It's another round of A [blank] a Day!
This time, we'll be taking a look at the plethora of reactor videos that dominate YouTube. As we all know, Bo mimicked these often-terrible pieces of digital content perfectly in his masterpiece haha.
Luckily for you, I have sifted through thousands of Bo Burnham reactions to bring you the best of the best for the entire month of December. I've tried to include a diverse range of reviewers for this list, but feel free to let me know if I've missed someone you enjoy.
Let's go!
12/1: Chris Reacts—Can't Handle This
Chris was the first reactor I really got into because of his genuine and thoughtful analysis of Bo and his music. I chose his Can't Handle This reaction because it made me cry, but all of his videos are fantastic!
12/2: Salty Reacts—The Chicken
My favorite reaction videos are those where the reactor has an overwhelming emotional response to a song they had never heard of previously. It's just fun watching someone experiencing the music or lyrics in the same manner as you would!
Case in point, Salty here is a gruff old man who rates his videos based on a barbecue hierarchy. So he's the perfect reactor to watch Bo's sentimental take on a classic joke. Make sure to watch until the very end!
I also recommend his How the World Works reaction.
12/3: Knox Hill—Repeat Stuff
Speaking of "stuff," Knox Hill's reaction to Bo's ode to commercialized pop music is a must-watch.
He also has excellent takes on All Eyes on Me and White Woman's Instagram. Really thought-provoking analysis!
And here's his newest video on How The World Works—wow, he knows a lot about history!
UPDATE: I had missed this initially, but I HAVE to include the breakdown of one of my favorite songs Words Words Words. Knox really knocks it out of the park in analyzing every single bar and layer (and yes, pun is fully intended for this song lol).
My English major self also loves him discussing Bo and grammar! 🙌🏼
How did grammar and sex come together so beautifully with Bo Burnham?
12/4: Cliff Beats—The Perfect Woman
This is a controversial pick (I am well aware that Bo hates this Helen Keller joke song and it makes him cringe now), but I have always enjoyed the lyrics—minus the weird noise he makes at the end—and was quite sad when Bo pulled it everywhere a few years ago.
Thus, I was ECSTATIC to see that a kind YouTuber had uploaded Bo's original video so that reactors like Cliff could take a look at one of Bo's most controversial songs. And he certainly delivers!
Fingers crossed we get Klan Kookout next!
12/5: Amy Jane—The Chicken
Finally, a female reactor in the list! British YouTuber Amy Jane does a wonderful job discussing the meaning of Bo's heartrending song, and I again enjoy watching people emotionally connecting to the music.
12/6: Alice in Gingerland—My Whole Family
And another woman reacting to Bo! This time around, you can watch Australian YouTuber Alice react to everything Bo has posted on YouTube since he started 16+ years ago, watching in chronological order as best as she could.
My recommendation is to begin with her first video in the series and then go on a Bo journey with her!
12/7: Therapeutic Reactions—That Funny Feeling; 30 when he turned 31
Today's reactor is Guy Keren, a motivational speaker, comic, and bartender who gets to the heart of the songs and their meanings. He's also an incredibly joyful YouTuber, and that energy is contagious!
My personal favorite reaction video is the one he made on his 31st birthday. Not a true reaction, but a really fun one (and his speech about mindfulness is so true)!
12/8: Nick Forell—That Funny Feeling; Can't Handle This
Nick's reactions are great in terms of his honest reflections on the lyrical content as well as providing genuine emotional takes on the music itself.
Case in point, one of the best videos he made was for That Funny Feeling (my personal favorite song in Bo's masterpiece). While he reacted to the entire special on his Patreon, Nick did grace us poors with some clips, including his moving look at Bo's folk song for the end of the world. Check it out!
12/9: Trev & Erin Reacts!—Pandering
Whether you call this Country Song or Pandering, Bo's indictment of stadium country music has never been more relevant, and seeing Trev react as a certified "country boy" is so much fun to watch (plus he really liked the boots reference). Enjoy!
