Martin, who longed to speak truth into the dark world of cults, died in 1989. But his legacy of cult evangelism lives on in people like Pastor Jeff Durbin, the main person behind Apologia Studios.

Even if you aren’t familiar with Durbin, you may be aware of one of Apologia Studios’ many podcasts, the most prominent of which is Cultish, “a program that explores the impact of the cults from a theological, sociological, and psychological perspective,” according to the show’s website. From Jonestown to New Age theology, Cultish (whose episodes can likewise be found on the channel) covers a wide range of subjects to equip its viewers on how to understand and reject false teaching. Likewise, Durbin practices what he preaches, evangelizing to Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, atheists and more.

But information on sects and cults and evangelism directed at their members aren’t the only thing you’ll find on Apologia Studios. The channel likewise offers theological insights into “today’s postmodern society” through Apologia Radio clips. It also heavily advocates for Pro-Life causes.

In summary, Apologia Studios just might be the channel you need to help you learn how to effectively engage with the culture and defend and proclaim the gospel.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Apologia Studios provides lots of insight into how various cults have formed, what their beliefs are and how they differ from biblical Christianity. Oftentimes, the channel will bring in someone who was once a member of said cult to provide firsthand knowledge. Listeners will gain the wisdom they need to grow in their evangelism. For instance, Apologia Studios has a video which stands as a gospel explanation specifically for Mormon believers.

In 2 Timothy 2:25-26, Paul writes that “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”Durbin puts this into active practice through his evangelism and debate videos, often spending an hour or more speaking with someone who disagrees with him in that aforementioned hope.

Durbin’s advocacy for preborn children is admirable. He encourages viewers to stand up for the rights of these babies, and he stands strong in this Christian conviction even in the face of emotional opposition.

Most importantly, however, Apologia Studios has embedded a video explaining the gospel on its YouTube home page. Anyone who visits the channel will be first confronted with the world’s most important topic before they see anything else.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Some videos, typically tagged in the title with “warning,” include debates with people who disagree with Christian views and use emotional and heavy language, including the f-word and s-word. A militant atheist wears a shirt that uses “g-dd–n.” A pro-abortion man’s sign uses the p-word to describe female genitalia.

CHANNEL SUMMARY

Durbin and the rest of the Apologia Studios team are chiefly concerned with the preaching of the gospel, whether it’s to someone who has never heard or someone who believes a false version of it. And as we, the viewers, watch Durbin engage in these necessary conversations, we may likewise grow in our confidence and ability to evangelize to a lost and broken world.

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That’s all thanks to Ben Christie, owner and creator of The Urban Rescue Ranch.

What once started with a small chicken coop at Baylor University has grown into a ranch hosting a veritable zoo—from blue jays, possums and beaver to capybara, kangaroo and ratites.

Christie began posting his videos in 2019, allowing viewers to see just how his ranch has grown and changed throughout the years. In each video, Christie updates viewers on the day-by-day tasks of the ranch and explains a bit about how he takes care of each creature he rehabilitates.

But if you skim through the titles and find them a little … off … don’t worry! Though his videos often have provocative titles that intentionally make fun of clickbait, such as “Why I Ate This Baby Raccoon (Apology Video)” or “Saving My Duck From a 14 Foot Snake (I Died)”, Christie has a wildlife rehabilitation permit and treats his animals well.

POSITIVE CONTENT

The Urban Rescue Ranch is a “prospective wildlife rehab,” taking in and rehabilitating animals that often arrive on the doorstep with injuries or diseases. The ranch fulfills a need to restore wildlife in the area, as, according to the ranch’s website, “there are no large rehabs for 100s of miles.”

Christie strives to be a good steward of the animals placed under his care. He names many of the animals who arrive and frequently checks in with them as they grow strong enough to survive in the wild.

As Christie states in a video celebrating one million subscribers, Christie, as a Christian, felt God calling him to leave his job at a tech company to pursue his animal sanctuary work full-time.

