Internet star David Dobrik goes to ‘Dodgeball Thunderdome’
He’s only 24 years old, but David Dobrik is quickly becoming a pro at hosting TV shows.
“The first thing that I really hosted was the (2019) Teen Choice Awards, and I remember I was just panicked going into it. I had no idea what I was doing. I was like, I can’t believe they called me to do this,” Dobrik told the Tribune by phone.
“I thought the whole thing was prerecorded for some reason, and I remember going on stage, and I opened up the show. And then I came off the stage, and I got a text from my friend saying, ‘You’re doing great up there.’ And I turned to the producers, and I was like, ‘What the hell? How does my friend know I’m doing well?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, it’s live.’ Going into it, I was super, super nervous, but I think just like anything, you gotta jump into the deep end, and that’s the best way to learn how to swim.”
His new gig as co-host of Discovery’s “Dodgeball Thunderdome” reminds him of playing dodgeball in gym class at Vernon Hills High outside of Chicago — though Dobrik describes this show as “Wipeout” meets dodgeball. Competitors battle through a series of greasy, muddy, ridiculous obstacles with dodgeballs flying at them in a specially constructed arena. The winners of each of the first eight episodes meet on the finale for a chance to score $25,000.
“It’s just people falling and screaming, so it’s the best,” Dobrik said.
Viewers also have a chance to win $5,000 each episode through a special code — a nod to Dobrik’s over-the-top giveaways. The Internet sensation rose to fame through the now-defunct short-form video platform Vine. He transitioned to YouTube, where he has amassed more than 18 million subscribers with his wacky vlogs.
People magazine named him “Sexiest Heartthrob” last year after he beat out Harry Styles, Shawn Mendes, Noah Centineo and Jordan Fisher in a fan vote. The Wall Street Journal in March called him “Gen Z’s Jimmy Fallon.” Dobrik, who aspires to be a talk show host, made his debut on “The Tonight Show” in January and discussed legally marrying his best friend’s elderly mother as a prank so he could be his pal’s stepfather. The pair later divorced.
Long before Dobrik judged “America’s Most Musical Family” on Nickelodeon and voiced Axel in “The Angry Birds Movie 2,” the Slovakia-born performer lived in Ohio and Skokie before settling in Vernon Hills. He attended Hawthorn Middle School North and graduated in 2014 from Vernon Hills High, where he was a star tennis player.
“David always did a nice job of bringing that humor that you see on his YouTube channel to the tennis practice. That was probably his No. 1 strength when he was out there,” Vernon Hills High head tennis coach Doug Gerber said. “He could make you laugh when things are serious, and then you relax, and then you play better, so he was really good at doing that.”
Dobrik moved to the Los Angeles area after high school, but said he’s still “obsessed” with Chicago, especially the Langham hotel in River North. He said he returned to the area about every two months before the coronavirus pandemic began. A visit to Lollapalooza last year caused a frenzy.
“When I come back, I bring my friends to my hometown, which I don’t think anybody likes as much as me because it’s like a boring suburban hometown. You know how everyone tries to get out of their hometown, but I love going back,” Dobrik said. “I’ll bring my L.A. friends there, and they’re like, ‘Why the hell are we here?’ But I love it! I love coming back, and I hope to be back soon.”