El 4: A Conversation With the Internet's Favorite Frat Boy

Quick — how many of these words can you define without turning to Urban Dictionary?

Swole.
Yoked.
GDI.

If you knew the first two are synonyms for "muscular" and the third stands for "goddamn independent" (a student unaffiliated with Greek life), then you've probably seen "Shit Frat Guys Say," created by 21-year-old comedian Jimmy Tatro.

Tatro filmed the video in January 2012 while studying at the University of Arizona, where he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi. His YouTube channel, LifeAccordingtoJimmy, quickly gained 1.5 million followers. He currently writes, films and edits weekly sketches about the "frat bro lifestyle," including "Partying Sober vs. Drunk," which has nearly five million views. Recently, he's also done a series of videos with Laina, known online as Overly Attached Girlfriend.

His portrayal of a gym-loving, hard-partying frat boy even caught Adam Sandler's attention, and this summer, Tatro will play the role of a fraternity guy in Sandler's comedy Grown Ups 2. He plays the stereotype well — so well that we were surprised to learn he's far from the beer-swilling meathead he plays on screen.

He's been dedicated to film since the age of 10, when he got his start by filming his skateboarding moves, he says. He joined his school's TV station in high school and then began creating sketches in college. Today, he has more than 100 million views on YouTube and 580,000 followers on Vine.

Mashable chatted with Tatro to learn more.

To what extent is your "frat guys" character inspired by your real life and personality?

Not much. When I portray "frat bros," I'm playing a character that is so much more douchey and wild than I hope anyone actually is. It's more based on that one guy everyone has in their fraternity that just takes things way too far.

What's the craziest thing that you've ever seen happen at a frat party?

I've seen so much ridiculousness happen at fraternity parties, it's hard to pinpoint the exact craziest moment. From 4 a.m. hammered basketball games on our court with the three-point line on fire to skateboard bowling down the hallways, things were always getting rowdy. It was a ton of fun, but I'd definitely recommend living in a frat house for only one year. Any more than that and you may die.

What's something your people wouldn't guess about you?

I have never owned a pair of Sperry's and I have never purchased Pre-Workout. Yeah, I'm serious.

Can you tell me about your role in Grown Ups 2?

I'm a college guy that wants to kick the grown-ups' asses.

What was it like working with such a star-studded cast?

It was definitely a lot to take in for my first movie experience, but it really motivated me to want to do more movies.

Was there anyone you were really nervous to meet?

At first, I was nervous to meet Adam Sandler. But he turned out to be a really nice guy, which made me feel more comfortable being there.

Who was your favorite person to work with on set?

David Henrie and Patrick Schwarzenegger. We had a ton of fun together out there.

What was it like working with Laina, the Overly Attached Girlfriend?

She's actually a really funny, cool person. She's not as psycho as she appears.

What's the next step for you?

Ideally, a TV show. The one we're working on right now has a great concept, and I'm really hoping it works out. We've also been thinking about doing a cartoon series on the [YouTube] channel, and we're working on a movie, as well. The goal is just to keep moving forward.

12. Photobombing Stingray

Five years ago, three college girls on a Caribbean vacation got a serious case of the heebeejeebies when a stingray photobombed their "say cheese" moment. The hilarious photograph could have ended up as just a fond vacay memory if it weren't for a friend, who shared the image on Reddit in September of this year.

10. Ridiculously Photogenic Guy

Zeddie Little was happily jogging along in the 2012 Cooper River Bridge Run in South Carolina, when a photographer snapped a shot of Little and his perfectly pearly teeth.

The photo of the dashing runner was posted to Reddit in April under the title "My friend calls him 'Mr Ridiculously Photogenic Guy.'"

Ridiculously Photogenic Guy ended up charming the Internet enough to earn a spot in meme history, even if he did lose the race.

