Life Wide Open with CboysTV

Episode: Getting Caught Sneaking Out
Date: October 3, 2023

Episode Overview

On this week’s episode, the CboysTV crew—CJ, Ben, Ryan, Ken, and Evan—bounce from hilarious personal stories and all things behind-the-scenes at CboysTV to unfiltered hot takes on YouTube pranks, life as a content creator, music trends, and good old Midwestern teenage rebellion. They share business advice, memories of sneaking out, cautionary tales from YouTuber mishaps, and even throw in discussion about electric vehicles, nightmares, lightning strikes, and near-cringe wedding moments. The banter is true to form: fast, irreverent, and peppered with quotable moments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Midwestern Sneaking Out Experience

• Stories & Tactics:

  • The crew swap their best (and, sometimes, lamest) adolescent sneaking out adventures—using neutral gear to roll cars away quietly, the challenges of having loud exhausts, and how some were just "allowed" to come and go.
  • Evan: "I did the typical car—put it in neutral, push the car as far... and then start it." (36:07)
  • Ben: “Push it a couple times. And then I got an exhaust, which made it harder.” (36:58)
  • Ryan reminisces about creative signaling systems with his parents, like turning hallway lights on and off to notify them of his arrival. (39:49)

• Parenting Styles & Rebellion:

  • Differences in household rules (“be home by 1”) and attitudes towards authority.
  • Evan: “I think I’ve always just hated, like, listening... time frames? Yeah, sure. Scheduling.” (38:45)

2. YouTube Pranks, Clout Chasing & Real Consequences

• Recent Shooting Incident:

  • The crew discuss a recent viral incident where a YouTube prankster was shot during a “prank gone wrong.”
  • CJ: “That was the worst prank I’ve ever seen.” (12:08)
  • Ryan: “Definitely don’t think he should have gotten shot... but there wasn’t much finesse.” (11:22)
  • Ben on YouTuber reputation: “It gives YouTubers a bad rep. That’s tough.” (11:18)

• The Ethics of ‘Prank’ Content:

  • The trend of disrespectful, low-effort pranks is critiqued. The guys recall another infamous local incident where a couple attempted a deadly stunt for views.
  • CJ: “You’re purposely trying to piss people off... I just don't think that’s funny, man.” (14:03)
  • Ben: “That’s desperate—when you’re shooting a phone book.” (15:06)

• Collateral Damage to the Cboys' Reputation:

  • The Cboys talk about unfairly getting lumped in with reckless or disrespectful creators due to geographic/genre proximity. (15:39)

3. Music, Harley Speakers & FM Radio Lamentations

• Music Trends:

  • The crew vent about the state of new music and the dominance of “aggressive” female rap on major playlists.
  • CJ: “These female rappers are taken over... I just can't get down with what they're saying... this ain’t hyping me up.” (05:00)
  • Ryan: “Maybe when people put out TV shows... they know it's not their best work but it'll get us through to next season. Some music is so bad, I can't believe they released this!” (04:23)

• Harleys & Music Taste:

  • Evan tells a hilarious story of leathered-up Harley guys bumping “Bottom Jeans” at full blast, making him question biker music etiquette. (01:55)

• FM Radio Gripes:

  • Jokes about radio programming being mostly ads, and how that compares to their own approach. (00:47)

4. Tech Upgrades, Jailbreaking, and Electric Vehicles

• Old School Hacking:

  • Laughs about jailbreaking iPhones, rooting PSPs, and their failed attempts to resist modifying every gadget/car they own.
  • CJ: “I did jailbreak my phones too... always ruined your battery.” (24:24)
  • Evan: "Why can't I leave things normal?" (24:09)

• Ken’s Brand-New iPhone:

  • The guys roast Ken for always having the latest Apple device (“Flash it to the camera—no case!” (26:25)). They also envision Ken as a tech reviewer. (26:46)
  • Ben: “You should do a Marcus Brownlee review on it.” (26:38)

• Electrification Everywhere:

