Bald and Bankrupt

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Benjamin Rich
BaldandBankruptYTlogo.jpg
Personal information
OccupationTravel vlogger, author
YouTube information
Also known asArthur Chichester, Mr. Bald
Channels
Years active2018–present
GenreTravel vlog
Subscribers
  • 3.27 million (bald and bankrupt)
  • 602 thousand (Daily Bald)
Total views
  • 452 million (bald and bankrupt)
  • 25.46 million (Daily Bald)
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg 1,000,000 subscribers 2019
Updated: 20 November, 2021

Benjamin Rich, better known by his YouTube channel name Bald and Bankrupt, is an English travel vlogger and author. As of September 2021, his channel has 3.2 million subscribers and over 444 million views.[1]

Career[]

The defining characteristic of Rich's channel is his interest in the post-Soviet states.[2] However, he first started vlogging from India after filing for bankruptcy in the UK due to a failed business venture, which (alongside his shaved head) inspired the name of his channel.[3][4] Ever since he ventured into Eastern Europe, the attention to his videos has increased.[3]

On 12 April 2018, under the pen name Arthur Chichester, Rich released the book The Burning Edge: Travelling Through Irradiated Belarus about his experiences travelling through the parts of Belarus affected by the Chernobyl disaster.[5]

Reception[]

Rich's content has attracted coverage in various national media, particularly publications in the towns and regions he visits. New Delhi publication The New Learn reported on Rich's travels in India in January 2019.[6] They praised his visits to refugee camps for Hindus in North Delhi stranded after the crisis in Pakistan,[6] describing his videos as "introducing the world to an India that is real and authentic, where people still open up their lunch boxes to strangers, where tea is the beginning of lifelong associations, where trust means more than money and where there is vibrancy everywhere".[6]

In March 2019, Hindustan Times reported on how he exposed scams against tourists in Delhi Airport, from inflated prices to rickshaw drivers and false claims.[7] In June 2019, Rich was discussed in the Slovak press for his visit to Luník IX, which he described as "Europe's largest poor Roma neighbourhood".[8] The article described how, despite warnings about the estate being among the most dangerous in Europe, he was welcomed by local people who spoke fluent English and invited him to their surprisingly modern and clean homes, which he described as "better than [his] apartment in Britain".[8] Swedish YouTube personality PewDiePie stated in a July 2019 episode of the YouTube podcast series Cold Ones that Bald and Bankrupt is his favourite YouTube channel.[9]

Afisha Daily journalist Lyubava Zaitseva wrote about Rich's choice of Russian destinations in September 2019, stating that even its Russian readers had "not seen such Russia"[10] and praising him for "trying to distance himself from tourist places" and showing cities "from the inside, communicating with local residents".[10] In November 2019, Russia Beyond named Rich's channel in its list of six YouTube vlogs "where foreigners show you real Russia". It noted his "openness to local people and unpredictability".[11]

Incidents[]

Rich's video about a trip to Patamanta in Bolivia was reported by Gizmodo Español as "more scary than entering Chernobyl".[12] In the video, he informed a local woman that he was a tourist, prompting her to warn him that "people burn people" in the area.[12] Two men later approached Rich, inspected his passport, and gave him 30 minutes to leave the area.[12][13]

Following a November 2019 video filmed on a train to Chechnya, Rich was forced to apologize on camera by Chechen authorities for referring to drinking beer with a Chechen woman in the predominantly Muslim region.[14][15][16]

In May 2020, after exploring no-lockdown areas during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia, Rich disappeared for two months.[17] He later revealed that he had caught COVID-19, and that he could not walk to the bathroom or breathe by the time he sought medical attention. He learned that he had low blood oxygen and was suffering from multiple organ failure before spending a week in an intensive care unit.[17] After uploading a video about his illness, treatment, and recovery, he urged fans to not make the same mistakes and to take the virus seriously.[17]

Publications[]

  • Chichester, A. (9 April 2018). The Burning Edge: Travels Through Irradiated Belarus. ISBN 978-1-9807-8751-8
    • 2nd Edition (27 March 2020)

References[]

  1. ^ "bald and bankrupt - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  2. ^ "The British journalist is wildly delighted with Moldova". TATIANA VLADIMIR. 15 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b Rayamajhee, Veeshan; Professor, Assistant (23 April 2020). "Spotlight on Economics: Economics lessons from Bald and Bankrupt". Jamestown Sun. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  4. ^ McEnchroe, Tom (9 December 2020). ""Prague is the most liveable city"–YouTuber Bald and Bankrupt on his new home and Soviet fascination". Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  5. ^ Chichester, Arthur (2018). The burning edge: travels through irradiated Belarus. ISBN 978-1-9807-8751-8. OCLC 1107791946. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Says, Piki (19 January 2019). "Meet Mr. Bald and Bankrupt: when an 'Outsider' Sees More Than an Insider |". The New Leam. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  7. ^ "There's no such thing as a free elephant, and other tourist scams being busted on YouTube". Hindustan Times. 16 March 2019. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  8. ^ a b ""Toto je Slovensko?" Pozrite sa, ako známy britský youtuber predstavil svetu košický Luník IX". style.hnonline.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  9. ^ "PewDiePie on his Favourite Youtubers". Cold Ones Clips. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Британец снимает свое путешествие по всему СНГ. Такой России вы еще не видели". Афиша. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  11. ^ Zubacheva, Ksenia (1 November 2019). "6 YouTube vlogs where foreigners show you real Russia". www.rbth.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  12. ^ a b c "Cuando una excursión a la montaña en Bolivia da más miedo que adentrarse en Chernóbil". Gizmodo en Español (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  13. ^ "'DangerTubers' Are the World's New Amateur Explorers". VICE. 14 May 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Chechnya: practice of public apologies spread to foreign tourists". Caucasian Knot. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Английский блогер извинился за то, что назвал чеченок "цыпочками"". RFE/RL (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  16. ^ EurasiaTimes (8 January 2020). "Chechnya markets warfare tourism". EurasiaTimes. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  17. ^ a b c O'Sullivan, Eilish (11 July 2020). "YouTuber Bald and Bankrupt shares his 'COVID-19 nightmare' after exploring no-lockdown areas". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.

External links[]

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