History WebVideo / Sidemen

%% Please keep this page focused on the group and its members.
%% We don't need examples that mainly focus on the affiliates.

** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F7RW0i5iHU episode 579 of Vik's GTA V Funny Moments]], he and JJ end up in a familiar [[ButtMonkey "JJ terrorizes Vik"]] scenario, with JJ deliberately blocking Vik's path while possessing rockets. However, JJ never actually uses them on Vik, and by stalling too long allows the rockets to respawn, which allows Vik to exact his revenge.

* UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball: Like any young Brit, they are big fans of it to the point of making ''FIFA'' almost all the members' main game (Vik being the lone exception).

** Similar to how Creator/AchievementHunter used to split their main group into two main teams, the Sidemen usually divided themselves into two main groups in ''GTA'' races. Their team names were based on their preferred supercars, the Adder Gang (Vik, Tobi, JJ, and Harry) and the Zentorno Gang (Ethan, Simon, and Josh, a.k.a. the "Zentorbros"). They mostly stopped doing this for a while after the move to Platform/XboxOne, especially considering that Harry and JJ would stop participating in ''GTA'' for a while, which left Vik and Tobi on their own for Adder Gang. Those two did not play ''GTA'' as frequently as the Zentorbros (although it's by no means ''in''frequent), which left those races lob-sided. With the shift to UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, the Sidemen have largely stopped using Zentornos and Adders, preferring to unanimously use Progen T20s.

* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: In Simon and Josh's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6mJoMVRa9Y pancake challenges video]], Simon tops his pancake with an apple, chocolate whey.... and air freshener. Josh, meanwhile, tops his with sugar, cola.... and tissues.

The group started out as a collaborative group of [[LetsPlay video game commentators]] on Website/YouTube who were then known for playing various games, mostly ''VideoGame/{{FIFA|Soccer}}''. Most of their earliest videos were "funny moments" compilations of their ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoOnline'' sessions, most of which involved [[WackyRacing wacky races]] against one another; in fact, the group was formed through the game as a Rockstar Games Social Club crew. They quickly expanded not long after to a rotating selection of other games they often played.

** In ''Website/{{Akinator}}'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo7-RZ2nV58 Simon is trying to see if it can guess him.]] In the end, it says "I think of [[spoiler:Yourself]]".

* InsistentTerminology: The Sidemen fanbase on Website/{{Vine}} has committed to referring to [[{{Shipping}} ships]] as "lanes".

As a whole, the group has six [=YouTube=] channels as of April 2023 -- [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDogdKl7t7NHzQ95aEwkdMw their main channel,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh5mLn90vUaB1PbRRx_AiaA a secondary channel called "More Sidemen",]] a ReactionVideo [[https://www.youtube.com/c/sidemenreacts channel,]] a channel featuring [[https://www.youtube.com/c/SidemenShorts short clips from their videos,]] a (short-lived) channel featuring [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Sa3puoXQEsZFgaJOgdidg Spanish-language dubs]] of their older videos, and a ''tertiary'' channel called [[https://www.youtube.com/@EvenMoreSDMN "Even More Sidemen".]][[note]]That one was actually for an April Fools' Day prank.[[/note]] Their official website can be found [[https://www.sidemen.com/ here.]]

* DreadfulMusician: Much to the Sidemen's chagrin, JJ sings [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Wash_(song) "Car Wash"]] ''[[https://youtu.be/zh9IW6gi4_8?t=80 horribly]]'' [[WaxingLyrical as they drive through a car wash]].

** The group started out only making LetsPlay videos, while their RealLife videos where few and far between. Today, the opposite is true, as their gameplay videos together are now relegated to [=MoreSidemen=] and they only release a couple such videos a week.

*** In ''another'' special moment of stupidity in one of their ''Trivial Pursuit'' games, Josh ''somehow'' doesn't know that UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan plays for the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Chicago Bulls]] (he chose ''Magic Johnson'' instead). The others even noted that the fact that Jordan played for Bulls is more well-known than the fact that Jordan appeared in ''Film/SpaceJam''.

