Chad Johnson throws his credibility into the toilet

Chad says he will include the lower-third during the Little Bits segment to clear up any confusion as to its paid status.
Chad says he will include the lower-third during the Little Bits segment to clear up any confusion as to its paid status.

UPDATE: A proactive and very brave Chad Johnson waded into the morass of the TotalDrama chat and has clarified a few issues regarding the following story. He provided us with the above graphic that he says will appear with the final edited show video; thus substantially clearing up the murky issue of an unpaid mention during the show. Hats off to Chad for taking an open mind to our criticism—it really does seem as if he cares to make things right.

Chad Johnson has seriously jeopardized the future of the "Giz Wiz" by selling out the audience.
Chad Johnson has seriously jeopardized the future of the “Giz Wiz” by selling out the audience.

Chad Johnson is reeling after the live broadcast of his “Giz Wiz” show Thursday evening. At the beginning end of the livestream with Dicky D, Chad was heard to say that he had accepted money for a Little Bits product mention during the show but that it wouldn’t be a traditional ad.

This, of course, flies in the face of his Patreon that had previously had nearly 900 members and was approaching $1000 a show. After hearing of Chad’s attempt to bamboozle his audience, at least two Patreon members pulled their funding, leaving a visibly confused Dick DeBartolo scratching his head and openly questioning Chad’s judgment.

For those out there who might not completely grasp the gravity of this fake ad: Chad has literally thrown his and Dick’s credibility into the toilet with this maneuver. By essentially hoodwinking the audience into thinking that the products and services that are reviewed on the show are taken on their merits and NOT as a result of paid consideration, the audience is left to wonder what is real and what is not. Does Chad talk enthusiastically about a gadget that he recommends because it is indeed worthy? Or did he simply just pimp out a product because he got a little cash?

Time will tell if Chad’s bozo move will result in more Patreon losses. One can only hope that Dicky D will set the youngster straight.

53 thoughts on “Chad Johnson throws his credibility into the toilet”

  1. It should say “At the END of the livestream” and not “At the beginning of the livestream”.

    Also Chad first didn’t even want to admit that he was paid. He had to “correct” himself multiple times.

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    1. I suppose after fully reading this article, he feels guilty (as he should)… At least he has some sense of guilt. Being honest is always best, so bravo to that. Perhaps warn your patreon contributors before you do something like this first. It’s not cool otherwise.

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  2. Gadgets. Shmadgets. They’re all a bunch of junk that nobody needs or should waste their money buying. The whole dumb show makes about as much sense as a Ron Popeil infomercial for spray on hair or a single purpose kitchen appliance that will just take up space and gather dust after it has been used three times. Who needs a toaster with a USB port?

    That said, I tend to watch the show, because I really like Dickie D., his crazy looking studio, his odd but genuine, warm personality, and his only-in-New York accent. He’s an original. I always wished he were doing another show with more substance, though. Giz Fiz is a much better show, and I never miss it.

    My main concern about this SNAFU is whether Chad planned to share the money he was receiving from Little Bits (or whatever the fuck it was) with Dick or whether he was going to pocket the whole proceeds himself. Dick’s surprise at the whole thing and his obvious displeasure makes one think that Chad planned to keep the payola for himself. But that’s only a guess.

    Perhaps Chad learned at the knee of his former boss about how to focus like a laser beam on profit through tie-ins, product placements, wildly over-priced branded merch, and begging — all the while posturing that all he cared about in the world was his fans’ happiness. No, I’m not talking about Leo. I’m talking about Brian Brushwood, man, the biggest phony on the gaming, social, techy Internet, man.

    The problem for Chad might be that the demo he’s reaching now is not Brushwood’s easily duped, underage one. Chad’s demo is more likely to have AARP cards than fake driver’s licenses.

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  3. Mark Harry – it’s not about being perfect (why do people insist on making things about something they’re not?), it’s about basic honesty.

    I can tell you right now that I would never do this. Therefore I have the right to condemn and discuss it, surely?

    Chad’s ok. He’s got a lot of growing up to do, and he could do with some guidance. But it’s really not on to say that we’re only allowed to criticise him when we’re “perfect”.

    Really? We have to be perfect before we can criticise?

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  4. Good on Chad for going into TD chat and clearing things up. That takes guts – TD can be very hostile when it comes to moral issues like this. So, good on him for doing something which few people would do.

    That makes him go right up in my eyes. I haven’t seen the chat transcript so I don’t know if it was a big mea culpa or just a ‘clarification’, but I’ve got a lot of respect for him for even trying.

    The industry he’s chosen to work in is extremely insecure, and I can imagine there are all sorts of temptations out there to make a quick buck by being a bit dodgy. But he’ll do so much better if he doesn’t follow Leo’s model (being dishonest about things while pretending to be scrupulously honest) and instead tries always to be open about what he’s doing.

