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This viral 17-minute video, 60 Days Build Millionaire Underground Swimming Pool House (over 100M views in just 3 months), "" appeared in my YouTube feed.

It appears to show a single man digging and finishing this elaborate structure below ground, by hand, using only a few tools:

"Underground pool"

The only information provided about the project or the channel is on the Mr. Tfue channel About page:

Mr. Tfue: I'm from the United State Of America (USA). I'm planning to build Underground City in the wild completely from scratch using Primitive Tools. Currently, I found a small Jungle next to the village in South America to building Underground City.

While that copy comports with the apparently primitive tools used in the video, the camera work and editing is commercial grade. So I'm already suspicious. And I can't find anything online about this man, project, or outfit, that doesn't regurgitate what little information I've referenced here.

Are the claims of this video real?

For purposes of answering, the claim might be summarized as follows: This video depicts the work of a single man, using only the tools and materials shown, in an unprepared rural South American jungle site. The work spans a period no greater than 60 days. The structure suffers no visible erosion during 60 days and includes a "swimming pool" that is practically water-tight.

ETA: Though I am skeptical of the claim when taken in its entirety, it seems plausible for one person to implement the elaborate design and move that quantity of material in 60 days. As noted by another in the comments, I am most skeptical of the apparent characteristics of the ground: homogeneous and easily carved, but structurally strong and ... both waterproof to retain water for swimming, yet permeable so that rain (which it must receive frequently since it is apparently in a verdant jungle) does not leave it flooded, and neither does rain noticeably erode crisp edges.

Lysander
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  • I suppose anyone who could really carry all that sand up the stairs in a little scoop could also fill the whole pool with a jug? Seems highly implausible but how would you prove it? – Jerome Viveiros Jun 02 '20 at 07:35
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    One could fairly easily compute an approximate value for the time it would take to carry that volume of removed material out -- it would certainly take weeks. – Daniel R Hicks Jun 02 '20 at 12:56
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    One suspicious feature is the "soil". Hard to believe that he found a location where the soil/rock is so uniformly carveable. – Daniel R Hicks Jun 02 '20 at 12:59
  • It's an in-ground pool, not underground pool. Possibly a translation issue. It's looks plausible - after all the Egyptian build the pyramids without any steel tools, but it would be difficult to verify - particularly build duration. – ventsyv Jun 02 '20 at 16:55
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    @ventsyv They didn't build them with one man's labour in 60 days though. Estimates tend to be in the tens of thousands of workers, over several decades. I'm not sure the comparison really sheds any light. – IMSoP Jun 02 '20 at 19:06
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    Navvies built the British railroads, and were well known for moving huge amounts of soil and rock with nothing but "primitive tools" such as spades, shovels and wheelbarrows. A quick google shows that most sites agree that a good navvy could shift 18 - 20 tonnes of earth a day, or a trench 3ft wide, 3ft deep and 36ft long. So yeah, I don't see any issues with digging that hole in 60 days by hand. – Moo Jun 04 '20 at 00:43
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    This is a reddit thread discussing the recent surge in these videos in many peoples recommended videos: https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/c251fr/what_is_the_deal_with_the_many_primitive_building/ In essence, people are assuming these are copycats of the popular Youtube channel [Primitive Technology](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA). People in the thread were pointing out track marks from excavators in the video, but these comments seem to be deleted now. No idea why. – zerweck Jun 04 '20 at 10:47
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    @IMSoP The pyramids are made of stone blocks, which had to be carved out by hand, transported, and then put in place. So it's was a much larger effort too. The point I was trying to make was that with hard work and enough time, seemingly impossible tasks can be achieved, even with rudimentary tools. – ventsyv Jun 04 '20 at 14:08
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    Camera work and editing are not a factor. Anyone can make a commercial grade video these days using a GoPro or iPhone and some video editing software. – Robert Harvey Jun 04 '20 at 15:00

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