Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Fiasco

[@WaitintheWings]

Huge thank you to Michael Archibald and Jenny Fogarty for helping me piece together a portrait of what really went down at that warehouse in Scotland. You can follow them here! (Believe me, they deserve it). Michael Archibald: michael_a0705 (Instagram) He's also an INCREDIBLE artist and is open for commissions. Jenny Fogarty: jennyyy_hope (instagram) jenxdesign_ (Instagram) you can also check out here Etsy! www.etsy.com/shop/jenxdesign1/

[@dragonslayersworkshop8598]

I feel really bad that they had to live this whole debacle down. They both seem like cool people, and Michael in particular struck me kinda hard since I’m close to his age, along with being an artist myself. Which brings me to another point- I HATE AI generated stuff. I mean it looks cool, but the prospect of it taking jobs away from actual people terrifies me, especially with AI art. And this whole scandal is an exact example of my fears.

[@m3rrys0ngstr3ss]

I feel awful for the actors, the Oompa Loompa girls in particular - apparently they were doing their best to still give the kids a decent experience.

[@spinlok3943]

Thankfully, they all seem to have a good sense of humor about the whole thing.

[@chappellgroan]

The main Willy Wonka actor was exposed for grooming an underage girl so

[@chappellgroan]

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, the main Willy Wonka actor got exposed for grooming an underage girl when he was a teacher.

[@fuckinghelenlikewhatthehel2629]

that’s a pretty hefty claim, where did you hear that?

[@drakeconsumerofsoulsandche4303]

​@@chappellgroanI'm going to need a source for that

[@thejerseydog]

Power move from Michael pointing out the man in charge. Good on you, mate

[@kitkatcutie520]

Billy being present at the event after setting his actors up for a clear disaster, on top of denying them a lunch break, was a ballsy move. It was satisfying to see them throw him to the wolves when things went awry.

[@Phobie_2000]

The obviously A.I generated art should’ve been our first clue that this was a bunch of nonsense.

[@nugutown3239]

the sad thing is that everyday people really can't spot the difference often

[@nebulacoffee]

I find this so baffling! People thought those images, which completely looked like paintings/cartoons, were photos of actual events?!

[@12Tecpatl]

Even if they know it's ai generated, many people still feel amazed and like it's going to be a faithful representation of what they'll find

[@ryanschwartz4959]

Honestly, my first clue was the company producing the event being named after the Illuminati.

[@alexandrecotetessier9959]

People need to start to learn and train their eyes. As a digital artist, I'm baffled by the lack of artistic insight from so many people. The moment I see AI imagery on companies' websites and social media, in my book, this is a sign of total lack of professionalism. Anyone can generate AI imagery.

[@ujustgotpwned2008]

Ah yes, Billy Bonka and the Non-Copyright-Infringing Manufacturing Site of Coca-derived Treats. My favourite Ronald Dali book.

[@QualityCandor]

The best Caddicarus joke Caddy hasn't written yet lol.

[@barbraseville8984]

If you don't quit!!!

[@pleasantox7655]

Unfortunately his parents were evil and decided to name him Roald Dahl. There is no 'n' in his name

[@ujustgotpwned2008]

@@pleasantox7655That was the only 'wrong' thing you noticed in my obviously joke tweet? Come on, man.

[@ron234halt]

​@@ujustgotpwned2008missed the joke blind, they.

[@allyaloe777]

Dude couldn't even do an apology without AI!

[@Belenus3080]

I bet he has some kind of learning disability and thought AI would be his saving grace at some point in his life. Or he’s just incredibly lazy, maybe a combination of them. Either way it’s pretty sad

[@jessicacarranza4010]

Ikr 🙄😒🤦‍♀️

[@Phoebe5448]

What a plonker

[@kremdelacrem]

Michael was so big brained for talking to parents and pointing Billy out to them 💯 hats off to him (no sweaty hats tho)

[@KnakuanaRka]

Awesome stunt he pulled there throwing Billy under the bus; must have been so cathartic.

[@LynnHermione]

What I find baffling is that the owner ACTUALLY WENT HERE. If you're gonna scam people don't stay to get punched in the face. I hope all the performers get job offers.

