I dunno. Ever since FSPRussia returned from his sabbatical – triggered by the assassination of his business manager – he’s a been a bit . . . demure. On the positive side, our Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day Hall of Famer has quit doing stupid things with stupid guns in stupid places. On the negative side, Top Shot proved that it takes more than high-speed ammo porn to make an interesting gun vid. I know what you haters are going to say: I’m an FPSRussia hater. Au contraire! I love Kyle like a brother. OK, it’s true that I don’t actually talk to my brothers. But I love the idea of having a brother. Jealous of his multi-million views and celebrity status? Nope. TTAG’s all about the written word. We’re colleagues, not competitors. I simply think the faux Russkie has lost his creative edge. You too? And if so, any suggestions for Kyle?

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89 COMMENTS

  1. Kyle needs a new Keith Ratliff. Unfortunately, friends and coworkers like Ratliff are hard to find. Also, that whole Boris Badenov accent has grown tiresome.

    • OMFG BATTLEFIELDZ 4 AND GUNS AND IM 19 AND THIS IS COOL.

      /End slightly more mature “old-guy” rant.

  2. What is this “jump the shark” thing I keep seeing?

    Did y’all make this up? Jumping rope, jumping the gun, jumping jacks, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, I get what those mean, I don’t understand jumping the shark…

    How does one “jump the shark?” And, where did it come from, help a brother out!

  4. Finally someone else notices this, his lastest videos remind me of a bootleg Hickok45??? IDK its just not the same!!??

  5. Yeah, I know he’s only put out two or three since he’s been back, so maybe he just needs to find his stride again, but his recent efforts have definitely been… lackluster. If he can’t turn it around to the way it used to be, this will definitely turn out to be one of those “should have gone out on top” situations.

  6. the gimmick wore off a long time ago.

    actually I’m amazed at the amount of people who still ask, “is he really russian?”

    • I’m even more amused by the people who knowingly point out, “He’s not really Russian, you know,” as if they’re the only ones that have figured it out.

      It happened here just a couple weeks ago when we published his “first video back.” Two different people found it necessary to tell us in the comments that he’s not a real Russian.

      “Thanks for watching and as always, Have good day.”

      • Jakov Smirnof once commented, “I came to America and got my citizenship, now I am an American! An American could go to Russia and become a Russian citizen, but he would NEVER be Russian.”

    • He is trying to sound like he has a Russian accent, which with just a little practice is not that difficult.

      His slurring of certain sounds is interesting, but IMO (and I am not Russian but I was married to one for 8 years), his emphasis and delivery are not those of a true native speaker.

      • Agee. He doesn’t have the standard descending pitch as he ends declarative sentences. He doesn’t actually palatalize consonants. I’m not Russian either, but I played one as an undergrad.

        I think the only thing he’s Russian are his thoughts about how not to end up dead too soon.

  11. They have been a little more boring, But quite honestly i would rather him do safer videos than some of the stuff he did in the past. I have seen him blow up a car and nearly kill himself in the process so maybe toning it down is a good thing. I see no problem with being a more responsible Shooter. It helps us all really.

  12. Dude should reinvent himself. Stop with the kiddie crap. Get some training, do some serious shooting and gun safety stuff in his videos after the entertaining part’s over. FPS has the attention of millions of casual watchers who should know this stuff but don’t. He could teach them.

    • Seconded and possibly even thirded, if there’s such a thing.

      Through all the grunts, whistles and other suspiciously flatulent sounds they make, defenders of FPS Russia’s previous lack of safety kept mentioning that what he does is “fun,” and that it’s really popular, so it must be okay. And as much as I want to congratulate them on that first flailing stab at logic, I also remember that dangerous and irresponsible behavior doesn’t suddenly become commendable just because it looks cool and impresses the stupid.

      Since analogies are always fun, here’s one now: the hosts on Top Gear could no doubt triple their viewership overnight if they took all those amazing vehicles off private raceways and instead tested them out on public sidewalks, but that boom in popularity wouldn’t stop them from being maniacs who put people’s lives at risk.

      The Long/Short of it is this: If you break the safety rules for any reason –and “fun” is the flimsiest possible excuse– you’re a damned fool, and you have no business handling weapons at all.

    • I’m fairly certain he has plenty of training and can outshoot 90% of readers here. His craziness on screen is solely for views and he gets them easily while making a ton of money. Having said that, I prefer hickok45.

