Million Dollar Extreme

Million Dollar Extreme (MDE) is an American sketch comedy troupe.^[1] The group consists of Sam Hyde, Nick Rochefort, and Charls Carroll.^[2] The group remains largely inactive since the cancellation of their show World Peace in 2016. They are known for their online videos, anti-comedy, and public pranks mainly uploaded on their several related YouTube channels.^[3] They are also controversial for their support from alt-right and white supremacist fans, and Sam Hyde's connections to the alt-right.^[4][5][6] The group's first YouTube channel was permanently banned in 2018 for violating the website's community guidelines.

Million Dollar Extreme
Medium	Internet and television
Nationality	American
Years active	2009–present
Genres	Post irony Sketch comedy Surreal humor
Notable works and roles	Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace
Members	Sam Hyde Nick Rochefort
Former members	Charls Carroll

YouTube channel

Million Dollar Extreme started out making sketch comedy videos on their YouTube channel, which David Weigel described as "absurdist" and "transgressive", often centering around themes mocking political correctness.^[7] Sam Hyde's monologues, recorded on his iPhone, were also a staple for video content on the channel.^[8]

Hyde also performed numerous public pranks that he uploaded to the MDE YouTube channel. Most notably in 2013, Hyde delivered a fake TEDx talk titled "2070 Paradigm Shift" at Drexel University.^[9]

In 2016, the group became a publishing partner of a blockchain-based file-sharing and payment network LBRY.^[10]

The troupe has run into various issues with online terms of service violations due to their content and fanbase. On May 4, 2018, the MDE channel was permanently removed from YouTube for a violation of the site's community guidelines.^[11] On September 10, 2018, the group's subreddit on Reddit was permanently removed for violations of their policy regarding violent content.^[12]

World Peace

Main article: Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace

On May 7, 2015, it was announced that MDE were slated to have their own live action 15-minute sketch show on the cable network Adult Swim.^[13] It was to be set in a post-apocalyptic nightmare world that satirizes the current political climate.^[2] Titled Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace, the series premiered on August 5, 2016.^[14] Three weeks later, after World Peace was subject to internal controversy at Adult Swim due to Sam Hyde's connections to the alt-right,^{[6][5][4][15]} it was announced that the show would not be renewed for a second season.^[16] Hyde later stated that they had finalized shooting for a sequel that would be available to watch through subscription online, but as of yet no release date has been provided.^[17][18]

Critical reception

Christian Williams of The A.V. Club describes them: "Some videos borrow Wonder Showzen's toolkit, wielding subliminal blips and eye-straining text in service of subversive ends. Some make use of the Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! aesthetic, and some are surprisingly slick, with excellent, eardrum-shredding music courtesy of talented mystery-men like Orangy and Vaervaf."^[3] In the view of Philadelphia's Andrew Thompson: "The mission of Million Dollar Extreme has always seemed a spin on afflicting the comfortable, except its targets usually aren't the comfortably powerful. To the extent that satire exists in MDE's comedy, it feels like more of rationalization than a reason for the shock itself."^[1]

References

1. Thompson, Andrew (October 6, 2013). "WATCH: TEDx Drexel Got Pranked This Weekend". Philly Mag.
2. Lincoln, Ross (March 3, 2016). "Adult Swim Comedy From Sketch Troupe Million Dollar Extreme Gets Series Order, Official Title". deadline.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
3. Williams, Christian (April 23, 2013). "Take in the work of the comedy provocateurs in Million Dollar Extreme". The A.V. Club.
4. "Sam Hyde Speaks: Meet the Man Behind Adult Swim's Canceled "Alt-Right" Comedy Show (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
5. "Adult Swim Talent Want The Network To Cancel Its Alt-Right Comedy Show". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
6. "The Underground Neo-Nazi Promo Campaign Behind Adult Swim's Alt-Right Comedy Show". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
7. Weigel, David (December 23, 2016). "The story behind the sudden cancellation of Adult Swim's Trump-loving comedy show". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
8. "Take in the work of the comedy provocateurs in Million Dollar Extreme". April 23, 2013.
9. "Comedian Gives Ridiculous Prank TED Talk". Business Insider.
10. Bryan, Samuel (August 11, 2016). "Adult Swim's Million Dollar Extreme Joins LBRY". LBRY.
11. Stephen, Bijan (September 12, 2018). "Reddit has banned QAnon". The Verge. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
12. Daro, Ishmael (September 11, 2018). "Reddit Banned A Page That Trafficked In White Supremacist Content, But The Problem Is Much Bigger". Buzzfeed News. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
13. Stanhope, Kate (May 7, 2015). "Adult Swim Upfront Slate Includes 12 Pilots, Two From 'Robot Chicken's' Seth Green". The Hollywood Reporter.
14. "Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace". Retrieved December 11, 2016.
15. Sims, David (November 17, 2016). "The Battle Raging Over Adult Swim's Alt-Right TV Show". The Atlantic.
16. Blistine, Joe (December 5, 2016). "Adult Swim Cancels Controversial Show 'Million Dollar Extreme'". Rolling Stone.
17. WORLD PEACE 2: It's ACTUALLY happening! - Sam Hyde, retrieved June 6, 2023
18. 🔴 LIVE: MDE Party - EVERYONES Here! 🎆 Shooting Music Video for WP2! 🎆 FIREWORKS + LIVE BAND Later🎆, retrieved July 9, 2023