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AMERICAN HUSTLE LIFE! | Our Reaction to Episode 1 + “BEHIND CUT” 📸 (Patreon)

Published:
2023-07-25 21:00:06
Edited:
2026-07-14 00:09:14
Imported:
2026-06

Content

(You can also watch HERE)

(Password: WOWZERS!)

YIKES.

YIKES.

YIKES.

We were NOT READY AT ALL for this episode. 

The kidnapping scene, ARMY…WOWZERS. 

We can only imagine the feelings of fright & terror that each of the members were feeling during it. It was difficult enough for us to sit through.

Please help us make sense of this prank, as well as all of the other questions we were curious/confused about during our reaction! And please feel free to share any terrifying life experiences you have had! We held off on sharing our own traumatizing experience in today's video, but we’ll share it briefly below (WARNING: FRIGHTFUL & POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING PERSONAL CAR CRASH STORY):

We both distinctly remember driving in our old 1993 Mazda MX-3 (gifted to us by our uncle on our 16th birthday) with our mother a few years before she passed. It was the middle of winter in Upstate, New York, so think…freezing temperatures…snow…white-out…wind...blizzard. 

Our mom was driving. Jordan was in the passenger seat. I (Jared) was in the backseat. We approached a steep hill, and our mom began to gain some speed/momentum in order to get the manual transmission car up the hill. Once we got to the top of the hill, our mom tried to slow down and hit the brakes in order to gently guide the car down the hill. Little did we know…the opposite side of the hill was covered in a thick sheet of black ice. 

Our mom lost complete control of the car. For about 7 seconds (or what felt like 7 millenniums), we were sliding down the hill…with no control, and no ability to do or change anything. 

By the grace of some higher power, the car landed in a ditch, and none of us ended up with a mere scratch on our bodies. We called roadside assistance to help tow us out, and we drove back home.

Seeing BTS experiencing being kidnapped immediately evoked this memory for us, and makes us want to HUG each and every one of you. 

Be safe in this big, crazy world, ARMY. And don’t let your trauma/terrifying past experiences hold you back from living life to the fullest (we realize this is easier said than done). Remember, you are not alone in your experiences, and there are resources and people out there who can help you navigate through difficult times. Cherish the love and camaraderie you share with us and all ARMYs out there. We love you. 

ARMY, as always, we truly appreciate your love and support (WE’LL CONTINUE SAYING THIS UNTIL THE END OF TIME). Your subscription allows us to produce higher-quality reaction videos, and moves us closer to our goal of doing this full-time! Let us know if you have any questions, feedback, thoughts, etc. at any time! BORAHAE!! 💜💜

Files

Comments

Madison

i will click this when i get the energy to watch it lmao cus lord the first few episodes...but super excited

Cherry Valens

I cannot bring myself to watch this, I think the first ever episode I’ll miss of J & J! 😢

fox

lol I can't watch this show again, it gets better in later episodes... It's a tough watch but I'm glad they did this show

Keylee

I actively avoid the first two episodes of American Hustle Life. Not only is it hard to see the members so scared, the racial implications make me uncomfortable as a black Army, especially as I have experienced micro aggressions from other Armys when it comes to discussing this particular episode. It’s just all around uncomfortable. On the other hand, as a Los Angeles native, I love the rest of the series because it’s fun to see BTS in familiar places around Ma City.

Dery

Can we all just collectively agree to skip this 😭

Cecilia⁷

I agree this episode was sooo difficult to watch. I cannot believe they did this to them. But I will watch again to see both your reactions to it!

Noll⁷ ⦿ ☰ ☲

Ahh no. I was looking forward to your todays reaction, but I really cant watch that today. Its 23.00 h here and I know, I couldnt sleep after that episode, because it always makes me so angry, when I think about it. I watched it only one time and I sweared myself, to never watch it again. But I think I will, together with you guys, but not today. Still, thanks for watching all and I really love everything you do here. Greetings from Germany and good night 💜💜💜 P.S. I had hopes, that you would watch the next Bon Voyage Ep. ;-) Borahae Love you guys

Abbie

I’ve been Army for over 4 years and I have not once watched a whole American Hustle life episode because what I have heard and seen has been enough to put me off from watching it so I’m a bit on the edge of do I want to watch this or not as I love y’all’s commentary but I have never had the urge to want to watch these episodes, I cannot stand how they were treated and don’t really want to watch that so I may have to skip this one 🥹 sorry y’all but I cannot do it I will just get enraged. But omg guys that experience sounded so terrifying I cannot imagine how y’all must of felt in that moment. So glad nothing tragic happened. Hope y’all are having a great week. Sending love 💜💜

Abbie

Yes, I feel bad but I just have never and will never watch these episodes, I don’t like or agree with how they were treated and I would just get angry if I watch this 😭😂 prank or not it’s really not funny

Angie7

This is why American Hustle life leaves a bad taste with Army…the fact that they did not know …I cannot imagine how scared they were…and I don’t get the need to pull pranks on these guys…RM went to Bang PD after and asked him not pull anymore pranks like that again (from stuff I’ve heard) you’ll hear different stories so who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️….Jungkook ,in another interview, said he thought he would never see his parents again…I don’t care what genre of music it is your learning THIS is not acceptable in my opinion .

N ♡

The kidnapping scene is such a tough watch 😭 I’ve only seen it once before. Like other Patrons are saying, AHL definitely has some moments that make it hard to watch, especially at the beginning. I don’t know what the thinking was behind that. I think you guys have seen some clips as part of The Rise of Bangtan. But there are funny moments, insightful moments, and heart warming moments as well. Editing to add more after watching: I reacted a bit like both of you seeing that scene. The first time I saw it, I was mostly hurt for them, knowing how scared they must have felt. This time, I was laughing at the absurdity of the situation and the choice to do something like that to them (...and also the shot of JK's iron man socks, only because it was cute and way too perfectly placed as a comical beat). But I have to echo the sentiments of other black (and non-black) armys in the comments. It was definitely a feed-in to stereotypes of criminality and violence attached to black people, which is not fun to watch. And I wouldn't have wanted them to associate that with hip hop/Black culture at large. I also wonder what Jungkook meant by "black" as a definition of hip-hop. He used the English word "black" (rather than the Korean word for the color, nor the one for Black people) so it's hard to be sure. I wouldn't be surprised if he meant the color in general, especially given how they dressed for shoots back then lol. But I also wouldn't be surprised if he was implying Black people/culture as well. I don't think that would be a bad answer tbh 😂 Hip-hop is global now, but it's so intrinsically tied to Black people and Black culture as its originators. I think of Namjoon referring to the US as the "motherland" in his interview with Pharrell, and I liked that. I'm glad that, overall, they were able to learn some things about hip-hop from this and form memorable bonds.

Naeppittam

There's a strange thing happening when they are all sitting on that sofa. You see Yongi next to JK looking bored. The next moment they're told to take their hats off and now it's Jimin next to the youngest. Jimin with the black belt in Taekwondo, not Yoongi with the crushed shoulder. Whatever happened between those two moments?

And

I feel like American Hustle Life was overall a good learning experience for them, but I don't think BigHit had really any part in producing this and it really shows. I feel like they learned a lot of good things but they had to also do some really pointless things as can be seen in the later episodes. Also this prank left a really bad taste in my mouth and I haven't watched it since I first watched this show. Overall I would describe the show a bit cringe and sometimes a little bit all over the place but important part of BTS' history nonetheless.

Princesse Avoce

Nope I’m gonna pass on this one 😌 can’t physically bring myself to watch AHL! It was a good learning experience for the boys and I appreciate that but nah…

Madison

We should just skip to episode 6 with Iris and then end it there lmaoo/jk

Cecilia⁷

I'm sorry you've gotten that from other Armys :(

Keylee

Thank you. It’s mostly love, but all groups have bad apples.

Keylee

Starting with episode three, it is really cute and fun. Please watch from episode three, you’re missing a huge part of BTS history.

Ku Nilsen

Yeah, no. I watched it once and not even you guys can get me to watch it more. It was actually some of the first BTS content I watched somehow. One time is enough. It's part of BTS history, and it did have important learning experiences for the boys. I didn't hate it and did enjoy it on my first watch. I just can't watch it more than once. And the producers of this show were wack, and a bit too much seemed a bit pointless and kind of needlessly cruel. The "prank" at the start is just traumatic.

shelby🖤

honestly guys you could probably just watch like a highlights video or summary of this show and be better off. it’s an incredibly hard watch. i think the overall trip was beneficial for them but the show itself was just not done well. it wasn’t produced by bighit and you can definitely tell. i know most army haven’t even watched it fully through themselves. including me in my 7 years as an army. i’ll watch this one just to see y’all’s initial takes but if you decide to continue i might have to sit this one out.

Heather ⁷

Sorry boys I agree with the rest of Army, I have seen this and its not worth a watch. Colio (RIP) was a complete A HOLE, it is better from episode 6. So if you continue I will join when you get to 6. So sorry guys but still sending love to you both from the UK. Also JK made it to number 1 on the UK chart, over here it is very hard to do that, so WELL DONE JK

Butterful

lets not watch this one j&j😵‍💫… i would suggest continuing bon voyage! i was looking forward to the rest of the eps💜

Eli St John (Ellie) 🖤

I agree with most of the comments. I’m going to have to pass on this one as well. I don’t need this kind of stress in my life rn. LOL I really can’t rewatch this over again. “Good learning experience overall”, I get it, but the way these KIDS are rudely treated (especially those outtake scenes) on their first trip to the US, the racism, the insults disguised as “tough-love”, yeah, one-time watch is enough for me. I hope they give the slot to Bon Voyage or IN THE SOOP instead and just watch AHL off cam in their own time I guess if it’s really a must see. It’s just that for me rewarching BV and Soop is better, less stressful and full of LOVE. It’s good for the heart. That’s what J&J promote in their channel after all. 💜

Mary-Liramei

I think there are probably ARMY besides me who don't mind watching it even though it's definitely cringe at the beginning. They still learned some useful things. I've watched it many times through reactors. However if it's a choice between this or bon voyage, I'd pick bon voyage every time.

