With everyone stuck at home, boredom becomes a virus that’s all-too-easy to catch. After watching all of your favourite TV shows for the umpteenth time on Netflix, try James Charles’ Instant Influencer — a YouTube mini-series hosted and brought to you by none other than the 20-year-old beauty guru himself.
Instant Influencer is a competition where six contestants, chosen out of thousands of audition videos, compete in makeup challenges. Using their contour and blending skills, the contestants have a chance to win $50,000, a full lighting and video equipment set, and the opportunity to film a collaborative video with Charles for their own growing YouTube channels.
I sat down and watched each episode as they were posted throughout the last month, watching the dramatic finale of the four-episode season on Charles’ YouTube channel on May 15. I was thoroughly entertained throughout the show’s entirety. Each episode challenged the remaining group of contestants to create makeup looks for different categories, including everything from drag makeup to creating their own original makeup trend.
Not only are the challenges in Instant Influencer fun and interesting, but Charles also brings star power to our screens. A new guest joins each episode to assist in judging the contestants’ final looks. This season’s guests include socialite Paris Hilton, drag queen Trixie Mattel, and fellow beauty YouTubers Nikita Dragun and Bretman Rock.
The stars provide well thought-out critiques to help the contestants improve and refine their skills — both for the remainder of the show and for their future careers. Instant Influencer keeps the audience coming back for more with the promise of a new prestigious guest each week.
With a mix of competition and individual interview footage, audiences also get a feel for the contestants’ struggles, triumphs, and creative processes. The contestants’ personal narratives provide glimpses into their inner feelings, giving the audience the chance to become invested — choosing favourites and giving their opinions about who they thought should have been eliminated in each video’s comment section.
The high engagement in the comments is a signifier of the reality show’s success. When we, as viewers, can be thoroughly invested in the journeys of the contestants, root for our favourites, and cry when they leave, the show accomplishes exactly what it intends to do: give these aspiring YouTube stars the platform they need to succeed and connect with an audience.
Instant Influencer really has it all. Drama, friendships, happiness, and heartbreak — there is something for everyone. Even those who don’t consider themselves to be very interested in makeup can enjoy the controversy and hype of the show’s comments section.
So, while you’re ‘bored in the house, and you’re in the house bored,’ click your way on over to Charles’ YouTube channel and give the series a watch. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your passion for makeup or a new celebrity to stalk. Either way, Instant Influencer is the perfect cure for your quarantine boredom … at least, until you finish binging it and need something new to watch!
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
