Amid the ongoing allegations against beauty guru James Charles, YouTube removed him from his original show ‘Instant Influencer’ — and now, the platform seems to have found a surprising replacement.
Charles’ Instant Influencer initially debuted to positive reviews. The series tasked participants with competing against each other (a la America’s Next Top Model) to become the internet’s next beauty-centric influencer powerhouse.
Challenging the creators with crafting a perfect apology video and even forcing them to get creative with their everyday beauty routines, it seemed that the show would remain focused on the beauty side of the internet — but this is set to change very soon.
After Charles’ exit from the show amidst multiple allegations of grooming young fans, YouTube has chosen uber-popular content creator and artist ZHC to replace the makeup mogul as host for Season 2.
This time, it appears that the YouTube Original series is set to focus on artistry of a different kind, as ZHC is best known for customizing luxury products with gorgeous artwork, which he then gifts to some of the platform’s most popular creators.
Season 2 of Instant Influencer, which will be filmed in Los Angeles, will put competitors’ artistic talents to the test in a series of high-scale challenges — just a few of which include tasks like a “10-hour painting endurance challenge” and a collaboration to make the best video alongside another top creator.
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“I am super excited to host Season 2 of ‘Instant Influencer,’” HC said in an interview with Variety. “I’m so grateful for this huge opportunity given to me by YouTube to pay it forward to other up-and-coming artists. I can’t wait to show everyone our first YouTube originals show!”
The show is slated to air on a weekly basis for free on ZHC’s YouTube channel, and will air later in 2021.
That’s not all; the winning influencer will receive a hefty cash prize of $100,000 (as well as getting a huge boost for their own content from their time on the show).
Casting has officially kicked off as of April 15 — so if you’re looking to get in on the action, apply at this link, provided you are 18 or older and live in the United States.