The Fortnite player Turner “Tfue” Tenney is currently number 1 on Twitch. In an interview, he says he never really went to school but was homeschooled. His father adds: The sea was his sons’ school.
Where does the information come from? The Washington Post has written a home story about Turner “Tfue” Tenney. They visited the 22-year-old in his hometown in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida – where the ping for playing Fortnite is so high.
This is a town of 4,000 residents right on the coast, an area primarily home to the middle class. The Tenney family lives in a beach house there, and a patrol car is said to always be parked out front.
How much wealth does Tfue have? The Washington Post estimates that Tfue’s personal wealth amounts to about “4 to 6 million dollars” (3.6 million – 5.4 million euros). Only a small part of this comes from Fortnite prize money, about $600,000 (via esportsearning) – most of the money is likely earned through Twitch.
This is what Tfue says about his schooling: When asked about his experience in school, Twitch star Tfue asks: “What kind of experience?”
He says:
I was in middle school for about a week. I was terrible. I dropped out. I never really attended school. Actually, I was homeschooled.
Turner “Tfue” Tenney
Tfue’s parents divorced when he was still a child, the Post reports.
Here in the Twitch clip, you can see Richard Tenney, celebrating the qualification of his son, Tfue, for the Fortnite World Cup 2019:
Tfue’s father was concerned about safety at Florida schools
Why didn’t Tfue attend school: Tfue’s father, who is also his manager and PR agent, explains what led to the decision to homeschool his children. Richard Tenney is the father of 4 children, Tfue being the third.
Richard Tenney says that in 1988 there was a shooting at a school in Winnetka, Illinois, where he himself attended middle and high school. This shooting raised his concerns about the safety of his children. Furthermore, he says, his own experiences with Florida schools as a child left much to be desired.
Richard Tenney says that for him there was little to do with “home schooling.” He had his youngest son, when he was 14, use educational software from Khan Academy, and he progressed through high school in a month:
“The sea was their school, this is where they learned to pay attention. They worked 80-hour weeks, 100-hour weeks. I let them sell TV antennas at the flea market. They sold them all.”
Richard Tenney
Only Alex Tenney, Tfue’s older sister, has received a formal education.
The children were able to develop creatively at a young age. They started making videos at ages 12 (Jack) or 8 (Tfue). This gave them an edge when the era of internet videos began.
YouTube is the Tenney family’s business
Besides Tfue, Jack Tenney (25) is also active as an influencer. He has built a YouTube channel with 5.13 million subscribers.
Tfue himself started his career as a minor role in his brother’s videos and his group, the “Joog Squad,” which then expanded continuously until Tfue started his own thing.
Tfue’s early YouTube videos revolved around CoD or Crota kills in Destiny, until he discovered Fortnite and streaming for himself.
I am like Darth Vader – Ninja like Anakin Skywalker
How does Tfue view Ninja? According to his father, Richard Tenney, Tfue also had the opportunity to close big contracts and have all that Ninja has with appearances on TV shows or lucrative deals, but Tfue wants to focus on streaming.
Anyway, Tfue is not on good terms with Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. They know each other but are not friends.
He doesn’t really like me, so I don’t seek his company. But that was always his choice.
Tfue about Ninja
Tfue also sees clear differences between himself and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. He believes Ninja is more “brand-friendly” than he is.
I am like Darth Vader and he is like Anakin Skywalker. He is more of a kid-friendly, nice guy.
Tfue about Ninja
These are the further plans: Tfue has bought a large warehouse. The plan is evidently for Tfue and his brother Jake to open a training facility for young streamers, to show them how to develop and grow their communities.
The e-sports organization accused Tfue of planning a “own org” – but he had then replied that he was too dumb for that. Apparently, the plans referred to this training center.
