American streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed, also known as Speed, received S$10,000 from Singaporean TikToker Kevin Wee after winning a foot race on 24 September. The race took place near Arab Street during Speed’s second visit to Singapore, following a cut-short stream on 22 September. Speed was also gifted an iPhone 16 by a fan while visiting Kampong Glam to try teh tarik.
Background
Speed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., is a popular yet controversial YouTube streamer with over 31 million subscribers. His visit to Singapore was highly anticipated by local fans. During his second stream, Speed was challenged by TikTok user Kevin Wee to a foot race, with the wager being S$10,000. Wee, who runs the TikTok account Radical Kindness, admitted he was not a fan of Speed but saw the race as an opportunity for exposure.
Race
In the live stream, Wee explained that if he lost the race, he would give Speed S$10,000 to donate to a charity of his choice. Wee then revealed a thick wad of S$50 bills, much to Speed’s amazement. Despite Speed injuring his foot the previous day and Wee stretching beforehand, Speed still managed to win the race.
For charity?
Wee later took to his TikTok account to clarify his intentions. “I knew I was likely to lose, but the money was for charity,” he said. He also shared a picture of the running shoes he used and the stack of S$50 notes he lost. “He did give it back to Singaporeans too, like S$200 to the man who served him teh tarik,” Wee explained. “Whether he gives the rest is immaterial, I got my exposure and wanted to give a good impression of Singapore to viewers around the world. My objective is served.”
Speaking to Fathership, Wee mentioned that he decided to race Speed because the YouTuber is known for racing fans and has never lost a race. Wee, who has a background in tennis and track and field, said, “I knew that would not be enough to beat him but my intention was not to win, it was to provide entertainment.”
Other ways to give back?
Some users pointed out that Wee could have donated the money directly to a charity. However, Wee argued that the exposure from the stunt would exceed S$10,000 in value. He believed that Speed would keep his word and that it was ultimately Speed’s money to use. “It was up to [Speed] to keep the promise [of giving to charity] or not,” Wee said. “I saw that he used the money to give S$200 to the man that served teh tarik. He used it to pay for things throughout the stream and later [gave] a S$1,000 tip to the staff at Sentosa that helped his team with the jumps. Is that technically charity? Maybe not, but it still goes back to Singaporeans who deserve it.”
Reflections and future implications
Since the stunt, Wee has gained over 1,500 followers across various platforms. Reflecting on his interaction with Speed, Wee described it as “one neutral event in [his] life, in a series of events.” He added, “I try to take a stoic approach, not to over-glorify success and stigmatise failure. Because attachments cause suffering.”
Wee’s actions have sparked discussions on the different ways to give back to society and the impact of social media stunts. While the S$10,000 could have been donated directly to a charity, the exposure and subsequent discussions may have broader implications for how influencers and content creators approach philanthropy and community engagement in the future.