[@mrcritical6751]

To be fair to Billy, he was hiding out as a tech guy apparently. You can see him in the background working a computer during a clip of Michael Archibald’s Willy McDuff introduction. He would have likely been able to run if Michael hadn’t pointed him out

[@barbraseville8984]

I'm getting that as a tattoo: "If you're gonna scam, don't stay to get punched in the face." I'm always on some bullshit

[@mrcritical6751]

@@barbraseville8984 give Billy McFarlane some credit. When Fyre Festival went tits up, HE RAN!!!!

[@arubinojr5670]

@@mrcritical6751 This Michael fellow really is a born leader isn't he? I'm catgacatted by his candor.

[@AWriterWandering]

Well I get the sense that this guy might be a bit full of himself.

[@joeevans5770]

Personally can’t wait for Wonka 2 Where wonka must fight the unknown

[@PhantosTheHedgehog]

and The Unknown will be played by Doug Jones

[@maryann778]

Weird opinion, as bad as this entire experience was for both audience and actors... I believe the Unknown could've been a great new character to the Wonka lore if they actually explored it. Like the concept was "A man who wanted to steal Wonka's chocolates for himself?" okay that could be interesting and could be explored, was he a former employee of Wonka that had an accident and now living in Wonka's walls looking for chocolate? It's just a shame this wasn't actually thought through.

[@toxictimeless6655]

Wonka 3. Unless they work it into The Great Glass Elevator. (Makes me wonder why the second book never got a movie actually.)

[@LARKXHIN]

​@@PhantosTheHedgehog The Unjones.

[@mrcritical6751]

@@maryann778I actually thought about that earlier. My thought was, make him a competitor who found out about Wonka building this prototype anti-graffiti cleaning gobstopper and decided to break in and steal it. But because it was a prototype, it ends up backfiring when he tests it out for himself and it results in the thing cleaning his face off, leaving him as a faceless creeper in a mask, hiding out in the factory and vowing revenge

[@ivalicetifalucis]

And the funny thing is the first year of my architecture study we were tasked to made this immersive art exhibition in our studio using only cardboards, foams, and sheets and it was miles away better than whatever that was

[@GabyGeorge1996]

Gee it’s almost like putting actual artistry and effort into something is a sure fire way to make something look good

[@mrcritical6751]

It’s so obvious that Billy was desperate for actors and hadn’t even read his own damn script. He just picked up the first 6 actors who responded, hired the two thin white girls as Oompah Loompah’s cause he’d already brought the Poundland sexy Oompah Loompah outfit and then threw everyone else into the role of Wonka even if it didn’t fit in the slightest. Then realised way too late that The Unknown existed (cause the actors likely asked him about it and he didn’t plan beforehand) and last minuet recast the one person who stuck out the most as Wonka. What a shambles

[@soundgal_sine_qua_non]

As someone who works in themed entertainment, location-based entertainment, and immersive experiences, this whole debacle infuriates me. There is so much time (at times years), money (in the millions), and labor (human, not AI) that goes into these experiences. These things give the industry a bad name, and an unfairly dark mark on all of these actors' CVs. I'm glad these actors are having their say.

[@LARKXHIN]

I bet the actors are probably not putting this in the portfolio

[@gatsbysdead]

the only positive thing I’ve heard about this is the actors being lovely. A cascade of Worst Possible Things happened, and they managed to hold it together. Imagine what they could do in a functional workspace. Any smart themed entertainment company would hire them on the spot.

[@caittails]

This is definitely not making the CV 😂

[@Hi_Just_Fred]

I hope one day people catch a glimpse of Billy skulking around in the public and point at him shouting "What is that?! It's Billy Coull!!"

[@erikdaniels0n]

“What. Is. That. It’s The Unknown”

[@TyroClint]

Noooooooo! 😭

[@marigalante944]

**sounds of children crying ensues**

[@johnyesjustjohn]

The Unknown turning out to be a nice young person with cool hair is an amazing twist ending - hopefully they can use that in the eventual horror movie!

[@hexmaniacruby]

the villain name itself sounds a bit generic surely they shouldve come up with something more creative than that

[@johnyesjustjohn]

They were likely not interested in creativity - they probably asked AI for a Wonka-centric plot, changed WW's name, and went right into their scam.