Georgia Homer-Hughes

I don’t actually mind the show bar the first two episodes which still annoy me it’s watchable. And they did learn a lot from this show I believe so it’s important to their journey. So I support you watching it and would watch along on a watch party if that’s what you decide to do 💜

Cherry Valens

Yes, please please continue Bon Voyage!

Daniela

I have no problem watching this first episode at all, it happened yeeeeears ago, just the first episode is cringe then it gets really fun~ thank you for reacting to this :)

Sydney

I absolutely agree with other ARMYs here, this show was supposed to be a learning experience which I have no doubt that they learned things. However some of the things that happened to them, the way they were treated, things even off camera that we may hear about but never really know about. I support you guys, I just can’t bring myself to watch the show again.

Valencia Begay

This episode was very hard to watch originally. I do like your reaction. This is the only time I was mad at Bang PD. He had to have know ahead of time how the series was going to start out. I will watch this with you - your perspective will be good to hear and watch. 💜😊

claudia lecusascu ⁷

I knew there was a reason why I skipped AHL entirely, seeing the kidnapping scene actually made me angry and anxious, and lets not forget JK was only 17 so imagine the impact this left on him, and the others as well. The fact they were so "calm" during the interviews, i think it's because they knew they were filming and had to keep up a front for the cameras, it was 2014, the kpop scene already was looking down on them for coming from a small agency, the boys were trying to survive in the best way they could. I don't think AHL is a must watch only because nothing major came out of it, from what I know. You could watch a compilation of most important clips and moments. But it's up to you boys. Thank you for the reaction as always, I would have never watched this if it weren't for you.

April Forgue

Unfortunately people spoiled the episodes by telling you what was going to happen ahead of time. I think you probably would have had a different reaction if you did not know beforehand. I think this is why BTS do thier own shows now so they have control over it. Maybe you can watch one episode a day and bang it out in a week because you have so much content you started and have not finished.

Chia Sano

First 2 episodes were very awful, however after that it gets better. I think it is cuz of feedback and adjustment but up until episode 2 it is cringey. There are some very neat moments from this series that makes it worth the watch, but just know the first 2 episodes are always cringe worthy.

Mary-Liramei

Hyun-jin Ryu was a Dodgers baseball player. That's why they said they needed to see Hyunjin Hyung. I think he's still playing but for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Eli St John (Ellie) 🖤

. These kids are angels and it breaks my heart. 🥺 . Being in a foreign land, not speaking the language, not knowing what’s going on, being a teenager from a small agency excited to learn in the US, you get a violent American style pranking on your first day. And you’re forced to laugh it off cause you’ll do as you’re told as you’re just a kid from a struggling company and needed exposure. I can only imagine how stressful and afraid they felt in that very situation. And so I vow not to rewatch this series over again.

Kathy⁷

I understand why many people are saying they need to sit this one out, it's definitely a difficult watch. I watched for you guys though. I think it's good for you to see AHL as it was an important moment in BTS history and if you don't watch then you won't know! Jordan, I felt the same confusion you did when first watching. I don't think the members fully believed they had been kidnapped but I do think they were confused and scared. Even if they had the thought "this is probably a prank" there still would have been the doubt "What if this is real? What is going on?" They were so young, JK would have only been around 16 years old at the time. They were in a foreign country with men shouting at them in a language they mostly don't understand. As you know Army is extremely protective of BTS and nothing kicks in our protectiveness more than seeing baby Bangtan being shouted at and "kidnapped" by a group of grown men. Of course the racial issues of having the kidnappers be all black men just adds another layer to the problems with this show. Something else which makes me really uncomfortable, and continues to the next episode, is the Americans shouting in English at the members who clearly don't understand what they're saying! It's so cringe! They could have filmed a show of BTS going to LA to live with rappers and learn all about hip hop and it would have been great. Luckily this is what happens later on so it's much better. Sorry for this long comment but to answer one thing - I believe Hyunjin was this baseball player https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyun-jin_Ryu he's Korean and played for the Dodgers. Borahae!

Purplehaze⁷

I do think there are parts of AHL that were completely unnecessary and make me very angry at how the boys were treated. That being said I do think that as a reactor that is trying to know the whole history of BTS that this is an important series to watch. It shows you another bad event that BTS had to endure to become who they are today. Personally I would really love to see you watch In the Soop (season 1 and 2) because those series are very well done and show you a current personal side of the guys.

Peach⁷ (☉ ⊖ ⊜)

I will say this in regards to this show. I have never seen AHL. This is the first time I'm seeing the first episode because i was curious to the despising of this show. I only saw summaries an clips. I understand an might not watch anymore. Also I saw some clips an part of me do not like the way hip hop was presented to them. It just felt cliche an not authentic to the beautiful art called hip hop. To top it off, that kidnapping scene did it for me. Something about the scene doesnt sit right with me. As an African American Army, the racial implication an it being their first impression in a dangerous situation was unsettling. That's like pranking rape or murder, it's just wrong period. I dont want to be represented in that way. I can't describe it but I do not like the feeling I feel. I'll use my experience as an example. I use to work for a noodle fast food place an there was my first experience of racism. I was a cashier an I would see customers wait until my friend that is not African American to finish an order an refuse to let me take their order. Some didn't care that they were holding the line up. Some looked me as if they hate me an some even made implication of my character because they were surprised how professional I was. It ate me up on the inside an I felt ashamed a bit because of it. Gratefully, through experience, I realize not everyone is like this an there are people that though they don't look like me care about me an want to know me. I also learned that racism, prejudice an more can not be escaped but even though it can't be escaped you can choose to do opposite an love all people regardless of who they are an where they come from. So in this situation with BTS, it gives off this representation that all are like this an even paint a bad image of America an thats not true. I heard it gets better an I'm glad they realized that an didn't let that change how they view people of any color. This reason being is why I adore the 7 beautiful men from South Korea (shoutout to all my beautiful Armys all over the world). I understand how you both feel an I'm glad you got through it. I might not have made any sense but this was the best way for me to explain. So in that I feel bad but glad to speak my point. Borahae to you both!

Theresa Tucker

Hyun-jin Ryu is a South Korean baseball pitcher. He did play for the Dodgers but I think for the Toronto Blue Jay's now. Although I really hate what they were put through in the first two episodes I feel what they learned and took away from their time there positively influenced them going forward. From my understanding the tv show that footed the bill for much of the trip were more concerned about ratings of course and not the well being of the guys. This was further evident in some of the mocking subtitle comments/commentary. I think the incident with Dante was a turning point and Bang PD stepped in as Dante was gone after that and the show was more focused on learning. Jin got a boost of confidence in his dancing and Tae in his singing from Ms Iris. The way I choose to look at it is we might not have gotten the Dark and Wild album if they had not participated in AHL. Always trying to find the positive in every situation 😊💜

-Mac-

I love y'all 2J, but the way I am not watching AHL again. It /hurt/ the first [and only] time I watched it, and I /raged/. The kidnapping of minors for "fun". Using the biggest Black men they can find to do it, and thusly fostering the ongoing stereotype that Black men are dangerous thugs who will terrorize teenagers. [This was filmed and released when the members ranged from 16-21 international] They tell you not to speak ill of the dead, but Coolio was a complete jerk, and I won't pretend otherwise. As a Black woman, I really, /deeply/ dislike this series. So while watching AHL to understand their training, what they endured, learned, and accomplished is an important part of the ARMY journey in my eyes... Yeah... I remember coming out the other side of AHL being both amazed and grateful that the members were able to seemingly put the stupidity aside, and learn what they went to learn. The best parts of this series are the relationship with Warren G, Chim-Chim, Ms. Iris, and the life lessons/advice. :inhale inhale exhale exhale: I'm ranting because this series really made me lose it. Sorry.

Angie7

I didn’t know the back story of your wreck when I first commented….Thank God for protecting your family in that moment 🙏….I do have a tendency to let traumatic things in my life dictate how the rest of it goes….but I enjoy hearing your experiences and I thank God for putting you two in our path 🙏🙏💜

C GR

In general, asians won’t initially fight back in this kind of situation. and bts were rookies then, their whole life back then was just practice, make music, say yes to the company, they were still kind of training, so they will follow every word that you will say without fighting back. So many people disrespected then even before debut and they just kept quiet and didn’t do any scandalous thing, same thing as here they just swallowed everything. This time they were also trying to do their full length album for their come back, so they were really tired and i dont think they will agree to put a content just for content, they were busy with their music to do some bullshit if they already knew what was going to happen. Anyway, after these two episodes it becomes lighter, because apparently, namjoon and i think the managers called bang pd to say this is not acceptable, and you will see that those who were assholes in the first episodes were gone, including coolio. And fyi, this was not done by bighit, it was mnet who produced this. I think you need to read their book too, everything is there.

