On Twitch, 3 streamers are currently trying to live like homeless people for 4 days. This is all for a good cause, but there is still criticism.
What is this action about? The Twitch streamers Maximilian “Trymacs” Stemmler, his brother “Nici”, and Paul Frege are currently hosting a streaming event where they aim to survive on the streets of Lisbon for 4 days without money.
This is called “Bettel Royal” and is being broadcast around the clock on all 3 channels. At the start in the early afternoon of August 12, 2025, around 23,000 people were already watching.
The initiative serves a good cause: All the donations the streamers receive will be multiplied by ten and donated to the homeless aid of the German Red Cross. Despite this noble goal, criticism is pouring in on social media.
Good action or just poverty as a costume?
What is being criticized? For many viewers, the action has an unpleasant undertone despite the streamers’ intentions to donate. After all, in the case of Trymacs, we are talking about someone who earns over 1 million euros a year just from YouTube, and who now wants to “scrounge” from people who likely have much less.
The streamers have put together outfits from brand-name clothing that supposedly represent their vision of homelessness. According to Trymacs, his top is self-explanatory – and his hat doesn’t even have a brim.
One user writes on Reddit: “Completely unpleasant format, extremely condescending. Personally, I actually feel nauseous when I see millionaires like Max [Trymacs] cosplaying a bit of poverty just for fun. Nice […] knowing they can step out at any time.”
In the comments, one person shares their own experiences with homelessness:
I could cry. Poverty is not cosplay. And it is not a content format. Just like being homeless is not. Why don’t people get that this is not funny? Is it some sort of sensationalism, like: hehe, I’ll never have that, I’ll just watch how people suffer, and then say they shouldn’t be so dramatic?
I almost died on the street, I’ve been there often enough to see how others are. This constant fear, not knowing how to buy food when something breaks, how to get shoes for the winter, and they think it’s funny to scrounge for a good cause? And to take away space from people who are scrounging? The fixed place that they rely on because they are not millionaires.
via Reddit
I can only cry at such things.
There is also criticism regarding the name of the format. “Bettel Royal” seems to some like making fun of the people they supposedly want to help. Furthermore, there is product placement in the stream and a command in the chat promoting Trymacs’ products – instead of addressing the issues at hand.
Others believe that the streamers could have hosted a “normal” donation stream or could have donated the money out of their own pockets. If they truly wanted to raise awareness about the reality of homelessness, they could have accompanied affected people as well, it is further stated.
However, there are also viewers who see more positives in the format. After all, everything is done for a good cause, and the initiative could also raise more awareness about homelessness. Some find the format simply funny.
That it can also be done differently is shown by the “Friendly Fire” crew around Gronkh and Pietsmiet. During the annual charity stream, the participants also provide entertainment, but not at the expense of the people they want to support. Trump cuts humanitarian aid, now Gronkh and other Twitch streamers are helping out
