Life Wide Open with CboysTV

Episode: The Surprisingly High Cost of CboysTV Videos, Ryan's Embarrassing Halloween Costumes, & A Song About our Ford Ranger

Date: November 5, 2024
Hosts: CJ, Ben, Ryan, Ken, Evan, Micah (with “Big Wrench” making frequent appearances)

Episode Overview

This episode of Life Wide Open veers across the Cboys' trademark conversational terrain—from the high (and sometimes hidden) costs of creating their biggest YouTube videos, to wild Halloween escapades and Ryan’s most cringeworthy costumes, to the surreal moment a song about their Ford Ranger made it onto national TV. In between the laughs and roasts, the crew drops insights about YouTube, side hustles, betting, and their ever-growing collection of Ford Raptors (and mishaps with the RZR). As always, the banter is chaotic, honest, and hilarious.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shoe Battles and Skate Park Antics

[00:00–02:59]

• The crew kicks things off ribbing each other about fashion choices, namely Evan’s love of loud shoes and Mike’s notorious white Huck boots.
• Discussion about their newly built skate park inside Ken’s Merch Bay—creating a fun but somewhat impractical workspace.
• The efficiency of warehouse “Heelys” (roller shoes) is debated. Ken shares a story about a viral workshop Heelys video that resulted in a real brand deal.
  • “You really could work really efficiently in the Merch Bay with Heelys on.” — Ken [03:00]

2. Heelys Nostalgia and Halloween Madness

[04:00–10:55]

• Heelys’ heyday and school prohibitions: “When I got Heelys, they made me take the wheels out at school.” – Ben [04:51]
• Mike recounts a legendary airport faceplant in Heelys (during the pandemic, for extra flair).
  • “Everyone turned around and looked at me as I’m on the ground and my wheels are like, still probably turning.” — Mike [06:46]
• Everyone recaps the local Halloween phenomenon: the whole town apparently dressed up as Ken.
  • “I walk into the restaurant and everyone’s wearing the exact same thing—custom cowboy hat, no can do shirts, fake beards…” — Ben [08:01]
• Ken unexpectedly buys the whole bar a round, shocking everyone with a surprisingly low ($260) tab for 30 shots.
• Multiple “Kens” confuse townies, and running jokes about mistaken identity with local moms.

3. Ryan’s Embarrassing Halloween Costumes & Contact Lens Catastrophes

[11:20–16:49]

• The group mercilessly roasts Ryan’s (and each other’s) cringe college-era Halloween outfits, pulling up embarrassing pictures on the TV—Ryan admits, “This is why I delete all the pictures of me.” [11:53]
• Contact lens mishaps: Ryan shares how neglecting to change his lenses led to nasty eye issues.
• Mike’s infamous stair-falling episode, and the group’s various minor (and sometimes gross) injuries.

4. The $9,000 South Africa Flight Prank (and More Betting Adventures)

[16:51–23:32]

• Ben is puzzled to find he’s been booked on a Delta 1 flight to South Africa next summer; nobody will confirm if the booking is real or a prank.
  • “I looked it up. That’s like, a $9,000 flight.” — Ben [18:16]
• Conversation veers to sports betting and fantasy apps—how easy and addictive it is.
  • “You don’t have to bet much money to win a lot. It just makes any game super interesting.” — Evan [20:27]
• Parlay bets and big-payout fantasies: The crew discusses if anyone ever actually walks away after a small win.
  • “That’s how they get you.” — Ryan [23:00]
• Brief detour on Minnesota’s gambling laws and the business behind pull tabs/gambling revenue.

5. Financial Risks: YouTube Video Costs and Business Philosophy

[27:04–29:06]

• Parallels are drawn between financial risk in investing and their YouTube operation.
• “How much do you think it costs to make a YouTube video?” For the Cboys, a single video averages $40,000–$60,000, with some outlier videos costing hundreds of thousands.
  • “Some videos truly cost us nothing—rarely, maybe one a year. But some videos...all three banger bits are extremely expensive.” — Ken [28:22]
• Biggest financial L: the legendary Hoonicorn video, which got demonetized, costing a major loss.
  • “That video got demonetized and it made no money.” — Mike [28:50]

6. Vinyl Stories, Missing Paintings, and Ford Ranger Fame

[29:50–37:01]

• Ken recounts a night out, nearly losing a signed Baby Jake vinyl—and how confronting the “thief” played out.
  • “I was just like, you thieving bitch.” — Ken [31:27]
• Discussion about collecting vinyl and why Ken enjoys the “album experience.”
• A detour about lost and found items at bars and Vegas (including a beloved Rick & Morty painting lost forever).
• The group listens to “Ford Ranger” by Rick Duff, as heard on Canada’s Got Talent—a song inspired directly by the Cboys’ famous six-wheeled, Cummins-powered Ford Ranger.
  • “Dude, that was cool. We got name dropped because of the Ford Ranger on Canada’s Got Talent. That’s sick.” — Mike [36:46]

7. Truck Debates: Size, Brand Loyalty & “Pavement Princesses”

[37:20–41:00]

