Brandon Edelman, better known as Bran Flakezz online, just emerged as one of four winners of the “Unwell Summer Games” on YouTube, created through Alex Cooper’s “Unwell” network. The four-episode series brought 16 content creators together at a luxury ranch in Canada to compete in a series of challenges for a chance to win a share of $250,000, with the prize money distributed throughout the four days of the competition. Unlike a traditional competition series, “Unwell Summer Games” puts a group of established content creators — many of whom already knew each other — in the same house, ensuring there would be no shortage of drama.
In the final episode, the contestants split into four teams for a final challenge. Edelman took home $25,000, alongside Jourdan Riane, Blake Gray and Carly Sutherland Lawrence, the last of whom had a less-than-perfect relationship with Bran on the show. He’s since amassed more than 1 million followers on TikTok and made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in Social Media.
After working as a fitting room employee at Forever 21, Edelman went on to compete on Barstool’s “Project Verified” and is now part of Michelle Obama’s Gen Z voter registration intitiative. And after winning the “Unwell Summer Games,” he says he’s just getting started. Below, Edelman talks to Variety about his time on “Unwell Summer Games,” his future in reality TV and his take on the Alex Cooper and Alix Earle drama.
I think it’s always a case by case situation. As much as I love “Big Brother,” that’s a three-month filming schedule. Three months without posting online for me would be super detrimental, so that would be difficult.
I love “Survivor.” No way in hell will you have me on an island like eating rice and sand. I think right now, anything that I want to do in a potential reality TV space is just make something that’s meaningful and real. Something I’ve always noticed when I watch reality TV is that a lot of things feel so overproduced, and that’s not what I want to do.
Something that I loved about this show is that none of this drama was manufactured. This truly was how everything played out, and these people’s feelings are very real. That was really refreshing to me. 100%.
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