A Czech barber is gaining international attention for his unscripted and often satirical video sketches posted to Instagram. Zbyněk Paleček, 30, of Frýdek-Místek, has amassed a following of nearly 20,000 users with content born from a decade-long personal project that recently went viral. Paleček balances his newfound online fame with his profession, continuing to cut hair as his primary source of income while creating humorous videos reacting to trends and everyday life.
A Czech barber is quickly becoming an online sensation, and he’s not letting newfound fame change his day job. Zbyněk Paleček, who recently turned 30, has amassed nearly 20,000 followers on Instagram thanks to his hilarious and often irreverent video sketches – a far cry from the five thousand he initially hoped for by the end of the year.
Paleček, based in Frýdek-Místek, began creating videos as a personal experiment roughly a decade ago, but only recently started actively sharing them. “I’ve been filming for a really long time, maybe ten years. I just never put it out there as actively,” he explains. “Then I told myself I wanted to have five thousand followers on Instagram by the end of the year. And I did it… and then it just exploded.”
“Bitchelor” and Capturing a Moment
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The breakout success came with his parodies of the reality show The Bachelor. Surprisingly, Paleček admits he’s not a fan of the series. “I don’t really like it. My ex-girlfriend and I used to watch it and we’d often laugh at some of the things that were said,” he says. That spontaneous reaction led to “Bitchelor” – a series of videos that launched him as a visible creator.
“I wanted to react to the trends that were happening. The Bachelor was on TV, so I called it ‘Bitchelor’ and it took off. It really happened from minute to minute,” he describes.
Keeping it Real: No Scripts or Rehearsals
Authenticity is key to Paleček’s creative process. “I turn on the camera and just go for it. I don’t have anything prepared. It’s as authentic as possible,” he says. He’s found that any attempt at planning stifles the humor. “As soon as I tried to plan something, the humor disappeared. I just focused on what I was going to say, and it wasn’t the same. So now I just let it flow. No preparation, no beating around the bush,” he adds.
He applies the same spontaneous approach to collaborations. “When someone reaches out, I say, ‘Turn on the camera, I’ll just riff, and then we’ll edit it together,’” he admits. Filming is often assisted by friends – or a self-rotating tripod.
That reliance on friends can sometimes lead to multiple takes. “I don’t have outbursts during filming, I can play it through. The problem is with the people who are filming me. Because they really laugh and can’t control themselves. So sometimes they ruin the take because they burst out laughing, but that doesn’t bother me,” he explains.
The Asian Manicurist and Ožgor
His most viral video features a character – an Asian manicurist speaking broken Czech – has garnered over two million views and continues to be widely shared. “My partner suggested it. She said that’s how it really is in those salons. We tried it… and it exploded. Even more,” Paleček recalls. He believes the character resonated with both women and men, tapping into a relatable, everyday experience.
Another popular character is Ožgor. “Ožgor is just Ožgor,” he laughs. “A bit of a goofball. I use a voice and language that I invented. It’s not a reference to any ethnicity, people just enjoy how I speak,” he adds, noting that the female character remains the most popular.
Humor in the Age of Hyper-Correctness
With a growing audience comes criticism. Some viewers have found his videos to be demeaning or even racist. Paleček disagrees. “I definitely don’t mean to offend anyone. That’s not the intention,” he says. His experience living in Austria for two years informs his perspective. “I know how difficult it is to learn a foreign language. And Czech is a really difficult language. So I admire foreigners for even trying. My appearance or language in the videos is just meant to be funny.”
He clarifies that the humor is self-deprecating. “I’m not making fun of them, I’m making fun of myself. And I have to admit, I watch the videos with some of my Asian customers and they laugh too. So I would sum it up as: ‘100 people, 100 tastes,’” he says.
And if someone doesn’t like the content – whether they’re Czech or foreign? “No one has to watch it. They can block me if they want,” he says, adding that while his content has reached as far as Prague, his biggest fanbase remains in Frýdek-Místek and Ostrava.
“We have a rougher sense of humor. Like Štěpán Kozub. I love him, he’s not afraid to make fun of everything. Our humor is direct, we don’t mince words here. That’s why I wasn’t afraid to release this kind of content. I don’t really like the current times. I don’t like how everyone walks on eggshells,” he explains. “We used to make fun of everything. I don’t want to be specific. Today you say something and it’s just bad and everything is wrong. I see it as pure humor – humor and maybe a little bit of a fight against hyper-correctness.”
It’s All About Having Fun
Despite his growing numbers, Paleček doesn’t consider himself a professional creator. “It doesn’t support me. Cutting hair still does, and it will continue to,” he says frankly. He makes videos primarily because he enjoys them – and because others do too. Positive feedback is a bonus. Receiving comments from David Gránský or Vlaďka Erbová felt like a sign that his content was reaching a wider audience and genuinely entertaining people.
As for the future, he doesn’t have any concrete plans. “The ideas come to me in a flash. Tomorrow I might release a video where I play an Italian. So I’m expanding my scope and adding another country,” he smiles. One thing is certain: he’ll remain true to himself. “I’m the same in real life as I am online. Natural. Normal. And probably funny,” he concludes with a smile.
