Vitaly Zdorovetskiy
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. After the video was recorded, Zdorovetskiy was arrested on two counts of impersonating a police officer.
Pranks
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.
Pranks
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.
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