Laurie Brennan⁷

I agree with all ARMY that the kidnapping was just downright wrong. If I was the parents of any of the guys, I would be kicking someone's ass, but I think overall their experiences in LA at this time was one of the greatest factors to influence their early career. I think by episode 3 it gets really good. They had so many really good mentors (personally I thought Coolio was an ass the whole time), but the rest were great. They made connections that they continue to rely on to this day. RM had a later collab with Warren G and they met important industry people. After beginning to shoot Dark & Wild in a garage, they were then offered studio space to continue by a guy named Erik Reichers. If you have watched the Dialogue: Commentary Film from "ON", it is the studio owned by the same Erik (Echo Bar in LA) where they are recording backing tracks for ON and other songs. It's a relationship formed back in 2014 that continues through their more recent music. For those who didn't watch the series based on things you have heard about the cringeyness, I would encourage you to watch from episode 3 on...it's a truly influential period in BTS's career and there were some great mentors. Final episode is a concert they did in LA (1st in America...free for 200 people) where they showcased all the skills they learned during the series and it was so good. I would agree they were pushed too hard during this period...expected to record an album and film a series at the same time though.

viperine

The person between Jin & Taehyung on the plane is their long-time manager Sejin. He was with them from day one, and was promoted in 2022 to manager of training the managers of other HYBE artists as well as being one of the group ENHYPHEN's managers. He still occasionally travels with BTS members though, most recently one of Jimin's trips to France he took Sejin. He is a very kind man who has witnessed their whole journey and helped to keep them safe. ARMY adores Manager Sejin. 💜

Cheryl ⁷ Lambert

It’s disgusting that you’ve experienced anything like that and I’m sorry that has happened to you. There’s never any reason or room for hatred and aggression. 🫰🏻💜🇨🇦

Singa7⁷

Oh I was like Jared, found it terrifying and funny at the same time. I'm the kind that laughs at the wrong moment out of stress. But if attacked or disrespected the fight comes out. Although it's cringey I don't think Bang PD would have allowed it if there was real danger. But still hated that part of it as I think they were truly afraid. Bearing in mind their culture in respecting their elders and not talking back I don't think they would have fought back in the first instance. However eventually in a real situation I think RM's book & Suga's street smarts would have gotten them out of trouble and Jimin would have beaten them with his black belt Taekwondo 😂 I certainly think it was the show that came up with the idea. Their first experience with black individuals wasn't great but Tony & Nate more than made up for it. Coolio RIP was a bit too serious however he might not have experienced such hard working lads as these. Let's be honest, no Western teens as far as I can see had that mentality so he could have been expecting some 'smart guys' and wanted to set the scene straight away. Tony too at the beginning when introducing Coolio said they should pay attention, so I expect they all thought the boys would be boisterous, loud and just out to have fun. Little did they know! Thankfully it gets better 😁 Addendum: 1. the black gentleman allowed/agreed to be portrayed as ganstas 2. Aren't hip hop MV's full of this portrayal? 3. When a genuine insident happened with Dante it was dealt with swiftly and promptly. 4. I can understand Army's being upset, but that is just 2 episodes. As I mentioned Nate & Tony (and the rest of the black community they worked with) did an awesome job and that is what should be focused on, not the negative aspects. And THAT is exactly what BTS are about! 5. Iris by the way, is the woman Whoopi Goldberg played in Sister Act!!

Cheryl ⁷ Lambert

No one should ever have to experience anything like that, ever. It’s disgusting. I’m sorry you experienced that. 🫰🏻💜🇨🇦

Cheryl ⁷ Lambert

The whole thing is abhorrent in every possible way. 🫂🫰🏻💜🇨🇦

Ashhhh

I’ve stayed away from watching this from just the clips I’ve seen from Rise of Bangtan because of how uncomfortable it makes me (also as a Black Army). Will think about if I can watch this with you guys but Idk, the racism was just too much for me, based on the clips I’ve seen. :(

maria

Yoongi for the most part probably knew and wasn’t fazed because he saw the cameras. I think they all were scared at some point but probably thought that it was a prank. I really think jk and jhope were the only ones actually scared, and really thought it might be real. honestly in that situation their reactions make sense to me. I would probably freeze up and hide my emotions. I don’t know. This is one of the first contents I watched of bts and I was certainly surprised. I was 16 at the time I watched this I thought it was funny, but years later is when I truly understood the serious and problematic things about that situation. I still think you should watch the rest of the show. Despite the cringy moments This show introduced me to how humble and eager to learn bts are. How respectful they are too. Even if they were ignorant about a lot of things back then , they still tried to learn and understand.

Jordyn

In my opinion, the boys handled everything very well. I feel like anyone being kidnapped in a unfamiliar location would be terrified. From the perspective of a black woman, I feel that it was unprofessional on the staff/crew/mentors part. The beginning really feeds into the narrative of big, black men being "bad" and overly aggressive. I can see this stereotype being ignorantly thrown around from foreign media (mnet) but I don't understand why the guys (Nate, Tony, etc.) fed into it. Why wouldn't they stop it from happening? All that aside, like you mentioned, it could have been dangerous for the guys. I just think it wasn't very thought through or considered how it might be perceived.

maria

this made me really like bts because like you said it was amazing how they put aside the stupidity of some of the situations.

maria

man 2014 was a different time😭

Mel

I'm one of the few people who doesn't mind AHL. Do I think it's cringey and problematic? Absolutely. There are parts that give me terrible secondhand embarrassment to the point I have to fast forward through them. But I do think the guys learned a lot and overall I think there are more parts that I like than I dislike. AHL aired on MNet, so it's not surprising that many people don't like it. A lot of kpop fans refer to MNet as snakes, as they're known for doing dirty, underhanded things. My understanding is that for this show a lot of the people who interacted with BTS were told to be harsh/mean to them by the producers (most likely because they believed it would make better content). I wouldn't necessarily consider the show scripted/fake, as I truly believe the members weren't aware of a lot of this.

Tara

Hello! Like others have said, the first 2 are hard to watch but the rest of the show really made me appreciate BTS more. It's an inside look at how hard they work. They learn new skills and have a lot of fun despite the situation. There is still some cringe ahead but funny moments as well. It seems a lot of people in the comments refuse to watch so if you feel the need to stop, that's okay. But I for one, appreciated show and would be happy to watch again with you guys.💜

Cheryl ⁷ Lambert

Sorry ARMY, this might be a long one. This isn’t cringey, it’s blatantly offensive and disgusting on every level. The obvious racial stereotypes and dangerous imagery of what the USA was portrayed as would be horrific and terrifying to these young men coming from another country who didn’t speak the language. It wasn’t a prank but a very serious bad decision that could have easily ended in disaster. This is the second time I’ve seen it and I had the same visceral reaction that you did Jordan. If one member had run off getting out of that van or decided to fight back, who knows what the ramifications would have been. The verbal abuse and humiliation was over the top and had no learning value to this experience. I have been in a life threatening situation at age 13 ( which I won’t trigger anyone by recounting here) so I can feel the abject fear they were experiencing trapped in that van and on that couch. The fright or flight response doesn’t kick in when there’s no where to go or run to. You can tell by the fact that their English escapes them as RM never says a word. I’m sure that trauma stayed with them for a very long time. Mine reverberates to this day. The Amygdala is a very real thing ( thank you Yoongi) and the recounting of your car accident brought me back to a serious accident I was involved in back in 1993. My husband at the time was driving me to therapy on a dry March morning on the 401 (a major highway) when traffic slowed rounding a curve as a van changed lanes in front of us but was stopped sideways with nowhere to go. He slammed on the brakes but was driving too fast and we T-boned the van on the passenger side. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and jumped out into live lanes of traffic, screaming and swearing at the other driver. I was belted in but injured and taken to hospital. Although wearing a heavy sweatshirt and winter coat, I had 3 hairline fractured ribs at my sternum and the deep bruising imprint of my seatbelt across my chest that lasted for weeks. Our car was nearly totalled. Had I not had my seatbelt on, I would have gone through the windshield and been very seriously injured or possibly dead. The doctors said I was extremely lucky. I’m sorry you guys are watching the first couple of episodes of the series as I can see how upsetting, to put it mildly, it is. I think it will further your understanding of their hip hop origins, the grind of those early days and how the Dark and Wild album came to be. It’s far from pleasant but it does get better after a few episodes. It’s really a “one and done” kind of thing to watch but I want to see it again to support you both. I appreciate that this is very difficult for you both and for many ARMYS out there. Thank you for your honest thoughts and reactions to this as difficult as it is. Love you both 🫰🏻💜🫰🏻💜🫂🫂🇨🇦

Mikkeai8908

Tony didn’t get the memo from the producers. Lol. Because he seemed to be the one the members liked alot, especially jimin. And I don’t blame them. I loved tony. I honestly wish they could reunite with him for an update interaction with him.

Bricey

Although Hip Hop is universal, it is really nice to know that BTS actually had to learn about the background. K-pop idols are truly students of music, dance, language, etc. , but when it comes to hip hop a lot of idols and companies act like where it came from doesn't matter. Even in this episode some of the members had no explanation for what they thought hip hop was, but they were in a hip hop centric group. As a black American fan, it's nice to see that BTS took learning some things about this genre as seriously as other aspects of their training because many KPop idols don't. It's cringey and not perfect, but I'm glad they did this show. If I were to learn a Korean instrument, I would need to ensure a certain level of knowledge and respect for the place from which it came. It's nice to see that this artform, hip hop, is being treated the same way which is extremely rare in KPop.

dulseokbangtan

I think it's a necessary watch for armys unfamiliar with rap and black culture as alot of kpop fans first time liking rap is when it comes out of the mouths of non black men & women cosplaying as black people aka kpop idols. This is problematic for many reasons but shows us why the bts rapline and their few rapper friends (Tablo etc,) are to be set apart from the k-hiphop industry and k-idol rappers. They respect the culture, they respect black people and they write their raps. This experience as racist and cringe worthy as it is, was still important for the boys and they wouldnt be here as we know them otherwise.

dulseokbangtan

As for how they were treated they spent an entire year talking about hip hop, rap, etc., and even RM could barely answer questions Coolio gave to them. They all had to grow up, especially Tae, they all had to learn that rap is more than gold chains and an attitude. There were some things done that were over the top and I personally wouldn't let slide if it was done to me but the cast admitted Mnet staff asked them to play it up for the cameras and the boys still talk about that time and the people affectionately so I guess they still had a good time.

Amani ○°●•7

What's going on in reactor world that they are all reacting to AHL? ... I'm not going to repeat what many many army have communicated in the comments above ^^^^^^.. 1st 2 episodes are really cringe for its take of black America black men ... hip hop ... and then its treatment of 7 young men where 6 did not speak English. I actually do think its a must watch . They learned so much. They formed several long term relationships with LA crew. I'll watch with you. I really would of rather you finished Bon voyage S1 before starting another series. But here we go!!!! ❗❗❗❗ let's go TONY 💜🖤

Laurie Brennan⁷

Yes I was disappointed that people spoiled it for them. They went in with a preconceived notion whether they wanted to or not.

dyxqdthyfv

I wish you simply react to BTS music more often

Laurie Brennan⁷

Yes I forgot to mention that in my comments. ARMY love Sejin

Lauren H.

i'm not black but it's soooo uncomfy. terrorizing the boys is so not ok either as a portrayal of black folks or as a thing to do to these poor foreign teenagers!? like wtf. i can't take it.

Lauren L .

