Many wonder if a new wave of unscripted shows about the lives of young influencers could captivate the next generation of viewers. Will the industry bite?
Late Monday night, a group of male TikTok stars who belong to the Gen Z influencer collective known as the Sway House charged up the streets of the Hollywood Hills. They were on their way to the Hype House to confront a fellow TikTok star, Chase Hudson, 18, about comments he had made earlier online.
Some of the most high-profile teenage influencers, including Hudson, had spent the previous several hours waging war on each other online in an event that became known as “TikTokalypse.”
They posted clapbacks on Twitter, stoked controversy on Instagram Live and shared cheating accusations using the Notes app. Top YouTubers like Tana Mongeau poured gasoline on the flames by reacting in real time on TikTok.
Shortly after the Sway House boys stepped out of their car and paparazzi crowded around, they were ushered into the 14,000-square-foot Hype House mansion and resolved the feud in private. At 1:20 a.m., TikTok star Jaden Hossler, 19, tweeted: “we talked. no fighting. it’s settled.”
The whole event felt ripped from reality TV. Feuds, cliques and rivalries have long captivated viewers of shows like “Jersey Shore,” “The Real World” and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
Now, many wonder if a new wave of unscripted shows about the lives of young influencers could captivate the next generation of viewers. “This is a TV series waiting to be made,” Hemanth Kumar, a film critic, tweeted about the events Monday night. “Who’s calling dibs on this one?”
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