Let's mix it up! Stevie Knight goes deep into Bo's catalog here and reacts to his previously most popular YouTube video, I'm Bo Yo.
This is a great one because people always underestimate Bo Burn-ham's rapping prowess and lyrical dexterity at such a young age haha. And he's right—Bo's got bars!
12/11: NewFutureRecords—WWI
We've entered the White Woman's Instagram portion of reaction videos, and this one is a TRIP. The reactors first list items they see on the social media app and then are pleasantly surprised when Bo includes some of them. I also totally agree with the one guy—Bo definitely loves fucking with the audience's emotions lol.
Fun fact: My friend Alicia included the "Bo gotta go outside" clip in her amazing one-year anniversary of Inside compilation. Love it!
12/12: Ellierose Reacts—WWI
EllieRose Kelly calls herself a "Basic White Girl," so obviously White Woman's Instagram is right in her wheelhouse. She even includes real Instagram photos from her account that match Bo's poses and shots.
The best part though is when she sees Bo with ivy while she has ivy leaves hanging on the wall behind her! The dramatic irony is so entertaining (we knew she'd see it eventually haha).
12/13: Mastering the Man—TFF
Here's another wonderful reaction to Bo's folk song. One thing I really like about this reactor is that he doesn't pause every few seconds—he listens to the entire song and then describes his thoughts. And he's totally right...Bo CAN sing. Enjoy!
12/14: Neurogal MD—Left Brain, Right Brain
Some reactors give their opinions based on their daytime jobs. Such is the case with Anna the Neurogal who is a neurologist and offers deep insights in her reactions.
Thus, Bo's song from what. is the perfect choice for her to explore as someone who studies brains for a living. Love the charts she includes in her analysis—very informative!
12/15: That's Not Acting Either—Bo's STFU routine
While the majority of reaction videos are for Bo's songs, this is one of my favorites for one of Inside's best bits.
Namely, Brandon Scott is an acting coach, and he reacts to Unpaid Intern and its surrounding sketches in this video. However, the reason this is on the top of my list is because, again, the dramatic irony of him saying "shut the fuck up" and then Bo saying just that is phenomenal. Enjoy!
12/16: Reaction Therapy—Can't Handle This
And now we're back to one of Bo's most celebrated songs.
Tom Stevens is a psychotherapist who reacts to videos and provides his psychological assessment of the lyrics and meaning behind the words. So it makes sense that one of his best reactions is to Bo's "declining mental health" in the showstopping finale of Make Happy.
I really like how he points out Bo's inner self-talk and how he switches back to performing, but it changes how you view Bo as an entertainer because you're aware of his mental health condition. So true!
12/17: SauceyDad—Can't Handle This
Another reaction to Bo's ode to mental health, this time with Saucey Dad. As always, this is one of the most entertaining reaction videos because of the dramatic irony—we know Bo's shift from silly to serious is coming, but the reactor does not. And I appreciate how he gets truly emotional at the end...Bo definitely plucks strings that we aren't anticipating.
12/18: Mathew McKenna—Can't Handle This
Yes, I'm still on the Can't Handle This thing!
This time, reactor Mathew McKenna takes a look at a couple of Bo's songs for the first time, including the finale to Make Happy. Mathew is right on in realizing Bo is disarming the audience before swinging toward his serious views on his anxiety, which is quite impressive. He really gets Bo's misdirection, and I love the point that Bo is physically at his smallest then (for a man that tall that is haha)!
12/19: Michael Palmisano—WTTI
Michael is a guitar teacher who shows how to play songs while he reacts to videos (really cool and makes me wish I knew how to play an instrument).
In his look at Bo's most popular song currently (wasn't in June 2021 obviously), Michael points out Bo's small laugh at 12:02 minutes in BEFORE the big one that we all know so well. Again, dramatic irony at its finest!
12/20: Alex Hefner— WTTI
Alex is a longtime fan of Bo, having watched I'm Bo Yo back in the early days of YouTube, so he has some expectations going in (funny, plays the piano). But those assumptions are blown out of the water (like a gay sea otter) once he gets into it!
