’s kind of amazing opportunities.
We did a video, series at the very end of Buzzfeed,
It ended up being Buzzfeed finale.
So, we did “Dune Buggies”, up in California.
We did “Swamp Boats” in the Everglades in Florida.
And then the last one we went,
I did dog sled racing in Alaska.
No!
There was a moment where I was on a sled, being pulled by 8 dogs.
And there’s a drone following me.
And I’m like, I tried on ladies’ underwear once…
And somehow this is what happened?
This is absurd!
It’s like the most unrealistic surreal experience you could ever have.
Fantastic.
Alright well, this has been our first try at popeyes.
Ollie, impressed?
Very very impressed.
Some crumbs on your cheek.
Oh, yeah?
How'd you even get it over here?
I think this is the best.
Whoa, we've had IN N OUT though.
Okay, here's the thing.
IN N OUT is not a national chain.
Okay, oh okay.
Those eyes are…
- Serious eyes there. - It's a regional chain.
And it's very good but they also only make like six things.
Fair enough.
It’s good.
If you haven't tried popeyes, go check it out.
And in the meantime.
We'll see you jolly soon.
See you guys later.
Bye.
Jolleith.
Put my name in there.
Jolleith!
Nice!
And this was Jolleith. There you go.
It's said. Now it's official.