YouTube channel Jubilee is trending this week with its latest episode of Surrounded, a popular debate format in which one high-profile figure engages in quickfire no-holds barred discussion with 20 people who hold strong oppositional views.
This week’s episode sees progressive commentator Mehdi Hasan take on 20 far right conservatives. Just one day after dropping, the episode is at 3.7m views.
Jubilee, which has 10.2m subscribers, positions itself as a channel which seeks to “provoke understanding and human connection”. Previous episodes of Surrounded have seen Candace Owens clash with 20 feminists and Jordan Peterson take on 20 atheists.
Episodes of Surrounded typically run to about 1.5 hours and often generate 6 -7 million views. Three months ago, an episode involving Doctor Mike and 20 Anti-Vaxxers generated 9.9m views. Dr Mike is a YouTube star in his own right, with 14.2m subs.
In Surrounded, the guest speaker makes a direct claim that is certain to get under the skin of his or her opponents. The 20 opponents are sitting in a circle around him and anyone who wants to debate has to come to the table where he or she is sitting. This week’s ep kicked off with the claim that “Donald Trump is pro-crime and pro-criminal”.
If more than one of the 20 wants to debate the point, it is the first person who gets to the guest speaker’s table that is selected. Once the debate begins, the other 19 can decide when to call time on that person by raising red flags to remove them. Throughout the debate, factual claims are checked with verified answers coming up on screen.
Surrounded has been a major hit in the US – and is credited with getting people debating again. Two months ago, it was reinvented as a podcast and quickly made the top ten society and culture rankings.
Jubilee has also enjoyed success with Odd One Out, in which one or two people pretend to be the same as the cohort they have been included in. Recent episodes have included Who’s the fake prom queen?, Who secretly hates Star Wars?, and Christian or Satanist?
