Not to be confused with Completionist.
The Completionist
Birth nameJirard Khalil
Birth dateJanuary 3, 1988
Birth placeLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation
EducationCalifornia State University, Fullerton
Youtube display nameThe Completionist
Youtube handle@ThatOneVideoGamer
Youtube display name 2Super Beard Bros
Youtube handle 2@superbeardbros
Youtube years active2012–2024, 2025–present
Youtube genre
Youtube subscribers1.42 million
Youtube views346 million
Stats updateOctober 22, 2025

Jirard Khalil (born January 3, 1988) is an American YouTuber, internet personality and reviewer known online as The Completionist, the titular character of a web series Khalil created in 2012, in which he previously referred to by his nickname, "Dragonrider". Khalil's content focuses on him reviewing and playing video games to 100% completion, uncovering every aspect found in the game.[1] Throughout his career on YouTube, Khalil has uploaded reviews of over 340 games.[2] He was also affiliated with the YouTube network and gaming collective Normal Boots.

Khalil joined the TV network G4 during their 2021–2022 revival as a host of Xplay and Attack of the Show!, and debuted his series God of Work on the network. A member of the Open Hand Foundation charity, he co-organized IndieLand, an annual livestream event showcasing indie games to raise money for dementia research. Following charity fraud allegations involving Open Hand, Khalil resigned from the charity in 2023 and was removed from the podcasts Friends Per Second Podcast and Super Beard Bros, which he had co-hosted since their creation.[3] He posted an apology video in 2025 claiming the California Department of Justice has an ongoing inquiry into Open Hand, and announcing a return to video production after a year-long hiatus.

Early life

Khalil was born on January 3, 1988, and is a native of Los Angeles, California.[‡ 1][2] He is also the brother of Kellee Khalil, an entrepreneur who founded the wedding planner website Lover.ly.[4] He is of Lebanese descent.[‡ 2]

Khalil attended California State University, Fullerton.[2] After Khalil got his college degree in theater and film, he worked at Best Buy. After his manager pushed him to pursue his YouTube dreams full time, Khalil started his YouTube channel, originally called ThatOneVideoGamer but later renamed The Completionist.[5][6]

Career

Khalil's YouTube career began in 2012.[6] He had attempted to start his YouTube career multiple times, but had restarted due to a lack of success in gaining an audience.[6] After meeting internet personality Arin Hanson, Khalil became inspired to launch his YouTube career again, with an emphasis towards playing video games to 100% completion.[6] Khalil's content on The Completionist involves him reviewing and discovering every aspect of a video game, including completing the game on all difficulty options, finding every collectible and defeating every boss.[1][5] At the end of his reviews, Khalil also shows the number of hours taken to complete the game along with the amount of collectibles he acquired.[6] He stated that his style of completing games originated from his childhood, where he often played games repeatedly in order to convince his parents to buy him new games.[6] Mike Andronico of CNN described Khalil's videos as "backed by his articulate, authoritative and entertaining narration, which make the channel's deep dives on retro games and modern blockbusters accessible for even non-gamers."[5]

Khalil worked on The Completionist with collaborator Greg Wilmot.[7] However, due to a falling out between the two members, the first 120 episodes of the series were removed, leading Khalil to recreate the episodes.[8] In addition to The Completionist, he also created Let's Play videos on the channel Super Beard Bros. with collaborators Alex Faciane and Brett Bayonne.[2][9]

Khalil was a member of Normal Boots, a YouTube gaming network featuring creators such as PeanutButterGamer, JonTron and ProJared.[10][11] He signed with the Creative Artists Agency in 2020 alongside YouTuber Alpharad.[12] In 2021, as a part of Sonic's 30th Anniversary, the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel featured a new series called Sonic Rings. In the series, Khalil discusses his history with the franchise.[13] That same year, Khalil joined the TV network G4 during their revival as a co-host of Xplay and Attack of the Show.[5][14] He debuted his series, God of Work, in August 2022, which aired on both G4 and his channel.[5] Co-created by Khalil with Emily Rose Jacobson, the premise involves Khalil portraying Kratos from God of War in an office setting.[5][15] Several months later, G4 was shut down in November 2022 after averaging 1,000 viewers, the lowest of any American cable network at the time.[16]