[@chekhovsgunn]

@@hexmaniacruby it was literally ai generated 😭😭

[@hexmaniacruby]

@@chekhovsgunn i already knew it was probably ai generated if i had to guess they likely used chat generative pre-trained transformer to generate the name of the antagonist

[@chekhovsgunn]

@@hexmaniacruby yeah most definitely

[@Lakeside_Flower]

Billy Coull: *acts like a white savior over hiring a single black girl.* Also Billy Coull: *pays all female actors less, demotes the same black girl from main character to hidden background character, hides her race (which he previously praised himself for exploiting) behind a mask, and treats her the worst out of all the cast members.* I'm disappointed in myself for being shocked at this twist.

[@mrcritical6751]

It’s worse cause there’s a rumour Billy and the rest of the cast just completely forgot she was there. Apparently after a while all the Willy actors bailed, leaving people to just explore on their own and stumble upon her with zero context as to what she was

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

I don't think it was entirely about race, but you're not wrong. =\

[@legodroideka5505]

Also, not to mention the fact he hired a groomer as one of the actors who played Wily Mcduff

[@megamushroom]

@@mrcritical6751 oh wow oh no really?!?!

[@annetteslife]

More like Billy Cruel

[@LexVanguard2004]

The gall of this man is incredible. 35 quid for this cowboy job when you can get into Cadbury World, an ACTUAL chocolate factory for cheaper, is hilarious to me.

[@mrcritical6751]

You can buy the Gene Wilder movie for cheaper, hell you can go down to the cinema and watch the Timothee Chalamet movie with a little bag of chocolate as a snack for cheaper

[@Ellie-rx3jt]

Gonna start including "regarding a personal matter, there will be no wedding" in every apology

[@ArtofJJSamson]

This is the first video I've seen doing actual journalism around this disaster. Thank you

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

I'm just glad no one got angry with the actors, or worse. And hopefully they can get bigger and much better gigs.

[@1977TA]

They are definitely going places after this. Each of them has become overnight social media stars.

[@CinemageddonReviews]

1 like to help remove the Unknown from inside the walls

[@Ashbrash1998]

We need to release him!

[@Sebbiiboi]

Like beggar

[@LARKXHIN]

Free him

[@Phoenix-ov5gg]

@@LARKXHINthe unknown actually uses they/them pronouns

[@teijaflink2226]

​@@Phoenix-ov5gg Actually it.

[@LexVanguard2004]

Huge respect to the actors. Being in that situaiton, the pressure of having to improvise and salvage everything for hordes of angry families would be my worst nightmare. I'd shrivel up and die lol

[@browneyes142a]

Okay, I've been laughing throughout this whole thing but actually snorted at the regarding a personal matter, there will be no wedding

[@Chibbykins]

Billy is absolutely on drugs and used the Wonka 'Experience' to try fund his now canceled wedding lmao 😂

[@BabyCharmander]

@@ChibbykinsWas there actually anything involving a wedding or did he just AI-generate the apology?

[@anthropomorphicpeanut6160]

​@@BabyCharmanderI'm positive it was AI generated. Billy Coull can't do anything by himself without help of AI apparently

[@Chibbykins]

@@BabyCharmander there was a Facebook post on the House of Illuminati page that randomly mentions a wedding being canceled due to 'personal reasons'. So I'm thinking in his addled state of mind he either wrote the whole thing himself and accidentally included that information. Or he got a chatbot to do it and that was included, true or not.

[@mrcritical6751]

Well according to people who’s investigated Billy, he does apparently have a fiancé. So him using this to fund his wedding does sound likely

[@Nyanako_VT]

"Oh, we're so diverse, we hired a black girl to play Willy!" and then immediately recasts her as the masked villain... I'm not the only one who feels that's kinda.... Icky?

[@castilater]

Yeah, and at the end it's mentioned that not only were all of the actors underpaid, but the women were MORE underpaid than the men. Dude's gotta be a scumbag.

[@kateohdowd]

And then pays her and the other female actors less than the male actors 🙄

[@Red_Solei]

Exactly my thoughts!!!

[@acksawblack]

I don’t know the 4 he chose were pretty diverse, like all 4 of completely different backgrounds.

[@Nyanako_VT]

@@acksawblack It's the fact that, at least according to the video, he made a big deal about her specifically.