Personally - I think the producers purposefully portrayed them this way to make it “a better show”

Amani ○°●•7

Btw i recommend to binge this series a bit J&j. Two episodes at a time once a week.. because its cool like that and because it is polarizing. 🎵🌌🖤💜

Shani.love

Though it's problematic, especially in the first episodes, I don't mind watching AHL again. I do wish they could have done the show without the kidnapping, Coolio, and Zaire because they were unnecessary. However, there are good moments that could be missed if someone refuses to watch it just because of what other people say. This is a very important part of their journey and their music has matured because of experiences like AHL. We also can't act like the show never happened. The boys did experience all of this while at the same time recording dark&wild. The show gives that context. This was how hard they worked. I completely understand the armys that dont want to rewatch it or know they'll be triggered because of warnings, but I think others might miss out on the few jewels that happen later on. I also feel like every piece of content helps us understand each member better. Anyways, I'm looking forward to when you make it to their interactions with the mentors😊!

A. Brown

I have yet to watch this series in full. I love the interaction with Iris and Tae later but these 1st 2 episodes are very hard to sit through. In fact I started skipping around after I saw how chapter 2 starts out. I'm just not one to learn anything in an atmosphere of abuse. As for why the guys didn't fight back, could be shock, could be not knowing exactly what to do even if they did successfully fight back. It was basically a deer in the headlights situation. So no I don't think the guys reactions was staged or for content, It was being helpless and resigned to what will be will be. Did you notice how Tae was leaning with his head in his hands after the kidnappers left. That was a realistic response of relief. Sure they would go to sleep, what else would they do with no phone, no money, no idea where they are. I'm sure their main thought initially was to comply so they didn't get harmed. And once they found out it was all part of the training, they would of course cooperate because the training was why they were there. The guys really weren't in any position to demand better treatment at this stage. But yes I agree, this was a very risky setup by the production managers and could have ended with bodily harm or worse to the members. And let's face it, the guys often hide their pain and suffering from ARMY (look how they perform so hard they need canned oxygen to breath, or they perform with injured body parts) so I doubt we will ever know the full extent of what they thought and felt during and after this experience. So no, I don't find this series fun or funny at all, in fact all it does is make me incredibly angry and protective of the guys. There are some precious moments but too much abuse happens first. And for reference I'm a multi-racial woman and I've been in a location when it was being robbed by gunpoint so I don't take this type of experience lightly. This is the type of situation you live though but never forget. Edited for formatting and to add: I just recalled there is a moment in one of the Bon Voyage trips where the guys make a comment along the lines of you promised not to do this again when they were being driven to a location they didn't know. So this showed that even years later, they remembered this kidnapping experience and didn't want to repeat it.

lyndsey

I would also like to know what happened in between those moments as well. Because they took their shoes off and their one sock and put them in front of them. When the kidnappers left and they decided to check it out and get their stuff picked up, their shoes were all thrown in the middle of the floor and their socks were on the floor not on the table. Makes me sick to think maybe other bad shit might of happened that they didn't want army to see. Idk??

lyndsey

I'm not sure how I would act in that situation. But being 7 from Korea never being to America before I'm sure they just decided to listen and not fight back. They don't know America or Americans like that to try. At least that's how I would feel being in a different country. I would listen and shut up lol I really hate the first 2 episodes, the race fact the kidnapping and I'm sorry but Coolio was an asset lol loved his music but man he was really hard on them. But which I found out later he was told to be. But I did like going back and watching with you guys!

Kecia ⁷

The dude on the middle seat was thier manager Sejin. You will see often behind the scenes, but he never seeks attention. This episode makes me sick everytime. It never gets easier to watch. They were kids, just off a long flight and long day at the ballpark, in a forgein country where they don't speak the language. The mom in me wants to slap some tv executives for doing this. I think it's possible to laugh with discomfort at the situation now. We all know it was prank and that everything turned out fine. But it wasn't funny at all. One more truly awful episode to go and then it improves a lot. I think when JK said hip hop was black, I think he was talking about clothes, like the black and gold they wore for No More Dream. He didn't have a vocabulary yet to express what he thought hip hop was. He would probably give a better answer if asked today.

Mayela Castro

La primera vez que ví este episodio me pareció una broma bastante pesada y desagradable. Los chicos realmente se asustaron, me dolió ver la expresión en el rostro de Jk cuando preguntó por su cámara y el sujeto le gritó horrible.....creo que a los chicos les disgusto está broma pero jamás lo admitirán porque son muy respetuosos y humildes. BTS FOREVER 💜 ARMY FOREVER 💜

지순

This is why I love you guys!

VancityGal

It gets better from here on out guys!! 💜💜💜

Shreya Panwar

Kudos to JK for keeping it in..I would have been bawling out there😂 when I watched AHL for the first time I was like wth is happening. It took me some time to come to terms with the way V was treated. They had a overall good learning time but I just can’t shake the feeling that they were just kids at that time every-time I watch video clips of it. But after second episode it was a good experience and if I dare to say fun one time watch.💜

Butterful

i think its a good idea if you guys want to watch it with other ppl that also like it on live (discord) if you want! but idk i feel like a lot of us here on patreon kinda don't wanna watch it / experience it again😅the boys went through a lot, Jin, V and Yoongi were disrespected so many times

FireAbyssJin

All this does is show a stereotype about America that is generally not the case creating fear about how America is to other countries and cultures.

Amani ○°●•7

Just a few fyi's .. jk was a minor. Personal fyi My 1st reaction to this episode was very much Jordanesque. This could of gone sideways quickly. To this day I don't understand why kidnapping was a "teaching" tool ... why the V treatment? Thank God humiliation tactics do not work on TaeHyung... he could give a rats ass what people think of him ... ... I won't be recounting my traumas from past. But big Thanks for sharing j&j and also @cheryl. 🎵🎵🌌🖤💜

genevieve higuera

This will always be painful to watch, this is no joke this could be a very traumatizing situation for anyone. Take into account they are in a foreign country, cannot understand or speak the language, even if they had their phones who would they call. They come from a culture that is not confrontational but follows orders, doesn't talk back, but it was an important event in the beginnings of BTS. And NO! They were not in on it. RM as their leader was very, very angry and upon returning had a long conversation with management and said "never again".

Jackie

I think this show is actually good once you get past the first few episodes, it shows baby bts learning about hip hop. I just wish they weren’t so harsh on them, especially coolio and his attitude. I also think the whole kidnapping scene was complete unnecessary and ridiculous, however the show as a whole is okay.

Precious

First I have to point out if I'm the only one who noticed that in the early pics of Jared and Jordan they were wearing the same colors they are wearing now, Jared was in white for both pics and Jordan was in black. I could be wrong, but I feel that I'm finally able to tell them apart. They look the same and different at the same time. 😆 To be honest, this is the series I've purposely stayed away from. I feel more comfortable watching it with you guys. I stay away from things that will make me upset. They did not know about the kidnapping. BTS are trained to be professionals at all times so they tried to keep their composure. I didn't like Coolio's take from clips I've seen, bit I heard that overall it was a great experience for them. You all are doing a lot. Please don't burn yourselves out. Borahae 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜

J-Lee

Wahhh thank you mah FAVE brothers for starting this series! 💜 I have no problems with you watching it live with us in Discord but it may take your focus away from the subs if you're live with us. It might take you longer too. Other than that, it's okay with me as long as the timezone is doable for me 😅 Just to mention - they were talking about Hyunjin Ryu - a South Korean player of the LA Dodgers I believe 😊 I agree with ARMYs, some parts had been quite difficult to watch. But it helped our boys a lot - they've developed relationships with some authentic and genuine people - up to now they still work with them or are friends with them. They've also learned the importance of giving back, they developed more hiphop skills and even confidence. Our boys have learned so much and I'm thankful this had been part of their journey. 💜 Also, think about American reality shows - they're about conflicts or the likes to make the show interesting. Very different from what we're used to with Korean reality shows that are just fun and wholesome. So maybe little of these are mostly scripted, and it made us feel very protective of them coz they're not used to this kind of treatment 🥹🤧 Thank you for this again and yeah, I hope we can get thru this series faster than the other shows. So we can wrap up Dark n Wild soon and get to the next TRoB! Lol no rush tho. I enjoy any content from you. Just excited for the next TRoB chapter 😊💜 Borahaeee mah FAVE bros!! 💜💜💜

Samidare_tt

Between Jin and V on airplanes is Manager Sejin 💜💜🥹🥰

Ellie Rae

there’s a funny lil thing about american hustle life. there’s a youtuber who was really popular back in those years. he did covers of songs. his name was Ricky Dillon. he actually did a cover of a song and the music video to it is of him going around LA and dancing with random people. two of those random people actually happened to be J-Hope and Jin. they’re IN THE VIDEO. and you can still find it to this day. i used to watch Ricky and it was hilarious going back and seeing my two worlds collide. Ricky mentioned it in a recent livestream on twitch and said he had no idea who they were and it’s so cool to think that he hung out and talked to them for a little bit, not knowing what they’d end up becoming. this is the link to the cover music video. jin and jhope come in at timestamp 2:51 https://youtu.be/hgP7fEcMBpY

soyaspinsxxx

I think one key thing to keep in mind with AHL is that it was produced by MNET, not bighit. I'm pretty sure bang pd complained to production once he saw/was told how they were being treated. Participating in this show was at that time a very special opportunity for them, since they were rarely invited to shows, and the earnings they made from this helped them produce the album. This was a time when they weren't sure they could continue making music, and while dark and wild didn't perform as well as they expected , it was still enough to help them make the next EP, HYYH pt1 - which thankfully was their first real success in the Korean music scene. Absolutely agree about the optics, it's terrible, but it does get a lot better from episode 3. I'm so down for a bingewatching livestream!!! We have to move on to the next chapter 😂😂😂

soyaspinsxxx

Also! Jk was talking about hip hop being black clothes, not black in general, which in his edgy mind back in the day probably translates to "cool and tough" 😂

