By Ben Wheeler
WATCH as this daring YouTuber sets himself the challenge of catching, cooking and eating a live Jellyfish with very messy consequences, all for the entertainment of his staggering 576k subscribers.
Online Entrepreneur Jeff Ford, 24, better known by his online persona, Jeffabel, has been uploading his Jackass-style antics to the video sharing website since 2012.
In his latest outing Jeff is seen catching jellyfish in his hometown of Perth, Australia, wearing one as a hat before going home and cooking the other in a frying pan.
Clearly, either the Aussie’s culinary skills could do with some more work or eating a jellyfish is a terrible idea as Jeff proceeds to be violently sick at the end of the video.
“Recently, after seeing a few jellyfish that had washed ashore I thought it would be funny to eat one,” he said.
“Believe it or not, a few years ago while swimming I received a particularly nasty sting from a box jellyfish.
“These can be deadly in the worst-case scenario but luckily for me my friend got me to the emergency department right away and I ended up spending the night in hospital. I guess in a weird way this was my revenge!
“The jellyfish tasted and smelt like rotting seafood. I actually had no idea if I was going to get violently sick or not.
“It wasn’t really comparable to anything I’d ever eaten before, it was just like a big, smelly, rubbery sea pancake.”
Jeff went on to talk in more detail about how he became a hit on YouTube and the opportunities his online popularity has given him.
“When I was going through high school, my friends and I loved shocking people and making funny videos,” he recalled.
“Like a lot of boys my age we enjoyed watching stuff like Jackass and definitely took some inspiration from them during the early days.
“We figured YouTube was an easy way we could spread our crazy videos and make them accessible to the world, and it worked!
“Being successful on YouTube has really taken care of the financial aspect of my life and allowed me to work for myself doing something I enjoy.
“I’ve met a lot of interesting people on the journey and enjoyed some awesome benefits like the time I got to personally hang out with Jack Nicholson.”
Finally, Jeff discussed the reaction he has received to his latest video, before giving advice to anyone who may be thinking of following in his footsteps.
“My friends have learnt to be supportive over the years. I guess being ‘crazy’ becomes acceptable once people start seeing results,” he said.
“They’re often shocked when I pull up to their house in one of my new cars! Most recently a 2017 Nissan GT-R.
“The reactions online have been mixed, but mainly positive. Some people thought it was cruel even though they will happily catch fish on a hook which I think is cruel. Jellyfish do not have a brain, heart or central nervous system.
“People have been shocked which is exactly what I wanted, the video was actually removed by YouTube three times before being reinstated after I complained each time, but any publicity is good publicity they say!
“Anyone considering eating a jellyfish, don’t do it! If you absolutely have to, make sure you know what species it is. The ones I ate were not deadly, but some can be very harmful.”
