Several of YouTube’s biggest names and participants in the 2026 Internet Invitational are sending personal messages to Salim the Dream, who is becoming infamous for how intoxicated he was in the finale of this year’s event, essentially ruining the competition.
For those who haven’t seen the final episode, Team Red lost to Team Blue because Salim, in an alternate shot format, was so drunk that he couldn’t hit the ball straight, essentially making it a 2-vs-3 matchup. Dave Portnoy, who created and produced the series, has said Salim won’t be back, and is comtemplating a three-to-five year suspension.
Salim, meanwhile, has gone on several podcasts since the episode aired, apologizing for his behaviour and likely costing his teammates $1.3 million each. He’s also confirmed he’s gone 90 days sober.
YouTube Stars Sending Their Personal Messages
Names like Brad Dalke and Rick Shiels have taken to their own platforms to send messages to Salim.
“I went through my phase of alcohol, and it is a miserable and slippery slope that is hard to stop. I know a lot of people are frustrated with the finish of the series but give Salim a break. I’ve talked to him since, and it seems like he is determined to make a change, and he’s already shown that. Sometimes it takes rock bottom to make a change in your life, and the crappy part is this was a $4 million rock bottom. He’s human just like the rest of us.”
Shiels posted a video with his honest opinion of the way things ended and shared his own personal struggles with alcohol, choosing to cut it out of his life from 2024 to 2026. He’s slowly reintroduced it into his life, but in a sensible way. He said he feels sick for Salim, who had to have spent three months living with the fear of not knowing what all he said and did, only to find out when the videos were released.
The Sad Realities of Alcoholism
Everyone who has commented on the finale and shared their personal feelings all seem to have one thing in common: the realities of alcoholism as a disease are scary and Salim let his demons get the best of him.
The hope is that he finds a way to stay sober beyond the 90 days, even if he never returns to the event. If he does, one of the storylines of 2027’s series will be his redemption arc.
There’s a difference between having a few drinks during a competition like this to take the edge off—the pressures of playing for $4 million are real—and what Salim did was beyond reasonable. His actions have led to a lot of online hate, and it’s taken a few YouTube personalities to step in and calm the comments and help people understand how unfortunate the whole thing was.
Big John and Ryan Whitney both say they’ve forgiven Salim. Not everyone has. Hopefully, all involved are rooting for him to get the help he seems to need.
Several Internet Invitational Stars Send Personal Messages To Intoxicated Competitor