Screengrab taken from YouTube video uploaded by Sam and Nia
They have all the ingredients for a 2015-kind of celebrity: a viral video, a heartbreaking story, a tawdry scandal, a near-brawl, a curious disappearance and, now, a happy ending.
After multiple controversies, Christian vloggers Sam and Nia Rader are back on YouTube with another "surprise" video: "SON SHOCKS MOM WITH PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENT!!"
By placing a hamburger bun in the oven of their Texas home, the couple announced to their mothers - and thousands of followers - that Nia is pregnant again. The Raders have been videotaping these intensely personal moments for years, ever since the couple went viral for the first time for singing a song from Disney's "Frozen" in their car. Like many family vloggers, they developed a following strong enough for them to quit their jobs and support their two children through YouTube payouts and product sponsorships.
Outside the world of people who watch other people's lives online, the Raders were still relatively unknown until August. That's when Sam posted: "HUSBAND SHOCKS WIFE WITH PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENT!" a viral video in which he administered a pregnancy test using a sample of his wife's urine from their unflushed toilet.
It was, at first, adorable.
With music playing in the background, Nia and her children squeal, "I'm pregnant! There's a baby in my tummy!"
But three days later, they told the world that they were heartbroken: Nia had a miscarriage.
After a tweet about how many views and subscribers this unborn baby brought their YouTube channel, many started to question whether the original announcement was authentic. Doctors, journalists and vloggers publicly critiqued the family.
Two weeks later, the couple had to shift their attention to another controversy: Ashley Madison, a website for married people who want to have affairs, had been hacked. Viewers found out that Sam had an account on the site.
Sam and Nia made a video explaining the situation. Sam spoke to the camera, while Nia nodded silently behind him. Sam said his misstep "has already been completely resolved within our family and within my church."
Before August ended, the couple was in a third kerfuffle. They were kicked out of the vlogging conference Vloggerfair after Sam began to fight with other vloggers who had criticized him online.
Finally, Sam and Nia decided it was time to take a break from YouTube. What they said would be a week-long hiatus ended up lasting nearly two months.
They returned online Oct. 10, with a non-dramatic day-to-day happening that family vlogs are known for: "NIA GOT A HAIRCUT!"
The next day, their kids played with some hammers. The next day, they went to Sam's baseball game. It seemed all back to "normal," except in the comments section:
"You guys are different now. Whether you realize it or not, you could cut the tension between the two of you with a knife."
"I hate to say this but I now don't like seeing Sam in the vlog anymore."
"I feel like now y'all are just vlogging because of the money. Y'all don't seem to enjoy it and have fun with it anymore."
And now, there's a bun in the oven. Literally. But does the world feel like watching anymore?
The couple's first "surprise" pregnancy announcement video has been viewed more than 15,595,000 times. After two days, "SON SHOCKS MOM WITH PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENT!!" is slowly inching past 170,000.