TGFbro (short for The Ground Floor) is an English YouTube channel created in 2012 by Jamie Swingler[2]' and Romell Henry.[3] The channel primarily consisted of vlogs, challenges, extreme pranks, stunts, and music videos.[4][5] As of April 2024, the channel has over 1.46 billion views and 6.17 million subscribers.
History
The group was formed in 2012 when Swingler tweeted out who would want to make videos with him, and Henry replied "I'm on it".[6]
Due to the often extreme nature of the stunts that appeared on the channel, they were subject to multiple controversies and gained regular national media attention for stunts that include bringing the video game series Grand Theft Auto to life[7] and a live action hide and seek in Birminghamcity centre with a £10,000 reward that led to a police warning.[8]
In 2016, they hosted a show on Channel 4 called Polterguest.[9][10]
In January 2024, Swingler revealed in a post on his subreddit, "r/jayswingler", that the TGFbro channel has ended, saying, "It became too hard to sustain. From a legal standpoint, it was just getting out of hand and life was becoming unbearable with all the trouble we dealt with over the years, not to mention the mental health issues, the broken bones, the cuts, the bruises and the pain."[11] Romell later also confirmed this in July 2024 on his new podcast "Vocal Pickups"
Controversies
I Cemented My Head In A Microwave
In 2017, the duo uploaded the video "I Cemented My Head In A Microwave", in which spackling paste is used to seal Swingler's head into a microwave. However, the makeshift breathing tube became blocked, and attempts to remove Swingler's head from the microwave failed, resulting in emergency services being called to remove his head to prevent him from suffocating.
Following the incident, Swingler was criticised by both the public and the West Midlands Fire Service for "a call-out which might have prevented us from helping someone else in genuine, accidental need".[12] After the story went viral, prompting a BBC News interview, Swingler responded to the controversy, saying "The plan was literally to set my head in there but not let it set completely. It [the cement] was like a thick jelly... if I really wanted to, I could pull it [the microwave] off and it would slide off. I thought 10 more minutes wouldn't hurt... [but the cement] solidified a lot faster than I thought." He also stated that he was thankful for the help from the firefighters and would be willing to pay a fine.[13][14][15]
In 2018, the incident was dramatised in the Fox television series 9-1-1.[16]
Extreme Driving Test
In March 2020, the duo uploaded the video "Extreme Driving Test", in which the duo, accompanied by a driving instructor, drove recklessly onto grass embankments, crashed into parked vehicles, and flipped their car in the areas of Telford and Wrekin and Staffordshire.[17]
In a statement, West Mercia Police announced that Swingler, Henry and the instructor faced prosecution under "Operation Snap".[2] The duo were charged with dangerous driving on 6 March 2020, while the instructor was charged with two counts of aiding and abetting dangerous driving.[18] On 15 September 2022, Swingler and Henry pleaded guilty to careless driving and were sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court. Both were fined £1000 each, ordered to pay £95 court costs, and given five penalty points on their driving licenses. The instructor will be sentenced at a later date for aiding and abetting the driving of a car without due care and attention.[19]
On 5 May, Swingler announced his retirement from the sport and instead wanted to focus more on content creation.[‡ 1] However, on 31 August 2024 at X Series 17, Swingler announced that he his no longer retired and called out NichLmao for a rematch.[27] On 14 October, the rematch between Swingler and NichLmao was announced for X Series 19 – Qatar: The Supercard at the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar on 28 November.[28] However, Swingler withdrew from the bout due to medical issues and was replaced by Warren Spencer.[‡ 2][29]