[@DemonFoxLuver]

Any company that uses ai instead of real artists is the first red flag for anything. Cause it shows that 1. They dont value artistic work 2. They dont have enough or dont want to spend money

[@williek08472]

Hit the nail on the head

[@j.paulm.1575]

Or they're lazy

[@Phoebe5448]

And they're con artists

[@darksidegryphon5393]

3. They are lazy

[@pip9533]

The actors for this mess are my heroes. They tried their best to give the kids the best experience in these... dire circumstances, and I think that The Unknown wouldn't have reached such iconic status if not for Felicia. I'm so happy you interviewed the actors, because this is an important aspect of the situation that I haven't seen many cover yet. Thank you, and thank you again to the actors. Long live The Unknown.

[@jhardman1876]

It honestly makes me sad because an immersive Willy-Wonka-themed tour is actually a great idea (who wouldn't want to go on a tour of Wonka's chocolate factory?) but because of this stupid ai cash grab it will almost certainly never happen

[@mrcritical6751]

Honestly I’m looking at this and imagining ways it could be improved. Even thinking of ways to make The Unknown and the bizarreness of The Anti-Grafitti Gobstopper work

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

​@mrcritical6751 for $1000 bucks, a space to host it, and enough prep time, I could easily whip together a fun, colorful walk through for little kids, and goody bags on the way out.

[@mrcritical6751]

@@CinnamonGrrlErin1see my mentality was use a location like the Excel Centre in London. Put up temporary walls that take up half of one of the convention halls, turn that into this giant chocolate garden, the kids can explore for an hour and stumble upon little sub-plots involving Oompah Loompah’s, find little games to play, get hints to the wider lore and see stuff like Oompah Loompah’s performing or Willy choosing some kids to help him collect some ingredients, make it real interactive. Then make the other half of the hall be made up of a spiraling and looping Twilight Tunnel that’s a giant plastic tube with decorative lights and projections all around it, maybe have little portholes where you can look in at small sets where the Oompah Loompah’s are doing stuff. As they are journeying down, have Willy use a microphone to help explain the backstory of his factory, to the guests, have a few jokes with them, have fun with it. Then at one point, Willy stops, and gestures for the children to gather in close, where there is some evidence of The Unknown’s presence, like a logo scratched onto the wall or a little crack leading into the walls. He explains who The Unknown is but assured the children that as long as he is there, The Unknown won’t be causing any trouble before he moves on. Then the tunnel leads into the other convention hall on the other side, where half of it has been turned into this giant imagination lab full of lab and sciencd based interactive games for the kids to play. But before you can go wild, he shows off his new gobstopper to the audience, where using projectors, he gives an example of his anti graffiti abilities, then he lets you go wild, but not before you can briefly see The Unknown slip out from behind a table and snatch one of the gobstoppers. The kids get to play games and interact with Willy and the Oompah Loompah’s for a while, but then the time comes to move on to the final part of the tour, which Willy tells the kids he is going to go ahead on his own to do and they shall join a little later. The kids move on into this massive play and prize area where there are meant to be snacks, games and a bouncy castle, but it’s been destroyed. The cups of lemonade are on the floor, the bouncy castle is deflated, graffiti is everywhere and out comes Wonka on an elevated platform, warning the children to stay back because The Unknown has the gobstopper. Cue a fight on the elevated platform between him and The Unknown, using projectors to help create these special effects and it ends with Wonka, close to defeat, telling the kids to help him by eating their own gobstoppers. An Oompah Loompah comes out with a load of them and hands them to the kids, they all eat them and are told to do what Willy did earlier when he ate his. It results in Willy and the kids stopping The Unknown and forcing it back into the shadows. Wonka thanks the kids and he makes a big display as the bouncy castle is replaced with a new one, an Oompah Loompah comes out with lemonade and chocolate, the graffiti os gone and now the kids get to go nuts in there, playing, eating and getting some free chocolate before they leave …I wrote that in like ten minutes, why Billy needed AI, I have no idea

[@Firegen1]

There is a team at the Vaults Anthony Spargo and Oliver Lansley could do it easily. They have done Alice in Wonderland, The Twits, The European Capital of Culture. The thing is... i'd actually not want them to do this one. Willy Wonka is being over focused on at the moment. It's becoming boring. There are so many Dahl novels to cover. I would bet my bottom dollar Coull tried to copy Spargo's work from the Vaults and then threw it in an AI machine. Even from the jump, I thought something had gone wrong at The Vaults. Yep, their work got copied

[@tiamystic]

Maybe in a few months, perhaps Christmas, a legitimate company will create a better Willy Wonka experience, as a way to say: “Take that!”