“If you believe in the literal interpretation of the Garden of Eden, then this was our original assigned task,” Christie says. “Literally, just take care of the garden and name the animals.”

It should come as no surprise that The Urban Rescue Ranch’s mission is to “share God’s beautiful design of animals while promoting, improving, and educating on animal rescue/welfare and sustainable farming/rescue practices.” And through his work and YouTube videos, Christie hopes to inspire others to take up homesteading by showing how even someone with a tiny backyard can get started rescuing animals.

CONTENT CONCERNS

The majority of the channel’s concerns come in the form of what you might expect while working on a ranch. Animals poop and vomit, and they occasionally arrive with visible injuries or diseases. And, unfortunately, some of the animals arrive too late and don’t survive. A couple dead animals (such as a chicken) appear in videos. Christie sometimes shows scratches he receives as a result of working with the animals.

The worst language we could hear in any video was “crap.”

CHANNEL SUMMARY

The Urban Rescue Ranch just might motivate you to finally start that chicken coop in your backyard you’ve been thinking about. At the very least, the channel helps to educate viewers about animal rehabilitation. And even if you have no interest in raising any animals, Christie’s channel remains a fun and informative watch for the family.

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On their channel Blackthornprod, brothers Noa and Liam Calice host something akin to a game jam.

The two brothers are passionate about game development. In fact, the majority of their channel’s videos teach viewers how they might go about it—from getting started to solving specific coding problems.

More recently, however, they’ve organized their own game-jam-like contests, bringing in other game developers to participate. And when these developers aren’t competing against each other like they would if it were a standard game jam, they’re working together.

The latter works like this: The brothers will pass along a game concept through a line of developers. Each developer, one-by-one and without communicating with one another, will build upon the previous developer’s work as they (hopefully) build the game into something engaging and fun. And after the game has passed through five or six developers, they’ll come together to play the game and offer their feedback on how the game turned out.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Blackthornprod, as mentioned before, provides some helpful advice for current or aspiring game developers on how they might spruce up their game. From creating a satisfying player character to coding dialogue, the channel has plenty of free videos that’ll help train viewers.

Though the occasional developer might feel a little upset if one of those latter developers later changed one of their earlier contributions, the collaborations hosted on Blackthornprod are generally quite friendly. Developers will often compliment each other on their creations or progress. Likewise, many developers will respect the decisions of previous developers and strive to keep them in the game, even if it means altering the game or tweaking some assets to fit them in.

Blackthornprod may create a spark for game design for viewers, too. And even if it doesn’t, the process of their creations is fun to watch.

CONTENT CONCERNS

A couple of the developers have used crude language, such as “h—.” God’s name is occasionally used in vain.

Some game concepts are based around elements of horror or the supernatural. Demonic or magical creatures appear in some of the games. Likewise, some games end up containing some blood and violence.

In one video, Noa references some artwork he’s been working on, and we see a couple portraits of naked women.

CHANNEL SUMMARY

Who knows? Maybe, one day, a game that first appeared on Blackthornprod just may also show up in our section for video game reviews. Or maybe the channel will be the spark to make your child start creating their own.

Apart from some infrequent language concerns and a couple questionable game concepts, Blackthornprod is relatively innocent. Its more recent videos feel like an online game show (no pun intended)—one that both entertains and instructs its viewers in the process that goes into game design. And while not every game ultimately works out by the end, viewers can still walk away with that added knowledge regardless.

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Just ask Nick DiGiovanni, who finished third in the 10th season of the reality cooking show MasterChef. He, along with the two other contestants, were informed that one of them would be eliminated based on the entrée they prepared, while the other two would continue on to show off their respective dessert dishes.

DiGiovanni never got to create that dessert on TV. So he took to YouTube to post a video of himself creating that would-be treat. As isolation during COVID boosted the popularity of apps like YouTube and TikTok, DiGiovanni began posting more and more content online.

