AreYouKiddingTV

External video
TAKE THE DOLLAR (Social Experiment) The first mute sign challenge video released by Gizzi and Lannum, released on March 3, 2018.

The creators of the account Joey Gizzi and Steven Lannum met in 2014 as freshmen students in the Communications Fellows program[2] at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina.[3] After being put in the same residence hall, the two bonded quickly over a sharded history in video production and running an individual YouTube channel.[4] A "similar sense of humor and similar goals with our majors", was also cited by the duo as a reason for their quick friendship, according to a 2023 interview.[2] The duo would first help direct, write, and film segments for the Elon Student Television (ESTV) show "Elon After Hours," where they played traditional pranks and performed social experiments on campus.[2][5] This show would become popular on campus, and wanting to expand upon its success,[6] Gizzi and Lannum would create their YouTube channel "AreYouKidding" in 2016.[7] The channel's content would largely replicate that of the former show, while also taking inspiration from established YouTube pranksters BigDawsTV and ThatWasEpic.[2] During this time, the two would also create their first mute sign challenge video, with the sign taped to Gizzi reading simply "take the dollar", which Lannum held out, to see the campuses reaction as a social experiment.[6]

Despite the channel emassing over 20,000 subscribers in this time, the two would abandon the channel after both graduated in 2018,[6] as it was still regarded as only a "hobby" according to Gizzi.[3] As Lannum would also leave to Boston, Massachusetts, the channel would remain inactive for two years, with Gizzi recording wedding films and music videos, and Lannum going into marketing.[3] In 2020 however, during the COVID-19 lockdowns and the subsequent rise in the popularity of the short-form media platform Tik Tok,[5] the two decided to edit and repost their old videos on the new platform, where a few previously recorded videos would become popular.[3] Eventually the lack of new content would result in the duo reuniting to meet the new demand,[3][6] rebranding the channel name to "AreYouKiddingTV".[7]

After rejoining, the "engaging, […] simple, [and] entertaining" concept behind their unique sign challenges, along with more consistent uploads, would cause the account to rise in popularity, according to the duo.[6] This popularity and likewise increase in funding has allowed the two to work more recently with multiple major sponsors, including Brooks Brothers, Dr. Pepper, Paramount Pictures, and United Airlines.[6] The duo has also collaborated with fellow YouTuber and philanthropist MrBeast,[2] YouTuber and comedian Trevor Wallace,[4] and actor and comedian Craig Robinson.[4] While the two have stated they still prefer to film videos at Elon University, greater funds have allowed them to travel to other locations to film:[8] including the cities of Austin, Los Angeles, and Ohio nationally, and Amsterdam, London, and Paris internationally.[7] This has allowed the stakes and awards featured in the challenges to become higher, as seen in one challenge at East Carolina University, where over a hundred students participated to be the first person in a bathing suit to find a clear key in a pool, for the prize of US$5,000.[6]

The challenges themselves are formulated between the duo in their free time, and in the case of a sponsorship, with their management.[3] The goal of the challenges is to make them "not always too hectic or frantic, [but not] too laid back"[3] or "repetitive" either, according to both Gizzi and Lannum.[6] The duo have stated that their goal is to eventually spread to more platforms (potentially including television),[9] create more products, and attend more events.[6] To help achieve this, the duo, along with Gizzi's cousin Derek, have begun to work full-time on the account as of 2023,[2] as opposed to also working day jobs, which the duo confirmed they still did as recently as July 2022.[9]

Aside from both going to Elon University, both also went to Los Angeles, California for a time as part of the "Elon in L.A. program", which gave insight to future careers, in this case entertainment, in the city.[5] Lannum also studied abroad in France his senior year.[5] The duo both currently live in Nashville, Tennessee.[4]

• AreYouKiddingTV's channel on YouTube
• AreYouKiddingTV on TikTok
• AreYouKiddingTV on Instagram