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  5. He’s only sorry that he got caught. I’m going to watch his last show again and see if there are other little mentions that may also be paid and insincere

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  6. Wow.
    I have not seen video yet but at least he admitted it. I would file this under stupid and not unethical. Chad is one of those people who is pretty smart but can be brain-dead at times. However, if this was done at TWiT he would need to admit that too. (#drama)

    Padre constantly gives free promotion to people who go on his shows and/or give him review products.

    Jason Hiner prostituted his column into an ad for TWiT.

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  7. Sorry, Chad, I pulled my Patreon support over this. You talk of “transparency,” yet put this over on us. Poor Dickie D – a truly nice man – looked quite angry over this. You made a totally Leo douchebag move.

    Though some other Patreon supporters disagree, I have no problem with you having ads in your show. That’s fine. But tell us it’s an ad! Otherwise you are being deceitful.

    And, Chad, frankly the only reason for your mea culpa is that you were caught.

    I wish your show the best, but as I said I pulled my Patreon support. I’ll watch from time to time, but will never again give you money. There is a tacit agreement between Patreon supporters and receivers. That’s called trust – which you destroyed.

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    1. I pulled my support also. This is the 2nd time I have withdrawn support from a patreon endevour, I give to patreon only with understanding that it will be used as intended. It ‘s not a great deal of money but DTNS is a little better off today.

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  8. And, Chad, what’s up with your Nazi chat moderators? Last night, a few chatters said they were disappointed by your product placement and were kicked immediately by beatmaster!! Most often the reason was ” Your comments are not conducive….” – the old TWIT line defense!

    One of the reasons that Leo is getting such hate is because of his Nazi chat moderators’ antics. Please don’t go down that road where any person voicing a dissenting view is immediately kicked. You’re better than that. It will only engender bad feelings, especially after last episode’s ad.

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  9. Facts:

    Haters never let facts stand in the way of their hating. It takes all the fun out of it.

    Beatmaster is Swiss, not German.

    Equating a German with or joking about a German, (if he *is* German), being a Nazi or Nazi-like is as outlandish as making a biased remark in the U.S. about a Black or Hispanic. It’s unfair, inflammatory, and ignorant.

    Patreon supporters have declined by only 4 from 377 before last night’s Giz Fiz to 374 as I write this. The number of people in #drama and here who claim to have been patrons and withdrawn their patronage is higher than the actual number of decreased patrons, unless, of course, some people started their patronage subsequent to the controversy. This is unlikely, though, because the number of patrons didn’t grow by a single patron in the last week.

    “One of the reasons that Leo is getting such hate is because of his Nazi chat moderators’ antics.”

    This was true for a very long time, however since Leo threatened to shut-down chat and then changed his mind, #twitlive has been a different place. I log the chat and then search it in 24 hour or more bites. Kicks and bans are down by 90% or more. Things you would get banned for previously, like negative opinions on almost anything, either draw no mod response or a non-threatening friendly request to tone it down if the comment was too strong. Even ScooterX seems to have received a personality transplant. I don’t know why this happened or who is responsible for it, but it is the biggest change in twitlive in years. Dan is thankfully gone, so this may have something to do with it.

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    1. Hi Dan,

      If you r out there and listening, some of us still luv ya and will miss the ‘family friendly’ environment u fostered in the chat room (so I hear, I personally lean towards more adult content and ‘adult activities’ shall we say). Thanks for whatever you did! I’m sure it was great! 🙂

      On a personal note, I’m looking for a good deal on a plane ticket to visit TWiT in the coming weeks. Money is really tight right now but that old, little, chubby, sexy-as-hell Tech Guy should be worth it (I really hope he doesn’t have that old guy smell). Hey Casper, I ain’t got not paytreon, how about a sponsorship deal? Without the help I may never get to do a product placement shot on instagram with me (with an amazing afterglow), The Tech Guy, and Leo’s little guy (hopefully just compared to his belly) chill’in after our romp on a freshly unboxed Casper. If that doesn’t sell mattresses I don’t know what will! #P-in-a-V_Tech-Style!

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    2. Dear Reality,

      First of all, I stand firmly behind my Nazi comment. Obviously, I’m drawing a parallel between the two, where any dissension – however benign or constructively delivered — is not permitted. I couldn’t care less if Beatmaster is from Germany, Switzerland or Antarctica. There was no excuse for kicking that chatter who merely mentioned that he was disappointed that Chad didn’t tell us that whatever that crap was a paid ad. That’s all he said. From your comments, I can only infer that you believe the kick was valid. Beatmaster acted like a brown shirt. I’m sure he’s happy with himself. This is what happens when people of limited intelligence get a modicum of power.

