A Twitch streamer who participated in a subathon had his eyebrows and head hair removed, only to learn later that the method used to get him to do so was somewhat brutal.
The sad incident left the streamer clearly distraught, and he even contemplated ending the stream completely. For those who are unfamiliar, Twitch subathons are marathon live broadcast events where broadcasters broadcast continuously for a long time, typically 24 hours or more, with the goal typically being how long the stream can last. High levels of audience engagement result from the ability for subscribers or donors to directly communicate with the creator. Kai Cenat, a well-known Twitch broadcaster and YouTuber, just finished a lengthy 30-day subathon nicknamed the “Mafiathon.”
Lacy is the name of the Twitch streamer in question, and it appears that she primarily streams the perennially popular Fortnite. Incentives for viewers to donate Bits, Twitch’s currency that can be bought with real money, were listed by Lacy. One of the main objectives was for Lacy to shave his head and eyebrows by collecting 750,000 Bits. Lacy kept his word and shaved off every hair on his head after finally receiving a sizeable payment (the equivalent of $2,500), only to learn shortly after that the donation had been returned. The streamer stopped playing Fortnite and debated whether to continue with the remainder of the subathon after coming to the realisation that he had effectively been duped into doing the irreparable prank.
Despite the cruel prank, Lacy has made the decision to continue what appears to be a successful subathon. While shaving off one’s head and eyebrow hair may seem like a unique stunt, it has actually been done before while Twitch live. After failing to finish a no-hit run in Bloodborne, a streamer by the moniker of Happy Hob cut off his skull and eyebrows.
Twitch subathons can feature unusual, eccentric components because the objective is to draw in as many viewers as possible. For her Twitch subathon, a streamer by the name of ExtraEmily duct-taped herself to a wall for up to 24 hours, with each new sub extending her time there by 30 seconds. In order to promote even more donations and subscribers, she also provided incentives like tossing eggs and water balloons. Given the growing number of content producers, inventiveness would seem to be essential. On Twitch, huge donations from viewers followed by refunds soon after are an awful practise, yet repeat offenders occasionally deal with consequences.
A few years ago, an internet troll who had given “false” donations to streams on Twitch was unsuccessful in his attempt to get $50,000 back. Lacy was the victim of a cruel hoax, but maybe his hair will come back quickly.