Now, DiGiovanni’s YouTube channel boasts a whopping 15 million subscribers, and he’s intent on his goal to surpass Gordon Ramsay’s (mainstay judge on MasterChef) channel in followers.

But make no mistake: It’s not DiGiovanni’s time on MasterChef that’s propelled this popularity. Instead, it’s the food and personality he showcases on his channel. And whether you’re a seasoned chef, or your skills in the culinary world are a bit raw, you might just feel right at home in DiGiovanni’s kitchen.

POSITIVE CONTENT

DiGiovanni talks viewers through his recipes as he prepares them, providing both measurements as well as explanations of what effect his cooking methods will have on the final dish. Likewise, he warns about the negative results that may occur when using improper techniques.

A number of DiGiovanni’s videos also teach his audience how to do specific kitchen-based tasks, including cooking various types of steak as well as cooking essentials like chopping or plating.

DiGiovanni collaborates with many other famous YouTubers and celebrities, challenging himself with their suggestions and providing his audience with other viewpoints. In one video where DiGiovanni rates the food-based products of other YouTubers, he gives honest assessments about the quality of what he’s evaluating, rather than simply giving a good review just to maintain a relationship.

CONTENT CONCERNS

We hear God’s name taken in vain and Jesus used as an expletive. Likewise, we occasionally hear “d–n.” Heavier profanities, such as  the f- and s-words, are censored.

Some videos contain the occasional sexual quip or reference, such as pixelated blurring to make a nonsexual thing appear as crude.

CHANNEL SUMMARY

Nick DiGiovanni is a bit like cooking in a kitchen. You’ll find a lot of tasty treats and recipes that you may want to use to impress your family (or maybe just your own taste buds).

But just like a real kitchen, there are a couple things you’ll need to exercise caution about here: namely, the occasional swearing and sexual joke.

In other words, you may walk away with something delicious, but be careful that you don’t get burned in the process.

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Yes, it turns out that creating that stone axe is a little more difficult than simply punching a couple trees and mining a few stones, but Plant makes it nonetheless. The Australian YouTuber has made a whole lot more, too: clay pots, a water filter, a hut, a brick kiln, even an iron smelter. And he does it all in silence, letting only the sounds of nature and of his crafting filter into your living room.

The only rule in everything Plant does? He’s only allowed to work with what he’s made before. No saws, no hammers—nothing unless he can find it in nature and craft it into something useful.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Plant works hard to build the projects in his videos. He doesn’t cut corners, and he shows how, with enough time and effort, massive projects can be completed with very little. Additionally, Plant provides captions that explain each step of his process, and his video descriptions tell viewers about everything he did from start to finish. And while YouTube features plenty of creators copying Plant’s channel (right down to the silent, shirtless building style), our research suggests most are only faking it: Plant’s creations are (according to our research) absolutely genuine.

Because Plant doesn’t say anything in his videos, viewers won’t need to worry about any crude language.

CONTENT CONCERNS

The only potential thing to note is that Plant always works shirtless.

CHANNEL SUMMARY

Primitive Technology feels like taking a step back in time. The channel walks its viewers through every part of a project’s process, and viewers can see exactly how some ancient creations may have originally been made. Parents shouldn’t need to worry about letting their children watch—unless they’re afraid that Plant might accidentally encourage the kid to start his or her own iron smelter in the backyard.

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Well, maybe, unless you watched the YouTube channel Joshua Weissman, on which Weissman has a playlist full of videos where he shows you how to make food faster than said restaurants.

Fair, but isn’t food made at a restaurant generally tastier than homemade stuff?

You might think so, unless you then watched Weissman’s playlist. He shows you how to recreate and improve upon famous fast-food recipes.

Alright, alright, you got me. But what about cost? Does Josh also show you how to create meals for much cheaper?

I’m glad you asked. Yes, he does.

