B. Dylan Hollis: Difference between revisions

| birth_name = Benjamin Dylan Hollis

| birth_place = [[Paget Parish, Bermuda|Paget Parish]], [[Bermuda]]

| occupation = Social media personality, baker, social media comedian

| known_for = [[TikTok]] videos about unconventional vintage American recipes with an off-kilter humour.

| followers = 10.2M

| likes = 250.1M

| stats_update = September 20, 2023

| channel_url = BDylanHollis

| subscribers = 2.18 million

| subscriber_date = March 9, 2024

| views = 423,466,833

| view_date = March 9, 2024

'''Benjamin Dylan Hollis''', better known as '''B. Dylan Hollis''', (born September 7,<ref>{{Cite Instagram|postid=CTiYShgpiku|user=bdylanhollis|title=Another year down! It's been a fortunate one beyond my belief - and I've so many kind friends, family, & fans to thank for it :)|date=Sep 7, 2021|author=B. Dylan Hollis|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref> 1995)<ref name=":1" /> is a [[Bermuda|Bermudian]]-American [[Internet celebrity|social media personality]] and baker. He is best known for his [[TikTok]] videos where he makes, samples, and comments on unusual vintage American recipes. He has over 10 million followers on the platform as of August 2023,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=Feb 2023 |title=Would you eat these vintage recipes? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/vintage_recipes |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=[[BBC Food]] |language=en}}</ref> as well as over 2 million subscribers on [[YouTube]].<ref name=":9" /> Hollis has appeared on ''[[The Kelly Clarkson Show]]'', and his first cookbook, ''Baking Yesteryear'', was released in July 2023 by [[Penguin Random House]], debuting at #1 on [[The New York Times]] Best Sellers list.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books - Best Sellers - Books - The New York Times |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2023/08/13/advice-how-to-and-miscellaneous/ |access-date=2023-08-06 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Hollis grew up in [[St. George's, Bermuda|St. George's]], [[Bermuda]]<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Finighan |first1=Gareth |date=Mar 29, 2021 |title=Bermudian's TikTok posts on island life attract millions of views |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/entertainment/news/article/20210329/bermudians-tiktok-posts-on-island-life-attract-millions-of-views/ |access-date=4 December 2022 |website=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]]}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=Eng |first1=Jess |date=30 November 2022 |title=TikTok's B. Dylan Hollis gives wacky vintage cookbook recipes new life |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/11/30/tiktok-cookbooks-b-dylan-hollis/ |access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Broderick |first=Ryan |date=2022-06-06 |title=Meet the TikToker Going Viral by Baking His Way Through Great Depression-Era Cookbooks |url=https://www.eater.com/pop-culture/23151776/watch-b-dylan-hollis-cook-historic-recipes-tik-tok |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=[[Eater (website)|Eater]] |language=en}}</ref> and attended [[Warwick Academy]].<ref name=":0" /> In 2014, he moved to [[Laramie, Wyoming]] to attend [[University of Wyoming]], where his longstanding fascination with mid-[[20th century in the United States|20th century American]] culture led him to study 1940s [[big band]] [[jazz]], as well as purchase and daily-drive a 1963 [[Cadillac Series 62]] which he named "Ernest."<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />

Having little [[baking]] experience before the pandemic,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> Hollis was inspired after finding in his vintage collection a 1915 recipe fora "pork cake", a [[fruitcake]] with [[Ground meat|ground pork]] in it, which he found "ridiculous" and decided to film himself preparing.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7" /> The video, in which Hollis describes the dish as tasting like "a good question mark", was viewed over 1 million times as of June 2022.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> Another video on Depression-era [[peanut butter]] [[bread]] received almost 34 million views.<ref name=":1" /> By April 2021, Hollis had over 2 million followers on the app,<ref name=":5" /> over 37 million likes,<ref name=":0" /> and was ranked seventh worldwide for influencer growth on TikTok.<ref name=":0" /> As of February 2023, he had 9.7 million followers.<ref name=":2" /> Besides TikTok, Hollis also has substantial following on [[Tumblr]], entering the site's top 20 list of web celebrities in April 2022.<ref name=":4" /> His videos are often downloaded from TikTok and re-uploaded to Tumblr.<ref name=":4" /> He also had 1.1 million [[YouTube]] subscribers and 396,000 [[Instagram]] followers as of May 2022.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Perchikoff |first=Sarah |date=2023-02-14 |title=Tik Tok creator B. Dylan Hollis has new cookbook coming soon |url=https://guiltyeats.com/2023/02/14/tik-tok-creator-b-dylan-hollis-has-new-cookbook-coming-soon/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=Guilty Eats |language=en-US}}</ref>