Agnieszka_BTS Borahae

Hyun-jin Ryu is a baseball pitcher current team Toronto Blue Jays

Kath

I have to say it’s been fascinating reading through some of the comment section. Everyone has a right to their opinion and many offer good reasoning for their opinion. However personally as difficult as the first two eps are for many (myself included) and as much trauma/baggage a viewer may watch this show with… I think it’s an absolute must if you want to know BTS, to watch this show. I also feel that unless you have watched the whole thing then your opinion of this show will be uninformed and incomplete. I believe that unfortunately in this fandom a certain level of sensationalism occurs that gets passed down through newer generations of ARMY who then make up their minds based on incomplete tidbits etc. It’s like making your mind up about something after reading a tweet summary rather than a whole 5 page article. Many nuances get missed out. This show was a huge important part of their history. It financed the Dark& Wild Album which they recorded in the evening while shooting during the day. If that album failed there would have been no more BTS. The level of desperation they felt in making sure they succeeded in the recording of the album cannot be overstated. The pressure cooker situation they were in… Their sleep deprivation and hard work resulted in the birth of that album. They learned a lot of valuable lessons on this show. They put their bodies through the ringer and many injuries occurred physically and psychologically… but… The lows meant that the highs were also wonderful (the saying ‘the deeper the well is carved with sadness, the more happiness it can hold’ comes to mind.) As others have pointed out MNET was the content creator… which means they had creative control not BigHit. However Bang PD would have been in the know about certain things. I can understand people who don’t want to feel uncomfortable, or people who have societal and intergenerational trauma due to their lived experience who avoid this show after having watched it, but I don’t understand the people who have not watched this show telling others not to watch it. I also think that sometimes if we are told something about a subject we then go on to look for it, or in some cases we notice things that we might not have otherwise… and that too should be a consideration. So many beautiful, joyful things happen in this show too. Also some societal/ background thing’s worth baring in mind that might explain the lack of reaction etc. In Korean culture as a youth you are taught to respect people who are older than you not only in school, work places etc but also general society. Violence, verbal talk-downs and corporate punishment are unfortunately not a complete stranger to young people in schools and workplaces. So their response to many situations is to be silent and to observe etc. There were even instances in the early career where the members were hit by staff. Jin and the others were also verbally bullied. The two most famous instances I can think of are of Tae and JK being hit. Thankfully the manager involved was sacked (unfortunately it’s unclear if he would have been sacked if fans hadn’t spoke out about it after witnessing it) but the boys were unfortunately very much used to verbal scolding’s etc. In regards to the members reactions, You can see that Namjoon was angry after the ‘kidnappers’ left. In the car, if you go back and watch you see that while it was clear that Hobi was very much visibly shook and who was leaning on Namjoon. Others had reactions of fright too. Tae if you observe was asleep when the men got in but very quickly he had his arms and hands raised shielding his face partially hidden behind JK who was shielding him. Namjoon was also sleeping at first. Jin, Jimin and Yoongi were hard to see in the back, JK was the only member who was quite verbal… which considering he’s the youngest I think is very brave. Also a reminder that in psychology there is not just flight or fight… but freeze is also very much a common reaction, which many of them experienced. After they left you could see that Namjoon was angry, the rest bar Yoongi were also somewhat shell shocked. For example Tae had his hands on his head, then his face etc. Yoongi is the only one who I think had clocked on. Going forward I really do hope you continue reacting to this show. Yes the next ep will be difficult and your heart will break for our sweet Tae and feel bad for Jin (if it doesn’t then I don’t consider you human as some of what happens to Tae is straight up bullying) but it does get better. 💜

Beth Elliot ⦿ ☰ ☲

Would love to discord watch American Hustle Life with you all, and please also do the series V played a role in called "Hwarang" 💜🤗 Weekends will probably work best for most even if time zones are hard

Rheyia Pomar

Kath have basically said everything I wanted to say regarding this show. Yes, it may at first confuse you and make you cringe but what reality show in 2014 didn't? I have personally watched AHL twice by my own and 3 times while watching other reactors watch it. Why? because I want to see how they interpret the show's purpose. There are indeed scenes that would make your blood boil, but again, its a reality show....I suggest not to take them seriously, the people involved (outside of BTS) have already since then come out and explained what really happened behind the scenes of this show, and they are not at all what most people thought it was. This show may have made BTS' lives in 2014 extra hard and exhausting, but it was indeed an experience that made them even stronger and pushed them to their limits which made them who thay are today. There were a lot of heart warming, iconic, epic and memorable events that happened during this show so I really do hope you continue watching it. I do respect others' preference if they hated this show, but please don't tell those who haven't watch it to avoid it....I want J&J to see the boys' interaction with teacher Iris Stevenson the most. 🙏💜

Ku Nilsen

True. I don't like to watch it and have watched it once in its whole. But most ARMYs should probably watch it at least once. It is fun seeing the boys so out of their element and seeing their different quirks that we didn't often see or have now grown out of💜 I think it was an important experience even if I don't think I can watch it again. It's not as bad the first time you watch it(for me). Its on the rewatch it becomes hard to watch(for me).

Lynn ⁷

Thank you for this! Same thoughts I had too, on what JK meant by “black”. The man loves the colour black till this day 🤣🙏🏻

Tracey Keyes

When I first saw this, I was horrified that they could do this to these boys. Remember, they were young back then and came from Korea , a very safe country and they had been not experienced anything like this before. It made me sick, watching and feeling how terrified they must have been and as a mother of two boys of similar ages to JK, I would have been furious of the people that thought it was Ok to put my son in a situation like this , purely for a TV show. Absolutely disgraceful. You are so right in thinking that something terrible could have happened and given them PTSD, and such a sad way to have their first taste of America when they were all so excited. And I think, they did what they were told because thats what they would have been expected to do in their country, "do as they were told and follow anyone older"

Tracey Keyes

And its a shame that the show does actually have some good moments , but they had to have such a horrible beginning and it just doesn't even make sense why it had it to be that way.

Tracey Keyes

yes the language barrier in itself would have been terrifying. I mean the poor kids were trying to follow instructions, but couldn't understand them. I do hope Band PD looks back on it and sees it as a mistake in judgement.

Bwana

I'm very excited to watch their reaction of the first episode. I recall when JJ got so many comments months ago about if they should watch AHL or not. I gave a lengthy reply on my part and I'm in complete agreement with all you've put her, especially the part about respecting others opinions but not caring to hear from those who hadn't watched it all through. I watched this years ago and lived through all the hype and negative backlash from others. But, whatever your opinion is no ARMY can deny that AHL is and will always be an extremely important part of who BTS is today. And possibly a role in the men they've grown into. Thanks again for you comment 🙌🏽💜

Yara

AHL had tons of bad cringy ideas but much respect to Bang PD sending the boys to learn about hip-hop from the original creators, that has set them apart from other groups and artists who just use it as a aesthetic or something... Now... That Zaire moment... I'm not trying to start anything but we kinda need a compilation of Jared's impersonations y'all!😂 The man has talent.👏🏼🤌🏼

Lynn ⁷

Like many Armys, I watched snippets of AHL from TRoB, but never the full eps of AHL before, so when this popped up I was like “yeah, sure why not?”. Watching this with you both for the first time with the knowledge of the “prank”, it did trigger flashbacks of my past terrifying experience. Honestly, I actually felt sad after watching this for the first time. Sad that they may be people who may have misperceived that “prank” or “act” with hip-hop or America in general (given that this happened on the first day they arrived in LA), and sad that our boys went through that “prank”. I hope no one pranks another this way, or get pranked like this ever. My terrifying experience happened in a car in a foreign country a decade ago. My 2 friends and I took a night drive to grab us a late night snack at a petrol station. After we parked on the side within the petrol station, my guy friend got out of the car by himself, leaving me and my girl friend at the backseats, to the store. My girl friend and I were talking when at the corner of my eye, I saw a man jumping over the short wall into the petrol station, holding a long bat and running in high speed towards our car, ready to smash the car window I was nearest to. Within seconds, next thing I heard a loud smack and my arms were up covering my head. I looked up and saw a crack on the window. A petrol attendant was desperately holding on to the man with the bat, trying to fight/push him off and away from our car. My girl friend and I were speechless, terrified beyond words, looking at the struggle between the men. Within the next minute, our attention was shifted to an accomplice (this time on the other side of the car nearest to my girl friend), who was trying to open the door which was locked. The accomplice quickly tried to open the door in the front seat but it was locked also, before another petrol attendant ran to our aid and dragged him away. More petrol attendants came running over to help the 2 brave ones and eventually they pinned the 2 men to the ground and held them until the police came. Apparently, this whole incident (till the police came) happened in approx. 20mins. We were then brought to the nearby police station to give our particulars and statement. With all that happened that night, we had to and sincerely wanted to thank the 2 brave petrol attendants and all who helped, from the bottom of our hearts. They were all safe and well thankfully. So many thoughts went through my head if it werent for these kind, brave people (just like how Jordan thought from the moment the boys were “kidnapped”). What if the window smashed? What if the door was unlocked? What if there was no one else there? What did they want actually, money? Our car? Our lives? What would I have done if they dragged us out? And so many more, for several months after. That memory came back several times even after years but each time I try to tell myself to breathe, leave it in the past, remember only the lessons we learnt and be thankful of what we have now. Of course, hoping this would never happen again ever, to anyone as well. Watching our boys in BV, In the Soop, Run BTS and other shows over time taught me alot and gave me hope to move on slowly but surely, together with many good people around us. *Taking a deep breath* its over. Im okay. Thank you Jared and Jordan for your reaction, looking forward to future videos as always, and for sharing your experience. I can imagine how you must have felt. Very, very glad to know you are all okay too. We are okay. Okay stop typing okay 😂 Borahae we love you 💜💜🙏🏻

leat

i think it was funny like jared but also felt really bad for jk and J-hope who was absolutely terrified. It is hobi and jk´s face when they are kidnapped that is the most funny to me. and j-hope who is older than RM, was practically crawling onto his lap hehe. I think they stopped the camera and explained to them that it was a prank at some point. and i think RM told the producers of the show that they needed to change because they where not bad kids who needed a lesson. they where the sweetest guys who did everything they are asked. so you can see a shift in the mood after episode 2. the whole cullio thing was pointless to me. and the way he treated V was cringy. even if it might have been scripted it was still not okay. you have to remember that this show was broadcasted at a channel in Korea, that is aimed at kids. so showing black people, acting like black people they see in movies, is so wrong to me. But later it showed the friendship and kind natures of black people too, so it was turned around. but later on the MV they had to shoot was so awkward to me. but you will know what i mean later

Aylaᴿᵖʷᵖ

YESSS I’m so down for a AHL live watch party on Discord etc….