      Secondly, how dare you say that we are lying about our Patreon support! Unless you are Chad or Dickie D, you have no idea how many people *truly* cancelled. Sounds to me like you’re projecting. But the number is irrelevant. The fact that people are pulling their Patreon support so early in their run is a concern. The buzz on this is huge and I don’t see it dying down soon. I watched the video and he did place the lower third in the video, but the audio bears no disclaimer. Failure #2, Chad.

      Thirdly, your insinuation of a kinder, gentler TWIT chat is fantasy. Obviously, there are TD chatters who say things there knowing they will be kicked. However, one chatter asked / made a benign comment and he was kicked along with one of their “cutesy” reasons such as “No time to come up with a clever reason.”

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  10. In an effort to destroy and discredit everything even related to TWiT, Rubinstein strikes again. He set up Chad and played him like a violin. But his target wasn’t Chad, it was The Tech Guy’s own gadget hound, and TNSS regular, Dicky D. Chad, he was only collateral damage. Well played Rubinstein, but I’m on to you. After I sleep with Leo on one of them Casper’s – we’re gonna have some pretty interesting pillow talk. #Warning_Served.

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      1. Mr holden,

        While I’m confused by the ‘schtick’ characterization, what I’m not confused about is that u r a class ‘a’ misogynist, and likely a closeted gay man. U have a sad track record with women holden, Molly (aka Molly, the Real One), Myriam Joire’s Mother, Kyrstina, Dr Mom, basically all my sis’tas, and now you attack me. I guess I should have seen it coming, that
        B what women haters do.

        I know what is really killing you is that I’m going to score with Leo and you are not, it is pretty clear from the outside that u r in <3 with The Tech Guy. U r probably repressing it, but I bet u got a tingling feeling when u saw little Leo which drove your hyper ramblings during dickgate and motivated u to write physical letters to every sponsor, only someone that is deeply repressed and feels slighted by their object of affection would do that holden, and that object for u is Leo and his pee pee. I should know, I'm a psychology major at the local CC.

        #not-a-lawyer_BUT_a_gay_man.

        And BTW, I luv gay men, I just don't like the 1's that take their repression out on those of us with a normal and healthy sex life and drive (or the ladies). And Leo if u r reading this, I do have an above average sex drive so u better save up 4 me! #Leo_Theeeeeeeee_Sex_Guuuuuuuuy

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          1. OK Miss holden, Then u have something in common with my bff, Dr Mom, you’re jealous of my impending romp with that hopefully very diry (at least for my sake) old man that everyone here is so obsessed with.

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  11. I was considering giving an amount to the show, but now I’m reluctant and leaning toward not doing so.

    To be successful in the podcasting space you need three ingredients. 1. Good content. 2. A good, trustful, chemistry between hosts and audience. 3. Consistency.

    This is why I never joined Chad’s initial Patreon effort. The content never seemed to match the promises and it certainly wasn’t consistent.

    The most troubling for me is the mixture of viewer donations and ads. The fans and those who donate feel less important and less involved because they are, literally, less invested in the final product.

    According to one Patreon goal, both already got “raises” per episode higher than their TWiT pay, I assume. Going around Patreon for more money seems unnecessarily greedy to some.

    The GizWiz effort was trending in the right direction, and they would have gotten more after consistently providing quality work.

    Now, I’m left with elements of doubt. That’s the exact opposite of what a new, independent, venture should be offering.

    As soon as Chad and Dick promise that the GizWiz will be TOTALLY driven by viewer support, then I will reconsider.

    If Chad and Dick want this to become lucrative, then I suggest they keep promises, keep working on chemistry and content and not be pulled toward mixing revenue streams. It confuses viewers and introduces suspicion into all the gadgets they review.

    Also, I caution Chad against feeling like the show needs to be too “polished.” In fact, it seems more intimate and makes the hosts more humble and relatable when we see wires, the ends of a table or glimpses into how the podcast comes together.

    I hope Chad and Dick get on the right path here, because I do respect their talents, and, unlike folks running a certain podcast network, I believe they are both good human beings.

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    1. The main thing is how awkward it was. This is a serious blow to trust, and trust is something hard to find on YouTube and Twitch, which is Chad’s scene. Hopefully there are lessons learned, there’s no reason this show can’t prosper as long as they have their fans.

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    1. ExFan,

      Nope. He’s broken trust. No second chances. Life isn’t fair.

      But I feel so badly for Dickie D, who’s such a nice, gentle man. I want the GizWiz to continue, but Chad is too immature to keep hosting.

      Wouldn’t it be great if Tom Merritt or someone like him hosted?

