The Peter Farrelly-directed 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber, starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, served as an unlikely source of inspiration for streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed.
In an interview with Marc Griffin for Complex, Speed was asked what inspired him to embark on a 35-day livestreaming trek across the United States, and he shared a surprising answer. “Well, the original idea was actually...this movie called Dumb and Dumber, and they were like in this RV truck going around,” he replied. “They were...going around America. I never did a stream on the bus live 24/7.”
In the 1994 comedy, Carrey’s Lloyd and Daniels’ Harry make their way across the country from Rhode Island to Colorado. Speed, meanwhile, visited a total of 25 states, starting in Florida and ending in California.
Elsewhere in the interview, he said he wanted to knock touring America off his bucket list. “And so the initial concept for [Speed Does America] was you [getting] inspired by Dumb and Dumber. Are you serious?” asked Griffin. “Yeah,” replied Speed. “Dumb and Dumber the movie.”
He also reflected on his decision to tour America after having previously toured Europe and China. “It’s cool to see the love there and just everywhere, like in these random cities [and] random states,” he continued. “It’s good for me to show that for the people that’s outside of America. You know, like a whole other side of America because there’s so many things here.”
Asked if he found himself exhausted by the demands of streaming for 35 days straight, he said he could go even longer. “I could do that for a year,” he said. “I could stream for the rest of my life if I really wanted to, if I could. But no, it was great. I never felt like I wanted to get off camera. I was enjoying it.”
Speed has been keeping himself incredibly busy this year, with multiple large-scale projects across both streams and filmed series. Most recently, he concluded his series Speed Goes Pro, in which he trained for a real WWE fight, earning praise from 14-time world champion Randy Orton. Speed Goes Pro also saw the streamer link with Kevin Durant, Suni Lee, and Tom Brady.
Speed Goes Pro was produced by OBB Media in partnership with DICK'S Sporting Goods, building on their previous collaboration for Speed Shopping, and the series marks the start of a multi-year brand ambassador partnership between Speed and DICK'S.