So Supernatural – DARK WEB: Blank Room Soup (A So SOUPernatural Bonus)

Podcast: So Supernatural
Host(s): Racha Pecorero, Yvette Gentile, Brit (special guest from Crime Junkie)
Date: April 1, 2026

Episode Overview

This bonus episode dives deep into one of the internet’s oldest and most disturbing mysteries: the "Blank Room Soup" (also called "Freaky Soup Guy") videos. Racha, Yvette, and guest host Brit unravel the origins, viral trajectory, and wildest theories around the bizarre series of videos, touching on everything from the dark web and performance art to allegations of true crime and supernatural speculation. With a mix of humor and skepticism, the hosts explore what makes these unsettling clips so endlessly fascinating—and why no concrete answers have been found in more than two decades.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rise of YouTube and “Blank Room Soup”

• YouTube’s Early Days

  • YouTube launched in 2005, with very limited features. Early viral content was rare, making anything truly memorable get shared and re-shared among the internet’s small but growing community.
  • Quote:

    “YouTube also has a very dark side, and it has since the very beginning.”
    — Yvette Gentile (00:32)

• The Original Video (“Freaky Soup Guy”)

  • Posted by user RenaissanceMen in Nov 2005, it was just 66 seconds long but deeply unsettling.
  • Described by the hosts: A man with a black censor bar over his face eats soup in a stark, white room, using an oversized ladle. Two costumed figures with unnerving cartoon doll masks silently comfort (or taunt) him as he sobs uncontrollably, but keeps eating.
  • No explanation, no context, deeply disturbing—yet no explicit violence or gore.
  • Quote:

    “All you can see behind him is a doorway, but it’s completely dark, so you can’t tell what’s through that door.”
    — Racha Pecorero (07:43)

• Viral Traction

  • The video spread rapidly, in part because there were few things like it on YouTube at the time; curiosity and confusion drove replay.
  • Quote:

    “We were Internet babies. And so, like, of course it got shared because we were sharing anything and everything that was provoking a conversation… because there was just—it was so new and exciting to be able to even do something like that.”
    — Brit (11:47)

2. Was it from the Dark Web?

• Origins and Urban Legends
  • Rumors swirled that the video originated from the dark web; this only amplified its mystique, even though there’s no proven connection.
  • Quote:

    “But rumors started to spread that it didn’t originate on YouTube. It originated on the Dark Web.”—Racha (12:16)
    “It’s the seedy back alley that you can only enter if you’re up to some shady stuff.”—Yvette (13:14)

  • Hosts are skeptical of this theory but highlight how the unsettling nature of the video made such rumors almost inevitable.

3. Follow-up Videos and Escalating Mystery

• Second Video

  • Near-identical setup; Freaky Soup Guy seems even more distressed, doll creatures loom, and one charges at him before a cut-to-black and a scream (16:38).
  • Quote:

    “Right before it cuts out, you hear someone start to scream and then just, like, cuts to black.” — Brit (16:45)

• Third and Fourth Videos

  • The third video just 11 seconds: a man (possibly not the same one) is gagged and disguised, led by a doll in dark surroundings.
  • The fourth: a blurry, night-time street shot focusing on one doll figure standing still, illuminated by streetlights.
  • The lack of context, increasing ambiguity, and “creep-factor” drove further obsession and theorizing.
  • Quote:

    “Which even without the first three videos, that’s a terrifying video...” — Brit (20:21)

4. Theories: Torture Porn, Aliens, Demons, or Art?

• Snuff Film & Torture Theory

  • The leading theory: Is this a real person being tortured and ultimately killed? Some speculated the soup was made from human remains, invoking horror-cannibalism tropes.
  • The hosts point out no evidence of death or direct violence is ever shown.
  • Quote:

    “We talked about this in the beginning. All part of a snuff film.” — Yvette (21:51)

• Aliens & Demons

  • Wild speculation included the masked figures being actual aliens or demons, and the blank room as a vision of hell, with the "crime" being gluttony.
  • Hosts agree these ideas are highly unlikely, but fun to tease out.
  • Quotes:

    “They feel so humanoid... If they’re actually aliens, they really have that many human-like attributes? Feels unbelievable... And I’m not necessarily an alien girly.” — Brit (24:29)
    “Here’s my issue with this theory: my version of hell is having to upload a video on the Internet in 2005...” — Brit (26:33)

5. The “Ray Rays” and Raymond Percy Connection

• Internet Sleuthing and the Art World

  • Investigators linked the costumes to LA-based animator/puppeteer Raymond Percy, creator of the “Ray Rays”—experimental art/puppet costumes with big, faceless heads.
  • Percy has gone on to mainstream fame (Simpsons, Frozen, Zootopia), but his early art background connects directly to the videos’ imagery.
  • Quotes:

    “If you take one look at the Ray Rays, you’ll realize that these are the exact same suits that the doll figures were wearing in Blank Room Soup.” — Yvette (30:18)