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  12. From our “You Are Entitled to Your Own Opinions But Not Your Own Facts department:”

    Since my earlier post about a day ago the Gizwiz Patreon has GAINED two patrons, going from 814 to 816 as I write this. Their Patreon is now down just one (1) patron from last week. Before accusing shills of cooking the books, think to yourself: “How do I know this? Do I believe there are shills afoot because I wish there are shills afoot or because I have evidence that there are shills afoot?”

    BTW, I am appalled at how Chad handled the “LittleBits” matter, especially under-informing Dick about it by saying he told Dick about the deal a month ago. Nevertheless, imo, it will have little to no impact on the show or Chad’s career, despite the schadenfreude wishing otherwise that runs rampant and deep on TD.

    That’s my main beef with TD people. They love to talk about the imminent collapse of TWiT even as all signs point to its thriving. They convince themselves that people who contradict the TD orthodoxy must be Leo or Lisa or their paid shills.

    I actually am a disillusioned TWiT fan of many years like the rest of you. I am appalled with what has become of Leo, and I can’t stand to look at or listen to Lisa. I think “Marketing Mavericks,” as just one example, was a show that celebrated everything that Leo used to hate — hype, salesmanship, trickery and deception — back when he was in the cottage.

    To Holden who wrote:

    “From your comments, I can only infer that you believe the kick was valid. Beatmaster acted like a brown shirt.”

    I didn’t see the kick. You cannot logically draw the inference that I support the kick you mention, merely because I think it is racist to call a German a “brownshirt.” You are guilty of Godwin’s Law.

    I have been as appalled as anyone at the Draconian moderation in #twitlive for years. It speaks volumes about Leo that he allowed Dan, the biggest troll of all, by far, to remain the head mod for years.

    The moderation in #gizwiz up to last week’s show was tolerant. There were almost no kicks. Last Thursday, I did see trolling in #gizwiz by someone flooding the chat with the same pasted comment. Beatmaster must have over-reacted to a difficult situation and his being new to being a mod. That was not his moderation style for the first several shows. Let’s see what he does going forward.

    Jimmy Jam: He’s [Beatmaster] also German, which makes your post even better.

    Holden: “hee hee. A wonderful unintended consequence!!”

    This is clearly a bias comment against a nationality and has nothing to do with Gizwiz, TWiT, or Beatmaster. WW2 has been over for 70 years.

    “Thirdly, your insinuation of a kinder, gentler TWIT chat is fantasy.”

    I guess we’ll have to disagree on this. To my close observation, it is an entirely new place, new mods, new tolerance for dissent. Even a brand new kinder, gentler ScooterX. The downside is that Mick, the aged moron is still there and still not getting it. But, overall, it is a vastly improved chat.

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    1. Reality:

      If you’re not Chad or someone affiliated with the podcast, why are you so obsessed with the Patreon numbers? Again, unless you’re part of the Giz Wiz crew, I choose not to believe your numbers. No matter: Chads’s credibility is in the toilet. Trust cannot be purchased. He’s a kid playing in an adult world. He must remember that Patreon support is a privilege, not a right. It can be pulled from the show in a second. He will never get another penny from me.

      Now, on a positive note, let’s hope the Nazi beatmaster shows restraint when people make comments like, “I wish Chad told us this was an ad.” We’d agree that’s harmless, right?

      Of course, WWII has been over for 70 years. A family relation fought during the Second World War in Austria and Germany, until the fall of Berlin in 1945. He killed plenty of Germans during that time. He still does not trust them, nor do I. And when I see behavior exhibited by beatmaster on Thursday night, my metaphor is apt.

      Regarding TWIT chat: Agree Dan was a problem and I’m glad he’s gone. But tyrannical behavior still exists , such as in this recent June exchange:
      ———————————————————

      _martin_: “Apple Keynote (at this point) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz”

      KnoxHarrington has kicked martin_e_ from #twitlive (no time to come up with a clever kick message for you)

      ———————————————————–

      Can you believe that? I’m sure you’ll agree that is not worthy of kicking. No insulting TWIT, hosts, or moderators. That person was merely saying the Apple keynote was dull. Again, Nazi behavior.

      But, I think we both agree we want the GizWiz to succeed. However, my affection for the show is for DeBartolo, who is such a warm, friendly and congenial person. But he deserves to be working with a more professional broadcaster. Chad is just not up to snuff.

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  13. UPDATE:

    Six days have passed since the Chad LittleBits deception, and the Gizwiz Patreon has lost 3 patrons , but picked up 1 since my post above.

    In my above post (6/14) I listed the dollar amount pledged correctly but incorrectly called it the number of patrons. It was $816 on 6/14. It now stands at $815.

    I didn’t think those who claimed to have withdrawn their patronage had ever pledged it in the first place. THAT’S deception.

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