[@thehopeofeden597]

The fact that not a single person can get through being in this video without laughing at the absurdity really says a lot. 😭

[@ericasutton3147]

My middle school did a mini production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We had to use the cafeteria since it was also the auditorium. My middle school didn’t have a proper auditorium. Bottom line, my point is that looked more whimsical than the “Chocolate Experience”

[@doombiscuit5515]

I thought the insanity I was hearing about this event was overblown... but I am only 12 minutes in and I have realised that the insanity I had heard about was not even 1/3 of the gibbering pile of wailing, gibbering madness that actually went down.

[@nostall123productions]

The fact that Michael Archibald actually sold Billy out to the angry attendees is such a chad move.

[@ccf3294]

Big brain

[@KaiseaWings]

I hope this helps people realise that yes, AI written stories are really Like This. They follow a structure, but aren't really connected and just substitute in randomised values. They can be a fun tool for jumpstarting a scene or giving you an unexpected direction when you've got writers block, but ultimately, you have to do the writing yourself.

[@saintsea-hat7891]

Come with me, and you’ll be, in a world of pure catgacating 🎶

[@nunosousa3540]

That's such a "cartchy" song

[@kiyavi]

@@nunosousa3540 Indeed a cartchy tun!

[@victoria_is]

"The House of Illuminaughty tells lies" An icon right there for getting her burn in.

[@CinemageddonReviews]

14:49 NOT THE DAMN BALLPIT 🤣

[@Glacial11]

Dashcon sends its regards

[@sandraisyearning]

The ballpit will always be there. Watching. Waiting.

[@CinemageddonReviews]

@@Glacial11 does it offer an extra hour in it?

[@quandal1633]

Bruh I think I saw that in DSAF 3

[@evanhunt1863]

@@sandraisyearning The ballpit is a cryptid.

[@SleepingOnScissors]

Props to Archibald for rightfully throwing Billy under the bus to all the parents.

[@MarianaGarciaGrijalva]

I'm just glad that we can all agree that the actors worked with what they had and worked hard for the kids. I hope they get dozens of offers for bigger projects.

[@DeliciousHotShmoze]

The funniest part of this is not only Michael ditching his costume to single out Billy to the angry customers, but then the entire cast all going to the pub and leaving their shithead boss to deal with the angry customers and the cops.

[@wilsonweiseng6485]

there were crying children there, that's karma you don't want to be caught by

[@fuzinator1922]

Michael is honestly a real golden bloke that; a Glaswegian, but a professional Glaswegian. Why confront your idiot supervisor alone when you can go incognito and sick the angry masses onto your douchecanoe of a boss?

[@michaelmarche7641]

Good on Michael Archibald for ratting on Billy Coull!!

[@That_Chairier]

This video was truly catagacating

[@OofusTwillip]

This demonstrates why we need laws requiring full disclosure when AI is used. And why people need to be taught how to recognize the use of AI, in order to develop their internal BS-detector.

[@barbraseville8984]

Even the cancellation sign was poorly thought out. I can't even.

[@doodoopop8385]

This reminds me of that Krusty the Clown episode in Spongebob where Mr Krabs promises to bring out "Krusty the Clown" only to disappoint everyone. "How could you? You promised these children Willy's Chocolate Experience, but all I saw out there was.... Silly Knock-off Experience!"

[@KnakuanaRka]

I’ve heard it compared to an Ed Edd n Eddy scam, especially Smileyville. And another fun nickname I’ve heard is Billy Bullsh*t and the Empty Factory.

[@pedroguedes3834]

Krusty the Clown? Spongebob? What?