• Contact with Raymond Percy

  • Via Tumblr in 2015, Percy admitted the Ray Ray costumes are his—but denied making the videos. He says the costumes were stolen in 2005; the video was emailed to him by an unknown person. He uploaded it to YouTube to get advice from friends and claimed ignorance about its viral status and original intent.
  • Percy maintains he did not create “Blank Room Soup,” but the clear connection to his creations keeps suspicion afloat.
  • Quotes:

    “He confirmed also that they’re just ordinary people in these suits.” — Yvette (31:46)
    “But listen up. Raymond is also very adamant that he didn’t create Blank Room Soup... has no clue about blank room soup until 2015 when they reached out.” — Yvette (32:06, 32:30)

6. New Revelations, More Uncertainty

• SuperHorrorBro & "Evan" Confession (43:31)

  • In 2017, a YouTube creator (“superhorrorbro”) claimed to have sourced inside information from an “anonymous hacker” (Evan, via Enigma), who confessed to stealing the costumes and making the videos. Evan described a gruesome tale of actual abduction, murder, and cannibalism.
  • The hosts note this is entirely unsubstantiated—no proof, just internet rumor/legend.
  • Quotes:

    “All we know is that for a while, the man and the woman were held hostage and supposedly tortured. Then Evan and their associates murdered his wife, butchered her, and made soup of her remains.” — Yvette (44:00)

• Skepticism & Wild Goose Chases

  • The “Enygma/Evan” account can’t be corroborated and is likely an urban legend, possibly for attention or “clicks.”
  • The hosts note the difficulty of separating Internet myth from possible reality.

7. Is It All a Viral Hoax?

• Performance Art as Intent
  • Plausible theory: Percy made the videos as experimental, boundary-pushing art to get noticed. The uncanny effect draws viewers in even two decades later.
  • Quote:

    “If you’re trying to make a name for yourself in the art world... I mean, what was viral in 2005 and what did it take to get there? Wasn’t much.” — Brit (51:00)

  • The hosts note that no matter the theory—true crime, art project, or myth—the lack of any explicit resolution keeps the fascination alive.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [07:37] Yvette Gentile:
  “It’s almost like, obviously, he doesn’t want to be there…he’s almost like he’s forced.”
• [13:14] Yvette Gentile:
  “The Dark Web is the seedy back alley that you can only enter if you’re up to some shady stuff.”
• [16:45] Brit:
  “Right before it cuts out, you hear someone start to scream and then just, like, cuts to black.”
• [24:29] Brit:
  “They feel so humanoid…if they’re actually aliens, they really have that many human-like attributes? Feels unbelievable...”
• [26:33] Brit:
  “My version of hell is having to upload a video on the Internet in 2005—that is, like, its own circle to me…”
• [30:18] Yvette Gentile:
  “If you take one look at the Ray Rays, you’ll realize that these are the exact same suits that the doll figures were wearing in Blank Room Soup.”
• [51:00] Brit:
  “What was viral in 2005 and what did it take to get there? Wasn’t much.”

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:32] – The dark side of YouTube and introduction to "Blank Room Soup"
• [07:37] – First video breakdown: unsettling details, reactions
• [11:16] – Viral nature, early YouTube culture
• [12:21] – Rumors of the dark web origin
• [16:38] – Description and analysis of the follow-up videos
• [21:51] – Theories: snuff film, human experimentation, supernatural
• [24:29–26:33] – Alien and demon theories debated (and dismissed)
• [28:15] – The breakthrough: Ray Rays, Raymond Percy, and the performance art connection
• [31:04] – Ray Rays confirmed; Percy denies direct involvement
• [43:31] – 2017’s SuperHorrorBro claim of abduction/cannibalism (and hosts’ skepticism)
• [49:37] – Speculation: hoax, viral branding ploy, or something deeper?
• [54:30] – April Fool’s tie-in: nothing confirmed, nothing ruled out, and the value of mystery

Episode Tone & Approach

• The episode maintains a balance of true crime intrigue, open-minded skepticism, and playful banter. The hosts make it clear: the most disturbing mysteries are those that cannot be fully explained. They swing between plausible forensic investigation and outlandish speculation but always return to a grounded, evidence-minded perspective—with humor providing levity to a dark subject.

Conclusion: Why the Mystery Endures

• No confirmed answers exist: The videos remain unexplained after 20+ years. Was it performance art? A viral hoax? Or is there a darker truth?
• The power of viral mystery: Blank Room Soup persists because it sits at the intersection of horror, art, urban legend, and the unknown.
• The hosts’ final word:

  “While nothing can be confirmed about this story—and we mean nothing—we also can’t completely debunk it either, right?”
  — Racha Pecorero (55:16)

• April Fools’ Day Theme: The episode was chosen for April 1st as a nod to the murky, prank-filled origins of internet lore. But, as the hosts note, “as long as they have elements that cannot be explained, there’s just so much possibility.” (55:24)

Special Note:
This episode is rich with essential details for true crime fans, internet sleuths, urban legend aficionados, and fans of bizarre, unexplained phenomena. The hosts encourage listeners to think critically, enjoy the thrill of the unknown, and to watch what they believe—especially on April Fools’ Day.