What you need to know about Sidemen reality show Inside
YouTube stars The Sidemen have launched their own series which sees 10 influencers locked in a house and competing for a £1m prize.
The Sidemen – a super group of Youtube influencers – have launched their first ever reality show Inside. The first episode has already clocked up more than 5.8 million views on Youtube and contestants on the new series even include a former Love Islander.
At the same time, a new series of Love Island has begun with a surprise entry to the villa in the form of Joey Essex. But while the first ever celebrity contestant on the ITV dating show is expected to draw in viewers - the reality series faces competition from rival show Inside this year.
So what is Inside and who is in it? Here is what you need to know.
Who are The Sidemen?
The Sidemen are made up of British YouTube influencers KSI, Vikram Singh Barn, Ethan Payne, Harry Lewis, Joshua Bradley, TBJZL and Simon Minter. Perhaps the best known, KSI rose to fame through his YouTube videos about gaming and has 24.1 million followers.
He then started to release music, with singles including Really Love and Don’t Play, and he unveiled his debut studio album Dissimulation last year. KSI – real name Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji – became a boxer after challenging British YouTuber Joe Weller to a fight in a social media 'feud'.
He joined forces with six other Youtube stars in 2013 to form The Sidemen. They are Minter, known as Miniminter, Bradley known online as Zerkaa, Brown whose online name is TBJZL, Payne aka Behzinga, Barn, known as Vikkstar123, and Lewis, whose Youtube name is W2S. The men are all in their late 20s early 30s and since finding online fame some have since got married and had children.
Together – with 130 million subscribers between them – they have opened their own merchandise store, organised a sell-out charity football match, launched restaurants and even a vodka brand. Reality show Inside is their latest joint-venture.
What happens in Inside?
The premise of the show is that 10 social influencers have been locked in a house together for a week and are competing to win a prize of up to £1m. The Sidemen host the show and set challenges for the contestants with the results affecting the prize fund. The jackpot began at £1m but the results of each challenge can see money withdrawn.
One challenge in the first episode required the 10 contestants to keep their hands in the same position on a desk as it was covered with live rats, spiders and snakes. Another contestant was challenged to keep her hands in the same place as somebody tattooed her arm.
Housemates can also choose to spend the prize fund on luxuries while taking part in the show. Hot showers cost £100 a minute, tea bags are a deduction of £100 each and having a packet of crisps or a soft drink reduces the jackpot by £500 a time.
At the end of Day Two the prize fund stood at £724,600 – a reduction of £210,000 in one day.
Who are the contestants?
The 10 contestants include Chloe Burrows – who competed in Love Island in 2021. She is joined by Liv Bentley, star of E4 reality series Made In Chelsea. Also taking part is Australian TikTok star Leah Halton, who shares fashion and make-up posts with her 10 million followers, and UK gaming YouTuber Joe Weller who rose to fame for his commentary videos on the football game Fifa.
Another of the housemates is US YouTube star Fanum, who coined the term Fanum Tax, meaning theft of food between friends, and Castillo, known for his online posts under the handle ItsNotLookingGoodBrav.
TikTok beauty influencer Manrika Khaira from Birmingham is also in the show, along with No Rules Show podcast presenter Specs Gonzalez and dancing influencer Nife. The final contestant is British vlogger Angry Ginge, who claims to be best friends with Sidemen's Simon Minter.
How can you watch Inside?
Episodes of Inside are released daily on Sidemen's Youtube channel at 7pm GMT.
Read more: The Sidemen
Why did KSI leave the Sidemen? (Cosmopolitan, 2 min read)
YouTube group Sidemen to release Netflix documentary (Evening Standard, 1 min read)
YouTube group The Sidemen to open chicken shop at Lakeside Shopping Centre (EssexLive, 1 min read)
