Dude Perfect

Dude Perfect
Website www.dudeperfect.com
YouTube information
Years active 2008–present
Genre Sports/Entertainment/Comedy
Subscribers 8.48 million subscribers (February 8, 2016)
Total views 1.34 billion views (February 8, 2016)
Subscriber and view counts updated as of February 8, 2016.

Dude Perfect is a sports entertainment group who got their start on YouTube. Most known for their trick shots, they are also involved in comedy with their "Stereotypes" series, in which they poke fun at common stereotypes, mostly in the sports world. The group consists of the twins Coby and Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler Toney who are all former high school basketball players[1] and college roommates at Texas A&M University.[2]

The group commented that their shots typically relied more on American football skills than basketball.[3]

History

The group was betting on sandwiches via basketball shots in their backyard, which were eventually recorded on camera, and a video of trick shots at Toney's ranch was eventually released on YouTube.[4] Within a week, the video received 100,000 views. When asked about the name, Toney stated,[5]

Our camera guy, Sean, set the camera down on a ledge. When he turned on the camera, Tyler was already in the frame and he just said "dude, perfect" and said that he barely had to move the camera. When we went back to edit the video, we heard that the twins (Coby and Cory) had the mindset to brand this and called it Dude Perfect.

Afterwards, a trick shot video from the Christian summer camp Sky Ranch was released, which, as of June 2015, has over 13.9 million views.[6] For every 100,000 views the video received, Dude Perfect pledged to sponsor a child from Compassion International.[4] Afterwards, ESPN's E:60 contacted the group for a segment, and on the third floor of Texas A&M's Kyle Field, Toney converted a shot, which traveled 3.9 seconds, which was a world record at the time. The shot prompted television appearances on ESPN's First Take, Pardon the Interruption, Around the Horn and SportsNation. Eventually, Dude Perfect introduced the Panda mascot, who "developed a cult following at A&M basketball games" when taunting players of the opposing team.[5]

Later, the group received professional endorsements and requests, which began with then-Sacramento Kings player Tyreke Evans, in an effort to promote Evans' run for Rookie of the Year.[7] Dude Perfect also worked with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, NBA star Chris Paul, Australian bowler Jason Belmonte, actor Paul Rudd, singer Tim McGraw, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson, and Heisman Trophy winner and Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel[8][9] at Kyle Field,[10] Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill,[11] the U. S. Olympic team,[12] NASCAR drivers Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Travis Pastrana, James Buescher and IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe at Texas Motor Speedway,[13] New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.,[14] the Seattle Seahawks, and St. Louis Rams players Greg Zuerlein, John Hekker, and Jacob McQuaide.[15] The group also worked with A&M wideout Travis Labhart, and later they collaborated with the hockey team Dallas Stars' forward duo Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. They also have shot videos with fellow trick shot maestro Brodie Smith, and YouTube singer Luke Conard. The group has also interviewed National Basketball Association stars including, but not limited to: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Love, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul, in their period as the United States men's national basketball team. Recently the Dude Perfect team traveled to the UK to film a video with players of Manchester City F.C. and Arsenal F.C. such as, Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, Callum Chambers, and Mathieu Flamini. [16]

One of Dude Perfect's series is the "Stereotypes". There are two series of contest videos that feature competitions between members of the groups: "Battles" and "Face-Offs". Face-Off videos are featured on the Whistle Sports Network YouTube Channel.

In 2009, the group set the world record for the longest basketball shot after shooting from the third deck of Kyle Field. The record was jeopardized by Legendary Shots, who made a shot from Birmingham, Alabama's Vulcan statue, but in October 2010, Dude Perfect extended their record with a "cross-tower" shot, which was 216 feet (66 m) high, and the basket was 150 ft (46 m) away from the tower's base.[17] In March 2011, Dude Perfect unofficially[a] extended the record with a shot from the top of NRG Stadium, which lasted 5.3 seconds.[5][18] In January 2014, the group successfully attempted a shot from the 561 ft (171 m)-high Reunion Tower, with Jones and Hilbert holding the basket at the base of the tower.[2]

