How this comedian's coronavirus experience led to a viral reality show on TikTok

Brett Schultz discusses how his experience with coronavirus led his creation of the viral TikTok reality show, ‘Quarantined.’

Video Transcript

BRETT SCHULTZ: It's like these TV producers have thrown us into a house together, and they're watching. How are we going to respond to each other? OK, I'm so sorry. My mom is talking to me through the window. This is what you're going to get in this interview I think.

We are trapped in this place together. Because of that, tension rises out of nothing. What better way to portray that than through a reality TV show?

Hi, I'm Brett Schultz. I'm 26 years old. I'm an actor and comedian based in Brooklyn, New York, and right now hiding out at my parents' house in North Georgia during quarantine.

This is Mitch. He stars as Mitch in the series. This is mom. She stars as mom.

I was supposed to be a groomsman in a wedding in Nashville. I flew down there. About 12 hours later, I started feeling flu-like symptoms. So I went and got tested and two days later tested positive for corona. And we made the decision for my dad to come pick me up at the end of those two weeks because they live about five hours from Nashville.

When I was in quarantine, I just had this feeling of, like, surely there's a way that I can continue pressing forward in my career even though everything else is on hold. So I downloaded TikTok. I went to my parents and I said, hey, I have this idea for this video. It's going to take, like, 10 minutes. Will you guys please film it with me?

And I had, like, 150 followers, and then I posted that first episode of "Quarantined." And two days later, I had 150,000 followers, which is so bizarre to me.

My last video went viral on TikTok.

ELAINE SCHULTZ: Wow!

BRETT SCHULTZ: Are you proud of me?

MITCH SCHULTZ: I don't know what that mean.s

ELAINE SCHULTZ: The girls are going to be so jealous.

BRETT SCHULTZ: I didn't really tell them about TikTok until it blew up. And then I said oh, and by the way, you guys are, pretty, like, famous on this app now.

We're going to make another video, and if you fail me, I will burn this house to the ground. Let's have fun. Come on.

My parents are, for the first time, being actors. They're also being camera people. I would say, Dad, please zoom in on me after I've said this word. And then I'd watch the take back, and the zoom happens right away. By the third episode, my dad has caught on to the filming really, really well.

They have no acting experience. My dad's been in one play which he talks about all the time, but he had two lines.

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MITCH SCHULTZ: But as far as acting, I did one play when I was in high school. It was good for me. It helped me kind of break out of some insecurities.

BRETT SCHULTZ: I was thinking of ways to present this idea through video form of being quarantined in a house with your parents. I'm up in the morning at 10:00 AM, which for me is so early, and my parents being really chipper and wanting to talk to me right away and saying you have to give me, like, a full hour to wake up.

Why are you talking to me this early? It's 11:00 AM. Do not talk to me this early.

ELAINE SCHULTZ: It's 1:30.

BRETT SCHULTZ: Put the camera away. Put the camera away!

And I realized that the format, that those heightened dramatic moments is reality TV. We're seeing people living kind of normal things, but in this bubble, it's such a big deal.

Being 26 at home feels like I'm reliving the high-school experience.

MITCH SCHULTZ: Elaine does spoil him like the video shows. In fact, his sister teases all the time that he gets all the good treatments.

ELAINE SCHULTZ: I made brownies.

BRETT SCHULTZ: I don't like brownies. I love them.

You continue growing, but your parents still see you as this child that they've been raising. Even right now, the bed behind me, my mom fully made my bed this morning. I didn't ask her to, and I'm not mad about it.

ELAINE SCHULTZ: He's the baby out of the family, so the baby is always the baby.

MITCH SCHULTZ: He's 26 years old!

BRETT SCHULTZ: This whole thing really has created a lot of levity in my home.

MITCH SCHULTZ: Brett, get a job.

BRETT SCHULTZ: I have a job! TikTok is my job now. Get out!

None of this would have happened if I wouldn't have gotten corona. It's amazing to think that someone's worst nightmare is someone else's opportunity. We're able to have some valuable time that we never would have had if this whole experience wouldn't have happened.