To summarize, Joshua Weissman helps you learn how to make faster, tastier and cheaper meals than you can get from your local drive-thru fast-food service joint, all from the comfort of your own kitchen.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Weissman often breaks down why he does the things he does to educate viewers on the cooking process, and he sprinkles humor into his videos too. Even if you’ve never touched a frying pan in your life, you’ll likely still feel a boost of confidence through the channel.

Though he is a good cook, Weissman isn’t a culinary snob. He appreciates the taste and value of things like instant ramen and fast food, though he personally prefers to spruce them up a bit. And to that end, on videos where he ranks items from various fast-food restaurants, he often sprinkles in as many compliments as he does criticisms.

Finally, Weissman often talks his friends into trying many of his creations. He’ll cook a steak several different ways, for instance, and add a variety of sauces to the menu, too. Then he’ll have his friends taste and rank how tasty each method is, using the data to learn how to make the meal even more appetizing.

CONTENT CONCERNS

While the f-word and s-word are used, they are censored. However, swears like “a–,” “h—” and “b–tard” are not. Additionally, God’s name, including in the form of “g-dd–n,” is not censored.

We also hear the very occasional sexual quip. In one video, the camera briefly focuses on a fridge magnet that’s in the shape of male genitalia that’s on a college man’s fridge. And in a video about eating spicy food, we hear a couple jokes about defecation. In one video, he briefly wears feminine clothing for a joke.

CHANNEL SUMMARY

In some ways, when a cooking channel brings on a professional chef in a white jacket, viewers can be confident that they’re getting good advice—but it can also make some of their cooking methods feel out of reach.

Weissman is a professional chef, just as those white-jacketed cooks are. But his demeanor, humor and casual videos help to bridge that experience gap, reassuring viewers that his videos aren’t just for those with a few perfectly cooked pork chops under their belt. Furthermore, in making videos that appeal to cost and speed rather than just flavor, Weissman helps to address two often unaddressed factors that might discourage people from cooking.

That’s all great news for both new and…ahem…seasoned home cooks alike. But parents will also want to be aware of some swear words and a couple sexual jokes that are uttered in Weissman’s videos, too.

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Cassie may not be a doctor or lawyer, but she’s certainly no failure.

During high school, Cassie had proclaimed that her dream career would be fashion designing. But her parents convinced her to attend college and work toward a medical profession.

Cassie’s future had other things in store.

Whenever she needed a break from homework, Cassie started a Pilates workout (a set of exercises focused on flexibility, strength and mindfulness). Often her friends joined. Cassie soon landed a job as a certified Pilates instructor and launched her YouTube channel, Blogilates.

Since then, Cassie Ho’s audience has grown to more than 8 million subscribers who look forward to her exercise tutorials, nutrition tips and lifestyle videos. She focuses on establishing healthy habits and inspiring people to be the best versions of themselves. Her workouts range from 30-minute challenges to 20-second clips on YouTube Shorts.

Cassie’s bright personality encourages her viewers to tackle even the most demanding exercises. And using the platform of Blogilates, Cassie launched an athletic clothing line called Popflex, allowing her childhood dream of becoming a fashion designer to actualize, too.

POSITIVE CONTENT

In my experience, fitness content tends to focus on weight loss and being skinny (especially when aimed at women). But Cassie’s approach is different. Although she does have some videos about waist training and losing weight, she strongly emphasizes that health and exercise is an individual experience. Her mission in posting workout tutorials is to help her viewers become the best versions of themselves. She notes that different bodies respond to exercise differently, and that’s OK.

In fact, in her video, “The ‘Perfect’ Body,” Cassie wanted to “battle body shaming and cyberbullying.” She responded to unkind YouTube comments about her body by making a satirical video. In it, she Photoshopped herself into having the “perfect” figure. In doing so, Cassie reminded her viewers that someone’s body doesn’t tell the whole story when it comes to that person’s fitness level.