      • I already explained that video views and money don’t cancel out his disregard for gun safety; that’s what all those funny little shapes I wrote were saying.

        It doesn’t matter if a guy can nail 1-inch groups at 200 yards with a Jennings .25; if he won’t do it safely, he’s the dumbest motherf*cker at the party. If someone’s only defense of him is accusing the grown-ups of being “jealous,” they’re worse than he is in every direction.

    • You’re right. This is his chance to reinvent himself and his brand. I was thinking he should switch to the Sesame Street “Swedish Chef” accent. Maybe the “Count”? Agree about the safety-teaching opportunity. Is he really qualified, though? He’s lost his edge. Who could blame him?

  13. Jealous of his multi-million views and celebrity status? Nope.

    Jealous of the checks he gets from YouTube? Mmmmmmaaaaaybe….

    C’mon, RF! Get a camera, a wig, and a silly accent, and start making videos featuring Stupid Gun Tricks and Israeli Supermodels. You know you can do a better job (and have more fun) than that turkey. 😀

    • Actually, the money isn’t very good anymore. You used to be able to make a living off the YouTube partner program, but now that they’ve “revised” the payments downward the margins just aren’t there anymore.

      • Even after the revision and ridiculous link restructuring, he still clears over 100k with his youtube channel.

        • He still regularly makes millions of viewers, and is the #1 gun-themed channel on Youtube. He only makes this kind of cash because of sheer numbers.

    • A wig? In one day RF has used French phrases in two separate posts. “Lucky Pierre” videos are probably just days away. I thought what happened in Vegas was supposed to stay there.

      Texas six guns. With a French accent that must be a Cease Shooter. Perfect.

  14. Also, he needs to address the elephant in the room.

    If I were a Youtube star like him, my friend was murdered, and the killers were still out there evading justice, I’d use the medium to try to help catch them.

    Has he even talked about his friend’s death? Is there an organized crime link? People want to know and if he’s avoiding the topic it’s going to hurt him.

  15. Yes…if he was a TV personality. Given that he is a guy with a YouTube channel then I say let him keep doing his thing.

  16. Part of the appeal of the crazy YouTube gun videos is the chance for someone to be seriously hurt making them. It’s who we are as a society. MattV2099 recently used a pistol vice in one of his videos. I totally understand him not wanting to blow his hand off firing a gun covered in some ridiculous substance, but at the same time it made the whole scene less funny. It felt less real. That’s what was so great about fpsrussia. His videos felt like some buddies clowning around, because that’s how it started. Now it feels too fake.

    • Yeah, I get what you’re saying about the pistol vise. In his defense, although I can’t remember exactly what that gun was covered in, that was the first time I looked at one and thought, “Yeah, no effing way.” Apparently he thought the same thing. Surprised us both and worked, though. Yay, GLOCK-brand GLOCK!

    • To be honest, I never had any desire to sell danger. I was purely going for comedy.

      The vice is because I intend to kaboom my Glock.

      Demolition ranch got a half a million views in his “wrong caliber” Glock vid. He did not personally fire those rounds.

      Danger is not necessary to be successful.

      • Matt, you yourself are unwilling to turn your Glocks into Glocknades, and even if your food torture videos are infinitely goofy and funny, I have nothing but respect for the fact you have always emphasized safety and showed it clearly in your videos – “Don’t try this at home”, showing your backstops, not shooting hazardous targets, etc. ; I can’t count all the times I noticed you were openly and clearly showing you are not a dangerous fool.

        For this reason alone you are a lot more enjoyable to watch than FPSfaker. I keep thinking he stole the idea of cooking bacon on his AK from you.

    • In general, “jumping the shark” is when a singular event is the tipping point for the show never being good/interesting/enjoyable again. It’s usually the sign the show is out of ideas and running on momentum, but it can be due to cast changes or even the show going in a new direction that bombs with the audience. In this case, his hiatus itself is being suggested as the shark jump, which I think kind of fits, as the show has changed intensity since the return.

  18. If Michael Yon can hate CJ Grisham, why cannot Robert Farrago? Of course such an obsession is extremely unseemy and damages the brand, but hey. Every great man has his failings.

  19. Before, you could tell he was having fun. These recent videos seem forced, like he’s not enjoying himself.

  20. I never really understood what his schtik was supposed to be. Is he serious? Is he kidding? Is he serious while pretending he’s kidding pretending he’s serious? He’s the Victor Victoria of the firearms world.