[@molly8071]

As a computer scientist and AI hater I'm kind of thrilled about all of this. Obviously I'm not glad people got scammed and the actors didn't get paid, but I feel like something like this has been a long time coming given how many people blindly put faith in generative AI. From a PhD student: generative AI is not good at this shit! It isn't "smart" and it can't "think", it can only ever regurgitate whatever training data it's been fed, which as shown is typically garbled nonsense. This is the future we're looking at for film/TV/gaming/the works if CEOs get their way in quashing unions and undervaluing employees. Invest in creative people and EMPLOY ARTISTS!

[@annafaulkner9879]

What happens when you are an ai fan without the talent or means to pull off the actual idea. This is why we need the actual theater industry. Please support local projects so scams like this flounder.

[@marsaustralis6881]

The funniest thing to come out of this is the fact that there's now going to be an actual movie based on The Unknown from the Wonka Experience. And because the original script was AI generated in the first place, Billy can't sue for copyright and royalties, while a movie studio (or several) were given free ideas on how to do a take on the Willy Wonka story. I do wonder if the studio involved with making the movie might consider cameo appearances by the unlucky actors.

[@gregorehorror]

Really reminds me of Banksy's Dismalland but unintentionally.

[@teijaflink2226]

He could maybe excuse it as an art experience lol.

[@Phoebe5448]

It's New Forest Crapland 2.0

[@RosieG9012]

Love the idea that these AI bros generated this nonsense script, and were clearly just like “yes, brilliant. The people will love this”

[@CountScarlioni]

From what the actors were saying, it seemed like Billy Coull never even read what ChatGPT had spat out. He didn't seem to even realise a script would be needed until just before the event and the actors were asking for it.

[@strangeandinteresting]

I'm actually kind of stoked to learn who The Unknown was played by, though it absolutely blows she didn't get a break and isn't getting paid (like everyone else isn't either.) Oh well, at least she technically created an icon.

[@freakfoxvevo7915]

Real talk, the design and concept of "The Unknown" is so interesting. It doesn't deserve to be trapped in this AI slop

[@MortexBerri]

Yup theres a low budget horror film being made about him

[@alexhead2645]

@@MortexBerriplease please tell me there’s a human scriptwriter involved

[@MortexBerri]

@@alexhead2645 idk

[@teijaflink2226]

The Unknown is honestly the only good thing that came out of this.

[@MsSarahJosephine]

Oh the fanfics and fanart are already accumulating - particularly the UnknownxWonkidoodle pairing (I have already seen genuinely wholesome animatics)

[@spinlok3943]

The whole thing is just so hilarious. At the same time, the tip off should’ve been that the entertainment was called “house of illuminati.”

[@brianagolli]

No way bro used AI for the apology 💀

[@anonview]

Betcha 10 bucks that House of Illuminati apology was also AI generated.

[@justindenney-hall5875]

This is the first time since "Justice League" (2017) that I've seen a man with an invisible mustache!

[@alexhead2645]

The ad at the beginning was of better production value than the event this video is depicting, it looks like

[@StayVCA98]

The Actors did a great job of even putting ALL of this together that was a mess to begin with 😭, plus some of them like the Oompa Loompa Girl and The Unknown are even at The Jimmy Show for a comedy script!!

[@warcats-cat]

Huge round of applause for the actors at least, for giving their best go of the performances.

[@chimominino]

Considering it seems like he didn't even read the script (having not hired anyone to play The Unknown) and had AI write his apology which mentioned a phantom wedding... I'm wondering whether this Billy fellow is even literate...

[@MortexBerri]

The least they could do is add some fake grass on the floor…

[@TyroClint]

Guess they couldn’t find any in the skip lol

[@sunnyscott4876]

The actors probably thought that they had been hired for a cool, fun gig. They were the real troupers in this case, especially the girl in the thumbnail who became a meme. She was just pitiful.

[@kallen868]

As a former stage Wonka...I am thorougly disgusted by this. Roald Dahl is surely rolling in his grave!😣

[@MsSarahJosephine]

Tbf Roald Dahl HATED nearly every adaption of his work apart from the animated bfg movie - in particular he hated the original Willy Wonka movie so if anything he'd probably be cackling at this event's demise.

[@kallen868]

​​​@@MsSarahJosephine I doubt very much Mr. Dahl would be "cackling" at the idea of someone taking one of his beloved properties without his permission, turning it into utter trash, scamming families and making money off it...whether he liked the film version or not.