Cassie’s expertise in the fitness world (as a certified Pilates instructor) adds to the usefulness of her channel. Not only does she provide valuable tips for nutrition and exercise, but she also shares physiological information about the workouts she leads. Cassie also speaks to women’s health. In her video, “Losing My Period,” Cassie talks about the harm of extreme exercise and diet by sharing her experience with amenorrhea.

Plus, on a less serious note, Cassie’s encouraging words and lively personality make her videos enjoyable (even if the workouts are challenging).

CONTENT CONCERNS

Some might consider Cassie’s fitness wear (including sports bras and leggings) to be a bit revealing, but no more so than what anyone would typically see at any gym.

Likewise, a majority of Cassie’s YouTube Shorts advertise and display her Popflex athletic line. She discusses how the clothing items fit on certain parts of her body, and Cassie will occasionally mention specific parts of female anatomy. To demonstrate the fit of her products, Cassie might squat or bend over, and some of the items Cassie models from her swimsuit line can also be revealing.

Cassie’s videos contain advertisements for her clothing line, and some of her earlier content includes sponsorship from other companies.

In addition to being a physical workout, Pilates is also a “mindset” exercise. Usually, Cassie’s references to this aspect of Pilates are positive. She talks about how working out can improve mental health, and she promotes positive self-image. However, sometimes Cassie includes messages about living your personal “truth.”

On her main YouTube channel, there’s not too much in the way of language concerns. Occasionally, Cassie will misuse God’s name while doing a difficult workout. In a collaboration video with other YouTubers, we hear someone voice the unfinished phrase, “Where the eff—?” Another person nearly uses an s-word.

Cassie’s YouTube Shorts can be more problematic, language-wise. Sometimes the music that underscores these videos includes uncensored profanity and other objectionable content.

CHANNEL SUMMARY

It’s refreshing to see a female fitness influencer who advocates for a positive outlook on body image. Young girls can easily become obsessed with the lie that diets and weight loss are the only path to beauty. Cassie Ho dispels that deception, emphasizing the message that fitness should ultimately make you feel healthy (not conform to impossible beauty standards that undermine your self-esteem).

Some of Cassie’s videos (especially her YouTube Shorts) include profanity, and parents of younger viewers should note that a few videos exist to sell Cassie’s clothing products. Still, Blogilates offers generally clean content. And Cassie Ho’s upbeat workout tutorials might provide necessary inspiration to start your own fitness journey.

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Since 2012, Rob’s been leading his wife, Teryn, and their children, Jack, Hadley, Austin and Olivia, in learning how to draw all sorts of things. They’ve gone through countless markers and sheets of paper—after all, the channel’s uploaded nearly 2,500 videos since its inception!

And if you’ve got a pencil and paper at home, you can follow along, too! In each video, Rob will lead one member of his family in a step-by-step process to create whatever they plan on drawing, explaining helpful tips to achieve the desired result.

Rob’s most important tip? To practice—and have fun while doing it.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Art for Kids Hub offers engaging and easy-to-understand commentary that kids will have little trouble following. This makes sense, as because Rob is guiding his own children in each video, his approach is suited for younger audiences. Parents likewise won’t need to worry about swear words.

With thousands of videos (and a new one uploaded almost daily), children will be able to find instruction on how to draw things that personally interest them.

The videos on the channel as a whole span a wide range in drawing difficulty, which makes them accessible to a variety skill levels, More advanced designs are typically tackled by Rob with his older children, while easier drawings are paired with Rob’s younger kids.

Additionally, Rob and Teryn’s love for their children is evident in each video.

CONTENT CONCERNS

We did not see anything of concern in the videos we watched.

CHANNEL SUMMARY

Art for Kids Hub could be a great teaching resource to inspire your child in his or her artistry. Whether your child wants to learn how to draw a character from a movie, their favorite animal or more, it may be worth considering checking out Art for Kids Hub.

