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Vitaly Zdorovetskiy

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Russian-American comedian and YouTuber

Vitaly Zdorovetskiy
Personal information
BornVitali Aleksandrovich Zdorovetskiy
(1992-03-08) March 8, 1992 (age 32)
Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast, Russia
OriginBoca Raton, Florida, U.S.
NationalityRussian
OccupationYouTube personality
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2011–present
Genres
Subscribers10.2 million
Total views1.5 billion
Creator Awards
100,000 subscribers2013
1,000,000 subscribers2014
10,000,000 subscribers2019
Last updated: July 30, 2024

Vitaly Zdorovetskiy (/vɪˈtæli zəˌdɒrəˈvjɛtski/ vih-TAL-ee zə-DORR-ə-VYET-skee; Russian: Вита́лий Здорове́цкий, IPA: [vʲɪˈtalʲɪj zdərɐˈvʲetskʲɪj]; born March 8, 1992), better known by his YouTube username VitalyzdTv, is a Russian-American YouTuber and internet content creator. He is known for his YouTube pranks and publicity stunts, some of which have culminated in him being arrested.

Early life and education

Zdorovetskiy was born Vitali Aleksandrovich Zdorovetskiy in 1992 in Murmansk, Russia. As a child, he lived in Odesa, Ukraine. Zdorovetskiy and his mother immigrated to the United States when he was 14, being allowed to keep his Russian citizenship and legally removing his patriarchal name.

Zdorovetskiy attempted to become a professional skateboarder at an early age but quit due to injuries. In the video titled "Why I Did Porn!", he tells his audience he got his first job at age 15 as a garbage collector making $5.00 an hour. His second job was a sign-spinner dressed as Uncle Sam making $20 for 3 hours of work. After that, Vitaly picked up a job as a bus boy at a restaurant in Miami, Florida. Shortly after turning 18, Zdorovetskiy took part in an adult film scene with pornographic actress Diamond Kitty for the adult entertainment company Bang Bros in 2011.

Career

Pranks

In 2012, Zdorovetskiy received his first significant success, with the video "Miami Zombie Attack Prank!" Inspired by the cannibal attack of a homeless man in Miami in May 2012, he dressed up as a zombie and traveled to some of the poorest neighborhoods in Miami to scare random bystanders. The video, in which Zdorovetskiy chased mostly Black people, was described by some viewers as a racist attempt to humiliate the local black community. Zdorovetskiy had been previously accused of humiliating black people in his videos after he published a prank video in which he accused a black man of being involved in a robbery. In the same video, Zdorovetskiy approached three black males, accused them of crimes and ordered them to circle around a pole to prove their innocence. He was then arrested on two counts of impersonating a police officer.

On June 16, 2012, Zdorovetskiy and cameraman Jonathan Vanegas filmed the "Russian Hitman Prank". As part of the prank, Zdorovetskiy approached a Boca Raton Resort man and informed him they had 60 seconds to get away from a briefcase he placed on the ground. After Zdorovetskiy revealed the whole thing to be a prank and that there was a hidden camera nearby, the man started attacking him and his partner and called the police. Zdorovetskiy was arrested by Boca Raton police department, facing a maximum of 15 years in prison on charges related to bomb threats. The charges were eventually dismissed.

On July 20, 2013, Zdorovetskiy released the video "Extreme Homeless Man Makeover", in which he befriends a homeless man named Martin and provides him with new clothes and a hotel room. The video posting resulted in a job offer that Martin accepted. He was also reunited with his wife. The project also included an attempt to raise money to have Martin's teeth fixed, for which Zdorovetskiy was able to raise about $10,000 online. The fundraising campaign was canceled before it was completed, because of Zdorovetskiy's criminal history. However, Zdorovetskiy received several offers from surgeons to do the dental work for free. The surgery and the video story was featured on television news casts including the Good Day LA Fox morning show.