* {{Catchphrase}}: Apart from their use of general UK slang, there are a fair amount of unique ones between them.
** "Got the boost, boys!" -- Spoken if any of them gets the head start boost of a race. This phrase is usually spoken in a high pitch. This is probably the Sidemen's most famous catchphrase.
** "Oh my days!" -- It was initially Harry's, but has since been {{borrowed|Catchphrase}} by the other Sidemen, especially Simon.
** The word "banter" has become iconic with the Sidemen.

** "It's bath time, boys!"

* CringeComedy: The 2019 Moo Off had the Sidemen dress in cow costumes, head over to a public park in London, and moo in front of a live crowd. And occasionally smack each other, especially Harry with a bright red ukulele. And they were all ''very'' uncomfortable in doing so.
* {{Crossover}}: The Sidemen have done many videos with several non-Sidemen [=YouTubers=], although they were usually with associates they personally know primarily from their home country such as WebVideo/{{Calfreezy}}, Callux, JME, and "The Pack" (a multinational group that Vik is also part of). However, in early August 2017, they've done ''TabletopGame/CardsAgainstHumanity'' and ''Golf It'' games who are also well-known Let's Players; the [[LetsPlay/VanossGamingAndCompany VanossGaming crew]] (specifically, Vik, Simon, and Josh went against Terroriser [a.k.a. Brian], [=BigJigglyPanda=] [a.k.a. Anthony], and [=MiniLadd=] [a.k.a. Craig, who the three Sidemen previously played against in a ''GTA Online'' match in 2014 mentioned below]). The following month, Vik and Josh played ''Monopoly Plus'' with Lachlan and [=MiniLadd=], which included moments of MarketBasedTitle-like issues regarding the properties.[[note]]Vik and Josh were playing with the British board, while Lachlan and [=MiniLadd=] were playing with the original American board; their versions of the game defaulted to that one because of where they live (Lachlan lives in Australia while [=MiniLadd=], who is British, currently lives in the United States).[[/note]] They've also done a couple videos with comedian Jack Whitehall (one for their channel and one for his channel), who also appeared in ''The Sidemen Show''.

** The Sidemen were on the receiving end of one ''big time'' in [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rockstar+sidemen+mae&page=&utm_source=opensearch a Rockstar-livestreamed series]] of ''GTA V'' Last Team Standing matches between them (represented by Vik, Simon, Josh, and JJ) and "Mae and the Boys" (represented by [=MissesMae=], [[LetsPlay/VanossGamingAndCompany Lui Calibre, Mini Ladd, and]] LetsPlay/DaithiDeNogla). The Sidemen only won one fluke round in the last match.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Their first charity football match in 2016 was held at St. Mary's Stadium, the home ground of Southampton Football Club. All subsequent charity matches including the upcoming 2022 match, have been held at The Valley, London, the home of Charlton Athletic F.C.

And yet, the seven-man group still remains pretty tight with one another. Despite often appearing as VitriolicBestBuds -- and usually each other's {{Butt Monkey}}s as well -- they still show [[TrueCompanions a genuine love for each other]] at the end of the day. Although the group's name began as a joke about how everyone else in the group was a "side man" to KSI early in their careers, their content is operated such that everyone pulls their own weight and is no more or less important, with strong group chemistry and individual followings to show for it. Not bad for a group of seven guys who just fool around a lot.

The Sidemen, initially formed as the Ultimate Sidemen, are a [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom British]] online entertainment group that was officially formed on 19 October 2013, consisting of seven members since 2014.