    Whatever it was, it was what it was until someone got capped. What is it now? I’m even less certain and less concerned than before. In any event, get your life in order, pal.

  22. You know who has also been quiet lately… Leonard Embody. What ever happened to him? His website say he has closed up shop.

      • Ah, so there is a limit to the site team’s patience. Obviously, I don’t know and don’t need to know the details, but you guys were extremely tolerant with him.

  23. Ever since he got raided by the ATF for not having an explosives license, he stopped using explosives in his videos, hence the relatively unexciting videos.

  25. It was my understanding he used Tannerite and that does not require a license, however the amounts he used caused complaints from neighbors and was part of the ATF’s justification for the raid.

  28. Never got into this youtube firearm channel. Reminds me of today’s reality shows with a bit of fear factor and soap opera mixed in. While some vids can be fun to watch this channel is and was nothing more than a man acting like a child with tons of awesome firepower added in. Anyone that can’t get enough FSPRussia might as well just start watching all the realty tv on cable if they don’t already and just immerse themselves into that black hole abyss of nonsense.
    Ammosmith, hickok45, iraqveteran8888, gunblast ect. These are the type of firearms channels real men watch.

  30. Nah, I think it bit him. He’s dipping his toe back in the water now, maybe he’ll get back in again in a while.

    -D

  31. Girls in bikinis providing liquid refreshments, as well as, shooting in slow mo, preferable Russian and available for marriage.

    Judge me if you want, but don’t lie to yourself.

    • Your comment seemed to make no sense, until I looked back at the post and realized you were answering the call for suggestions for Kyle.

      I approve. Although I prefer girls from a little further west. Less Russian, more Ukranian or Czech.

  32. Or maybe he took a vacation and made the whole damn thing up? Because he wouldn’t be at all interested in the publicity for his youtube channel or the hits such sensationalism would generate?

    Just sayin’…

  33. I for one enjoyed FPS Russia’s early videos. It was over the top schtick that was sometimes dangerous. It was like watching my redneck brother in laws shoot old cars out in the country, except with explosives and full auto guns. I can find a million reviews of guns, serious, sometimes boring reviews. Yes FPS Russia is sometimes a dangerously idiotic clown, but so are the guys from Jackass, and as long as it is billed as don’t try this at home entertainment it is an entertainment niche. As far as the Russian accent, there are a billion guys on youtube doing dumb things with a redneck accent, why not mix it up with a Russian one?

  35. If I were to make recommendations, I’d say for starters that the addition of a high speed camera has great potential, but needs to be paired with equally good sound work and context, otherwise it just feels shoehorned. Slow down the sounds to match the rate of the scene being shot, or it just ends up being distracting. One of the things that really appealed to me about the older stuff was not the over the top nature of the vids, but the number of cool and unique firearms that FPSRussia brought on screen. It seems everyone and their mother has a SCAR nowadays, so I felt none of the wow factor like I did for the Juggernaut bullpup, or the Honeybadger. What about rarer toys, like the RAS-12, or the XM-25 (a longshot, but hey)? Things I’ll probably never get the chance to see in real life, let alone fire or own. What about crazy ammo variants? That was the kind of stuff that drew me in and that was what I’m still looking forward to with the new vids. But, most of all, please fix the sound and make it fit the slow-mo better…

  37. Jumped the shark? Perhaps… but 88,000 views on just one Youtube vid translates into some nice $$$, I’m sure.

  40. “Any suggestions for Kyle?”

    A) To drop the Call of Duty faux-Russian act, which is at best amusing, at worst insulting to those of us who are really of Russian descent and/or ancestry.
    B) To crank it up on the informative aspect. Doesn’t matter if his “toys” are select-fire weapons, tanks, helicopters, explosives; I want to learn something or at least not feel like I watched a Hollywood movie trailer.
    C) To stop appealing to the Call of Battle Duty Premium Elite II crowd to the point of being debilitating and unsafe
    D) To stop being the “selfish show-off” and to start showing open support to gun owners, the 2nd Amendment, and being a public figure supportive of the rights of Americans; with the amount of views and faithful followers he has, if he had remotely the same stances as a MAC, a TNoutdoors9 or a hickok45, he would be a MAJOR argument for the pro-gun side.
    E) And for fuck’s sake. Drop the fucking faux-Ruskiye accent. I can do a better one and I don’t even speak the native tongue of my parents.

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