Mona⁷

Ahhhh I have never watched AHL but would love to watch it with you guys 💜 I had one terrifying experience in my life in 2013. I got my first paycheck and I was traveling back to my hometown to meet my parents and surprise them. I was traveling in an AC bus and it’s around 7hrs journey to my home. It was around 1am, bus was going at a normal speed not too fast and everyone on the bus were sleeping peacefully and then there was a sudden Thud at the front of the bus.. a large container truck had hit the front of our bus so hard that the the driver got stuck and the door to exit got smashed. Upon this the bus caught on fire and it slowly started to spread from the front side of the bus. Someone broke the windows on the back side of the bus and I took so much courage and jumped out. I survived with a fractured wrist and slight burns! As soon as everybody escaped from the bus, it was completely charred. It’s been a decade and I still have the trauma traveling, but I am really thankful that I survived.

Chris Augustine

I remember seeing this for the 1st time and being really angry that they would do this to these guys. JK was like 15 yrs old and it goes beyond what is considered appropriate for entertainment value. There are so many things wrong with it, their age, the fact they don't speak the language well and their inexperience in the industry. Watching it a couple of times has softened my view but I don't think it was necessary to do that to them. The whole series is real journey and I loved it but you have to watch to the whole thing to really appreciate the journey. And in the context of how hard they were working, burning the candle at both ends and getting like 2 hrs of sleep a night you can see the exhaustion on their faces. I remember streaming the Dark and Wild Album a lot after watching AHL because I wanted to show my appreciation for all their hard work. In regards to streaming live on discord, I for the life of me cannot figure out how to use discord so I am not on it. I hope if you do, you also upload to Patreon so I can watch after.

Bibi

Jared and Jordan JUNGKOOK JUST REACTED TO SONGS MADE BY ARMYS AND HE CRIED (precious baby boi) and he said that he wants a physical album of army songs so he can buy it 😂 He reacted to Love Letters, 7 Reasons (global version) and Purple you!

prachi sahu

One thing i never understood was the concept of having english speaking tutors teaching BTS hip hop? How do you expect them to study and learn hip hop when they cant even understand the language. :/

prachi sahu

I agree with Jordan. I think other than jhope and jk most members knew about the prank. idk if you noticed but jk was holding his tears back during the prank which breaks my heart. He was a kid at that time it must have been terrifying.

Keylee

I almost didn’t watch because when I became Army I just heard how bad it was. I’m so glad I decided to watch because it’s one of my favorite things BTS ever did.

Keylee

Agreed. I’m not a fan of discord, it’s not particularly user friendly. AHL is one of my favorite of BTS’s content, so I hope you keep uploading reactions to Patreon. I’ve been waiting for you guys to watch this.

Keylee

They listen to Hip Hop in English. They needed to learn from people in the culture. That would be like going to Korea and learned Korean culture from an American. It just hits different when the people who lived the life are the ones teaching you.

mariana8995 .

Hi Guys! This has probably already been addressed, but I believe when JK said " black" he was referring to the color black, more than just Black people. He even says " the color black" when he answers. RM and JK as well as most of BTS wore predominantly black colored clothing during that time because they thought it made them look serious and cool. I do believe he also associated Hip Hop with Black culture, as most people do, whether they are from the US or other countries.

-Mac-

I'm going to make a completely selfish request, and I /understand completely/ that it is an imposition and unlikely to be met. /run Wishful_thinking Is there a way to just hear your thoughts and feelings without us actually watching it again? You record while watching then sync up the screen so we can see what y'r reacting to, but in this case, I'd rather just hear your opinions and never lay eyes on that dang series again. /end Wishful_thinking Thanks for your reactions 2J, even if I don't watch this one.

Hebah Alramsi

This is absolutely not funny at all😞 I watched it before and i couldn’t stand it and I never complete it again. Its let me feel so sad 😔. How could they do that to them even if its just a prank. its piss me off😖

Cheryl ⁷ Lambert

That’s a terrifying experience. I’m glad that you weren’t hurt but those memories are very difficult to put behind you. It sounds like you have done a great job of getting past it. 🫰🏻💜

Jenny Jenkins

J&J, next time you guys fly, you can request to have the whole can of soda. You don't just have to get the little plastic cup, but you have to ask for the whole can. I do it all the time and they will gladly give you one.

Jenny Jenkins

Also, I agree with Jared, its never funny when people are scared!!!!

Kia

I always stay away from watching AHL reactions unless it's a reaction I've been watching for a while and really like cuz I just find it hard to sit through, the first couple episodes at least. I cringe every time. It was indeed very cringey and had terrible racial undertones. Why would they do such a 'prank' on kids in a county they've never been to and not to mention the language barrier. I just feel like they played into the terrible stereotype type of what black men in America are like. That was the worst first impression they could've given the guys and anyone who hasn't been to America. Like that's not a 'cool' way to have started this training. And I also feel like it's so hard for them to go back and see but as most have said I do think it's a must watch for anyone who wants to know BTS as hard as it may be to sit through. They learned things that helped shape them as the artists they are today. It ended up being good for them but somethings I think were just unnecessary for their learning. I hope the crew/staff and those involved realize that. Anyways yeah I think it gets better after the first couple episodes and it's not as hard to watch but you just have to get through them.

esther kim

p.s. the hyunjin they were talking about is a famous korean baseball player. stray kids didn't even exist in 2014 LOL

Shadow Swan

I'm 99.9% sure that when Jungkook said "hip-hop is the color black" he means wearing black. As we know JK's fav color to wear is black, ALL Black and he mentioned having self confidence which usually helps when you wear something you like. I do want to input my opinion on what Koreans mean when they say "oh that's hip hop" etc. As you may have noticed, they kinda use it like a verb to describe something. Like Suga said "the hip-hop feel has arrived" I've noticed in the years that I've gotten into BTS and Korean entertainment that it's common for them to use the word hip hop when they think something is "cool" or I guess "swag" I can't believe I just said that but yeah. Koreans tend to think a lot of things that give "American feelings" or something cool or swag is hip-hop. It might have started from.an underlying stereotype since most popular things in America are widely seen all over the world, but I don't think the usage of "hip-hop" how they use it has any bad intentions. It's just their way of saying they think something is cool or has an American swag to it.

Maria Chavez

It was such an awful “prank” it’s why we don’t generally recommend this show although the rest of it gets better. The whole thing especially using big black men as being the signs of aggression/kidnapping is so very racist. It does generally only get better from here but I can’t rewatch the first episode knowing what’s coming. Poor JK he and JHope are so sensitive. Not having control and shows treating them like this or worse is why they made Run BTs to have control and a team whose nuggets goal is their well being (how often do they completely change things up if things aren’t working on Run BTS if the guys aren’t having fun it’s not good).

Lisa Montgomery

I think that at least one of them knew what was happening, maybe not exactly when. My guess would be RM and maybe Suga and Jin, based on their reactions. But yeah, I found this maybe two or three months into finding BTS and I wasn’t exactly thrilled with it but it does get better but not much.

J. Ezbet

I don't recommend AHL either.

J. Ezbet

Thanks for sharing your story, Cheryl. I agree that AHL is not cringy - and for all the reasons you stated.

J. Ezbet

Totally agree with you Mac.

