I went down a Netflix rabbithole this weekend. Let’s talk.
Chasing Cameron is a 10 episode Netflix documentary about youtuber, former viner, and model Cameron Dallas. It follows him and his life through the newest version of MAGCON, a social media tour formed by manager Bart Bordelon.
What do guys who post silly videos online do on tour anyway? From what I gather, the event involves meeting fans, dancing around (getting “hype”) and a couple of the guys have a song/rap or two to perform. (Singer Shawn Mendes and duo Jack and Jack were on the earlier Magcon tour. At least their rise to fame is a bit more clear cut!)
The rise of social media platforms (Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Vine (RIP)) has played an interesting role in fame. Singers and actors now have an instantaneous way to interact with and connect with fans all around the world. But it’s not just traditional celebrities in the spotlight anymore.
Anyone with a camera, iphone, creative mind, and an endearing personality can now become famous. Like it or not, it’s 2017 and this is the way of the entertainment world.
I’m a 20 year old woman. I can completely get behind the popularity of and interest in Youtube because creating several minutes of entertaining content takes work, and creativity and it’s cool to look into the lives of other people. It’s fascinating and it can be like reality shows, only more intimate because it’s coming from the person themselves.
Vine is where things get a bit more confusing for me. In 2013, I loved watching the silly clips and I was attracted to and interested in these new boys I was hearing about Nash Grier, Cameron Dallas, Aaron Carpenter, etc.
But 6 second videos suddenly warrent a spot in my teen mags? Can they even sing? WTF is this tour and why are so many people tweeting about it? I’ll keep watching these guys I guess, but I need longform youtube videos of them or something.
I wish I hadn’t missed out on the older Magcon tours because I would have loved to have that as an experience to base my perspectives off of. (HEY I WOULD’VE MET THE JACKS SOONER!)
The 2016 reboot of the Magcon tour interested me too, but they added 12 year olds, Musers (I’m too old to get anyone that gets famous off freaking Musical.ly! No thanks!) and well… Jacob Sartorious. Haven’t heard of him?! SPARE YOURSELF! (Yay! He’s nowhere in the show!)
That all being said, I’VE ALWAYS BEEN WAY TOO DRAWN TO CAMERON ALEXANDER DALLAS! Is that the big appeal? They’re sweet (debatable with some), hot, and only 6 seconds leave you wanting more?? Maybe.
Cameron has at least acted in some movies too, so there’s that.
So OF CORSE, I was curious about Chasing Cameron. What I got with that time investment? PURE TOUR DRAMA AND INSANITY!
Me: How is Cameron Dallas so popular just based off vine and twitter? Is it really just cause he’s (VERY) attractive?
Me: I don’t get reality tv or why the Kardashians are famous or wha-
*puts on Chasing Cameron*
Me: *completely invested* *watches whole series in 2 days*
So essentially the viewer gets to follow along with the European leg of the Magcon tour reboot. What could possibly go wrong?
A LOT!
Two of Cameron’s friends and tour mates are heavily featured in Chasing Cameron.
On one hand we have the sweet, adorable internet kid Aaron Carpenter who dreams of a future music career. (I got addicted to his one rap single She Know What She Doing. A bit on the side of what I call a bullshit jam (definition: those songs that are kind of bad that you know you shouldn’t like but somehow do anyway!) but ultimately not shabby! )
Then on the other hand is the semi-hot but definitely hot-headed! OH GOSH I WANNA LIKE TAYLOR CANIFF BUT HE’S VERY PROBLEMATIC!
Right at the beginning of the series, we see Taylor get angry because he isn’t getting his per diem which is money the people on tour get paid for food and other things. I sees where he’s coming from here because food is important, but he continues to be quite the argument starter.
Such as in the club fight scenario that he made worse!
MESSY!
This is also the worst managed tour that I’ve ever known of! First off, there’s Taylor’s issue with the per diem, Next, they cancel a show in Cologne, Germany when they just decided to stop working. The poor fans! Also Bart could have totally prevented it. Which is why my opinion on Bart also varies.
Finally, in a Paris venue, there’s a huge overcrowding scare that almost cancels the show because they have to remove so many people. This results in the Magcon management just up and quitting the whole tour!
IT’S SUCH A TRAINWRECK! Which, as a fan brings up the question, Just how many tours from my favorites have this kind of utter chaos happening behind the scenes.
Fans may think they know what’s going on with tours and famous people in general, but we REALLY HAVE NO IDEA! Behind the scenes could be a total shitstorm, or as calm as a pond. IT’S VERY SCARY!
That’s just part of what this documentary taught me about tour life. I don’t think this trouble only happens with social media stars touring either, although, yes that could be a contributing factor.
