Tuesdays with Ben Monster
Tuesdays with Ben Monster (TwBM), is an internet-based streaming show, starring Ben Monster, Robot Don, and (editor) Gabe Cesana. The “official” pilot episode (“hello world”) aired on March 30, 2018 and was broadcasted to multiple streaming services.
Before the March episode, an earlier prototype version of the show (referred to as “season 0”) debuted on October 3, 2017. This season, which has 5 episodes, features various clips edited together by Ben Monster and was broadcasted on local public access TV. When Robot Don joined the show in early 2018, his technical savvy supported changing the format of the show to the current internet-streaming iteration of TwBM. The format is loosely based on a television late night talk show, featuring special guests and multiple segments.
Ben Monster (character), has his origins in an even earlier show called The Heather & Ben Show ( 2006-2007), which was available in video podcast format.
Gabriel Cesana, a talented indie film maker and photographer, joined the show in January 2020 as an editor, but quickly had a creative impact as well.
Together, the three partners/creators invent the multiple segments, bits, and guest characters who appear on TwBM.
TwBM is aired from an undisclosed Olive Garden.
Despite the title, the show is not normally broadcasted on Tuesdays. The typical broadcast is on Friday and occasionally on a Thursday or a Saturday.
The show currently airs live on Twitch from the BenMonsterTV channel and is re-broadcasted on local public access television as well as being uploaded to YouTube.
A popular staple of the show is the segment “Stranger Danger,” where Ben and Robot Don (and Gabe from “the attic”) talk to random strangers on an internet-based video chat service, such as Omegle or Chat Roulette. The threat of nudity, which would violate Twitch's terms of service broadcast agreement, forces Robot Don to screen all video chat guests. This has led to such zany creations as Richard, a tiny hotdog person, as well as a Richard counter, which counts up how many dongs Robot Don has been subjected to in an evening.
It is common that if a particularly cooperative or charming guest appears on Stranger Danger, Ben will offer to give the guest a “San Francisco Treat,” which is Ben Monster virtually rubbing the guest's chin while a short clip of a Rice-A-Roni trolley commercial plays.
During the course of the stream on TwitchTV, users in the chat can interact in various ways by redeeming the BenMonsterTV Twitch currency, Sea Monkey Crystals. There are also a series of commands available to users, and a customized emote set.
On April 20, 2018, the show debuted an ending segment called “Rainbow Road” in which Ben Monster offers parting words while in front of a rainbow-inspired graphic, often with a special guest.