I must say, I was absolutely disgusted and appalled when I watched Sam Pepper's latest video with viners Colby Brock and Sam Golbach. The Internet seems to be in collective agreement in the wake of the video's release on Nov. 30th.
The video begins with Pepper explaining that Brock is in on the prank, while Golbach is to be subjected to watching his best friend be "murdered" in front of him. Brock and Golbach are driving down the road when their car "breaks down" and both boys get out of the vehicle. The video goes on a downward spiral from there.
Golbach is then grabbed from behind, a bag is put over his head, his hands and feet are duct taped together, and he is thrown in the trunk of the car. The next shot shows all three parties on a rooftop with Golbach tied to a chair in very visible and very real distress.
The "kidnapper," Pepper, then approaches Golbach and threatens him at gunpoint before going over and placing the gun on Brock. Golbach is forced to watch as the gunman then "murders" his best friend right before his eyes, all the while screaming for it to stop. Yeah, I didn't really see the humor either.
Throughout the video Golbach is seen begging and crying for his and his best friend's life, with such words as "We didn't do anything," "We're just kids from Kansas," and, most heart-wrenching, "He's everything that I have." It is abundantly clear that he was unaware of the prank and truly felt as if he was in a life or death situation.
When Brock finally calls an end to the prank and his friend's suffering, Golbach is visibly confused and disoriented. Brock proceeded to untie and reassure his friend that everything was alright. When Golbach finally understood what was happening his only reaction was to embrace Brock as tightly as possible.
This is not the first time that Pepper has come under fire for a controversial video. Several months ago Pepper found himself in hot water for his "Fake Hand Pinch Prank," which has since been deleted. The video shows Pepper groping women without their consent with a fake hand. Pepper claims the video was intended to bring attention to the issue of male sexual assault, although his audience remains unconvinced.
Brock and Golbach are two fairly well known viners who create comedic videos together. Over the past few years they have expanded their fanbase and have, up until this point, avoided any major controversy.
Despite the violent backlash over the extent of the prank all three parties are denying that it was anything more than a joke. They have since reached out to explain that Golbach was not negatively affected and that their friendship is stronger than ever.
Also, they wish for the video to spread the positive message of not taking anything, particularly your best friend, for granted. However, it leaves the world to wonder, if this was joke then where does the line get drawn?