SherryLuvsBTS

I cannot say how glad I am that you are choosing to watch AHL. I think it is a part of BTS history and if you want to know that history then even the sad/cringey/bad/awful parts of that are important to know. I try to encourage ARMYs to watch the series even if they need to skip the first 2 episodes, because at the end of the day, the guys actually ended up at least appearing to have a good experience and I think there were many great moments. It's funny because I actually just watched all of this last week again. I think after having read the book, I just wanted to watch it all and save it on my discord so that I didn't have to search for it again. But when I saved it to my discord channel, I made a short snippet of the final episode where they were saying their goodbyes and talking about what they learned and there were genuine tears, but grateful and happy tears not sad tears about their experience, and I put the video as the first on that discord channel I created and encouraged those on my discord to give it a chance, to watch the end first, in order to understand that the awful beginning was not their entire experience. I know someone who did exactly that and said she was so happy to have seen that short ending part before watching episode 1. It isn't that it makes the wrongness of those moments disappear, but it helps you to realize that those moments were followed by better moments and in the end they had a good experience, that I also do think helped shape them for so many reasons. I liked how Jordan expressed the similarity with basketball camp and while goodness I hope nothing this drastic ever happens at a summer camp, I'm sure that there are many people who go to camps and have shocking first impressions and may even want to go home, but end up having the best summer of their lives. I try to look at this in that perspective as well. Having said that, I do concur with the other comments that this was 10000% wrong and should never have been done to them, and I'm proud of Namjoon for going to the powers that be and demanding that nothing like this occur again. I think this is part of why they ended up producing their own shows and I couldn't be happier, because every show that was produced by them was 10000% better. The implications and the stereotypes that are induced by this episode, again, are just flat out wrong and had absolutely no reason other than sensationalism to have occurred. I was so glad to know that BH was not completely behind the show, it helped me to understand why it was problematic. I do think that sometimes we often forget about editing. While I do believe the boys were scared for real, and I do think there was no need for this, I also think that the editing was done to give the scariest perception for the audience. I honestly don't understand what the producers were thinking other than that they weren't. In talking with others about the possible decisions for something like this, one ARMY wondered whether the purpose was to scare them so that they actually would be careful, since as was already pointed out, they come from a relatively safe area, and the truth is that they were in an area that would not be considered safe - and by this I want to give some context - it is known that in Seoul the boys were known to sneak out at night by themselves or with another member to go to a nearby convenience store or just to walk around. This could have been a very poor attempt at making them realize sneaking out to walk around LA by themselves was not a good idea. I have no idea if that is true or not and I don't think it makes it right, but I just want to try to help myself understand any realistic reason why someone would think this was a good idea. I also don't think the producers had one concern at all that this might go sideways because of the characters of the guys and their SK culture. They are taught to respect their elders, bosses, and the like with no questions asked and confrontation is not encouraged, so I think that the producers would be pretty certain of getting the exact reaction they got. And honestly even after they realize they are not being kidnapped, they are treated really harshly at times and they never waver from that respectful demeanor. I certainly don't know how they do it, but I also believe that it is that ability that helped BTS withstand all of the negativity and hate they received all of those years and just focus on working hard on the task at hand. You honestly see that portrayed here so vividly. I think AHL not only gives some insight into exactly why BTS became so successful but is also just one more reason to want the world for them and to be so happy for every single ounce of success they receive, because they have truly earned it. Their book certainly lays that out very clearly, and this is a piece of that. Hearing Namjoon reference this experience in one of his closing ments of the PTD concerts really impressed on me that it was an experience they chose to learn from and even after 10 years are still able to draw on what they received from the experience. I honestly don't believe it would ever be mentioned if they harbored trauma from it. And I'm not minimizing it, I'm just saying that it appears that they at least have dealt with whatever it was for them. My understanding of the K-Pop training programs is that the trainees are not treated the best and it is grueling. I've always believe that Bang wanted to create something better and I think he did, but there were still moments that I think are hard to watch. JK's birthday when the director got angry with him and it was a joke and everyone was laughing, but poor JK was balling his eyes out, that is so hard for me to watch. I never really understand jokes or pranks like that, and I guess I just clump all of these together. I'm sure many of us would be shocked to actually witness some of their training days without editing, lets just say there is a reason why they all strive for perfection and why they are so apologetic to ARMY and so dissatisfied with their work so often or always claim to work harder and do better. Yes I think that is part of their personal makeup, but I also think it was firmly and possibly sometimes harshly ingrained in them. I hated how they were treated in these first two episodes, especially being yelled at in a language that wasn't theirs when they clearly were sitting their and being respectful and just taking it, I'm not sure how those who were delivering that treatment did it honestly and I'm sure that they were encouraged to do it for the "cameras". I actually felt like Coolio would sometimes move out of that "bad boy mean attitude rapper" persona and start to warm more to the boys only to then within seconds almost seem like he remembered "oh I'm supposed to act a certain way". I don't think that excuses him, but at least I feel like there was a reason, instead of he's just a mean asshole bully. I do think this show showed the innocence of the boys and just how green they were. It's one thing to act cool and act tough, its completely another to actually be cool and be tough and I do think that they clearly learned the difference here. And honestly for some, I think they CHOSE not to go down that cool, tough journey, because they may not have appreciated what that turned you into. I can only reflect on the fact that HYYH came after this, and that was a huge juxtoposition of their personas. I often wonder if this experience led them in that softer direction. Who knows? It is very fun to watch them try things that were completely out of their comfort zone. But what I loved the most about seeing that was how they just did it. There were so many tasks that I can only imagine was terrifying for them to do and probably embarrassing too, and yet they attacked every task with everything they could, there was literally no complaining and no wavering, they just did it. To me that is just another character trait in BTS that shows exactly why they are so successful. It's truly inspiring to watch, even when it's also somewhat embarrassing to watch. Some of them literally have zero game and it showed. I can completely understand not wanting to watch this again, if you've seen it. It doesn't bother me to watch again, but I can look past the negativity and hope that those involved either learned an important lesson or hopefully have had karma take over and teach them what they didn't learn. And I am able to just enjoy the moments that are good. But that is me and I don't blame others for not wanting to do that. I do wish tho that people would not so quickly pass judgment on the series simply because of a few clips or because of how ARMYs describe the series. But again that's just my opinion. I certainly don't think that everyone SHOULD watch it, but I do think that if you are able to get past those unacceptable moments then it is a rather enjoyable and helpful series to watch especially learning about BTS journey. So, J&J thank you for giving this series a chance and as always for your insightful and honest reactions. I think your reaction was very similar to everyone's reactions. It's certainly really hard to watch. But, I will gladly stay with you through the entire journey. I'm so interested to hear your thoughts on other episodes. Borahae 💜💜💜

Jess Horton

S Koreans and fighting: This is just an observation. The color of the kidnappers wouldnt matter to BTS. Everyone is a stranger to them. RM called them the "three PEOPLE from yesterday" not the 3 kidnappers or a description of their appearance. Of all places... the melting pot of the world.. America really does put people in boxes. I also think some of them were given prompts like most of reality tv. "Be prepared for the unexpected and go with the flow" I heard rumor some police officers in SK don't even carry weapons and limit hostile situations. Recently a sasaeng ran up on JK at the airport, coming inches from grabbing him. The bodyguards did not push her, knock her down or even use force to restrain just blocked with their arms. She even tried to run to him a second time. if someone ran up on Drake you would get knocked out! They are lovers not fighters I guess. BTS pulling a knife on someone, highly unlikely. This prank had to be controlled! Cameras are rolling. At the kidnapping suga was next to jk and jin, in the next clip he is on the end of the couch. Multiple takes were made to see all their faces. They landed in the day time, but the visa had to be sorted out at night!? Suspicious. This show makes me wince and haven't watched all the episodes entirely. Would they be the educated and humble BTS they are without this cringey learning experience? I don't know. BTS was eager to be treated like artists they would do anything. Just like a camp (Jordan) at the end it's to excel and not give Big Hit a bad name. I wish Suga was respected more by non Army as an ambassador. "Wild Thing" now I've learned something. Definitely heard this song at sporting events... did not know it to be an award winning hip hop track. It was mixed in with the likes of MJ and Paula Abdul type of genres. Jungkook likes to wear the color black. Enjoyed the homework detour

Rheyia Pomar

I do believe some of the episodes rubbed me the wrong way too, specially the one with Coolio and Tae, that other guy with Jin, and that Helicopter manager with Jimin....but to be honest, the other episodes were heartwarming and funny, if you can just get past the cringe fest. RIP to Coolio by the way, the only time I didn't like him was (like I said) his scenes with V, but other than that he was actually pretty funny and it was obvious that he was told to be strict with the boys (again, its a reality show)...even the kid who Jimin wanted to smack came out years later and said that he was told to be annoying by the producers to make the show entertaining. Point is, lets not condemn it, at the end of the day there were some great moments that came out from this show, we wouldn't see those wholesome interactions with Jimin and Tony, Jin and Hobi beatboxing and laughing, their cover of Regulate (which was fire btw), and a lot more if it wasnt for this show. There were more good episodes than bad ones if you ask me. Those famous old memes on the internet were born from AHL (i.e. "Jimin you got no jams", "my heart is OMG", "Tooonnyyyyyyy", "Im rich, you want this? 3 dollars chain", "you dont know anyeonghaseo?" and many more)...point is, it is part of their history. Every now and then the boys even mention it to this day, they just dont say the name of the show directly but they do acknowledge that they filmed a reality show in LA back then and they had some wild memories. And you are absolutely correct, any ARMY needs to at least watch it once. That way they could further understand the challenges BTS faced in 2014 and for those who have the BTS book, it will be better for them to watch this too (if they havent yet) so they can understand the context behind some of the situations being described in the book.

Fernanda

Idk although I understand where people who don't like the series are coming from, I personally think that this was part of their story. And yes, although some parts may be hard to watch, you can really see them grow from the experience and watch them create some good memories too. I think Jordan explained it well by calling it a summer camp.

LaNita Starr⁷

I have not seen any of AHL... so this will be a new journey for me as well. I look forward to getting through the cringe into the fun parts with all of you. Alsooooo... live discord will always be a yes! 💜💜💜💜Borahae💜💜💜

Raevan21

I have not had a chance to watch your reaction yet. I can absolutely not stand the first 2 episodes as it was done in such poor taste. But the rest of the series is pretty charming and has some absolutely lovely moments. My terrifying story happened just over a year ago, but I am going to tell it so it will hopefully help me get past it. My daughter and I were walking in/around our neighborhood, a place we had walked many many times. We were a little later than usual so it was getting dark. We rounded a corner and there, under a streetlight, was a man lying down, with a dog that looked to be an aggressive breed standing over him as though it was concerned. There was no one else in sight. Since there was a strange/unknown dog present and I was with my teen daughter, I told her to back up and we turned to walk the other way while I pulled out my phone to call the police to ask them to check on the man. (This ended up probably being for the best because had it just been me, I probably would have tried to help him on my own---I have been known to run into potentially dangerous situations to help regardless of my own safety a few times in the past). My concern was that he was hurt or sick and needed assistance. As I was pulling out my phone, from behind us we heard the man yell "Who are you calling?" and stunned, I looked back to see he was on his feet following us. Something seemed off so we kept walking, and he started playing chase music on his phone and said, "I'm going to kill you both," then laughing. I had started dialing when he yelled "Sic' em" to his dog and they both started running after us. We were on the outside of a walled neighborhood and ran, phone call abandoned, to get to a house, any house, as fast as we could. We got inside the wall with him still yelling I don't know what after us and started knocking on doors until 3 houses in, they let us in and dialed 911. We also called my hubby who was 3 blocks away and he and my son came right away. The man stayed outside the house screaming and yelling at us and kept up his diatribe until the police arrived and took him to jail. He was screaming how he had set a trap for us. It turns out that he was a mentally ill man who lived a few houses down from the people who let us in, and that he had been terrorizing everyone on that block for months but they had been unable to do anything about it. My hope is that he is now getting the help he needs, but far away from us. Both I and my daughter have been unable to bring ourselves to go walking since. I used to go everywhere by myself, all the time, as I do a lot of traveling for work, and I like to explore the places I go. We are still able to travel together, but I won't even check my mail or take the trash out after dark now. I am trying to work through it, and someday I WILL be able to take that walk around the neighborhood again without panicking. I think it's been even more difficult for my daughter, who has never been particularly comfortable around people to begin with.

imtachki

the kidnapping prank makes me want to cry, most of them were literally kids when this happened. I'm 24 and I cannot fathom what I would do in this situation, and they were all younger than me at this time. I think there was no immediate relief after they were 'told' it was a prank and left alone is because namjoon was the only one who properly understood the announcement that it was part of the show, and from the editing at least, he didn't explain what it said in a lot of detail, still dealing with the shock himself. you have to remember that this was 2014 - all other members' English was way weaker than it is now. on top of that, they're still in a new strange place in a foreign country, no phones, no managers, completely alone. some of them probably didn't fully trust that it was over or that they were safe.

