The Try Guys


The Try Guys is an American online entertainment group and media production company that produces content for their YouTube channel. The group was founded by Eugene Lee Yang, Keith Habersberger, Ned Fulmer, and Zach Kornfeld. The Try Guys are known for testing a wide range of activities, such as testing their sperm count, raising toddlers, shaving their legs, and wearing women's underwear. The four men created The Try Guys while working for BuzzFeed before forming their own company, 2nd Try LLC, in 2018.
They have since expanded their company to include more than twenty employees, starred in a Food Network show titled No Recipe Road Trip, and released a book titled The Hidden Power of F*cking Up., the channel hosts eleven spinoff series starring employees of the company and other collaborators. Then in 2024, they launched a boutique subscription streaming service called 2ndTry TV.
Fulmer was removed from the company in September 2022 following an extramarital affair with an employee. In May 2024, Yang announced his departure from their flagship show; he will, however, retain co-ownership of the company. In the same month, the Try Guys announced 9 new cast members consisting of Jonny Manganello, Joyce Louis-Jean, Miles Bonsignore, Ryan Garcia, YB Chang Biste, Marissa Rivera, Jared Popkin, Ash Perez, and Kwesi James.

History

BuzzFeed era (2014–2018)

The group was formed at the company BuzzFeed in 2014 by then-employees Eugene Lee Yang, Ned Fulmer, Keith Habersberger, and Zach Kornfeld with the creation of their first video "Guys Try Ladies' Underwear for the First Time". Elizabeth de Luna for MTV News emphasized the innovative character of the show:
Their show Squad Wars premiered on YouTube Red in early 2017. Their most-watched video, "The Try Guys Try Labor Pain Simulation", has garnered over 35 million views as of March 2021. The group has accumulated over 100 million views among their videos on BuzzFeed's YouTube channel.
In 2017, the Try Guys were nominated for the Streamy Awards audience choice Show of the Year award. In 2018, the Try Guys hosted the 8th annual Streamy Awards and won the audience choice Show of the Year award, the same one for which they had been nominated in 2017.

Independent studio (2018–2023)

On June 16, 2018, The Try Guys announced that they had left BuzzFeed and started their own independent production company, 2nd Try LLC. 2nd Try LLC gained all rights to The Try Guys brand; BuzzFeed remained as the branded content and advertising sales representative for several months. On December 2, 2019, the Try Guys explained that they decided to leave Buzzfeed as their contracts were expiring, with Kornfeld and Fulmer contributing to the idea of developing their own independent production company.
On their own YouTube channel, the Try Guys have received over 2.5 billion views and over 8 million subscribers. Slate highlighted that nearly 80% of their subscribers are women and that their audience "skews young, particularly women in their late teens and early 20s".
On January 30, 2019, the Try Guys announced that they'd co-written a book, The Hidden Power of F*cking Up. It was released by HarperCollins on June 18, 2019. The book follows each of the four Try Guys as they challenge themselves to improve their lives, discussing how their failures have impacted them and helped them grow. The Hidden Power of F*cking Up reached the number one position on the New York Times Best Seller list in the self help, advice, and miscellaneous category soon after its release. One review described it as "completely approachable in the way it's written… an honest, open discussion about failure." The group also went on tour, titled "Legends of the Internet", and launched The TryPod podcast in 2019.
By 2021, the company had grown to almost 24 employees. In the same year, they produced an Olympic-themed original series, How To Olympics, an eight-episode series that gives viewers everything they need to know about select Olympic events. The series covers sport climbing, taekwondo, rhythmic gymnastics, hammer throw, artistic swimming, breaking, badminton, and fencing—telling viewers how each event is scored, how to win, and what it takes to master these athletic disciplines. The Try Guys host the Food Network show No Recipe Road Trip with the Try Guys, inspired by their YouTube series Without A Recipe. The show, initially a one-off special, was due to premiere on Discovery+ and Food Network in 2021, but was postponed when it was ordered for a six-episode season, which premiered on August 31, 2022.

