A man walks into a bar and screams a bizarre question randomly at a group of people. The victims are shocked, as many are by Billy Eichner’s antics, and by the time they come up with an answer, Eichner is long gone, running down the street to find his next contestant. Okay, he never enters bars, but Eichner does strike strangers on the street with bizarre questions for a living. For example, recently in New York City, Billy Eichner ran up to a group of elderly women and loudly demanded they “name a woman.”
Some may find this tasteless or rude, but this is the premise of Billy Eichner’s show Billy on the Street. Yet, thousands of people love it, which is why the show just started its third season on Fuse
Created by Funny or Die in 2011, the show features Eichner running up to anyone he can find to ask questions.
The excitable host runs the streets of New York City, playing games with strangers such as “Amateur Speed Sketching.” In this game, contestants must draw a celebrity that Eichner chooses, then run around looking for someone to correctly identify that celebrity. Eichner, born in Queens, is famous for his opinionated remarks and disappointed rage at pedestrians’ lack of knowledge. Eichner’s antics have also attracted many celebrities to the show. Neil Patrick Harris, Lindsay Lohan, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, and more are scheduled to make an appearance on the show in its third season.
Fans love Eichner’s absurd games, such as “John Mayer or Pepé le Pew,” which Eichner played with Olivia Wilde (she lost). These games often have ridiculous prizes, like a bird cage that Eichner gave to rapper Nas in season two. If one loses a game, there are parallel punishments, like milking a cow or waving the North Korean flag.
One may begin to wonder if Eichner’s screaming, jumping, and running ever gets him into any trouble with antagonized New Yorkers. There are the occasional hostile encounters (he got slapped in season two,) but New Yorkers mostly embrace the absurdity.
Billy Eichner’s success on Billy on the Street got him a role on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. His character is easily angered, as he is on his own show.
Schreiber students certainly contribute to his large fan-base.
“He’s loud and yelly, and therefore funny,” said junior Sabina Unni.
Schreiber students even had their own take on the show on Shakespeare Day, with “Shakespeare on the Street,” which involved students running up to classmates and loudly asking them about Shakespeare.
Eichner has accomplished his goal, as he has entertained hundreds of thousands with his cartoonish rage and rudeness. There are two ways to experience Billy on the Street. You can watch it Fuse on Wednesdays at 11p.m., or you can go to Manhattan and look for a loud man in a pink shirt yelling at strangers. Either way, you will have an extremely memorable and thoroughly entertaining experience with Billy Eichner.