His 2013 "Gold Digger Prank", featuring a woman who rejects his advances until she believes he drives a Lamborghini Gallardo sports car, generated more than 18 million views in its first week of posting. On October 15, 2014, Zdorovetskiy pulled a prank which involved himself dressing up as Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, pretending to saw off the legs of Hanhart syndrome patient Nick Santonastasso with a chainsaw in front of unsuspecting witnesses. While being in Croatia in 2015, he pranked former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader, while Sanader was leaving Remetinec prison where he was serving his sentence for corruption charges by jumping on Sanader's car while he and his lawyers were inside.

Zdorovetskiy has been accused of staging his YouTube pranks. In November 2015, Lionsgate officially acquired worldwide distribution rights for a film in which Zdorovetskiy starred, Natural Born Pranksters.

Publicity stunts and arrests

Mugshot of Zdorovetskiy's arrest under the aggravated battery charge, 2020

In early January 2012, Zdorovetskiy was arrested for invading the field during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final between Germany and Argentina in Brazil.

On May 25, 2016, he was arrested for trespassing after climbing the Hollywood Sign, as part of a video stunt. On June 10, he was again arrested for streaking during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, with security quickly apprehending and arresting the YouTuber. During the bottom of the 7th inning in Game 5 of the 2017 World Series, he was arrested for running onto the field at Minute Maid Park shortly after Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros hit a home run.

In January 2020, Zdorovetskiy was arrested and spent five days in an Egyptian jail after climbing the Pyramids of Giza. In April of the same year, he was arrested and later charged for aggravated battery by Miami Beach Police. According to law-enforcement, Zdorovetskiy allegedly tackled a female jogger and struck her multiple times in the head and chest, leaving her with a 2-inch cut above her right eye that required stitches. The woman stated that she did not know who he was. Zdorovetskiy was released from custody after posting a $7,500 bond.

Vigilantism

Zdorovetskiy has livestreamed multiple vigilante operations performed by himself and other online celebrities on Kick. During one stream alongside controversial online celebrity Sneako, he lured a person, who he alleged had been having sexual conversations with a fictional person under the age of 18, into an apartment that he was renting. After Zdorovetskiy surprised the man, coming out of the back room, he decided not to call the police and instead started shaving the person's hair and eyebrows in a way that, Zdorovetskiy said, made him look similar to a clown, before telling the man that he could leave the apartment if he ate his own pubic hair. No arrests were made related to the incident.

Zdorovetskiy performed another vigilante operation in May 2024 in Southwest Miami-Dade, during which he surprised a person he had accused of sexual misconduct with a fake alligator. The sting operation was criticized by local police authorities, Miami-Dade Police Department detective Andre Martin stated that "You have no idea what these people are capable of when they are inserted into desperate situations... You don't know if they’re armed with weapons, you don't know what they're willing to do." In the same month, a group including Zdorovetskiy and other vigilantes publicly accused a middle-aged man of attempting to meet with a 15-year-old minor for sex in a Publix store. The group pursued the man while blasting an emergency sound with their megaphone as he cringed and covered his ears. They were eventually ushered out of the facility by the City of Miami police and no arrests related to the incident was made.

He collaborated with rapper YG in another July vigilante operation, which some social media users have described as staged. Zdorovetskiy also stated that he paid American rapper Quavo $300,000 to appear in another operation, but that Quavo had taken the money and failed to appear. Zdorovetskiy described Quavo's actions as a "black people thing". Also in July, another operation alongside The Game and Wack 100 culminated in the former punching a man that the vigilante group had accused of attempting to meet a 15-year-old minor. HotNewsHipHop wrote that is not clear if the sting operation was staged.

Another operation with Zdorovetskiy and Ty Dolla Sign culminated with a man in his 70s being punched in the face, falling on the ground and cracking his head.