Fulmer's removal (September 2022)

On September 27, 2022, the Try Guys announced that Fulmer would no longer be working with the group following an internal review regarding Fulmer having an extramarital affair with an employee. In their official statement on YouTube, the group stated they had been informed on Labor Day weekend of Fulmer having public displays of affection with someone who was not his wife. They stated they confronted Fulmer about the allegations, which he confirmed. After an HR investigation, Fulmer's removal was finalized.
On October 3, 2022, the Try Guys announced that Fulmer would be removed from upcoming videos except in several sponsored videos, "ostensibly due to contractual obligations". Zoë Aiko Sonnenberg, writing for Slate, analyzed that beyond the Try Guys' comedy "shtick", their brand promises the "performance of authenticity" with personas as "good guys". Sonnenberg wrote, "to this end, all four of the Try Guys are very publicly partnered, and those partners have become famous themselves. The Try Guys had to act quickly when Ned's character as a devoted husband and father fell apart and breached an essential contract with the audience."

Streaming service (2024–present)

In May 2024, the Try Guys launched a boutique subscription streaming service called 2ndTry TV. The Hollywood Reporter commented that the group is not leaving "YouTube altogether" as they plan "to lean on it as a marketing tool for 2nd Try, to encourage viewers to give their own platform a chance" with hopes that their own platform will be more "sustainable". They also announced that it was Yang's final season on their flagship show as he was stepping away to focus on other creative endeavors. In September 2025, The Try Guys announced the creation of their new YouTube channel, Try Every Day, on which they would try something new every day Monday through Friday, inviting the viewers to try something new alongside them.

Cast

Current members

Ash

Ash Perez is an American actor, writer, and producer. He rose to fame in the 2010s as a Buzzfeed Development Partner, starring in numerous videos, notably alongside fellow Buzzfeed stars Safiya Nygaard, Quinta Brunson, and The Try Guys. During his time there he co-created the channel Buzzfeed Violet.
In 2023, Ash announced he is transgender, and uses he/they pronouns. He has spoken more about being transgender on the 2nd Try show New Guy Tries.

Jared

Jared Popkin is an American actor, writer, and director. He is a founding member of an improv and sketch group and freelance actor, write, and director for Buzzfeed. He had appeared in multiple Try Guys videos before becoming an official part of the cast in May 2024.

Jonny

Jonny Manganello, also known as JonnyCakes, is an American baker and influencer originally from Michigan. In 2022, he was a participant on the Netflix show Is It Cake?, after which he starred as a judge in multiple Without a Recipe episodes on the Try Guys YouTube channel. In 2024 he was added to The Try Guys cast.

Joyce

Joyce Louis-Jean attended the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she earned a bachelor's degree in film, cinema, and video studies. Louis-Jean began her career at BuzzFeed as part of the company's Production Fellowship program. In May 2024, Louis-Jean became an official member of The Try Guys cast.

Keith

Keith Douglas Habersberger was born to Donald and Patricia Habersberger in Carthage, Tennessee. He is the youngest of three brothers, including Brian Habersberger, the creator of Twitch channel Nothing, Forever. He is a graduate of Illinois State University with a Bachelor in Acting and French Horn. Habersberger is married to Rebecca "Becky" Habersberger, with whom he has a son. Habersberger is reportedly, making him the tallest of the Try Guys.
Habersberger is part of the comedy music group Lewberger with Hughie Stone Fish and Alex Lewis. The group has appeared on several television talent shows, including Bring the Funny in 2018 and America's Got Talent in 2021.
He is known for his love of fried chicken and has focused on food-related content over the years, the most prominent shows being Eat the Menu, Chicken Watch, and Gourmet Garbage. He is also one of the creators of the Try Guys' series Without A Recipe. On November 30, 2019, Habersberger announced the release of his signature hot sauce, Keith's Chicken Sauce, which sold out within two days and was well received by consumers. Habersberger now has a line of Burger and Taco sauces also available through Heatonist.

Kwesi

Kwesi James was raised in Brooklyn, New York, before moving with his family to Florida, where he attended high school. He was later expelled but still went on to pursue a career in film. James has dyslexia, which was not diagnosed until his college years.
In 2008, James relocated to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a career in film. He worked for DNA Media Group and then joined BuzzFeed. Following the founding of 2nd Try LLC, he began appearing as a guest star in several of their videos. He eventually became one of the nine new official members of The Try Guys in May 2024.