One night bored out of my mind, I’m watching random stuff on Youtube. To my right I see a recommendation for a video, the thumbnail, “creepy”, the title, “interestingly more creepy”, I click it. The video starts off with a guy staring at the screen with a goldfish in a bowl to his left. The Goldfish starts talking, interrupting the host which causes me to laugh. I wonder what this could be about, so I decide to stick around and find out…. I then learned, I had done myself a huge favor.
What is The Why Files? I’ll sum up what it is in just one word….. AWESOME! What started off as a facts channel, turned into something amazing. Hosted by Andrew “AJ” Gentile (Actor, Writer & Producer) and co-hosted by a Goldfish by the name of Hecklefish Moriarty, AJ dives into some of the best Mysteries, Conspiracy Theories, Urban Legends, and more… You’re probably thinking, “Well, I’ve seen other Youtube channels that do that, what makes The Why Files so different?” AJ doesn’t just tell the stories, he fact checks them too! He gets to the nitty gritty of research to find out just how much of it is true, debunking them if he can. In other words, he hooks you with the story, then rips the carpet out from under your feet with factual data. (Personally my favorite part of the videos.)
Waiting from his bowl for the perfect moment to chime in, Hecklefish is ready with the jokes. AJ can be in the middle of an in depth part in the story, he’ll say the right thing (example: “white powdery substance”) and Hecklefish will interrupt with a joke about nose candy. It will have you rolling on the floor. AJ will look at Hecklefish with the “you just seriously said that…” look of disappointment. Comedy GOLD right there! I especially like when Hecklefish will start talking about his personal life and go completely off the rails of the story. AJ will stop him and get back into the main story. Some people don’t appreciate the Hecklefish character, but it makes for a great laugh. Those people are just too serious!
The production style is a chef’s kiss as well. From the way he presents the story telling, all the way to the visual aids, you’ll feel like you’re watching an investigative documentary on a Network Television Station. There are not enough people who know what extremes a person can go through to make top notch quality like The Why Files. To add to the production, there are even Audio versions of episodes on Spotify called “The Why Files: Operation Podcast“. The interaction with fans is great too. On some nights there is a type of after party called “The After Files”, where you can hang out with AJ and the team and discuss even more interesting topics, (LOOK’n at you Gino!)
I recommend checking out The Why Files Discord server as well. I, myself, have a few pieces of merch from The Why Files official website. No, I was not asked to promote it, I’m just very passionate about The Why Files. So, check the Youtube channel out! As AJ mentions in every episode “be safe, be kind, and know that you are appreciated“.