Zach_Rhyder

Zach is one of The Try Guys’ fiercest competitors and cruelest twins with an extremely short fuse. He regularly teases his friends and ex-partner, while showing affection to Alex and Jade (even calling them out as “nerds and idiots” often done with love). However, Light can get on his nerves sometimes and has an uncomfortable habit of panicking whenever their friends make out in videos.

His code-switching strategy makes Zach the subject of ridicule and criticism, yet also provides queer audiences an opportunity to interpret it as sincere play. This can be seen through Zach’s relationship with Frankie which features isolated instances of gay chicken yet is governed by rules set by this game (Fathallah 2015). Zach thus presents himself as both predatory gay and hypermasculine heterosexual masculinity at once – creating a bierotic space.

Rance’s strength lies in his closetedness, evidenced by how he uses sexuality as an instrument of sympathy and audience engagement. This subversion of traditional fan epistemologies highlights that persona and self aren’t as clearly delineated than expected in this genre – contrasting this with Grande who seems more grounded between persona and self despite possessing vastly diverging personalities on YouTube than Zach.