I also adore this description of Bo's appearance in the video:
This dude looks like Willy Wonka's hipster stepbrother that invested in a bunch of coffee shops!
12/21: Jacob Restituto—WWI
Jacob is another musician who reacts to videos. His take on White Woman's Instagram includes a great lesson on intervals and perfect harmonies, which I find to be fascinating personally!
And Bo knows a LOT about arpeggios haha
12/22: Big Holla—How the World Works
Socko is here, and he's about to lay down the facts for Big Holla in this reaction to Bo's deranged children's song.
Again, the dramatic irony is part of the fun—although the reactor realizes pretty quickly that Bo hasn't mentioned human cooperation in the first verse. Plus, he finds out what "liminal" means from chat...we're all learning from Bo and his Marxist sock (and yes, Bo must be protected at all costs!).
12/23: Music Shed—WTTI
Another music teacher reactor, instructor David Morgan has a fun take on Bo's massively popular Internet song. And the piano really does have a Jewish Hora dance flavor to it!
Side note: Isn't this channel's name perfect for the Ruhm? It's truly Bo's Music Shed (well, it was...who knows where he practices now lol).
12/24: Officialcammm—HTWW
Happy Christmas Eve! For the holidays, here's YouTuber Cam's reaction to Bo and his sock puppet.
He's right to anticipate the other shoe to drop when you're talking Bo's lighthearted songs...but even Cam can't believe how hard Socko's rant goes (not a kid-friendly sock)!
12/25: POLO REACTS—TFF
For Christmas Day, I've chosen one of my favorite reactions to my favorite Inside song.
This time, the reactor offers an incredibly thoughtful take on Bo's ode to existential dread—and I love how he realizes how beautiful the song is.
That Funny Feeling certainly hits that holiday warmth spot for me at least, so enjoy and Merry Christmas!
12/26: Code Name: Reaction—WTTI
Here's a different group of reactors: metalheads rocking to Bo! This is a cool video because they analyze all of the lyrics at the very end (only mistaking the iPad reference to be about 1999 when it came out in 2010). I also agree with the bearded dude—you should watch Inside!
12/27: WHAT IT DO DAVE—Rehab Center for Fictional Characters
One type of video I'm always searching for is people reacting to young Bo's songs. Sure, you can find WTTI and WWI, but going deep into Bo's catalog is certainly going to get a view from me.
Case in point: Dave reacts to a personal fave from way back, the multiple-voiced Rehab Center ditty. I really enjoy how he gets into Tony the Tiger's misdirection (I'm grrr...owing tired of this shit)!
12/28: BrittReacts—Lower Your Expectations
Britt's videos kept popping up in my feed, so I decided to check out her stuff and I'm glad I did.
She has reacted to LOTS of Bo's songs, but this look at Lower Your Expectations—one of my favorite songs in Make Happy—is really delightful. I especially enjoy her gasp at hearing a "brand-new really hot RealDoll"!
12/29: Anthony Ray Reacts—Can't Handle This
For my final reaction video to Bo's Kanye Rant, I chose Anthony's take on the finale of Make Happy. In addition to being impressed by the vocal effects that Bo is controlling manually, Anthony points out that he has impeccable timing and that he's an amazing performer (definitely agree!).
12/30: Hangin' with Hillbilly—WTTI
Similar to Salty, this channel features an older man reacting to modern music videos. In this recent reaction, the titular Hillbilly notes that Bo's looking less clean-cut than usual and is in a small room. He wonders if this was filmed during quarantine because of Bo's comfy-looking clothes and shaggy hair...I'd say so, sir! Bo has on SLIPPERS during this song haha.
12/31: DashyXD&DadReacts—WTTI
And to close out the month, here's a wholesome video of a British girl and her father reacting to Bo talking about the Internet. The pair play off of each other well, and her dad seems like a great sport for participating (my parents would never watch Bo haha).
Really lovely, and it's so cute that they mention Tim Minchin since he and Bo know each other really well!
That's it for the month of December. Please reach out if there are any other reactors you'd like me to add, and Happy 2024! 🥳