By: Nadia Liu

Public Relations Manager

With a collective following of around 12 million, the Try Guys are exactly what their name implies — they’re guys who try stuff. The group has consisted of Buzzfeed video producers Ned Fulmer, Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang, known for trying things like skiing in Speedos, roller derby, and nail extensions. Most recently, however, they’ve been known for a cheating scandal that has resulted in the group ousting Fulmer.

Over Labor Day weekend, fans informed the Try Guys about Fulmer’s “public romantic behavior” with employee Alexandra Herring, sending in videos and photos of the two together in public. The group remained silent on the topic, but began posting videos without Fulmer, which fans received as a confirmation. However, on Sept. 27, the Try Guys Instagram posted a statement saying, “Ned is no longer working with the Try Guys. As a result of a thorough internal review, we do not see a path forward together,” officially confirming Fulmer’s removal from the group. Fulmer, who is married to Ariel Fulmer with whom he has two kids, also confirmed the reports, posting, “Family should have always been my priority, but I lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship.” The remainder of the group acted quickly, editing Fulmer out of merchandise, new videos, and episodes of their Food Network show “No Recipe Road Trip with the Try Guys.” 

The long-awaited video explanation dropped on Oct. 3, revealing Fulmer’s actions and the future of the company. In it, a seething Yang, disappointed Habersberger, and teary Kornfeld delivered a statement to fans, imbued with genuine pain and disappointment. They revealed that Fulmer’s affair blindsided them. “We’re losing a friend. We’re losing someone we built a company with, we have countless memories with,” Kornfeld explained. The video also clarifies that going forward, Fulmer will not appear in any Try Guys videos, with some series now canceled, losing the group money, but sending a clear message. “We refused to sweep things under the rug. That is not who we are and that is not what we stand for,” affirmed Yang, visibly furious. 

The entire scandal was extremely shocking for fans of the channel, especially since Fulmer had cultivated a “wife guy” persona. He mentions his love for his wife in nearly every video, making the affair a complete surprise. Furthermore, fans were even more outraged when they identified the woman involved as Alexandra Herring, an employee of the company in which he is a part-owner, subjecting the relationship to a massive power imbalance. 

At the end of the video, the remaining Try Guys vowed to make the best possible content until the end of the year, after which they will reevaluate the future of the channel as a whole. “We appreciate you and we look forward to introducing you to the next era of the Try Guys,” Kornfeld concluded.

(Sources: Time, Vulture)