Hollis's videos use recipes from 20th-century vintage cookbooks, typically spanning from the late 1800s to the 1960s. The recipes in his videos span from 1865 at the oldest to 2001 at the newest,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /> however the recipes he touches on are typically from the [[Great Depression]].<ref name=":2" /> Recipes highlighted in his videos have included [[cassava]] [[pie]],<ref name=":0" /> peanut butter bread,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=MacPherson |first=Adrianna |date=2022-06-13 |title=The Baker Who's Captivated TikTok With His Depression-Era Recipes |url=https://www.mashed.com/894346/the-baker-whos-captivated-tiktok-with-his-depression-era-recipes/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=Mashed |publisher=[[Static Media]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Baska |first=Maggie |date=2022-07-23 |title=Gay TikTok star tries wacky and ridiculous baking recipes – and it's hilarious |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/07/23/b-dylan-hollis-tiktok-gay-lgbtq/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=[[PinkNews]] |language=en-US}}</ref> [[tuna salad]] [[Jell-O]],<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">{{cite web |last1=Brinkley-Badgett |first1=Constance |date=Aug 13, 2021 |title=This guy tests weird old recipes so you don't have to |url=https://mediafeed.org/this-guy-tests-weird-old-recipes-so-you-dont-have-to/ |access-date=4 December 2022 |website=Mediafeed}}</ref><ref name=":4" />a fake [[apple pie]],<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> a [[SpaghettiOs]] Jell-O ring,<ref name=":1" /> [[chocolate]] [[potato]] cake,<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5">{{cite web |last=Staff |date=6 April 2021 |title=This TikToker attempts to make vintage recipes from centuries ago |url=https://www.intheknow.com/post/this-tiktoker-attempts-to-make-vintage-recipes-from-centuries-ago/ |access-date=4 December 2022 |website=In The Know}}</ref>a [[water pie]],<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Farris |first=Valerio |date=2021-08-20 |title=Water Pie Was a Depression-Era Treat—Why Are People Into It Now? |url=https://food52.com/blog/26500-what-is-depression-era-water-pie |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=[[Amanda Hesser|Food52]] |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":9" />a jellied [[meatloaf]],<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":9" /> "magic [[Mayonnaise|mayo]]",<ref name=":3" /> the aforementioned pork cake,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> and potato [[Doughnut|doughnuts]].<ref name=":4" /> Videos typically cover the preparation, cooking, and tasting of each recipe within one to two minutes.<ref name=":4" /> Hollis chooses recipes based on whether they meet his "three Ws" criteria: "wild, wacky, and wonderful".<ref name=":2" /> He has also said he is cautious of trying certain recipes to avoid [[cultural appropriation]].<ref name=":4" /> Outside of cooking content, Hollis's videos sometimes include discussions of his upbringing in Bermuda and clips of him performing [[jazz piano]].<ref name=":0" />

Hollis has been noted for his animated personality and [[slapstick]] humor in videos;<ref name=":1" /> [[Eater (website)|''Eater'']] described his persona as "alternating between droll quips and cartoonish [[overacting]]" and "[feeling] like a [[Marx Brothers]] film on 2x speed,"<ref name=":4" /> while ''[[The Food Channel]]'' wrote that he "combines the zinging [[One-line joke|one-liners]] of [[Rodney Dangerfield]] with the oddball charisma of [[Ed Grimley]] ([[Martin Short]] circa 1984) or [[Pee-wee Herman|Pee-Wee Herman]] ([[Paul Reubens]] circa 1983)."<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Cury |first=James Oliver |date=2022-05-11 |title=Food TikTokers You Should Know: The Crazy Comedian Vintage Recipe Tester |url=https://foodchannel.com/2022/food-tiktokers-you-should-know-the-crazy-comedian-vintage-recipe-tester |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=[[The Food Channel]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Hollis cites [[radio programming]] of the 1930s and 1940s as influencing his on-camera persona.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" />

Hollis appeared on ''[[The Kelly Clarkson Show]]'' in October 2022, where he baked pork cake alongside host [[Kelly Clarkson]] and guests [[Jay Leno]] and [[Ayo Edebiri]].<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-10-15 |title=Video: Dylan Hollis On Kelly Clarkson Show |url=https://bernews.com/2022/10/video-baker-dylan-hollis-kelly-clarkson-show/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=[[Bernews]]}}</ref> In a May 2021 [[The New York Times|''New York Times'']] column, comedian [[John Hodgman]] mentioned watching Hollis's videos, particularly noting his tuna Jell-O salad and [[chocolate]] [[mayonnaise]] [[cake]] videos.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hodgman |first=John |author-link=John Hodgman |date=2021-05-20 |title=Judge John Hodgman on Fearing the Bundt Cake |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/20/magazine/judge-john-hodgman-on-fearing-the-bundt-cake.html |access-date=2023-05-17 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In June 2022, Hollis announced he would be writing a cookbook, ''Baking Yesteryear''. The book's 101 recipes, spanning from the 1900s to the 1980s, include some of the highest-rated recipes from his videos, including but not limited to [[Corn flakes|cornflake]] [[Macaroon|macaroons]], [[Australian and New Zealand Army Corps|ANZAC]] biscuits, [[Ricciarelli]] and the homebake version of Buster Bars popularised in the 80's by the release of the [[Dairy Queen]] ice-cream bar of the same name. The book was released on July 25, 2023 via [[Penguin Random House]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Baking Yesteryear by B. Dylan Hollis: 9780744080049 |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/722348/baking-yesteryear-by-b-dylan-hollis/ |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=[[Penguin Random House]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Category:American TikTokers]]

[[Category:American cookbook writers]]

[[Category:Bermudian non-fiction writers]]