We all have those things, whether they’re books, TV shows, websites, video games or anything else, that entertained us like nothing else in its realm could in our younger days. Stumbling upon these things after having not paid attention to them for years can inspire waves of nostalgia and pleasure, and engross us in avidly partaking in these wonderful forms of entertainment once more. This happens to me all the time, whether it’s books such as "Harry Potter" or games such as Yoshi’s Island, but recently I experienced a revival of interest such as this concerning YouTube, and my favorite YouTubers of all time: Barats and Bereta.
For those who aren’t familiar with Luke Barats and Joe Bereta, these two guys have been posting videos on their channel BaratsAndBereta ever since YouTube’s inception in 2005. While their videos have accumulated over 100 million views, which is an incredible feat, the two have seemingly moved on from their days of creating hilarious sketches, as it’s been over two years since their last video was posted.
While these two may not possess the comedic skill or gravitas you’d expect of prime-time comedians, their success as two college students who found a large following in the early days of YouTube is certainly inspiring. Their videos’ success can be contributed to their wonderful creativity and chemistry, and back when they did make videos, they managed to be prolific while holding themselves to a high standard of quality.
Once I started rewatching all their videos in earnest, I gave in to my frequent impulse of ranking things that I enjoy, and thus I have created a list of the top 10 videos they have created. It was extremely difficult to choose between all their amazing videos, but I’m happy with this list of the very best. This may sound strange, but if you disagree with my selections that would actually make me happy, because you’d have to watch the videos again for yourself and embark into the wonderful world of Luke and Joe to back up your argument. Without further ado, here are the 10 greatest BaratsAndBereta videos:
Honorable mention: "Mattress Sale"
Although the best of their videos showcase the duo’s chemistry, some of their best videos are those that feature only one of the two. Of these, "Mattress Sale" is the best because of its rapid-fire delivery and development of Luke’s hilariously terrible character. Too bad Swenningsen went out of business, those mattresses looked pretty comfy.
Best quote: “‘Cause Monday I got to prison for tax evasion, and child pornography, and jaywalking. Although I’m contesting the jaywalking!”
10. "Yes Kidz Kan"
This video’s greatest trait is its absurdity. That, and its mockery of the boy named Noah who tries his hardest, but just isn’t quite Kid Kadet material. Poor fella.
Best quote: “Cowarhino!”
9. "Double Dragon"
To some this video might instill nostalgia for the popular video game series. Although I’m not one of those people, having never played them, I really appreciate this video for the fast-paced mania and silly graphics and captions. If I knew the games, I’d make some killer reference here to them, but sometimes it’s a cruel world and no one gets what they want. Oh well, at least we have Luke and Joe’s choreography to comfort us at night.
Best quote: “Double the dragon, double the fun!”
8. "The Good Word"
Several of their videos contain Christian undertones (although this never corrupts the video's quality), but this is one of their most effective treatment of the subject: two dudes just trying to spread the Good (several hundred thousand) Word(s). You’d think with the George W. campaign sticker from the ‘04 election that their audience would be more receptive, but for our sake, I’m glad they’re not.
Best quote: “Why don’t you go long for Jesus? ...touchdown….”
7. "So Smooth"
This video is one of the simpler ones on this list, but it makes it to number seven because of the sick… how do I describe what they’re saying? They’re not rhymes, they’re not burns… I don’t know… Anyway, picking your favorite might be tough, but there’s no denying that this video is so fine it should be distributed by King Arthur.
Best quote: “I’m so sweet, Slugworth stole me!” “I’m so hip your granddad broke me!”
6. "LOLCats"
It may seem like there’s not much to this video, but it’s actually a pretty thought-provoking observation of modern comedy, the kind of thing you don’t get from many of their videos. Plus, seeing them antagonize each other, with Luke looking like a buffoon and Joe providing hilarious reactions, is so always funny.
Best quote: “I got an idea Joe. How ‘bout you die?”
5. "Punster McPunstein"
This slightly-longer-than-average skit may be hindered by its length in that it doesn’t cram material into small amounts of time like their other sketches. Nevertheless, the tale of the valiant Sir McPunstein in his quest to prove himself worthy of the Knights of the Gym Locker Room is a heroic one, with fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles… Doesn’t sound too bad, does it?
Best quote: “Tubular! Tight!”
4. "Alt Endings: Se7en"
One of their most recent videos, this comparatively unknown gem is filled with the fastest back-and-forth banter of anything they’ve made, and to great effect. This is another cultural reference where I have no experience with the source, having only read the plot summary on Wikipedia, but that doesn’t make any difference on the hilarity. Plus, you've gotta admire their commitment to that passionate embrace at the end.
Best quote: “What if the essence of envy is in the box?” “Kill yourself.”
3. "PC Fratboys"
Another of their videos that showcases Christian ideals, the idea behind this one is simple, but executed to perfection. In general, I think that Luke usually outshines Joe by just a tad, but this is one video in which Joe undeniably nails his role better than Luke. Most impressively, they did it all in one glorious take. This has got to be one of their most quotable videos ever, so it was hard to choose the quote below.
Best quote: “Yes! Family values!”
2. "Got Your Number"
In all of their videos prominently featuring each of them, there’s two types of chemistry they show: either they get along wonderfully, or angrily bicker and fight. This video shows them as bros being bros, and it’s one heck of a ride. This video more than any other gets me cracking up every time I rewatch it, just like the guys in the video.
Best quote: “Hey, are you a chick? Gotcha!”
1. "Mother’s Day"
With almost 14 million views, this is their most popular video by far, and without any gimmicks of any kind, it’s clear that this can be singularly attributed to their incredible chemistry as feuding brothers. They’re bros being bros all right, but in a very different and relatable way to anyone who’s grown up with a brother like Brad or Tucker. Once again, I can’t relate, having zero brothers, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. That’s what pushes this video to number one: most people can’t relate to collecting the numbers of over 200 girls and not going on any dates, but these sibling antics… well, they hit a little closer to some people’s hearts. And tickle the rest of our funny bones.
Best quote: “Come out of the bathroom!” “Put down the yardstick!”
And that’s that, the very best of the best. There’s so many other videos I would have celebrated on this list if I could, like "Man vs Toddler," "To-Do List," "April Fools," the "Ad Guys" videos and basically all of their other videos. Do yourself a favor right now and check out their channel, even if you’ve already seen all of these sketches. Your day will be so good, it should be called the first part of the title of the second movie released by Pixar in 2015.