On March 18, 2023, Khalil uploaded a video about buying every single Nintendo Wii U and 3DS game from the Nintendo eShop before the online store closed in 2023.[17][18] The project took 328 days and cost $22,791, split between $9,673 in 866 purchased Wii U games and $13,118 in 1547 purchased 3DS games.[18][19][20] Involving the use of 464 redeemed eShop cards, the video was funded by multiple sponsorships throughout 2022.[17][21] Khalil planned to donate the consoles to the VGHF.[10][22][23][24] In the midst of discussion regarding video game preservation following the eShop's closure, Khalil's video was regarded by game historians as an example of legal preservation.[22][23] Dustin Bailey of GamesRadar+ explained that though the games have already been preserved illegally, Khalil's undertaking ensured that the VGHF would possess a legal collection of games for creating a digital lending library.[23]

Other ventures

Open Hand Foundation and donation controversy

Main article: IndieLand

Following the death of his mother in 2013 from frontotemporal dementia, Khalil organized the annual livestream charity event IndieLand under the Open Hand Foundation, a charity founded by his father Charles Khalil.[12][25] The event centers around showcasing various indie games along with interviews with developers and guest appearances from gaming personalities, with the intent to raise funds for dementia research.[26][27]

In November 2023, YouTubers Karl Jobst and Mutahar "SomeOrdinaryGamers" Anas uploaded videos revealing Form 990-PF records which showed that the Open Hand Foundation had not made any charity contributions since its inception in 2014, accumulating $655,520 in unspent assets by the end of 2022 despite recording tens of thousands in administrative expenses.[3] In a call with the two YouTubers, Khalil said he did not discover that the funds had not been donated until 2022, and was currently seeking an appropriate charity, still not having yet donated any funds. However, Jobst highlighted that the foundation's website lists the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) as a recipient of research funding. During IndieLand events, Khalil had said the Open Hand Foundation was donating to UCSF, the Alzheimer's Association, and the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, and also asserted that the Open Hand Foundation was one of the "main funding support partners" of UCSF.[28][29]

Khalil uploaded a response video about the situation on December 9, 2023, in which he acknowledged that the funds had not been donated, apologized for making "statements potentially implying donations were made when they had not yet been", and announced his resignation as a board member of the Open Hand Foundation.[3] Five days earlier, on December 4, 2023, the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration announced it had received a donation of $600,000 on November 29.[3][30]

In December 2023, Friends Per Second Podcast co-hosts Jake Baldino, Lucy James and Ralph Panebianco announced that they would be separating from Khalil, following the mishandling of funds associated with the Open Hand Foundation.[‡ 3] Khalil was a founder and co-host since its inception in June 2022.[‡ 4] In January 2024, Super Beard Bros. co-hosts Faciane and Bayonne announced that the channel would be separating from Khalil, and that they would be shifting to independent funding going forward.[‡ 5][‡ 6]

On September 25, 2025, Khalil uploaded another video after a year-long hiatus. He admitted that he did lie, intentionally so after IndieLand 2022, and apologized for misleading statements, not directly partnering with charities, and failing to keep track of the money. At the same time, he expressed confidence that claims of fraud and embezzlement would be disproven. Khalil claimed that an investigation from the California Department of Justice is ongoing and that he was legally unable to speak further on the matter. Khalil also announced that his channel will resume video production, albeit to a smaller scale as his videos will now be solo-produced.[31]

Appearances and game development

Khalil appeared as a character in the video game Asagao Academy, a dating sim and visual novel created by and featuring members of Normal Boots in 2014.[11][32] He also appeared as a non-playable character in the 2023 indie role-playing game Sea of Stars; following the debacle surrounding the Open Hand Foundation, the game's developer, Sabotage Studio, announced their decision to remove Khalil's appearance in the game.[33][34][35]

In August 2022, Khalil appeared in a GameSpot video with other gaming personalities to discuss the impact of Final Fantasy VII.[36] He contributed to the video game Elsie, which was developed by Knight Shift Games and published by Playtonic Games in 2024.[37][38]

Filmography

Web series

YearTitleRole
2012–presentThe CompletionistHimself
2012–2023Super Beard Bros.Himself

Television

YearTitleRole
2021–2022XplayHost
Attack of the Show!

