YouTube Sensation CboysTV Says They Are 'Very Calculated in Planning and Executing Our Stunts': 'Safety Is a Priority'

Though YouTube sensation CboysTV — which includes CJ Lotzer, Ryan Iwerks, Evan Sheff, Benjamin Roth, Ken Matthees and Micah Sandman — have done some pretty crazy and wild tricks — from demolishing an entire home with a snowplow to motorbiking on a frozen pond — they do draw the line somewhere.

"We are very calculated in planning and executing our stunts. If there is a chance someone can get hurt, we will go in another direction. Safety is a priority, even though it might not look like it on camera," Lotzer exclusively tells OK!.

"I wouldn’t say we’re completely fearless. There are some in the group that are more fearless than others. Fans probably think of Evan as the most fearless just based on our videos. I think being fearless is having the courage to do hard things. Whether that’s going to the gym for the first time, public speaking, or learning something new. It’s all about getting out of your comfort zone and being okay with the vulnerability that comes with trying something new. Our goal is to leave people with this overarching message rather than encourage them to do a specific stunt or activity," he continues.

"After high school graduation, I got a bad concussion and dealt with post-concussion syndrome for over a year. This injury made it hard for me to do all the activities we normally love to do together. Instead of sitting at home alone, I bought a camera, filmed our weekend adventures, and posted them to our YouTube channel, CboysTV. We all thought it was fun, so we kept filming our weekend shenanigans and the channel started slowly growing from there," Lotzer explains of how their venture took off.

"The content fell into place based on our passions. We didn’t start doing stunts or extreme sports to post about it on YouTube. I just picked up a camera and began to film what we’d normally do on the weekends. We’ve collectively always had a strong interest and love for action sports. Our initial love progressed into doing stunts together whenever we hung out. The evolution of creating stunt videos came naturally to us as what you see in our videos is what we’ve done together growing up. Although, the stunts have progressed over the years. We’ve grown alongside our fans — the activities have evolved as we continue to grow," he adds.

Iwerks loves working alongside his "best friends," especially since they all "bring our own strengths and talents to Cboys," he says. "For example, Micah and Evan love to long jump, while Ben and CJ have an intangible gift when it comes to pranking, Ken’s impeccable humor, and so on. We need the whole team for Cboys to work — not just because we each bring a unique piece, but we make sure to push each other to be better."

Of course, there's typical bumps along the way, but the group feels grateful for their fans and all the success thus far.

"The biggest challenge has been making sure everyone is on the same page. We’ve realized the importance of clear communication and organization in reaching our goals. Everyone has an integral role in taking Cboys to the next level from a business and content standpoint," Lotzer says.

The social media stars watched Jackass growing up, but they see themselves as "more of a Fantasy Factory/Nitro Circus crossover. "We love the opportunity to be entrepreneurial while playing harmless jokes on each other and making a funny and entertaining show for people to watch," Iwerks says.

"My favorite stunt was when we took an H2 Hummer and turned it into an amphibious vehicle by strapping a 200 horsepower motor to the back and four pontoon boats. We drove it into the lake and floated two miles across the lake to our local sandbar — all the people loved it and started partying on top of it. Something we would never want to try again is front flipping a mini truck. Ben did it successfully but sprained his neck in the process because it was such a hard landing even when done successfully," Lotzer adds. "One time we built a giant igloo and spent 24 hours in it. We made a deal that if anyone didn’t make it through the 24 hours, they had to get their car wrapped pink. Everyone stuck it out, but it was freezing. Some people enjoyed it more than others."

On top of that, the stars have a podcast called "Life Wide Open," where they all get to reminisce about their favorite or exciting moments over the years.

"It’s great to be able to open up to our audience and show them parts of our lives beyond the 15-20-minute YouTube videos. It’s been an eye-opening experience to sit down with a variety of YouTubers and business innovators that we’ve looked up to. It’s not often that you have someone’s undivided attention for an hour, so it’s interesting to bring our audience along on the journey of getting to know and learning from each of our guests," Iwerks says.

Ultimately, the boys — who surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube — are looking forward to what else the future holds after gaining millions of followers across multiple platforms. "We are so grateful for the community that supports us. It’s hard to grasp when it’s just numbers on the screen, but when we see people who love to watch on the street, it allows us to realize the impact the videos are making," Lotzer shares.

Additionally, they will be participating in the annual Polar Fest Plunge, which will benefit the Boys & Girls Club.

"The Polar Fest Plunge is essentially a variety of community groups and local businesses working together to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club. At the end, everyone dresses up in costume and jumps into a hole that’s been cut into the top layer of ice on the lake. We’ve been asked to be the costume judges and love coming every year. We always jump into the freezing cold lake too!" Lotzer says.

And, to top it off, more apparel will be available for their fans.

"We have such a diverse fanbase living in different parts of the country, from rural farms to college kids attending big state schools, so we want to be able to have merch to offer everyone. We are working to expand the range of items that we offer. Each new design release coincides with a new giveaway. In the past, we’ve given away pit bikes, snowmobiles and ATVs. We’ve got something special planned for our 30th giveaway – we're giving away a Ram 2500 Cummins Truck and $10,000 cash (details here, closes April 14). We are very excited about it!" Iwerks adds.

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"Life Wide Open" airs weekly on Spotify, Apple and more.