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As it turns out, there’s more than one way to crack an egg—and no, we’re not talking in the literal sense (though that’s true, too). Take our review for You Suck at Cooking, whose video style vastly contrasts that of Bon Appétit videos. Not only do we write reviews for channels that are popular and likely to appear on your homepage, but we also look for unique channels which are more likely to gain viewers because of their ingenuity. (If you were wondering, that latter point is why you don’t see many reviews for the thousands of toy unboxing channels.)

Epicurious offers a plethora of video genres for its viewers—all centered around food. You could almost think of it as the supermarket of YouTube cooking channels—with plenty of variety down every aisle.

Some Epicurious videos feature comparisons between amateur cooks and professional chefs. In Pro Chef vs. Home Cook, for instance, the two swap their (vastly different) ingredients—the pro chef must work with grocery store products, and the home cook must cook with fancy ingredients. Meanwhile, the 4 Levels series shows how three people of varying skill levels make the same food, and a “4^th level” food scientist to review each cook’s work scientifically.

Other series are made to help people learn basic skills in the kitchen. The humorous Basic Skills Challenge asks 50 average people to perform a food-related task, such as chopping an onion or breaking open a coconut (to varying results). Each video ends with a professional instructor teaching the proper way to accomplish the task. Method Mastery teaches viewers how to work with entire food groups, such as “How to Fillet Every Fish” or How to Grind Every Spice.” Similarly, The Big Guide takes its audience through how to effectively use foods from a food group in their cooking, such as in “Picking The Right Mushroom For Every Recipe.”

Another set of video groups centers on listening to expert opinion. In Price Points, experts discuss how to tell cheaper products from more expensive products, and they use their knowledge to determine which of two similar items is more expensive. In Well Equipped, a design expert tests out kitchen products and rates their effectiveness and usability. He also draws concept sketches on how to improve each product. Epicurious 101 videos teach the best and worst ways to do a variety of things around the kitchen—from making pancakes to cleaning a cast-iron skillet.

And if you’re just looking for a bit of fun, Kids Try offers a variety of foods to children to gobble up and watch their reactions, such as in “Kids Try 100 Years of Candy From 1900 to 2000.”

Positive Content

The channel offers many informative videos on just about anything you could want to know about working with food. While some videos are made to help guide viewers through making a dish, others are simply for fun or to help explain why cooking-related things may or may not work.

Some videos show how even the cheaper ingredients from your local grocery store can be turned into delicious meals. And many of the featured experts admit that sometimes, the cheaper stuff can be better, whether it’s for practical reasons or just because the fancy stuff isn’t worth the price.

Content Concerns

Epicurious is evidently a play on “Epicurius,” a Greek philosopher whose philosophy insisted that pleasure is the “chief good in life.” This was especially true for its adherents in regards to food and drink. While the channel doesn’t make any reference to the philosophy apart from its name, we still felt it worth a mention.

There are some language issues on the channel. Through our viewings, the primary swears were “h—” and misuses of God’s name. Jesus’ name was abused once. We also heard someone say that they were going to “F up,” and one use of the s-word was censored. In “$250 vs $25 Pasta Bolognese,” the home cook makes a couple suggestive remarks about the meat before commenting on how it sounded dirty to say. And in one video where 50 people identify cuts of meat, one woman comments that she thinks a section of meat might’ve been the cow’s genitalia.

As a cooking channel, some videos center around alcoholic beverages. And some videos pertaining to cutting and filleting meat may contain a bit of blood.

Channel Summary

Like many YouTube channels, Epicurious remains generally educational and fun but suffers from the occasional bit of crude language. If you sit down to watch this food channel, just be ready to expect a little sour content.

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One of the most popular channels for such home cooks is Bon Appétit, named after its decades-old magazine. With its hundreds of videos, viewers can start searing, sautéing or simply salivating to their heart’s content.

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