  • Electric boats, mowers, and the future of snowmobiles, trains, and more.
  • Evan: “Dude, if it gets better and better, then not much bad to say about electric.” (34:28)
  • Ben: “I think it'd be cool to ride an electric snowmobile.” (35:06)

5. Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On prank culture:
  • CJ: “He shouldn’t have shot him, but he should have punched him in the nose.” (11:40)
• On staying up late and hustle culture:
  • CJ: “If I get six (hours of sleep), I'm like, okay, I’m good. I can keep going.” (44:12)
• On creativity and work-life flow:
  • Evan: "When we're filming, it's so hard to go from okay, we're filming this bit from 10 to 3, and then we're getting on another bit... I can't get on the computer and hunker down." (45:58)
• On “influencer” as a job title:
  • CJ: “You’re either going to be one or you’re not. You can’t go to school for it.” (22:05)
  • Ben: “I hate the word influencer.” (22:32)
• On sleepless teenage hijinks:
  • Ryan: “Would you, like, walk in the room and you... They just want to know you’re home but they’re asleep and you feel kind of bad waking them up... your dad wakes up: ‘What the hell’s going on here?’” (39:20)
• On the power of nightmares:
  • CJ: “I hear about it more so. I have nightmares, I run around, really. I stand up, I jump, I shout, I scream.” (52:13)
• On old-school pranks gone wrong:
  • CJ: “I just remember one time I touched an electric fence—like getting tased, scary, but I was like, whoa.” (49:07)

6. CboysTV News and Upcoming Videos

• Most Viral Video Yet?

  • Preview of upcoming Thursday’s video: “We hired 100 people to mow our lawn...”
    • Ben: “It was so efficient.” (28:57)
    • CJ: “You couldn’t have done that with a pull-behind full-size tractor in the time that we did it.” (29:17)

• Wedding Antics & Fails

  • The group reminisces about cringe and creative bridal party entrances—Harley stunts gone wrong, toy tractors, and dream grand entrances.
    • CJ: “Next time I’ll bring a Harley.” (20:14)
    • Evan: “As long as you guys are down.” (20:33)

7. Bizarre & Hilarious Tangents

• Flooded New York:

  • The guys discuss Casey Neistat’s video of floods in NYC, driving through water, and which of their vehicles would survive.

• Lightning Strikes & Electric Fences:

  • What it felt like to be (almost) struck by lightning or shocked by a childhood electric fence story.

• Nightmares & Being Easily Spooked:

  • Ways they handle nightmares and a running joke about Evan being the easiest to scare in the group—leading to talk of giving him a (scaredy) service dog. (54:50)

Notable Segment Timestamps

• FM Radio and Biker Music — 00:17–02:31
• Music Trends / New Music Friday — 04:09–06:35
• YouTube Prank Shooting / Ethics of Pranking — 09:39–14:10
• Viral Wedding Fails — 17:09–20:14
• The ‘Influencer Degree’ Debate — 21:14–22:40
• Old Tech Hacks & Jailbreaking Stories — 23:31–25:02
• Mass Mowing Project Preview — 28:42–29:39
• New York Floods & Submersibles — 30:28–33:13
• Sneaking Out Stories — 35:53–41:09
• Electric Fences & Pranks — 48:53–51:09
• Nightmares and Sleep Schedules — 52:13–54:08

Tone and Style

The crew’s banter is loose, good-natured, and brings a familiar small-town, “Midwestern boys” authenticity. The language is irreverent, sometimes crude, and utterly unfiltered—just as their YouTube fans would expect.

In Summary

This episode captures the full range of CboysTV’s spirit—ridiculous high jinks, honest talk about online culture, growing up, and the creative grind—all delivered with a blend of nostalgia, dry humor, and heartfelt camaraderie.

Favorite Quote:
"You’re either going to be one or you’re not. You can’t go to school for it."
— CJ, (22:05), on becoming an influencer

Listen if:

• You love wild “back in my day” tales
• Want unvarnished opinions about YouTube and social trends
• Appreciate a podcast as real, goofy, and restless as your own friend group