• Humorous arguments about the best trucks, the shrinking size of the Ford Ranger, and Chevy vs. GMC.
  • “It’s just a little more Pavement Princess—you know, for guys that wear bedazzled jeans and listen to Luke Bryan.” — Big Wrench [38:04]
• Amusing attempts to define “GMC” (with the group settling on tongue-in-cheek jokes).
• Discussion about how, despite new trucks’ improvement in features, concerns persist about long-term reliability, especially with electronic components.
  • “I do worry about all those electronics in 25 years.” — Ken [40:03]

8. Collectors vs. Drivers: Cars as Investments

[41:14–47:52]

• The crew discusses the logic (or lack thereof) of buying vehicles and “ratholing” them away for decades as investments.
  • “If you’re planning on making money by holding a car, it better be the right car, which at the end of the day is kind of a gamble.” — Evan [46:49]
• Stories about pristine, never-driven collector cars vs. cars enjoyed to the fullest: “Your true enjoyment, out of looking at something and just letting it sit there, or using it? I would use it.” — Ryan [45:12]
• Nostalgia for personal vehicles—Ryan buying back his Scion TC, and CJ’s plans for his Raptor or family’s classic Trans Am.

9. Wrenching Woes: RZR Troubles & Garage Tales

[52:33–56:56]

• Multiple failed attempts to fix the crew’s RZR side-by-side—eventually uncovering some issues were simply due to it being “out of gas.”
  • “Ryan thought he was a mechanic. He told Big Wrench and Gavin they could take the rest of the day off.” — Mike [53:51]
• Details on ongoing mechanical gremlins, possible bad tunes, connectors, or intermittent electrical issues.
• Typical group dynamic: nobody can agree on a solution, but everyone enjoys roasting the guy who thinks he fixed it.

10. Legendary Vehicles, Mileage, and the Joy of Use

[57:00–End (~58:00)]

• Borrowed, battered, and aging Ford Raptors—benignly mocked for accumulating wear.
• AJ’s inspiring story: a coworker with one leg shuts down ableist parking complaints with humor.
  • “No, you idiot, I have one leg!” — AJ via Ken [50:39]
• Closing out with some classic Cboys randomness—diet soda bits, more mechanical troubleshooting, and the realization that sometimes, you just have to take a break and have fun.

Notable Quotes

• Mike [06:46]: "Everyone turned around and looked at me as I’m on the ground and my wheels are, like, still probably turning."
• Ben [18:16]: "I looked it up. That’s like, a $9,000 flight."
• Ken [28:22]: "Some videos truly cost us nothing—rarely, maybe one a year. But some videos...all three banger bits are extremely expensive."
• Ryan [45:12]: "Your true enjoyment, out of looking at something and just letting it sit there, or using it? I would use it."
• Mike [36:46]: "Dude, that was cool. We got name dropped because of the Ford Ranger on Canada’s Got Talent. That’s sick."
• Ryan [23:00]: "That’s how they get you."
• Big Wrench [38:04]: "It’s just a little more Pavement Princess—you know, for guys that wear bedazzled jeans and listen to Luke Bryan."
• Ken [40:03]: "I do worry about all those electronics in 25 years."

Important Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------|------------------| | Skate shoes, Heelys & Merch Bay | 00:00–03:59 | | Halloween “Ken” Takeover & Bar Story | 07:16–10:55 | | Roasting Ryan over Halloween Costumes | 11:20–16:49 | | Ben’s Mystery South Africa Flight | 16:51–18:46 | | Sports Betting/Parlay Bets | 20:17–23:32 | | Business Risk: YouTube Video Costs | 27:04–29:06 | | Losing & Reclaiming the Signed Vinyl | 29:50–32:32 | | Rick Duff’s Ford Ranger Song/National TV Shoutout | 35:55–36:53 | | Chevy vs. GMC & Truck Reliability | 37:20–41:00 | | Car Collecting: Investment or Fun? | 41:14–47:52 | | RZR: The Never-Ending Mechanical Mystery | 52:33–56:56 | | Final Garage Tales & Listener Q&A | 57:00–End |

Tone & Style

The crew maintains their signature tone—brash, playful, and relentlessly self-deprecating. The group is quick to pick on each other (all in fun), with stories befitting a close-knit team more focused on good times than looking polished. The episode is peppered with off-the-cuff wisdom—especially about risk in business and life—wrapped in layers of inside jokes.

For New Listeners

If you haven’t listened to the episode, expect behind-the-scenes YouTube business talk mingled with Midwest nostalgia, roasts, wild stories from the shop, and a heavy dose of unscripted buddy banter. The Cboys’ world is one where a $60,000 video could flop, someone might accidentally swim in coleslaw after a night out, and your truck probably has a funny noise nobody’s fixing until next month. Strip away the jokes, and you’ll hear recurring theme: Take risks, show up authentically, and enjoy the ride.

Subscribe for more stories about business gambles, six-wheeled Ford Rangers, and the next unfortunate Halloween costume.