the enduring charm of Reviewbrah
revisiting my unpublished interview with TheReportOfTheWeek, eight years later
In the summer of 2016, my friend and I started an online magazine. It was really her idea. At the time, she was super into Rookie Mag. Her drawing of Tavi Gevinson was Tavi’s profile picture on Instagram for a while. For her birthday that year, she got two copies of Rookie Yearbook Three and let me keep one.
Eight years have passed. We never published anything, we don’t talk anymore, and Rookie Yearbook Three remains unread, collecting dust on my coffee table. But there’s still one ripe fruit from the seeds of my work for the first article: my email interview with John Jurasek, aka Reviewbrah, the creator behind TheReportOfTheWeek YouTube channel.
If you’re chronically online like me, you’ve probably seen him. Since he and I spoke, he’s amassed 2.8 million subscribers and become a widely beloved meme. As a part of my personal history, his channel has been a source of Internet comfort content since I was 16.
Its premise is simple. A guy with a Northeastern, almost Transatlantic accent, always sporting vintage formalwear and a slicked-back hairstyle, reviews fast food and energy drinks. He’s been at it for 13 years, and I’ve followed him on and off for most of them. In addition to his main YouTube channel, he has a shortwave radio show and podcast called VORW (Voice of TheReportOfTheWeek). In high school, I’d sometimes listen to it while doing homework. More than once, I fell asleep.
There’s something soothing about the earnestness of his content. You can tell he takes it seriously. In each “Running on Empty” food review, he goes over the premise, price, quality, and taste of the item. He ends off with a rating out of 10 to the first decimal, and yes, he includes significant figures. What’s also captivating is the juxtaposition of his classic style and way of speaking with the modern, capitalist flashiness of drive-thru meals. It creates a sort of virtual liminal space—which, in internet aesthetics, means a place that’s unreal and otherworldly. In the case of Reviewbrah, his content isn’t creepy or off-putting like most other liminal spaces. It’s comforting and familiar, yet utterly surreal. He seems to exist somewhere between new and old, past and present, sincerity and irony, In and Out… sorry, I’ll stop.
The initial idea for my 2016 story featuring John was to discuss the Internet and its emerging scene of niche content creators. At the time, social media was still kind of the Wild West, and few people made content with the express purpose of building a brand. When it comes to why he created his now massively successful channel, here’s what he had to say eight years ago:
“I initially decided to start a YouTube channel just for fun - to express my personal views of a few energy drinks for the world to see. When I first started my channel, I didn't intend it to be a long-term event. Rather, I planned on it lasting just a few weeks and that'd be it.”
I can respect the idea of reviewing into the online ether just for the thrill. There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with posting your thoughts without any attachment to the outcome. That quiet, intoxicating hope that someone will connect to you. The mystery of who, and what will they say?
That’s another part of TheReportOfTheWeek’s enduring appeal. In 2024, he hasn’t strayed far from the initial vision of pure, unfiltered creativity. He shares his honest opinions with the world, and he delights in doing it.
“I think the best aspect of being on YouTube is the fact that my content can be shared with a worldwide audience, from all walks of life,” he said. “There was a review of mine in which I tried extremely hot chicken wings, and it's just amazing to think that over 100,0001 people from all over the world watched me frantically guzzle down water from the heat of the chicken.”
John’s continued enthusiasm for the channel is fueled by his passion not only for consuming and talking about takeout but also exploring and understanding the world at large.
“It really has given me a different perspective on society and how it functions. It's given me the chance to meet all kinds of people and interact with people I never would have if I didn't have this channel,” said John.
For the $10,000 tier on his Patreon, you can help him broaden his reach even further by funding the broadcast of the VORW Radio Show to Africa. According to the tier description, it’s one of the last parts of the world where shortwave is still popular and airtime expensive. For some reason, if I had that kind of cash to burn, something in me would love to make that “almost unattainable” dream a reality. I wouldn’t tell anyone I won the lottery, but there would be signs.
Until then, I’ll continue to support John in my familiar way: watching new food reviews while getting ready for work, tuning in to VORW at midnight when I can’t sleep, and telling strangers at parties about this charming man who knows the best place to get a spicy chicken sandwich.
☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆
And now, for my own R.E.P.O.R.T. of the week.
Reading: About liminal spaces as an architectural representation of the uncanny valley
Eating: Leftovers of this NYT Roasted Honey Nut Squash and Chickpeas With Hot Honey recipe and Amy’s soup with grilled cheese
Playing: The Smiths, obviously
Obsessing: Watching movies and reading/writing Letterboxd reviews (follow me @libranmenace)
Recommending: Daily magnesium; it’s a game-changer
Treating: I bought a bunch of bananas on Sunday and only ate two so that I could have enough left to make banana bread this weekend
That video now has over 900,000 views.