The Try Guys’ Heartbreaking Split Shows How Sometimes the Hardest Decision Is the Right One

In this era, seeing strong friendships, especially when business and money enters the mix, is hard to find. Disputes, different opinions, and alternate aspirations have driven apart groups like One Direction and The Beatles, who established their roots together and attained their success as a team. In this disappointing land of the best friendships being sidelined, The Try Guys had been the brightest example of what true bonds stand for. 

Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, Eugene Lee Yang, and Ned Fulmer’s friendship isn’t just a few years old — the four date back to 2014 when they started running the YouTube comedy group, The Try Guys, at Buzzfeed. They probably knew each other much longer before they came together to start the popular show, but it was the rise to fame of The Try Guysthat put the spotlight on their friendship.

Anyone who follows their channel on YouTube doesn’t just love the trying-new-things concept of their videos but also admires the bond the friends share. They have been together for almost a decade and made The Try Guys the roaring success it is today. In their years as a team, never once have we heard of a disagreement or even the faintest whisper of a rumor that they are breaking up. In fact, recently they consolidated their friendship and partnership even more by starting their own TV show, No Recipe Road Trip with The Try Guys on the Food Network. 

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But that friendship-bound alliance is now in ruins after it was discovered that Ned Fulmer cheated on his wife Ariel, to whom he has been married since 2012. It breaks the hearts of everyone who found comfort and the example of true friendship in the videos of The Try Guys. There is no doubt that Keith, Zach, and Eugene must have taken the decision to part ways with Ned with a heavy heart. But some think the company’s image is the sole reason he was removed. 

Did The Try Guys Fire Ned Fulmer to Save the Company’s Reputation?

Ned Fulmer is currently the topic of many debates on the Internet as many are discussing the circumstances surrounding his departure from the group. Many can’t believe that the other three guys would do this to their friend and sever their partnership. How does an affair decide whether Ned is still capable of following and building upon the show’s core theme — trying new things, no matter how eccentric and risky they are? 

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Many have pointed out that when it came to Ned Fulmer, more than being a Try Guy his image primarily revolved around being a “Wife Guy.” Fans of their videos will run out of fingers to count the number of infinite times Ned has proclaimed “I love my wife.” He had been the poster boy of what it means to be a kind, loving and understanding husband as well as a responsible and caring father. 

In the Behind the Trydocumentary, Ned stated how he had “never imagined I would lead my family life so closely with my career.” 

“I became kind of known for my own relationship, and then we did more of it. I just kind of do it because digital media and YouTube culture is, I don’t know, kind of showing who you are as a person,” he added. 

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There is no doubt that living by the “Best Husband” title was one of the core reasons Ned was liked and loved by viewers. His connection with Ariel being the very definition of relationship goals became a part of the show’s image and fed into its success. So, apparently — at least according to some Try Guys fans — Ned was outed from the team because his actions, defying his self-created status as a devoted husband, created a dent in the brand’s image.

But while we currently live in a world where everyone has a specific, mostly selfish, agenda for doing something, we might be missing the bigger picture here when it comes to seeing why the Try Guys decided to break their group.

The Try Guys picked doing what is right over their friendship

While Ned's betraying his, and in turn the Try Guys', image is one of the reasons behind the big decision Keith, Zach, and Eugene took, it is definitely not the only factor and not even the prime reason fueling their decisions. How many times have we seen scandals being swept under the rug and the one responsible getting a wildcard just because their association with a certain organization is more lucrative for the latter? 

The best example would be Ezra Miller’sThe Flash still getting to see the light of day. Even if you are not someone familiar with their part in the larger DCEU, the last few months have catapulted Miller to the spotlight for all the wrong reasons be it allegations of harassment, getting arrested, or breaking into a house. Despite everything, Warner Bros. is happy to continue associating with the actor as long as they can get back some of the money they invested in his film. 

We are not judging them, it is a totally logical decision from the business point of view. What we are trying to say is that The Try Guys could have kept Ned despite the cheating scandal and hushed it up for their friendship and/or for the sake of The Try Guys’ brand value, which is dependent on the presence of the four friends. 

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If you are following up on the discussion on Twitter around the three firing Ned, you must have seen how there are many who are his ardent fans and are not happy with the decision. They can’t wrap their head around why the fourth Try Guy’s personal issues dictate his career. Some are even talking about not following the channel anymore. There are many who don’t care what he does in his personal life as long as he continues to entertain on screen. 

So, yes, The Try Guys will be, inevitably, losing a lot of subscribers in the coming days, not just because Ned threw away his “Wife Guy" status and cheated on Ariel, but also because he was removed from the company. They were obviously aware of this fallback and yet they took the decision as doing the right thing is more important than taking the easy way out. 

This is what the Try Guys took into account when they decided to remove Fulmer from the family they created. It would have taken a lot of strength to put friendship aside and not let it ruin or colour the business they built. Fulmer went back on the promises (he made publicly and consistently) he made to Ariel. He put his wife, his children, and his family on the line by being unfaithful. 

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Some would say Fulmer's actions aren't connected to the business the Try Guys are running. But it does fracture the foundation of basic humanity — to stay faithful to your partner. Though firing Fulmer does mess up the perfect image of friendship the Try Guys had going, it does feel very right to see at least some people actually being humans by proving that they can think beyond the traps of money and fake standards. 

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