In 2014, Jesse Ridgway’s father destroyed the video games. Two years later, Jesse goes insane, kills his father and runs off to Switzerland…only to reveal the entire thing was an elaborate internet reality show…

Jesse Ridgeway is a Youtuber who started doing daily Youtube videos after this video went viral.

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE

On his channel, Mcjuggernuggets, he stars as a college grad still living with his parents with no prospect other then playing video games, pulling pranks on family members, and making a living from posting his antics on Youtube. Sounds like fun, right? Except his entire family is an emotional mess. While every episode is mostly mundane, there is always some type of conflict between Jesse and a member of his family (mostly his father) which often leads to raised voices, foul language and someone’s personal items being destroyed in anger.

A unique aspect of the series is how real and raw the emotions feel from Jesse and his entire family. I remember at one time feeling such pity for Jesse after he was kicked out of the house (the first time) that I put together a quick video message to him encouraging him to seek peace with his family. It’s a good thing I decided against publishing it online, as I only started to realize this wasn’t real, particularly after their Halloween episode from last year.

That is where the series runs into trouble. Many of his fans were under the age of 10 and didn’t realize that this wasn’t real. Honestly, who can blame them. No one ever truly broke character and their personal lives were not known outside the series. Each character felt real…almost too real at times…

The series itself was very dark and depressing as it’s focus on Jesse brought us a flawed, narcissist character who is clearly hurt by the actions of his overeating father, his bullying older brother, and his mother’s brokenness. Maybe a reason why many watched it, aside from trying to figure out if it was real or fake, was because many can relate to Jesses struggles. They want love, but don’t get it from family and so they “act out.”

I want to be clear that while the character of Jesse may be relatable to many of today’s youth, he is no hero. He constantly lies, constantly swears, has no work ethic, has no concept of right or wrong, manipulates friends and family and seethes with narcissism; clearly caring for no one but himself. While there are moments through out the series where redemption seems possible, the series ends with Jesse alone and on the run, having lost everyone that cared about him.

Yet, there are some valuable lessons that I found amidst the dark and disturbing mind of this Youtuber.

1. Each character wants their own happiness. Yet, in order to get that happiness, it often means hurting the people that care about them. By the end of the series, no one is happy. When we seek only our happiness and not the joy of those that we love, we lose everything.

2. There are a few redemptive characters in the series that deliver a contrast to Jesses narcissism.

Jesse’s older brother, Jeffery, starts the series out as a bully, constantly getting him into trouble, provoking him with pranks, and later, fights, and often finds pleasure in his little brothers pain and nativity. Yet, after his character suffers a concussion after a fight with Jesse, he goes through a change and one of the clear redemptive elements that we see in the series. He starts trying to help his little brother and encourages him to be a better man. Even at the end when Jesse holds him at gunpoint, he tries to help him sincerely.

Jesse’s Uncle Larry provides him with a place to stay when he gets kicked out of the house, showing unconditional love to a character that few believe deserve such a love. He stands up for him, encourages him and gives Jesse the affirmation that he is missing from his father. While Jesse rarely listens to his advice and always returns home (since drama brings more youtube views), Uncle Larry still supports him. Yet, this redemption is short lived. Uncle Larry eventually reaches a breaking point with Jesse and his father, almost losing his life in the process.

3. If we understand that this was a scripted internet reality show, it becomes more impressive in terms of the hard work that went into creating the scenarios and uploading new content daily.

Since 2014, the real Jesse Ridgway, his family and friends, devoted themselves to this dark story and through telling it in a realistic way. The work ethic (which is just the opposite of the character he is portraying) is incredibly noteworthy as most people assume working on Youtube isn’t work at all. While it wasn’t Oscar winning performances, the series did it’s job: it convinced us that this was all real and that this kid was really in trouble…

While I might not agree with the content of the series and what it promoted, I cannot help but be impressed with the work that went into creating this series, how much time went into editing, setting up scenarios and stunts, as well as the sacrifice of the family, who essentially made themselves look bad so that their son could make money off this series. And now, he’s been hired by a professional film studio out in California.

Honestly, why did I watch this series? I’m not sure. But, ultimately, I am glad it ended as it did…letting us know that the real family behind the show love their son more then the family that we saw in the show…