If you’ve ever spent a Tuesday night staring at the ceiling wondering if aliens actually built the pyramids, you’ve probably stumbled across Traveling the Stars: Action Bronson and Friends Watch Ancient Aliens. It’s a mouthful. It’s also arguably the most honest reality television ever produced. Viceland—rest in peace to its original chaotic energy—hit gold when they realized that watching a world-class chef and rapper get incredibly high while critiquing history channel theories was exactly what the world needed.
Action Bronson is a force of nature. He’s a Queens-born powerhouse who transitioned from gourmet kitchens to the rap stage, and eventually, to a velvet couch in a green-screen studio. The premise is simple. Bronson, along with his best friends Meyhem Lauren and Big Body Bes, sits down to watch episodes of Ancient Aliens. They aren’t there to debunk the science. They aren't there to agree with Giorgio A. Tsoukalos. They’re just there to react.
It works. It works because it’s not scripted.
The Genius Behind Traveling the Stars Action Bronson
Most "reaction" content feels forced. You see influencers making "surprised faces" for thumbnails. This is the opposite. When you're looking at Traveling the Stars Action Bronson, you’re seeing a group of friends who would be doing this exact same thing in a living room in Flushing, even if the cameras weren't rolling. The chemistry between Bronson, Meyhem, and Body is the secret sauce.
Body Bes is the wildcard. He doesn’t care about the Anunnaki. He cares about whether the aliens have good leather jackets or if they can help him get a better deal on a used BMW. Meyhem is the smooth, observant one. And Bronson? He’s the ringleader, usually busy torching a massive glass rig or plating up some five-star snack that would cost $90 in a Manhattan bistro.
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The show originally spun out of a 4/20 special. It did so well that Viceland ordered a full series. Why? Because it broke the fourth wall. You see the producers. You see the guests—ranging from Tyler, The Creator to Eric André—getting genuinely confused by the clips of prehistoric flight patterns and "star gates" in Peru.
Why the High-Concept Low-Budget Vibe Ranks So High
We live in an era of over-produced garbage. Everything is polished. Everything has a "narrative arc." Bronson’s show rejected that. It’s basically a podcast you can see. Sometimes they ignore the show entirely to talk about a sandwich. Sometimes they get deep into the existential dread of being a human in a vast universe.
There’s a specific episode where Tyler, The Creator joins the couch. It’s chaotic. Tyler is fascinated by the "science" but even more fascinated by the sheer absurdity of the production. This isn't just entertainment; it’s a cultural artifact of the mid-2010s "alt-media" boom.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re trying to track down episodes now, it’s a bit of a scavenger hunt. Some are on Hulu, some live in the dusty corners of YouTube, and others are tucked away on the Vice TV app. If you’re a newcomer, don’t start at the beginning. Just pick an episode with a guest you like.
- The Alchemist: He’s almost always there, usually tucked in the corner behind a drum machine or a laptop. His beats provide the live soundtrack.
- The Food: Pay attention to what Bronson is cooking. He once made a high-end chicken parm in the middle of a segment about Egyptian hieroglyphs.
- The Guests: Keep an eye out for Schoolboy Q or Earl Sweatshirt. The energy shifts completely depending on who is on the couch.
It’s about the vibe. Honestly, if you’re looking for a rigorous scientific breakdown of whether extraterrestrials visited Earth in 3000 BC, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want to see a man in a Carhartt vest lose his mind over a CGI rendering of a UFO, you’ve found Mecca.
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The Impact on Bronson's Career
Before this, Bronson was "the rapper who used to be a chef." After Traveling the Stars Action Bronson, he became a legitimate television personality. It paved the way for Fck, That's Delicious*. It showed networks that you didn't need a host who went to broadcasting school. You just needed someone with a personality so big it couldn't be contained by a standard 16:9 frame.
He’s since lost a massive amount of weight and pivoted toward fitness and artisanal fragrance, but this era of Bronson remains the most "pure." It was peak indulgence. It was the moment where hip-hop, culinary arts, and conspiracy theories collided into something that shouldn't have worked but absolutely did.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Show
People think it’s just a "stoner show." That’s a lazy take. It’s actually an incredibly sharp piece of meta-commentary. By watching Ancient Aliens through this lens, the show highlights how ridiculous the original program actually is. When Giorgio Tsoukalos says "I'm not saying it was aliens, but it was aliens," and Big Body Bes responds by asking if the aliens have a "connect for some exotic rim packages," it exposes the absurdity of the source material better than any skeptical documentary ever could.
It’s also surprisingly educational. You end up learning about the Puma Punku or the Nazca Lines almost by accident. You’re learning through the filter of New York street culture. It’s a bridge between the academic (however loose Ancient Aliens is with that term) and the everyday.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Viewer
If you want to recapture that 2016 energy, here is how you do it properly:
- Find the Episode with Eric André: It is peak discomfort and peak comedy.
- Watch the "Special" First: The 4/20 special that started it all is the best introduction to the format.
- Check the Background: Don't just watch the main guys. Look at the crew. Look at the random people walking through the studio. The "lived-in" feel of the set is half the charm.
- Pair it with Bronson's Discography: Listen to Blue Chips 7000 right after an episode. The aesthetic carries over perfectly. It’s all one big, greasy, luxurious fever dream.
Traveling the stars with Action Bronson isn't about the destination. It’s about the snacks you eat on the way and the friends you roast in the process. It remains a masterclass in how to build a brand by simply being yourself—even if "yourself" happens to be a 300-pound Albanian rapper who thinks he might be from another galaxy.
To get the most out of your viewing experience, focus on the episodes produced between 2016 and 2019. This was the era where the budget was high enough for great guests but low enough that the "DIY" feel hadn't been polished away by corporate oversight. Search for clips specifically involving The Alchemist’s live scoring; the way he drops samples to emphasize a point about "ancient technology" is a subtle detail that makes the show infinitely more rewatchable than standard reality TV.