[@justinperez2057]

Roald Dahl would have sued Billy right to the ground for this humiliation of his work. He would have issued the public apology himself despite not being attached to this.

[@sketchnotes2246]

I guess you could say this video is delving... Into the Unknown (cue the CSI Miami intro) No but really, I'm hyped for this one. I could not stop laughing the more I read about this story online!

[@corinneferrarolam5101]

It’s like the Fyre Festival of family entertainment

[@hollyro4665]

“Regarding a personal matter there will be no wedding” 😂 I can’t. 😂 I wheezed.

[@ajstudios9210]

No good can come from a company that is called "House of Illuminati".

[@yoshisaurus234]

Encherining entertainment Catgacating live performances Cartchy tuns Exarserday lollipops A pasadise of sweet teats Perhaps he means Enrinching entertainment? Captivating live performances? Catchy tunes? Extraordinary lollipops? A paradise of sweet treats?

[@catloaff]

This is the ultimate Glasgow Wonka video to me

[@jordang7479]

I'm just so curious about how billy thought this was gonna go? Because it's so obviously a disaster I just don't understand any of this. Edit: Oh it was literally a scam.... holy duck

[@CountScarlioni]

It was a scam, but I'm actually unsure if Billy intended it to end up as such. I've a suspicion he's more of a incompetent fantasist than a con man. Fantasists want to be something, but lack the talent, ambition, moral fortitude or resources to actually become it. So they shortcut their way to it instead. Just like Billy with his books - he wants to be a celebrated "key to success" self-help author, but doesn't actually know how, so gets ChatGPT to make his dream come true. Not that this should make excuses for him. Fantasists are immoral cheaters and can cause a lot of harm. But I wouldn't be surprised if he thought all he had to do was set up this event and somehow the magic would just happen. Con artists are usually way more savvy. They ghost when the scam is exposed and they're usually already in the Cayman Islands with the cash when people get angry.

[@jordang7479]

@@CountScarlioni you put into perfect words what I thought was happening but couldn't wrap my head around! It's good to have a word for " someone who thought they could do something big and impressive without doing any work or spending money" because it happens a surprising amount.

[@johnyesjustjohn]

18:39 Are Ukxepcted Twits related to Vermicious Knids? 🤔 😂

[@polygonvvitch]

Archibald is such a fucking chad for throwing Coull under the bus.

[@eatatjoes6751]

it’s an A.I. generated script. Of course it sucks. And…I get the feeling Oompa Loompa is a copyrighted species so they just threw Wonkidoodle together and called it a day. Also, very karmic for Roald Dahl.

[@CherryHotSauce]

obviously oompa loompa is copyrighted

[@tremorsfan]

Claes Oldenburg did something like this in the 1960s. The audience would move through different rooms where actors would be performing a scene. At the end the house would be destroyed by a tornado.

[@johnyesjustjohn]

I’m having to pause this video periodically to recover from the pain of hearing about this “event.”

[@3possumsinatrenchcoat]

I'm just baffled that THE GUY RUNNING THE SCAM JUST SHOWED UP IN PERSON FOR SOME REASON???? like my dude. you should be halfway to the Bahamas before the door even opens, what the hell?

[@merrittanimation7721]

The confidence of a man who thinks using an AI makes him a legendary artist.

[@asgardiandino]

the "breath taking" renderings is A.I. They should've hired an actual artist to do this, it would look a lot better.

[@brianmuicey1283]

I Don't think ANY artist would want to be associated with that kind of event, and they probably wouldn't have been paid anyway.

[@ConnorTheUndying]

This whole fiasco being advertised with AI is just a perfect microcosm of AI art in general. It is so easy to make something that looks good at a glance... But the second any scrutiny is used, it suddenly falls apart. Which, frankly, made it the perfect way to advertise an absolute sham like this. Nobody cared, except the actors, who deserve all my respect for at least TRYING to make the experience something that wasn't absolute horse apples.

[@Mathma7]

I can only hope that, if nothing else, this whole situation will bring the issue of AI art used in marketing/advertising to widespread attention and potentially help catalyse the implementation of laws surrounding it.

[@ZeacorZeppelin]

Never trust a website with AI generated art.