Their activities and business ventures have included charity [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball football]] matches against other popular [=YouTubers=] annually from 2016 to 2023 (barring a four-year hiatus between 2018 and 2022), a #1 best-selling book, a [=YouTube=] Original reality stunt miniseries titled ''The Sidemen Show'', an extensive [[https://www.sidemenclothing.com/ clothing and merchandise brand]] (which has included collaborations with famous brands such as ''Literature/MrMen'', ''Franchise/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', and Topps trading cards), a physical retail store, their own [[https://www.sideplus.com/ subscription streaming service]], and even their own [[https://twitter.com/eatsides restaurant chain]] and brands of [[https://xixvodka.com vodka]] and [[https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/new-product-development/the-sidemen-partner-with-mornflake-to-launch-cereal-brand/688912.article breakfast cereal.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sidemenartwork_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another Sidemen video![softreturn][[labelnote:Who's who?]] [softreturn]top row: [[WebVideo/{{Zerkaa}} Josh]] [[OnlySaneMan Bradley]], [[Creator/{{KSI}} Olajide]] [[LargeHam "JJ"]] [[ButtMonkey Olatunji]] and [[WebVideo/{{Miniminter}} Simon]] [[CompetitionFreak Minter]]. [softreturn]middle row: WebVideo/{{Vik|kstar123}}[[TokenMinority ram]] [[PluckyComicRelief Barn]] and [[WebVideo/{{Behzinga}} Ethan]] [[TheHyena Payne]]. [softreturn]bottom row: [[WebVideo/{{Wroetoshaw}} Harry]] [[SixthRanger Lewis]] and [[WebVideo/{{TBJZL}} Tobi]] [[TokenReligiousTeammate Brown]].[[/labelnote]] ]]

Their activities and business ventures have included charity [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball football]] matches against other popular [=YouTubers=] annually from 2016 to 2023 (barring a four-year hiatus between 2018 and 2022), a #1 best-selling book, a [=YouTube=] Original reality stunt miniseries titled ''The Sidemen Show'', an extensive [[https://www.sidemenclothing.com/ clothing and merchandise brand]] (which has included collaborations with famous brands such as ''Literature/MrMen'', ''Franchise/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', and Topps trading cards), a physical retail store, their own [[https://www.sideplus.com/ subscription streaming service]], and even their own [[https://twitter.com/eatsides restaurant chain]] and [[https://xixvodka.com vodka brand]].

* WebVideo/Vikkstar123 (Vik Barn): The highly-productive Sideman [[TokenMinority of Indian descent]] who's [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers not a]] ''VideoGame/{{FIFA|Soccer}}'' [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers gamer like the others.]] Runs three channels. A long-time ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' fan, he's in the pro-am [=eSports=] circuit as part of the London Royal Ravens. He was also known for his ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' content, but he's now branched out to games such as ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 Call of Duty: Warzone]]''. He officially joined the group the month after their formation.
* WebVideo/{{wroetoshaw}}[[note]]or just "[=W2S=]"[[/note]] (Harry Lewis): The youngest and second-most popular Sideman, he hails from UsefulNotes/{{Guernsey}}. [[TheFriendsWhoNeverHang He was once known for not hanging with the others as much.]] He joined in early 2014 when the group was still informal.

** Similar to how Creator/AchievementHunter used to split their main group into two main teams, the Sidemen usually divided themselves into two main groups in ''GTA'' races. Their team names were based on their preferred supercars, the Adder Gang (Vik, Tobi, JJ, and Harry) and the Zentorno Gang (Ethan, Simon, and Josh, a.k.a. the "Zentorbros"). They mostly stopped doing this for a while after the move to UsefulNotes/XboxOne, especially considering that Harry and JJ would stop participating in ''GTA'' for a while, which left Vik and Tobi on their own for Adder Gang. Those two did not play ''GTA'' as frequently as the Zentorbros (although it's by no means ''in''frequent), which left those races lob-sided. With the shift to UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, the Sidemen have largely stopped using Zentornos and Adders, preferring to unanimously use Progen T20s.

%% For the individual Sidemen that don't have their own pages,
%% add their trope examples specific to them on the Characters sheet until someone makes one.
%% Trope examples that focus on either JJ, Harry, Josh, or Simon that do not directly involve any of
%% the other Sidemen (references to the Sidemen don't count) go on their own pages.
%% Also, please keep this page focused on the group and its members.

