Top 10 Things We Learned from Shane Dawson's Jake Paul Series

Well… that was certainly something. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Things We Learned from Shane Dawson’s Jake Paul Series.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the biggest reveals and shocking statements made on Shane Dawson’s web series “The Mind of Jake Paul”. Please note, we do not condone the attempted diagnosing of personality disorders or mental illness by nonprofessionals.

Of the many criticisms frequently directed at controversial YouTuber Jake Paul, the way in which he profits off of young and impressionable viewers is probably one of the most frequently cited. Going into the series, Shane made it clear that this was one of the issues he found most troubling. When the two finally get together and talk, Jake surprisingly voices a number of regrets. However, his relationship with his young viewers doesn’t seem to be among them. He doesn’t believe he’s manipulating them and doesn’t think his merchandising is problematic. That being said, he does seem to acknowledge (to a certain extent) that with great power should come some measure of responsibility.

The old Team 10 House, located in Beverly Grove, was, inside and out, a mess. The location of many of their pranks, the mini mansion weathered more than its fair share of destruction. Outside was where things got really complicated though - with tweens lining the block at all hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars inside. When the address was published online, people were quick to accuse the team of intentionally leaking it, despite their protestations. Now that Nick Crompton is no longer affiliated with Team 10, he’s gone on record confirming that it was in fact just a mistake. They never wanted the fans there.

Who could have predicted that one of the biggest curveballs in the series wouldn’t come from Jake, but rather Team 10 member Justin Roberts? What makes it so impressive is that he doesn’t even drop a Jake-related truth bomb, the revelation is just how strange this dude is. While Shane theorizes that Justin might have used his six figures to buy his way into Team 10, Nick Crompton insists that Jake only hires people in whom he sees potential. When Shane finally meets Justin face to face, he learns firsthand how unique Justin really is. He’s a total oddball, which makes his appearance one of the most puzzling and entertaining parts of the series.

Justin’s cameo may have been lighthearted, but this series had some darker moments, many of which came when people would start talking about Jake Paul’s father, Greg. As Shane explores the family history, he begins to speculate that the way Greg raised his sons may have a lot to do with their issues. Nick Crompton even reveals that the involvement of Greg was a turning point for the worse in the Team 10 house. The major reveal arrived in the final episode however, when Jake admitted that he’d asked his father to move back to Ohio and not be involved in Team 10 for the sake of their relationship.

One of the biggest debates surrounding Jake Paul is whether or not he and his girlfriend Erika Costell are really together, or whether it’s all just part of their fictionalized lives. Well… in this series, we hear from various sources and get to see firsthand that these two appear to be very much in love. Nick Crompton confirms it during his interview, and considering how candid he is about his experience with Team 10, we have no reason not to believe him. In “The Secrets of Jake Paul” we get to see Jake and Erika just hanging out and being normal. When Shane sits down with Erika alone, you can feel the love in the way she talks about Jake.

Let’s make one thing clear: racist jokes and bullying aren’t funny and are NEVER appropriate. That being said, while we think the role that the Martinez twins were expected to played in the Team 10 house was incredibly problematic, there’s probably more to this situation than the narrative they presented. In a teary-eyed video, the Twins accused Jake of bullying, painting themselves as victims of his abuse. The thing is… as Nick Crompton tells it, much of the pranks that took placein the Team 10 house were planned out ahead of time with full consent. Though we don’t doubt that they were generally mistreated, this fact does make their accusations feel a bit manipulative.

Part of the issue with the stories of abuse told by the Martinez Twins is that, according to Crompton, all the major pranks were planned ahead of time. Though this might come as a shock or disappointment to some, you don’t need to watch Jake Paul or Team 10 videos for long to see that many of these pranks take too much coordination to have the victims not be in on gag. Case and point: while the Martinez twins talked about their room being destroyed, that room was clearly a hastily erected space built with the intention of being destroyed. Apparently, the vast majority of the more elaborate pranks and stunts were similarly faked.

Sadly, this series couldn’t answer all of our questions. We did get some insight into the Jake, Logan and Alissa love triangle, but there remains some ambiguity. Like with so much of the Team 10 drama, people suspected that Alissa sleeping with Logan was manufactured drama. However in her interview with Shane, Alissa admits to sleeping with Logan. What she doesn’t agree with however is that it was cheating. According to her, she and Jake were never officially a couple and Jake often hooked up with other girls. Whatever the nature of their relationship, Jake makes it clear that he was still hurt by Alissa and Logan’s hookup

Let’s get one thing straight: personality disorders should NEVER be identified or diagnosed by nonprofessionals. And if a therapist is willing to practice their trade on YouTube, you probably shouldn’t trust their judgement either. With that being said, arguably THE biggest bomb drop of the entire series was when Logan Paul came out and admitted to Shane offscreen that he had sociopathic tendencies - stipulating that he was not, however, a sociopath. Furthermore, he told Shane that he believes Jake also has sociopathic tendencies, but that he’s actually jealous of Jake’s capacity for empathy, clarifying that he doesn’t believe Jake is a total sociopath either. Well, that settles it then.