Laugh daily.
That’s the motto the creators of JStu, a YouTube channel with 8.5 million subscribers, live by. Namely, the channel is packed with movie references, jokes and a dash of slapstick humor to engage its audiences, all of which are crammed into the channel’s claim to fame: its wacky challenges. They might try to spend the night in a trampoline house, for instance. Or they could try to build a survival shelter only using supplies from Target or Amazon. The challenges typically involve some sort of time window or budget constraint, but they all share the same goal: To pique their viewers’ curiosity and give them opportunity to laugh.
Justin Stuart and Andrew Scites started the channel out of Colorado 13 years ago, and their first vids consisted of vacation vids, pranks and sporting adventures. But they’ve since hit the jackpot for their main channel which is complemented by several others), and they’ve brought their friends into the fray. Their overnight stays—in, say, a Walmart, a cave or megamall—are pretty popular. They’ve successfully snuck into MrBeast’s Warehouse hidden in … a vending machine. Their budget challenges are popular, too, and they’ll occasionally compare rival companies (Lowe’s and Home Depot, for instance). And the pair will sometimes play various games including nerf battles, geocaching, video games, and the childhood classic, hide-and-seek.
Oh, and Justin and Andrew are Christian, too.
Their motto, “laugh daily,” is quickly followed on the channel’s description by Proverbs 17:22: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” While their Christianity isn’t an obvious part of most of their videos (although Andrew and Justin did write a devotional that they promote on their channel), it is evident these guys love to have fun, enjoy one another’s company through conquering excursions, and, of course, laughing.
The jokes they crack throughout their content are mostly clean and it is quite rare to have any crude language. The main topics of their jokes are puns, slapstick humor, and plenty of movie and TV references. Viewers will often see the added movie scene or meme in combination with the joke being made. It’s all meant to be just a little extra context to engage more laughter.
Justin and Andrew add sound effects as well to emphasize jokes, some include background music to add suspense, or “doink” sounds when one of the guys walks into a door frame (an example of their slapstick humor) and a playing a few small pranks on one another.
Overall, the pair, joined by a few friends, are all about having fun and enjoying positive competition while completing the various challenges they choose to attempt.
While the channel’s creators obviously like to have fun, their activities and stunts don’t always make the best influence for kids. When they challenge themselves to stay in a given place for 24 hours, for instance, the owners of that place are often unaware of their antics.
In older videos the pair would walk around with handheld cameras videoing them building forts out of store goods (dog food, toilet paper, and baby diapers) to allow them to hide in the store for the whole 24-hour period, without getting caught.
Though the pair do add disclaimers (such as not putting your hand on a hot pan or staying overnight in a Walmart), those don’t completely steer away curious, adventurous kids.
Very little profanity, with one use of “h—” audiences hear in the videos we watched. Other such words include, “heck,” “crap,” “dang” and occasionally calling one another “idiot.” A few times God’s name is misused.
One video includes a guy gagging after trying hot sauce in a bugle chip. The channel contains some bathroom humor, too.
In one video, the guys play a drinking game—using sparkling water instead of alcohol.
JStu is entertaining. Certainly, I found myself chuckling along with some of the group’s observational jokes and movie references.
That being said, parents may find that some of the channel’s jokes are inappropriate for their kids, with bathroom humor being a particular issue. And, of course, few parents would encourage their kids to sneak into a place of business and stay overnight, as Andrew and Justin regularly do.
Moreover, older videos are often centered around falling (aka fake falling) in various areas while they are skiing, out shopping, or around town.
Silly natures and loads of laughter, the content is engaging, fun, and for the most part clean, and that can be hard to find on the majority of channels YouTube offers. While JStu is not completely free from profanity and risky endeavors, it has grown from just a casual channel of two friends building forts in stores to overnight survival challenges that parents may find enjoyable to watch along with their kids.
Natalie Dean is Plugged In’s 2025 Summer Intern. A native from South Dakota, she recently graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in Journalism and in the fall will be pursuing a master’s at Liberty University. Growing up in the Black Hills, Natalie enjoys spending her time outside, whether that be riding bikes or kayaking with her sisters, walking the dogs or going on long hikes. Her love for movie soundtracks stems from her sister asking, “what movie is this from” and “name the movie scene.” She has a passion for writing and hopes to one day be a published author.