And yet, the seven-man group still remains pretty tight with one another. Despite often appearing as VitriolicBestBuds -- and usually each other's {{Butt Monkey}}s as well -- they still show [[TrueCompanions a genuine love for each other]] at the end of the day, and although the group's name began as a joke about how everyone else in the group was a "side man" to KSI early in their careers, their content is operated such that everyone pulls their own weight and is no more or less important, with strong group chemistry and individual followings to show for it. Not bad for a group of seven guys who just fool around a lot.

* WebVideo/{{wroetoshaw}}[[note]]or just "[=W2S=]"[[/note]] (Harry Lewis): The youngest and second-most popular Sideman, he hails from [[UsefulNotes/TheChannelIslands Guernsey]]. [[TheFriendsWhoNeverHang He was once known for not hanging with the others as much.]] He joined in early 2014 when the group was still informal.

As a whole, the group has six [=YouTube=] channels as of April 2023 -- [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDogdKl7t7NHzQ95aEwkdMw their main channel,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh5mLn90vUaB1PbRRx_AiaA a secondary channel called "More Sidemen",]] a ReactionVideo [[https://www.youtube.com/c/sidemenreacts channel,]] a channel featuring [[https://www.youtube.com/c/SidemenShorts short clips from their videos,]] a (short-lived) channel featuring [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Sa3puoXQEsZFgaJOgdidg Spanish-language dubs]] of their older videos, and a ''tertiary'' channel called [[https://www.youtube.com/@EvenMoreSDMN "Even More Sidemen".]] Their official website can be found [[https://www.sidemen.com/ here.]]

WebAnimation/The442oons made the series ''WebAnimation/{{Frontmen}}'' based on that original Youtube channel.

WebAnimation/The442oons made the series ''WebAnimation/{{Frontmen}}'' based on that original YouTube channel.

Their activities and business ventures have included charity [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball football]] matches against other popular [=YouTubers=] annually from 2016 to 2023 (barring a four-year hiatus between 2018 to 2022), a #1 best-selling book, a [=YouTube=] Original reality stunt miniseries called ''The Sidemen Show'', an extensive [[https://www.sidemenclothing.com/ clothing and merchandise brand]] (which has included collaborations with famous brands such as ''Literature/MrMen'', ''Franchise/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', and Topps trading cards), a physical retail store, their own [[https://www.sideplus.com/ subscription streaming service]], and even their own [[https://twitter.com/eatsides restaurant chain]] and [[https://xixvodka.com vodka brand]].

Their activities and business ventures have included charity [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball football]] matches against other popular [=YouTubers=] annually from 2016 to 2023 (barring a four-year hiatus between 2018 and 2022), a #1 best-selling book, a [=YouTube=] Original reality stunt miniseries called ''The Sidemen Show'', an extensive [[https://www.sidemenclothing.com/ clothing and merchandise brand]] (which has included collaborations with famous brands such as ''Literature/MrMen'', ''Franchise/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', and Topps trading cards), a physical retail store, their own [[https://www.sideplus.com/ subscription streaming service]], and even their own [[https://twitter.com/eatsides restaurant chain]] and [[https://xixvodka.com vodka brand]].

Their activities and business ventures have included charity [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball football]] matches against other popular [=YouTubers=] annually from 2016 to 2018 and again in 2022 (with another coming in 2023), a #1 best-selling book, a [=YouTube=] Original reality stunt miniseries called ''The Sidemen Show'', an extensive [[https://www.sidemenclothing.com/ clothing and merchandise brand]] (which has included collaborations with famous brands such as ''Literature/MrMen'', ''Franchise/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', and Topps trading cards), their own [[https://www.sideplus.com/ subscription streaming service]], and even their own [[https://twitter.com/eatsides restaurant chain]] and [[https://xixvodka.com vodka brand]].