TikTok stars The Caleon Twins bring their influence to 'Family Feud Canada'
It takes two, baby!
The Caleon sisters are not only identical twins, but a viral sensation online — with more than 3.4 million followers on TikTok, and 343,000 subscribers on YouTube. We got a chance to chat with Samantha and Madeleine about their experience on Family Feud Canada, which airs on January 6 at 7:30 p.m. (8NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.
If you don't know TikTok — or maybe you've heard of it, but you're not 100 per cent sure how it's different from other social platforms — the sisters explain it this way:
"TikTok is an app where anyone is able to express themselves. Whether it be through dancing, singing, cooking, DIYs etc. TikTok allows people to share their passions and hobbies with others!"
The thing about social media is that you never predict when things will take off or go viral. But the Caleon sisters are no strangers to the excitement of going viral online. "It was probably our second or third month of being on the app where we realized that our account was growing really fast!"
"Every day we would see our followers increase by the thousands and would be in awe watching the numbers go up. When we hit our first million followers we still couldn't believe that there were that many people who wanted to watch our videos!"
Keeping it in the family
If you scroll through their feed, you can often see the Mom and Dad Caleon taking part in the TikTok dances. We asked the sisters how they felt about including their parents into their online fun, and if they ever have feuds with their own family.
"We thought that it would be a fun way for our followers to get to know us better and see the relationship that we have as a family! They seem to like whenever our mom and dad make a cameo appearance in our videos. Just like any other family, there are times where we do feud! But we get over it really fast and we're not the type of people to hold grudges. Our family is super close and we love spending time with one another."
Do mom and dad have any say on the content they produce? "We usually tell them what to do in our videos since we are more familiar with the types of content that do good on our profile! If they have suggestions we try and incorporate them when we film!"
An opportunity to shine
We asked the sisters what it was like deciding to audition for Family Feud Canada, and if it was any different from their usual process of creating a TikTok. "We wanted our audition video to be very fun and comedic while showing our bond as a family! We did some comedic skits in which we gave reasons as to why we should be on the show! We definitely got inspiration from TikTok when it came to making our audition video! TikTok pushes us to be creative when creating content and we wanted to do the same when it came to our audition video for Family Feud Canada."
TikTok vs. TV
The twins felt no difference in getting ready to create a TikTok versus preparing to be on television for Family Feud Canada. How did the Caleon sisters prep for the big day? "It felt normal to get ready for our Feud episode in the sense that we dress up and do our makeup when we create online content as well. The difference came to preparing for the potential questions that we would be asked. Rather than brainstorming content ideas or practicing short TikTok videos, we were watching previous Feud episodes to get familiar with the game."
These sisters clearly know a thing or two about navigating the app, so they gave some insider scoop on the ins and outs of TikTok, and how to curate it to your personal interests. So, how does one get into TikTok-ing?
"First, we'd ask what their interests are and from there we would recommend some accounts that we know that they should follow! If they like to dance, we recommend they follow some awesome dancers on TikTok such as @charlidamelio or @nianaguerrero. If they are an animal lover, we recommend accounts like @heresyourmonkeycontent or @what_about_bunny. There are endless accounts to suit a variety of interests!"
The Caleon twins left behind some helpful TikTok tips for Gerry Dee and had these parting words to say:
"Be consistent and post videos that you are passionate about! Your followers love to see your content so try your best to post as regularly as you can! The love and passion shows through the videos you create, so choose a niche that you are passionate about and enjoy!"
Whether you are a viral sensation online or not, TikTok is a great way to share your passion, and the Caleon sisters have found a way to make their hobby into something that not only their family, but now the world can enjoy.