LIBBY WILSON

I saw this two years ago and the kidnapping prank broke my heart. I really hoped it was scripted! I had mixed views but I watched the series anyways. The members have been through a lot of ups and downs. This is why ARMY are so protective of them! The series was good but I loved In The Soop 1&2. I paid to see both.

Cheryl ⁷ Lambert

That’s a terrifying and very sad situation. Please don’t let one person’s unfortunate illness colour your love for enjoying your surroundings with your family. Maybe some talk therapy might help you get past such an unpleasant and frightening experience for your own piece of mind. Good luck with that 💜

princess

the kidnapping prank is the worst prank ever, its so horrible and not funny at all. the whole show has a lot of annoying n cringe parts n some funny parts

Aylaᴿᵖʷᵖ

You asked for our opinion and this is mine: I'm half black, half white, raised in the UK in the 80s and 90s. I went to Peru at 22 and after a few years met a Chinese Peruvian, we married and had two sons. So I have very little sense of humour about a group of asian teens who love hiphop being taken to learn about their passion and being subjected to a traumatising event, even though it makes good tv and I'm sure they knew something was afoot while they were being filmed. I read a tweet the other day that one of the members said "it wasn't too scary because we saw cameras in the car and knew something was planned" or words to that effect, but it actually made me really angry and sad when I watched this and the next episodes for the first time. And I don't know yet how they reacted in real life to Coolio's "patronage" but they were all silent on the news of his death recently... so I think certain elements were real. I think this was reality tv of it's time: quite triggering but hopefully not really traumatising for the members who I feel quite protective over, as do a lot of army. But I LOVE that subsequent episodes show them enjoying their tutors and learning, plus we know they were also recording Dark n Wild at this point and knowing what a great album was coming out of all this hard work and grinding is super special, the album has a very special place in my heart because of this. Borahae fam!

Raevan21

Thank you. I am trying and so is my daughter. She already had social anxiety so she's having an even harder time. We will persevere.

Nez Chi

I truly hate this show... the people that were around them were so toxic It made me so angry watching it

Anja

I only know AHL from the few sequences in TRoB, compilations and experiences from other ARMYs. But that's enough for me to decide to skip this reaction. With my mental health condition I cannot watch that in the moment. I hope you'll understand. 💜

Pacific Pacific

I have never watched it either after having seen snippets. It triggers me the way those people treat them so badly, to put it nicely! I have no respect for this vulgar and ott western hip hop culture. I am grateful that BTS made a conscious decision to remove themselves from this toxic culture after experiencing it. I respect BTS for it. It would have tainted them.

Bwana

Hi you two. Guess when I watched AHL for the first time? 2014. Yup, I was one of the lucky ones who watched these episodes as they came out and it was without any widespread opinions or oppositions at the time. Jared I experienced exactly what you did. My sister and I watched with our eyes opened wide and jaws dropped. Then we’d look at one another and fall over ourselves laughing. That feeling of internal angst and anxiety over what your seeing mixed with the uncontrollable need to laugh at certain points. I’m glad you all are watching this because your BTS education would not be complete without it. This too, had a place in our BTS/ARMY history that helped to shape the culture we began to embody for years to come. Social media was not what it is today. Our fandom was not as organized across the globe then and once big hit began to get negative feedback on the treatment of the guys in the first few episodes and honestly one or two things in further episodes, it was not as glaring for some ARMYs as it may have been for others. These complaints had an impact, don’t get me wrong. But over the years as our fandom grew and organized in unimaginable ways the stories of how big hit got hit hard (pun intended) over the way they did these episodes grew and grew. With that, the opinions and oppositions towards AHL grew even larger than what it was at its release. Many overlook this fact. I am all for everyone having their own opinions and sharing them. But when the questions of how the guys were kidnapped and more so WHO they had kidnapping them comes up the other glaring facts are overlooked. Mnet did it’s part in bringing AHL to fruition but who else did we think would be working on the American side of things? You have mentors and tutors from Death Row, Doggy Style Records, etc. Nearly every single person involved in the US were African American. I will never understand the view of the situation of the kidnapping being pulled off by 3 large black men as so unbelievable and perpetrating a stereotype. Not when you look at the total picture of who and how AHL was made possible on the US side of things. The view of whether or not a staged kidnapping should have even occurred at all is honestly the largest and most relevant question. At any rate, I’m very happy to take this AHL journey with you both. And my advice to powering through the remaining episodes is to just do them one after the other with no other content in between. There aren’t many episodes and you post 3x a week. You will be done in no time. Viewing party on discord would need to be broken up in my opinion. I don’t think any of us will be able to do 8 hours of a viewing party no matter how much we love the guys AND love Jared and Jordan. Love both. Stay happy and healthy.

Keyz J.

I FELL TF OUT WHEN THEY LOOKED UP HYUNJIN FROM STRAY KIDS😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Steph

The way you guys paused and said “first of all, first of all, first of all”, I literally felt that in my soul 😂😂. There’s so much to unpack there. I still heavily cringe anytime this series comes up. It just unnecessarily propagates the stereotype of black people being “scary thugs”. The fact that they specifically got dark skinned men to do this, still doesn’t sit right with me. Especially with it being a show about learning about hip-hop roots?? It just creates a bad narrative of how black people could be perceived by other races, especially if this is supposed to be an intro to hip-hop and America. I just don’t like the link that was made there 🥶🥶 I had to take many breaks when I watched it the first time cause I was just 🫢🫣😅. The first couple of episodes are definitely rough, but watching your reactions to this was very entertaining. I do like that you guys were warned and informed on what to expect going into this, prior to watching it, because at least you can prepare for the cringe and discomfort. When I first watched it, I was hit with it in full force. I will say there are a lot of cringey moments and episodes for me throughout the series but the “hard to watch ones” are definitely at the beginning. Love the reactions as always guys 💜💜

JenR

I really like American Hustle Life, or what it turns out to be towards the end. Watching it the first time was really hard and I remember having to pause a lot, but by the end I could tell it was helping the guys out. And if you watch the video logs they did at the end of the trip and posted on their BANGTANTV Youtube channel, they each discuss a little of what their takeaways were from their time in the US. It did open a lot of opportunities for them, and I believe it was one of their only ways for even getting the Dark and Wild album made, so I'm grateful for that too. I do think we see a change after this series; they are very candid in this one, less aware of the cameras and having to make things interesting for the viewers. As much as there are a lot of cringe moments, and racism definitely, there are plenty of wholesome moments too, especially in the latter half. I really look forward to you watching the series more however you decide to go about it - if you do lives can you post them afterwards at least? While I respect some might choose to opt out of watching your reactions, I'd really like to see them for myself.

Kimberly M

Scary experiences? Ok I can share my biggest one. I was 17 and driving me and my 2 sisters to school. I hadn't had my car for very long so wasn't very used to the radio. My sister asked me to save her favorite radio station. For some reason my radio was very low almost to the floor. I leaned down to see it and didn't realize I had come to a curve in the road. I look up and am 5 feet from a logging truck. I had 0 time to reach except to grip the steering wheel and close my eyes. I will never forget the impact.. we hit head on and my car got sent flying back in a spin. It felt like forever and I just remember praying to God that if we didn't make it to bring us to Heaven. The car finally stopped. I asked if everyone was ok and said we should get out in case there are any gasoline leaks. Well, I couldn't get out. It has crushed my side into my legs and I was trapped. Luckily others were going to school and called 911. One guy even heard me screaming and came to hold my hand and be with me until rescue arrived. They cut me out with the Jaws of Life. That was the 2nd worst experience. The noise of that thing still haunts me. They took my to the hospital after cutting off all my clothes to check for injuries. I'm there and for some reason I pass out on the table and roll onto the floor lol that one I can laugh about. I ended up getting knees surgery about 6 months later because I had a torn ACL from it. 23 yrs later and I still can't do a full squat. So people be careful when driving and teach your kids what can happen if they're not! Thanks for coming to my Kim Talk 😊

Christina

They were talking about Hyunjin Ryu, not Hyunjin from Stray Kids. He's a South Korean pitcher in the MLB. At that time Ryu played for the Dodgers, that's why they were so excited to see a game in person. Up until that point, they would've only been able to see him play on TV. Currently he plays for Toronto!

DarleneVampyre

It reminded me of my POW training I had when in the military. They taught us how to deal with being a hostage. This was just post 9/11. So the training was intense then. Afterwards, we had debriefing and mental health care access. These young men had nothing like that to help them deal. Nothing. It’s fucked up.

DarleneVampyre

I kind of assumed JK said black, because at that time much of their clothing for the stage was black. Or that it derived from black culture. He only knew a handful of English words at that time. Trying to convey what he meant had to be hard.

Kimberly

I hope you guys continue American Hustle Life 🥲

Tricia

With a child psychology in my background this sickened me. Prank or not, it’s trauma. As an audience we should know that it’s a show but this is cruel. The only reason I checked the heart is because it’s the way I keep track of reactions I’ve watched. Edit… I just realized I’m breathing hard and am Angry.

PhuNara ApoBangpo⁷

I hope you guys continue American Hustle Life. Third episode and up its gets much better. And its okay to watch what theyve been through. You know they actually learn through this process. Itd be nice to see you continue this series. I know people say its cringy but its really like just the first two episodes.

Lamya

Oh I hope u continue this series if u have time

Jiminie

This was such a fun series. Hope y'all remember this and keep the journey going！

Chanmi Jung

So apparently the "Hyunjin" mentioned in this episode was the korean top baseball player at that time. Wikipedia says that Hyun-jin Ryu played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2013 through 2019, establishing himself as one of the top starting pitchers in Major League Baseball before joining the Toronto Blue Jays and later returning to South Korea.