[@ladyj.9350]

I love the willie Wonka just pointing out the organizer for the customers so they know who to go after

[@Winderia]

I thought this video is about the Broadway version of Willy Wonka. But it's about the recent Fiasco in Glasgow. This was unexpected. But again, Sir. Great Video!

[@captainobvious9233]

Seen so many videos about this... still can't get enough of them. 1 Jellybean per kid? They didn't even try.

[@Anynom]

Every time I think this story can't get more nuts it does.

[@MightyMezzo]

The last acting gig I had before the stupid virus shut everything down was an immersive theater Halloween show at the Winchester Mystery House. Done well, it can be a real wow for the audience. But then again, Mrs Winchester left us a well-decorated spooky home. That Wonka “experience” was just sad.

[@manband20]

The real takeaway from this is AI is a cancer on entertainment and the fact that guys like this can scam their way into making money.

[@pauloconnor2980]

I feel so sorry for the actors in this fiasco. I must have been so embarrassing too.

[@Greybell]

This has to be the best video covering this whole debacle! I like that you go into detail with how it all went out from the beginning to end. I wish nothing but the best for the actors and crew that were affected by this, but I have to thank the parents who bought the ticket and made this into a global phenomenon. I mean The Unknown is the best thing to happen in 2024 so far.

[@WaitintheWings]

This is such high praise. Thank you so much :)

[@Greybell]

@@WaitintheWings Don't mention it!

[@raidarthegunwizard4520]

The actor here looks like they could play as main characters who exploring an abandoned chocolate factory in scooby-doo style

[@oracleofthemundane9593]

The whole fiasco was a house of soggy cards. Kudos to the actors who tried their best to keep the kids entertained.

[@giraffe6856]

As an artist, I'm surprised not many people noticed all of those are ai generated. Like, it's clearly very AI generated even if you don't zoom in, it's very generic looking ai art. I guess to many people, they might not think those are ai especially if it's on official website. But the second I saw the web page, I was like "This whole thing is just ai generated, this is all just fake, wth"

[@brenlc1412]

This whole thing honestly felt like an Ed, Edd, N Eddy jawbreaker scam.

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

I feel SO bad for those poor actors. I want to give each one of you a hug. (and a snack!)

[@mittenista]

I want a pasadise of sweet teats! Or just a singular sweet teat lol

[@ivalicetifalucis]

I bet my ass that bonker of script is written on chatgpt

[@beccataylor2842]

I don’t know who I feel more sorry for. The parents who payed a lot of money so their kids could have a fun experience, the kids who were probably told they would get to see and have unlimited fun, or the actors who were trying their best to salvage what they could from this train wreck of a production.

[@MatecaCorp]

My primary conclusions from this situation are that “Billy” needs to be imprisoned and banned from holding any managerial roles and AI needs to be banned outright

[@NeoInsomniac]

I've been in some bad shows, but at least the cops were never called. Had an ambulance once, but that had nothing to do with us thankfully...

[@LizLuvsCupcakes]

And by the way, is it me or was that a bit much? Like, I get being mad, I totally get wanting to give this asshole what for, but if things got so out of hand that the police had to be called, is it me or did things go a bit too far?

[@SuperArnie]

Thank you for shedding light on the goings on of this scam. I’m especially grateful for hearing the voices of the actors. I’m sure they could have made that a great experience - if it had been planned appropriately. These short time gigs are an important part of any actor’s life and they embraced it with everything they had and compassionately did whatever possible for the attending kids. Scamming people with AI generated books and financial advice is bad, having families travel for miles and pay to access something that disappointing to their children with such a a poorly prepared ‘event’ - running out of sweets in a Wills Wonka Chocolate Factory event, for goodness sake! - for me is simply a scam. I really hope that Billy Coull is sued and himself experiences some of the same discomfort, frustration and ongoing disappointment during his journey through the courts.

[@ShadowsofthePastTheater]

If I had walked in as an actress and saw that empty warehouse, I would have turned around and left. Wow! I feel so bad for the actors who were involved with this! I hope they all find much better jobs after this awful experience.

[@laecard1778]

AI art or non-AI art, if the organizers for a event refuse to show you any actual images of a supposedly real event that’s already incredibly sketchy.