After nearly a decade daring each other to complete over 500 outrageous stunts, embark on ever-more-absurd challenges, and rack up over 2 billion views, the record-breaking YouTube squad known as Team Edge has called it quits.
On January 21st, 2023, Brian, Bobby, Weston, Bryan and the extended Team Edge family dropped a bombshell video announcement that left their 13 million devoted subscribers in shock: this would be the final chapter for their iconic channel.
For long-time fans who‘ve watched these hilarious friends hurt themselves for our entertainment since 2013, the news felt like the end of an unforgettable era in YouTube history.
The Rise of a YouTube Phenomenon
Team Edge has created some of the most popular videos on YouTube over the past decade. Their specialty? Outrageous challenge videos that pit the hosts against each other in over-the-top games, nerve-wracking experiments, and builds that seem to defy physics.
It all started in 2013 when Brian, Bobby and 3 friends began a channel focused on Nerf battles and friendly competitions filmed in Bobby‘s backyard. Little did they know it would erupt into one of the fastest-growing channels ever.
Within 2 years, Team Edge was gaining 200,000 new subscribers per month. Brian was shocking the team with dangerous stunts like backflips from roofs into pools. And Bobby was cementing his role as master builder – creating actual amusement park rides, ninja obstacle courses, towering ramps and complex contraptions to torture his friends.
The passion and dedication was evident as they pulled all-nighters to build sets and filmed 6 days a week to feed fans’ seemingly insatiable demand for crazier, funnier videos every week.
It led to some of Team Edge’s most iconic video series and challenges over 500+ episodes:
- World’s Worst Challenges like Baby Food Russian Roulette and eating cockroaches
- 24 Hour Challenges like overnighting on an icy summit and in a snake pit
- Battle Universe daring games like Giant Dart Russian Roulette (which burst Weston’s eardrum)
- DIY Universe where Bobby constructed an actual rollercoaster and giant slingshot ride to fling the team down hills
The channel thrived thanks to the infectious humor and camaraderie between Brian, Bobby, Weston, Bryan and surprise guest stars. The builds and challenges constantly raised the bar, graduating from small toys to elaborate $50k sets.
Team Edge set records including:
- 67 million views on 2017’s Epic Christmas Present Opening Challenge
- 115+ million views across their 3 most popular 24 Hour Challenge videos
- Over 530 episodes across 8 seasons before ending the flagship channel
For years, new Team Edge videos could be counted on to deliver laughter and escapism right when weary fans needed it most. But producing such ambitious content took immense passion, dedication, stamina and stress.
Grueling Pressure & Creative Burnout
In recent years, the strain of constantly having to outdo themselves crept up on the Team Edge members behind the scenes.
Always needing to deliver more extreme challenges put intense pressure on Brian to create and land ever-crazier stunts as the resident daredevil. Other members also described daunting weeks building complex sets under crushing time pressure.
Most importantly, Brian and Bobby both opened up about experiencing creative burnout recently while trying to continually raise the bar. COVID exacerbated these frustrations, as lockdowns prevented certain public challenge videos they specialized in.
Producing the channel’s trademark brand of funny, surprising videos with huge builds and risky stunts had consumed their lives for years. While proud of their success, the effort to sustain such an intense workload was taking a toll mentally, physically and in their personal lives.
As Bobby candidly revealed, “this business is very lucrative…[but] we just don‘t have the passion for it like we used to.” Brian echoed feeling spread thin creatively, indicating “we all want to shift our focus.”
Difficult as it was given families and staff relied on the thriving business, they knew Team Edge had run its course and it was time to move on.
Team Edge Members & Solo Plans
While ending the flagship channel supporting their careers was devastatingly hard, the connections forged over years in those YouTube trenches persist. All the members emphasized ongoing friendship and future collaborations.
That camaraderie stretches back over a decade to when Brian, Bobby and high school friends Daniel, Atticus and Logan kicked off the channel for fun in Bobby’s yard. Brian instantly brought daredevil antics like roundhouse kicks and risky roof backflips to the competitions.
Other members were welcomed later, like special effects pro Weston Bahr who brought Hollywood expertise to the elaborate builds. His hilarious reactions to challenges also made him an instant fan favorite.
