“The Mind of Jake Paul” is Shane Dawson’s third profile of a controversial YouTuber, following his docuseries about Jeffree Star and Tanacon. With “The Mind of Jake Paul”, Dawson set out to tackle mental illness, celebrity culture, and whether or not YouTube culture encourages some of the toxic decisions that have plagued the Paul Brothers in the past. In Dawson’s own words, he is trying to discover whether or not Jake Paul is a sociopath, with Dawson even worrying that his critics are correct.
Shane teases that future episodes will have a conversation with a psychiatrist on the nature of sociopathy, with people in Jake Paul’s inner orbit, and in this episode touched on how the rewarding of bleak stunts can lead to terrible events, touching on the YouTuber who asked his girlfriend to shoot him for a video.
The first episode of the eight-part series sets in to interview people in Paul’s orbit, with the first interview with a man with great experience analyzing YouTube culture, iNabber. iNabber gives a history of Jake Paul and Team 10 and the troubles that have orbited around Paul. It began with the purchase of Jake Paul’s $17,000 a month Team 10 house, and the flocking of members who wanted to further their career due to his orbit.
The episode additionally delves into situations that do not make Jake Paul look good. This includes the way he has treated his girlfriends, the controversy surrounding the Martinez twins, the West Hollywood local news interview that made Jake Paul infamous on a scale beyond YouTube culture, and, most damningly, the fabricated assault allegations against his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend.
That Jake Paul agreed to a documentary that thus far is so damning is surprising, and a touch admirable. We will see if the documentary decides that he is indeed a sociopath, or if there is more to Paul than meets the eye. As Dawson points out, could it be the Paul we know is a put on to get YouTube views? As the documentary evolves, we will find out.
What did you think of the first episode of Shane Dawson’s Jake Paul series? Let us know in the comments, or on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.
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