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016Asagao Academy: Normal Boots ClubJirard
2021Terrain of Magical ExpertiseCompleteboy
2023Sea of StarsNPCAppearance later removed
2024Elsie

Awards and nominations

YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2019Streamy AwardsGaming[39]

See also

References

Secondary sources

  1. ^ Yarwood, Jack (October 2, 2017). "20 gaming YouTubers you should be following". The Daily Telegraph. Archived February 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Turner, Jonathan (November 13, 2019). "Passionate video gamer 'The Completionist' comes to Rust Belt Nov. 19". The Quad-City Times. Archived April 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Bankhurst, Adam & Dinsdale, Ryan (November 14, 2023). "YouTuber The Completionist Responds to Allegations of 'Charity Fraud' Against Him and Open Hand". IGN. Archived December 10, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Cava, Marco della (August 11, 2013). "Change Agents: Kellee Khalil has Loverly wedding ideas". USA Today. Archived June 7, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023. One brother, Jirard, goes by his YouTube video-game testing moniker, The Completionist...
  5. ^ Andronico, Mike (August 9, 2022). "We talked to The Completionist's Jirard Khalil about his new G4 show — and his favorite YouTube gear". CNN Underscored. Archived April 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Yarwood, Jack (July 6, 2017). "The Completionist's toughest challenges". Red Bull. Archived June 7, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  7. ^ Ettinger, Jared (August 8, 2013). "Watch The Completionist, Erm, Complete All of Portal For Geek Week [Video]". The Mary Sue. Archived March 18, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  8. ^ Eggen, Lukas (October 22, 2020). "The Completionist has long, complicated history with YouTube". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived June 15, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  9. ^ Coulston, John Connor (April 29, 2023). "Two Major Gaming YouTube Channels Hacked". PopCulture. Archived May 2, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  10. ^ Innes, Ruby (March 20, 2023). "Jirard 'The Completionist' Khalil Buys Every Wii U And 3DS eShop Game, Donates Them All". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  11. ^ Elderkin, Beth (May 18, 2016). "When Liking And Subscribing To Your Favourite YouTuber Isn't Enough". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  12. ^ Weiss, Geoff (September 1, 2020). "CAA Signs Prominent Gamers Alpharad And The Completionist (Exclusive)". Tubefilter. Archived January 25, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  13. ^ Moyse, Chris (July 16, 2021). "New Sonic the Hedgehog video series chats with The Blue Blur's biggest fans". Destructoid. Archived July 16, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  14. ^ "New Xplay co-host 'had weird emotional outbursts' of G4 fandom upon joining Adam Sessler". SYFY Official Site. November 16, 2021. Archived April 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  15. ^ Gutelle, Sam (August 10, 2022). "Can The Completionist bring his combination of video games and acting to TV? 100%". Tubefilter. Archived March 28, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Maglio, Tony & Chapman, Wilson (October 17, 2022). "Why Did the G4 Channel Close? Well, It Averaged 1,000 Viewers". IndieWire. Archived December 29, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  17. ^ Middler, Jordan (March 19, 2023). "Player buys every single Wii U and 3DS eshop game ahead of store closure". Video Games Chronicle. Archived March 19, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  18. ^ Kuhnke, Oisin (March 19, 2023). "Ahead of the Wii U and 3DS eShops' closure, YouTube's most prolific completionist bought every game". VG247. Archived April 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  19. ^ Liang, Lu-Hai (March 19, 2023). "TheCompletionist Just Spent $23K Saving Every Game On Wii U And 3DS". TheGamer. Archived April 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  20. ^ Plunkett, Luke (March 19, 2023). "YouTuber Buys Every Single Video Game On The Wii U and 3DS eShops Before They Close". Kotaku. Archived July 4, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Bonthuys, Darryn (March 20, 2023). "YouTuber The Completionist Bought Every Wii U And 3DS eShop Game Before Shutdown, And It Cost $23,000". GameSpot. Archived June 2, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  22. ^ Michel, Jamal (March 24, 2023). "Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS stores closing means game over for digital archives". NPR. Archived June 5, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  23. ^ Bailey, Dustin (March 21, 2023). "YouTuber's wild $20k quest to preserve the Nintendo eShop could be the only legal way to save game history, and that sucks". GamesRadar+. Archived March 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  24. ^ Doolan, Liam (March 19, 2023). "Random: YouTuber Spends Nearly $23K Buying Every 3DS & Wii U eShop Game". Nintendo Life. Archived April 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  25. ^ Desatoff, Sam (September 29, 2021). "IndieLand 2021 raises more than $100,000 for dementia research". GameDaily.biz. Archived November 14, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  26. ^ Sheehan, Gavin (August 22, 2022). "IndieLand 2022 Livestream Set To Happen This November". Bleeding Cool. Archived November 14, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  27. ^ Williams, Hayley (October 25, 2023). "IndieLand 2023 Charity Event Is Happening This Week". GameSpot. Archived November 14, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  28. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (November 14, 2023). "YouTuber The Completionist's Open Hand Foundation Accused of Keeping Charitable Donations". IGN. Archived November 14, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  29. ^ Barovic, Andrej (November 14, 2023). "Gaming YouTuber The Completionist admits to not donating over $600,000 to charity". Dot Esports. Archived November 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  30. ^ "Open Hand Foundation Provides AFTD $600K for FTD Research". The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. December 4, 2023. Archived December 11, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  31. ^ Glaze, Virginia (September 26, 2025). "The Completionist breaks silence on investigation years after charity fraud allegations". Dexerto. Archived October 12, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  32. ^ Carlson, Alex (November 2, 2014). "Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club Lets You Date Youtubers". Hardcore Gamer. Archived February 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  33. ^ Doolan, Liam (December 16, 2023). "Sea Of Stars Developer Sabotage Replacing 'The Completionist' NPC". Nintendo Life. Archived December 16, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  34. ^ Allsop, Ken (December 16, 2023). "Sea of Stars dev is replacing its NPC based on The Completionist". PCGamesN. Archived December 17, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  35. ^ Ngan, Liv (December 18, 2023). "Sea of Stars removes YouTuber cameo following charity fraud allegations". Eurogamer. Archived December 18, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  36. ^ Klein, Dave & James, Lucy (August 7, 2022). "I Heart Final Fantasy VII (ft. The Completionist, Maximilian Dood, and More!)". GameSpot. Archived June 9, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  37. ^ Norman, Jim (April 17, 2023). "Video: The Completionist Talks To Us About His Upcoming Roguelike Game, Elsie". Nintendo Life. Archived June 2, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  38. ^ LeClair, Kyle (April 10, 2023). "PAX East 2023: Elsie is Pure, Glorious Chaos". Hardcore Gamer. Archived April 27, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  39. ^ Haring, Bruce (December 13, 2019). "9th Annual Streamy Awards Honors 'Good Mythical Morning' As Show Of The Year". Deadline Hollywood. Archived December 14, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 15, 2023.

Primary sources

  1. ^ Jirard Khalil (November 21, 2018). "Draw My Life The Completionist". YouTube. pp. 0:34. Archived June 15, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Khalil, Jirard (May 26, 2017). "What if She's Still in There Somewhere?". The Story Collider. Archived November 14, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  3. ^ "Friends Per Second Podcast Twitter". No. 1734753880628760835. Archived 9 Feb 2026 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Ep 1: Introducing the Friends Per Second Podcast ft. Jake Baldino, Lucy James and The Completionist. Archived February 5, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  5. ^ Super Beard Bros (January 2, 2024). "2024 Update". Patreon. Archived January 28, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Super Beard Bros (January 28, 2024). "2024 Patreon Tier Update". Patreon. Archived January 28, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 28, 2024.

Further reading