Bryan Holt’s charisma, wit and fearlessness during challenges perfectly complemented the cast. The producer/editor also assembled many of Team Edge’s most iconic videos over the years.
While impossible to encapsulate everything, notable moments and memories include:
- Brian shockingly backflipping off 2-story buildings into crowded pools
- Bobby assembling towering Stephan’s Quintuple Down ramp that dropped the team over 40 feet
- Weston plunging from 40 foot heights and ziplining into ice baths
- Bryan eating rotten eggs and having countless mystery liquids dumped on him
- Daniel somehow winning wild challenges like Keep Hands on $10k Cash the longest
- Atticus deep-frying everything imaginable, usually his own fingers
- And countless others involving bloody injuries, disgusting mystery pie fillings, and doing ridiculous things blindfolded
That sense of history and community still shines bright even as Team Edge ends. Member connections forged in these outrageous escapades will now transfer into exciting solo pursuits:
Overtime Brian channel continues Brian’s passion for daredevil firsts like never-before-seen mega backflips. With over 2M loyal subscribers already, his extreme stunts reach new heights unconstrained by teammates’ concerns!
Bobby Builds fully unleashes Bobby’s latent inventor talents for complex projects never possible on Team Edge. We’ll undoubtedly see towering structures and mechanical masterpieces that showcase Bobby’s design prowess.
Though details remain undisclosed, fellow members are also pursuing their own channels. Knowing their specialties after years on videos together, we can expect:
- Weston continuing his love for comedy skits and showcasing SFX skills
- Daniel daring outrageous food challenges and culinary experiments
- Bryan potentially growing his popular reaction commentary content
- And likely guest spots galore!
The Fans’ Bittersweet Farewell
It’s no exaggeration to say Team Edge has inspired generations of fans to push their own limits. As comments on their heartfelt farewell video attest, the channelmotivated viewers to be more adventurous, resilient and laugh in the face of adversity:
“Team Edge has gotten me through so many hard times over the past 6 years. Thank you for always making life exciting.”
“You dudes changed my life, made me braver and gave me friends for life in the community you built.”
“Literally feel like I just lost a best friend. Your passion inspired me more than you’ll ever realize.”
“So sad it’s ending but can’t wait to see what crazy stuff Overtime Brian and Bobby Builds make!”
Indeed while all share fans’ profound sadness, this tight-knit community is already rallying behind the next era of Brian, Bobby and the squad’s careers.
We’ve watched them grow from goofy kids in a backyard into talented professionals at the bleeding edge of YouTube entertainment. Whatever endeavors they individually pursue next, that bond with millions of loyal supporters endures.
The overall atmosphere is one of heartfelt nostalgia yet anticipation for their future. Team Edge cemented their place among elite YouTube channels like Smosh that ruled generations. Endings inevitably bring sadness, but the optimism and gratitude they conveyed about continuing passions with their community overrides all.
Team Edge’s Indelible YouTube Legacy
So while their watch has ended, Team Edge leaves behind an indelible legacy across over 500 videos and 8 unforgettable years. They demolished boundaries of what amateur YouTube creators could achieve with vision, skill and relentless dedication.
Especially early on, nobody was taking bigger risks just for laughs. From nightmarish eating challenges to teetering hundred-foot ramp drops to Bryan crashing cars, Hospital bills were practically considered production expenses.
We must again thank Brian, Bobby, Weston, Bryan, Daniel, Atticus and every person whose blood, sweat and tears made the channel possible. Not just for the entertainment, but for inspiring millions to live more fun, daring, collaborative lives themselves.
That’s the lasting impact when creative visionaries push themselves to such daring limits fueled solely by passion. Not many walk away from such lucrative success to follow their creative bliss. But true artists hear that siren song regardless of risk or stability concerns.
While the specific challenges faced and laughs shared live on in hundreds of videos, the most valuable impact is harder to quantify. We can only appreciate having experienced this unlikely YouTube revolution they sparked from scratch.
So while their watch is ended, our love and thanks to Team Edge will endure eternally. Here’s wishing Brian, Bobby and the rest only the happiest adventures pursuing their wildest dreams.