[Note: This review only covers the channel Unspeakable and does not provide insight into other Unspeakable channels such as UnspeakableReacts, UnspeakablePlays and UnspeakableStudios.]
Like many popular YouTubers, Nathan Graham, better known by his chosen moniker of Unspeakable, got his start making Minecraft videos in 2012. Were you to stumble onto UnspeakableReacts and sort by “Oldest,” you’d find more than a half decade of Minecraft-centric content.
But these days, Graham garners more attention for his separate Unspeakable channel, which he started in 2016. On it, he uploads videos in which he lives out the dreams of many children: spending 24 hours alone in waterparks and candy shops; building working LEGO vehicles; and playing extreme games of hide and seek.
But don’t worry; Graham isn’t alone. Whether it’s buying a foldable home on Amazon, hunting tornadoes or just completing outrageous dares, Grahamis sure to bring his friends to help along the way.
Nearly every Unspeakable video shows Grahamand friends having fun as they engage in challenges or enjoy unique experiences. They almost always maintain a joyful and goofy manner, making the videos fun to watch.
A few videos showcase Graham donating large amounts of money to small Twitch streamers or buying his friends items they’d like to get.
Viewers experience quite a bit of toilet humor (sometimes literally). One joke involves a blurred-out bit of excrement, for example. We also here jokes about urination. Some punishments for challenges can be gross, such as when someone has what is claimed to be cat urine dumped on him. Others gross gags might spur younger viewers to replicate potentially harmful actions, such as when Graham dumps glue on his head, or when he and his friends lob bowling balls onto trampolines.
A couple of comedic videos deal with busting scary myths, some of which include trying a Ouija board; spreading salt on the ground to test if it will keep out demons (or, in their case, someone dressed to look like one); and chanting “Bloody Mary” in a mirror to see if the ghost of the Protestant persecutor would appear to harm them. In that vein, in many of Nathan’s skits, someone dressed like a ghost chases various people around.
Graham avoids vulgarities. But his viewers will still hear an occasional misuse of God’s name, though the more common exclamation is, “Oh my gosh!” or, “What the heck?”
Several videos show the contestants in challenges that ask them to break rules at various businesses without getting caught.
Additionally, Graham’s outlandish use of money and frequent destruction aren’t positive behaviors. And many videos contain requests for viewers to purchase brand merchandise.
Unspeakable is similar to MrBeast’s über-popular YouTube channel. Both channels are run by multimillionaire young adults who use their money to create crazy challenges. However, whereas MrBeast generally creates content for all ages, Unspeakable’s videos target kids and teens more intentionally.
As Graham and his friends play games and beat challenges, they’ll likewise perform many skits. Additionally, on top of some toilet humor, these videos often contain a lot of over-the-top reactions and screaming.
After reviewing this channel, I can’t say that anything on it is truly unspeakable—or anything that might make it a hard or obvious “no” for families. But unless watching a few friends use a lot of money to have silly and outlandish fun is what you’re looking for, I don’t think there’s much else to consider here.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