The tour setup was also quite messy. They’d call back people with certain wristbands to do the meet and greet while one of the “talents” (to borrow their wording) would sing or dance onstage. It’s messy both in terms of the crowd being GA (Be prepared to be super close to the people next to you and be stuck standing in one place!) and the people missing out on an act! A clean cut meet and greet time, and then a show afterword is both proven and effective!
By the way, THERE ARE SOOOO MANY PEOPLE AT THESE THINGS! It’s shocking really. Though I know the prices are cheap-ish, the amount of people and dedication to this unconventional type of celebrities is HUGE!
I know the following of the older Magcon was really something. The close, fairly easy access to people who could make you smile through hard times by posting a little vine, formed a kind of family-like bond between fan and influencer. I get this, though the size of the whole she-bang is still mind-blowing to me. The fact that Paris even had that overcrowding issue was shocking! IT ALSO MADE ME ANXIOUS, BECAUSE WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE BESIDES BE SCARED AF IF I WAS IN THAT SITUATION?
That’s not the only scary thing that happens on this tour, but you’ll see something else if you watch the show!
Then we have Cameron’s wear down due to management stress, tiredness, and anxiety.
Throughout the series, Cameron seems just about as vital to managing the tour as Bart does. You see how business-oriented he is and his willingness to speak up whenever there is an issue. He clearly cares a lot about his work and his friends, and seeing this side of him is one of my favorite things about the whole show! Super-professional!
However, his concern about how things are holding up, seems to take a big tole on him.
He also talks about how exhausting it is to meet hundreds of fans every day and how girlswill just jump into his arms and not treat him like a real human.
Meeting people is hard enough, especially as an introvert where it literally drains your energy so OH GOSH I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW THIS MUST FEEL TO HIM!
Things get particularly rough when Cam doesn’t attend one of the shows due to a panic attack and later has one mid-meet-and-greet, forcing him to leave and just want to quit the whole tour.
I FELT SO BAD FOR HIM, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE END OF THE TOUR!!
Cameron does open up once about his anxiety even though it’s hard for him to talk about his feelings. Still, I’m surprised to be learning about it in this show only, because even if he talked about it just a little bit in any other media, it could help people and give them comfort. I suppose Chasing Cameron will have to do, at least for now.
Confession: Chasing Cameron made me cry!! They put his families’ dog Jake down in episode 6 (due to sickness and old age) and they show the entire process! I only ask why it was necessary because it was really damn sad to watch! Avoid the end of E6 if you’re sensitive!
More Taylor Caniff controversy ensues and proves that he’s kind of a shitty friend. He leaves the tour and doesn’t tell his best friend Trey Schafer a thing about it. What a jerk! What makes me kind of want to go easy on Taylor is his rough upbringing and his not knowing certain things but by the end of the show I am still quite split. (I got him to follow me on twitter before I ever saw the show and I’m not sure how I feel about it now)
About the younger, newer, generation of Magcon, it kind of bothers me. 13, 14 year olds with huge followings for unspecified reasons is just off-putting to me. I’ve looked up Brandon Rowland before and I found him really annoying.
CC ended with a pretty damn cool vacation! I wanna go paragliding! Also: MOMENT OF APPRICIATION FOR CAMERON DALLAS WITH HIS SHIRT UNBUTTONED ON A BEACH ATOP A HORSE! BEST.MENTAL.IMAGE.EVER!!!!!!!
I’M IN LOVE WITH CAMERON AND I’M NOT ASHAMED! One of these days I want to get the kiss on the cheek from him that was mentioned by some of the girls on Chasing Cameron!
Him and his family also discussed that one of his goals was to be on the cover of GQ magazine. Look what was recently announced! 🙂
NOW HE’S JUST GOTTA GET ON THE US ONE! 🙂
Rating: 7.5/10 For sheer entertainment value and hello, I’m a 20 year old straight girl.
I RECOMMEND THIS BECAUSE/FOR:
I think this was an interesting, and thought-provoking, yet still highly trashy TV binge. It built my love for Cam and Aaron up and put social media stardom and touring in a new light.
If you are looking for something full of drama, behind the scenes of fame, and full of cute guys this definitely might be worth checking out.
I bet someone who doesn’t know much about social media might still be fascinated by this. Even if it’s a hate-watch it’s kind of worth at least looking at. (Just CAMERON is worth looking at TBQH! 😉 )
If you are at all curious about MAGCON welcome to the shitshow! this documentary at least clears up a few things so it’s worth investing a little time at least.
NOW, FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT (and mine!)!!
2011
Drop of Pop Culture 