Carl’s Jr. commercial featuring Todd Gurley taking heat on the internet
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The last time we checked in with former Georgia RB Todd Gurley, he was starring in a new commercial for Carl’s Jr.
That should have been innocent enough, right?
Wrong.
Internet commenters, as they have been known to do, noticed something unusual with the commercial — the second-year Los Angeles Rams star isn’t actually taking a bite of a real burger. Adweek.com has the scoop on Burgergate:
In the spot, Gurley bites into the burger, except it’s incredibly obvious that the California Classic Double Cheeseburger in question is a CGI creation. So where’s the beef? And why swap it out for CGI? Adweek wonders if Gurley is actually a vegetarian. (But then wouldn’t he be opposed to promoting the chain in the first place?) So many questions. The “chomping down on a burger” sound effect deserves some attention as well.
YouTube commenters have been piling on Carl’s Jr., too, with user scottishzombie saying “If your CGI is going to be that bad, at least work it in as a joke.”
User Eugene Tamura wonders if Gurley couldn’t stomach the idea of taking a bite of the actual burger: “Fake burger… What does it say about the real thing?”
Meanwhile, user TheDeftZeppelin wonders if the burger is actually the best actor in the ad: “Did you guys have a hamburger wear a motion capture suit for that shot?”
With NFL minicamps underway, it would be great to see an enterprising young reporter get to the bottom of Burgergate before the season starts.
Check out the ad for yourself below.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
