'We wanted to prove a point’: Truth behind that Bieber burrito-gate image (VIDEO)

A viral image, supposedly showing Justin Bieber eating a burrito like a corn on the cob, sparked a tidal wave of disgust across US media. However, the photo has been revealed as nothing more than a prank by a group of Youtubers.

The bizarre burrito eating image dominated morning shows across the US, as hosts expressed horror and dismay at the pop star purportedly eating the popular Mexican snack sideways. Bieber was accused of being a “sociopath” or a burrito virgin, while some horrified onlookers assumed the baffling burrito eating method was because he’s Canadian.

The story was picked up by USA Today, Vice, Vanity Fair and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others. The Washington Post and Buzzfeed also reported on it, but included speculation that the photograph could have been of a Bieber impersonator. Buzzfeed’s journalist even examined Bieber's nails and eyebrows in their investigation.

It has since been revealed that the Bieber burrito scandal was nothing more than a prank carried out by a group of Youtubers called Yes Theory, who were likely hoping to bring attention to their brand.

The Yes Theory guys photographed a Bieber look-alike eating the burrito and sat back and watched the world implode.

First, Yes Theory found a Bieber look-alike called Brad Sousa. Then they came up with an idea that would get the world’s attention.

“We were trying to think of something that would offend the internet,” they explained in a video revealing the prank.

Once they decided on the burrito, the team had to make their Bieber look exactly as the real Bieber looks today, from his hair to his tattoos, before shooting the offending image.  

“The thing is, to get this to go viral, we have to have people in the news think it’s real,” a member of the team says. “Those are the people that are going to spread it, right?”

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After posting the image on Reddit, the team waited for the internet to do its thing. They reposted it to another sub-reddit and it soon reached the top spot. The group were inundated with media requests for interviews and played along before deciding to reveal their elaborate prank.

“We wanted to prove a point, that staging a story, as goofy as it was, can be done much more easily than most people can imagine,” Yes Theory explained.

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