Despite their success, questions arose over the legitimacy of the group's tricks; Good Morning America hosted a segment about the tricks and whether they were real,[19] though experts contacted by GMA stated they were unable to find evidence of the tricks being fake.[1] Regarding the doubts, Jones stated, "We love it when people say it’s fake because it makes the shots seem even more ridiculously impossible; and we get more publicity and hits and YouTube so we love the mystery of knowing whether it’s real or fake."[4] Toney, Coby and Cory Cotton stated that it takes multiple attempts when filming before successfully converting the final shots.[3]

In 2011, Dude Perfect launched a mobile game for iOS and Android, self-titled Dude Perfect.[20][21] Additionally, Cory Cotton authored a nationally published book titled Go Big in which he shares the secrets the group has learned along the way building a business in a world largely influenced by social media.

In June 2015 the group was selected by the Harlem Globetrotters in their annual player draft.[22] In September 2015 the group was approved for a television series entitled The Dude Perfect Show on CMT, which will begin airing during the first half of 2016.[23]

Notes

^[a] Guinness World Records has not recognized Dude Perfect as the record holder; Thunder Law of the Harlem Globetrotters officially holds the record with a 33.45 m (109.7 ft) shot at US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, on November 11, 2013.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 "'Dude, perfect!' Is this really the most amazing basketball shot in the entire world?". Daily Mail. September 23, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Nicholson, Eric (January 2, 2014). "Watch Dude Perfect Hit a 500-Foot Trick Shot from Reunion Tower". Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Trick B-Ball Shots Turn YouTube Sensation". CBS News. September 28, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Ralston, Katy. "‘Dude Perfect’ Becomes National Sensation". Texas A&M University. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Welch, Matt (June 18, 2011). "Hoop Dreams: Local goes from online sensation to nationwide phenomenon". Star Local Media. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  6. ↑ Dude Perfect (August 30, 2009). "Trick Shot Basketball | Dude Perfect | Summer Camp". YouTube. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ Klimas, Liz (March 8, 2013). "YOU KNOW THOSE VIRAL TRICK SHOT VIDEOS? WE TALKED TO THE GUYS BEHIND MANY OF THEM AND THEY’RE FASCINATING". TheBlaze. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  8. ↑ Gaines, Cork (January 25, 2013). "Johnny Manziel Made A Trick Shot Video That Is Hard To Believe". Business Insider. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  9. ↑ Kercheval, Ben (January 24, 2013). "Johnny Manziel has an absurd trick shot video". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  10. ↑ Speros, Bill (January 25, 2013). "It's Manziel and Dude Perfect mash-up". ESPN. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  11. ↑ Newport, Kyle. "Ryan Tannehill and 'Dude Perfect' Make Trick Shot Video at Dick's Sporting Goods". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Team USA Olympics Trick Shot Video: Dude Perfect Celebrates The Olympics With Amazing Accuracy". The Huffington Post. July 19, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  13. ↑ Haag, Mike (March 8, 2013). "NASCAR drivers, Dude Perfect hoop it up at Texas Motor Speedway". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  14. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvCCwnLGtLY
  15. ↑ Wagoner, Nick (June 30, 2013). "Rams Get Their Kicks with Dude Perfect". St. Louis Rams. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  16. ↑ Staff, SI. "Dude Perfect goes to Manchester City, Arsenal". www.si.com. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  17. ↑ "Dude Perfect shatters longest shot record". NBC Sports. October 1, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  18. ↑ Goodman, William (March 23, 2011). ""Dude Perfect" make alleged new world record basketball shot at Reliant Stadium". CBS News. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  19. ↑ Chivers, Tom (September 23, 2009). "YouTube sensation Dude Perfect's 'world's longest basketball shot' - real or fake?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Dude Perfect". iTunes. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Dude Perfect". Google Play. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  22. ↑ Payne, Marissa (June 24, 2015). "Harlem Globetrotters draft Mo’ne Davis, Alex Morgan and Dude Perfect". Washington Post.
  23. ↑ http://www.cmt.com/news/1757585/dude-perfect-series-coming-to-cmt/
  24. ↑ "Longest basketball shot". Guinness World Records. Retrieved January 15, 2014.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.