This is a bit of a departure from our usual interviews, because Olivia Vessel and Joe Russell are most definitely insane(!) and they don’t actually make cheese. They are cute, though.
Maybe we’re being overly optimistic, but we think they are probably on the verge of becoming cheese makers. In the latest episode of their YouTube channel, The Cheese Show, they actually melt mozzarella curds and stretch them. That, as you know, is halfway toward making actual cheese.
We’re doing what we can to assimilate them into our culture.
Olivia’s Story
Every Wednesday, Joe (comedian) and I (his girlfriend) sit down together on our velvet green couch to eat a cheese, write a song about it, and RATe it on a scale of 1-5 rats.
This week for our anniversary episode, Joe popped the question, with mozzarella whey still dripping off my hands!
Though our Cheese Show is normally very comedic, Joe surprised me (and our viewers) with a vulnerable and earnest proposal. He was shaking he was so nervous! Only after I said, “yes” and tears were shed did Joe manage to toss in a joke, calling me his, “cheddar cheese girl.”
It is clear in the comment section that the raw, personal proposal came as a shock to many of our weekly viewers, who have come to expect musical parodies, irreverent jokes, and plenty of laughter. And indeed the episode did include plenty of jokes!
Before Joe popped the question, our anniversary episode was all about making mozzarella.
The sudden shift from humor to romance clearly affected our viewers emotionally in an unexpected way. “It’s not even 12, bro, I can’t be weeping like this,” “I definitely got misty you adorable a-holes,” and of course many commenters couldn’t help but make some jokes themselves, “that proposal got me a little verklempt. Very touching…but it was a little ‘CHEESY.'”
In the midst of the last couple years we’ve had, it is nice to see such a joyous moment caught on film! Plus, can’t we all use a little extra cheese in our lives?
How it all began …
Joe is a professional video editor (has worked on shows like 90 Day Fiancé) and does stand-up, and I am an actress and have worked in film and tv production. Since we first met, 7 years ago, we’d always end up writing silly songs and sketches when we were together.
I had been taking cheese classes at Murray’s cheese for a couple years. I’ve always loved cheese! In fact, one of the reasons Joe and I met is because he described himself as a “lover of cheese” too!
For years when we’d go out to dinner together, we’d order a cheese plate anytime it was an option on a menu. I got really into the cheese classes, took copious notes, and ended up with a ton of knowledge that had very little use in my life (outside of wowing friends with a great pairing at parties).
Meanwhile, Joe and I were both busy using our production skills to work on projects for other artists in our spare time. I was editing a web series, and Joe was producing a video podcast. When we decided we’d rather use our spare time and skills for our own projects, it wasn’t long before we landed on the idea that turned into The Cheese Show.
People sometimes ask us if it’s difficult working together on The Cheese Show, but actually we can’t STOP working together! Our whole relationship is founded on trying to make the other person laugh, so we’re constantly doing silly voices and coming up with characters and story ideas.
