Tamal Kundu
At first glance, Netflix’ ‘Chad & JT Go Deep’ seems like documentary series. There is even a text at the start of the pilot episode that states, “Chad and JT are activists from Southern California. They have allowed a camera team behind the scenes to document their work.” Chad Kroeger and JT Parr roam the streets of Southern California, raising awareness on various important issues. However, when they take a photo with a man wearing a “Protect Our Borders” t-shirt, believing that it’s a misspelling for “boarders (as in, skateboarders), they are canceled by the people on the internet. Now, Chad and JT must devote themselves completely to their activism if they want to redeem themselves and give a speech at the Ragers hosted by DJ Jedd in Las Vegas.
If the prevalent humor and abundant silliness in ‘Chad & JT Go Deep’ have made you wonder whether it is scripted or real, we got you covered.
Are the Pranks in Chad & JT Go Deep Real?
‘Chad & JT Go Deep’ is a mockumentary prank comedy series. Chad Kroeger and JT Parr are viral comedians who use breezy surfer-dude personas in their prank videos. In fact, anyone with a bit of knowledge about the music industry will conclude that Chad Kroeger is probably not the real name of the self-proclaimed activist. Chad Kroeger is actually the name of the lead singer of Nickelback, the Canadian rock band that has been the subject of much ridicule on the internet and beyond.
The comedian’s real name is Tom Allen. And JT Parr is John Thomas Parr. Their content is essentially a kinder version of ‘Borat.’ The ultimate target of their humor is mostly not the people they encounter in the streets and prank but themselves. The pranked individuals often unknowingly assume the role of a straight man, baffled by the antics of the duo. For instance, in an episode of ‘Chad & JT Go Deep,’ “the activists” serve as guides for a Hollywood sightseeing bus tour, only pointing out the locations from their favorite ‘Fast and Furious‘ franchise, much to the exasperation of the tourists. After they are canceled, they run into Jordana Brewster, whom they think is Mia Toretto, the character the actress portrays in the ‘Fast & Furious’ films.
The “Stoke Lords” appear before town council meetings across Southern California to petition for things such as spaces for perineum sunning or public yachts. It takes some time, but the seemingly exhausted and numbed public servants ultimately catch up to what is happening, as do the audience members present at the meeting.
Chad and JT first went viral in 2017 with the video of them petitioning the San Clemente City Council for a statue of Paul Walker, the late ‘Fast & Furious’ actor who passed away in 2013 after a tragic vehicular accident.
In a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, JT explained their brand of comedy. “It’s in the lineage of man-on-the-street stuff, but we try to keep it open-minded and optimistic when we deal with people,” he stated. “There are times where I know someone will say something boneheaded, but we try to leave it up to them as to which direction it goes. I just want it to be, like, as close to a real conversation as you can get.”
Chad and JT established their YouTube channel in 2016. They began a podcast a year later. With the Netflix series, they have effectively become part of mainstream entertainment. Clearly, ‘Chad & JT Go Deep’ is not entirely scripted, but the personas that the two comedians assume are made-up. The conversations they have with everyday people are real, but these conversations happen under false pretenses as the pranked individuals erroneously believe that they are interacting with activists.
Read More: Where is Netflix’s Chad & JT Go Deep Filmed?