Exhibition boxing record

2 fights 1 win 0 losses
By knockout 1 0
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
2 Win 1–0–1 MoDeen TKO 1 (3), 2:58 23 Mar 2024 Worldwide Stages, Nashville, Tennessee, US
1 Draw 0–0–1 Kristen Hanby MD 4 5 Mar 2022 Wembley Arena, London, England

References

  1. ^ "About VitalyzdTv". YouTube.
  2. "How YouTube Stars 'Natural Born Pranksters' Turned Practical Jokes Into a Lucrative Business". ABC News. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  3. "Vitaly Uncensored". vitalyuncensored.com.
  4. ^ "A Huge YouTuber Has Been Arrested For Allegedly Attacking A Woman Out For A Jog". BuzzFeed News. April 15, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "YouTube star Vitaly Zdorovetskiy Arrested for Allegedly Attacking Female Jogger Who He Didn't Know". People.com. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  6. "Unknown". youtube.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019.
  7. ^ Bryant Eng (February 5, 2013). "FAU's Prank-Star: Vitaly Zdorovetskiy". University Press Online. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  8. ^ Feinstein, Naomi. ""Meanwhile at Publix": @Onlyindade Instagram Shares YouTube Vigilantes' Sting of Alleged "Pedophile"". Miami New Times. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  9. ^ "WATCH: Is 'Miami Zombie Prank' Video Racist?". HuffPost. June 4, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  10. Clarkson, Brett; Komenda, Ed; Sentinel, Sun (July 17, 2012). "'Miami Zombie Attack' pranksters Jonathan Vanegas, Vitaly Zdorovetskiy arrested after prank fails". wptv.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  11. Jeff Nadel (December 8, 2013). "Youtube pranksters gone good". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  12. Terrence McCoy (August 13, 2013). "Indiegogo Closes Vitaly Zdorovetskiy's Campaign To Fix Homeless Guy's Teeth". Palm Beach New Times. Archived from the original on February 17, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  13. Jeffrey Thomas DeSocio (November 6, 2013). "Vitaly: The Extreme Homeless Makeover". Fox 11. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  14. Mike Shields (October 22, 2013). "Gold Digger Prank Nabs 18 Million YouTube Views in a Week Motorboarding for breast cancer, Aquaman round out VideoWatch ranker". Adweek. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  15. Scott Stump (January 29, 2014). "'Dead' man living: Disabled teen-turned-Internet star 'lives by inspiring others'". TODAY.com.
  16. "Vitaly Zdorovetskiy zajahao Sanaderov auto" [Vitaly Zdorovetsky rode Sanader's car]. T portal (in Croatian). Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  17. ^ Cole, Alexander (July 30, 2024). "The Game & Wack 100 Smack Up An Alleged Pedophile While Streaming With Vitaly". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  18. Waxman, Olivia B. (November 6, 2015). "Lionsgate Picks Up Movie About YouTube Pranksters". Time. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  19. Clarkson, Brett (April 14, 2020). "YouTube prankster arrested after attack on Miami Beach jogger, TMZ reports". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  20. White, Ted (January 4, 2018). "Youtube celebrity kicked out of Boca Raton Resort and Club, hours after checking in". WPBF. Boca Raton. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  21. "YouTube Star Arrested After Climbing Hollywood Sign". Variety. May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  22. "Youtuber VitalyZDTV Streaks 2016 NBA Finals". Opencourt Basketball. June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  23. "Shirtless fan runs onto the field in Game 5 of the World Series - NY Daily News". NY Daily News. October 30, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  24. Ali, Rasha. "Man jailed after climbing Egyptian pyramid for social media stunt". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  25. "YouTube prankster arrested after attack on Miami Beach jogger, TMZ reports". SunSentinel. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  26. Burns, Aidan. "OPINION: Internet predator catchers need to tread carefully when aiding in putting criminals behind bars". The Suffolk Journal. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  27. "YouTubers bait suspected pedophile, threaten him with gator in 'vigilante-style' operation". WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale. May 17, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  28. Cole, Alexander (July 29, 2024). "YG Helps Vitaly Catch A Predator In What Some Are Alleging Is A Scripted Scenario". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  29. Cole, Alexander (July 30, 2024). "Quavo Subjected To Racist Comment From Vitaly After Allegedly Making Off With $300K". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  30. Cole, Alexander (May 6, 2024). "Ty Dolla Sign & Vitaly Throw A Grenade At Alleged Predator While Pedophile Hunting In LA". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 27, 2024.

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