9. Potato Jesus

Octogenarian Cecilia Gimenez attempted to restore a 19th century church fresco, but instead, her amateur painting skills turned Jesus into a cartoon version of himself.

A BBC Europe reporter described the finished piece as "a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic." The botched fresco also drew comparisons to Rowlf the Dog and Brutus Buckeye.

The bad makeover dropped jaws across the web over the summer, especially after Gimenez demanded payment for her shoddy paint job.

The Photoshopping wizards of the Internet put the Potato Jesus face on other famous works of art.

8. Grumpy Cat

The sourpuss mug of a cat named Tardar Sauce scratched the Internet with delight in September. A Reddit user shared a photo of the grouchy-faced feline and the Grumpy Cat meme began spreading its crabbiness around the web.

Grumpy Cat (and her brother, Pokey) now have their own website, which posts a "Daily Grump" and sells merchandise like t-shirts and Scrooge-like holiday cards.

7. Eastwooding and Invisible Obama

Clint Eastwood's somewhat surprise appearance at the GOP Convention had Republicans excited for Dirty Harry badassness. Instead, they got 10 minutes of the Hollywood legend talking to an empty chair.

The bizarre appearance spawned both the @InvisibleObama Twitter account and the Eastwooding photo fad, in which people shared images of empty chairs.

Sorry, couches, but Eastwood crowned chairs the hottest furniture of 2012.

6. Overly Attached Girlfriend

An intense-eyed 20-something named Laina scared the crap out of men everywhere when her face first went viral as an advice animal macro this summer.

The Overly Attached Girlfriend meme featured a screengrab from a parody Justin Bieber fan video created by Laina. The stalkerish lyrics and potent stare made Overly Attached Girlfriend the most loveable clingy lady friend in Internet history.

5. Dog Shaming

In 2012, dog humiliation caught on like fleas at the dog park. Tumblr Dogshaming featured photos of pooches wearing signs that spelled out their transgressions — for the whole Internet to see.

Dog owners with poop scoot marks on carpet or drawers filled with chewed up panties punish their furry friends with web-blasted embarrassment.

4. Big Bird, Binders and Bayonets

The 2012 presidential election was brought to you by the letter B. Mitt Romney's debate meme-lights included references to Big Bird, Binders Full of Women, and Horses and Bayonets.

The Triple B threat ensured that election season had plenty of laughs to help distract from the real (and boring) issues.

Mitt Romney may not have scored the White House gig, but at least he'll have something to laugh at. Or maybe not.

3. Texts From Hillary

A photograph of Hillary Clinton looking like a badass diplomat while donning sunglasses and checking her phone went seriously viral. And thus, Texts From Hillary was born.

The Tumblr created multi-pane pics that feature Hillz's faux reactions to texts from people like Sarah Palin and Barack Obama.

The creators of the Tumblr made the decision to go out on top after meeting the secretary of state. The dignified goodbye earns extra kudos, especially when most of the Internet would be happy to stretch its fame.

2. Ermahgerd!

The Swedish Chef may have coined Börk speak, but in 2012, the Internet couldn't get enough of Berk speak.

A photograph of a vest-sporting girl holding Goosebumps books debuted on Reddit in March and soon inspired a series of advice animal knockoffs. The widespread use of Ermahgerd talk (or Berks speak) even spawned web translators to help people perfect their lisped quips.

1. McKayla Is Not Impressed

U.S. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney did not win the most medals amongst the Fab Five, but her 'tude-filled face did help make her the most Internet famous.

After a tumble on her signature event, Maroney had to settle for a silver medal in the vault competition. During the medal ceremony, a photographer snapped a shot that seemed to sum up the gymnast's feelings about her second place finish. The scowl flipped its way across the web and got 'Shopped to gold medal glory on the Tumblr McKayla Is Not Impressed and elsewhere.

President Obama even got in on the unimpressed action recently, solidifying McKayla Is Not Impressed as the meme for 2012.

Homepage image: Melly Lee