'Walking Into Random Houses' Prankster 'Mizzy' Talks Worst Pranks, Going To Jail And Turning His Life Around

In May 2023, TikTok prankster Mizzy, real name Bacari-Bronze O'Garro, went viral for his controversial and potentially illegal pranks, becoming social media's villain for a short period of time after going viral for the walking into random houses prank, where he, as you might have guessed, walked into random people's houses without their permission.

The prank, along with others, ended up landing Mizzy an 18-month stint in a youth correctional facility in the U.K. Now, he's ready to turn his life around and reflect on the mistakes he made in the past.

We spoke with O'Garro over Zoom to learn more about his controversial and viral pranks and why he decided to turn things around.

Q: When did you first start posting your pranks online?

A: I used to do a lot of pranks and stunts [online] from, I'd say, 14 to 16. Those pranks consisted of riding bikes into places, walking into the back of shops, stealing pets and just basic antisocial behavior.

Q: When did you first start pranking in general?

A: So the pranks started when I was about 11. I started when I was around year seven, but I wasn't fully focused on posting on the internet, it was mainly just pranking with my friends.

Q: What was your first viral video?

A: The first viral video I had wasn't even a prank, it was a bus-riding video. I used to hold onto the back of the bus and then, while it was going, I was basically surfing it. That was the first viral video, it happened probably around 2020 when I first started TikTok. That got like, a million views in a day.

From there, I just started doing more stunts. They weren't really pranks, just stunts, just me in public just breaking the norm.

Q: What influenced you to start posting pranks online? Were you a fan of prank content?

A: I watched a lot of prank content back in the day, like FouseyTube, all of those types of pranks. But those types of pranks were staged in some types of ways. That's why I wanted my pranks to be authentic. I never staged any videos and that's why I got into so much trouble.

Q: So besides the bus video, what was your first read prank video?

A: Maybe a couple weeks after I posted the bus riding video, there was a prank where I'd go up to random people and ask them to be in my TikTok. It wasn't really a prank, but it was one of the first videos I remember that was prank-style content.

Q: What was that feeling like seeing your content going viral?

A: Back in the day, when I was getting millions of views, I was over the moon. I thought I was just "that guy," I thought I was a famous lad and nobody could stop me. It was like a dopamine hit when you go on your phone and you see likes, comments, views, people engaging. You feel happy in some sort of way, but it's all just fake happiness. It's all just the illusion of social media, it's the biggest facade.

Q: Was the virality of the prank videos a big factor in you leaning into more "negative" type content?

A: Yeah, I decided to keep upping the ante of my current videos because I realized that negativity and controversy makes people engage, it was gaining more likes, more comments, more views and that equals money.

It probably started in early 2021. I started doing more prank-style content because I was watching more prank YouTubers. I've been watching prank YouTubers for a long time but decided to migrate into that style of content in early 2021. The first notable video I remember is me knocking on random people's doors and asking for strange things, like to use their shower or asking for breakfast, stuff like that.

Q: So how did you avoid getting in trouble with all these pranks for so long?

A: I studied the laws in my country and a lot of the laws in the U.K. are different than other countries. Trespassing in the U.K. is a civil offense, so if I was to walk to the back of a business or something I can't get in trouble if they tell me to leave and I leave straight away. If I stay and don't leave when they tell me, that turns into a criminal offense, then you can get in trouble for it.

So a lot of my videos involve trespassing, like when I'd walk into the back of shops like Gregs, J.D., Nandos, I'd just walk to the back and record. I'd call it "exploring the backrooms." I also used to ride my bikes in shops, to bathrooms, stuff like that. It got views, I was gaining like, 10 million views a day. I used to post about six or seven times every hour.

Q: Where did you get the idea for the "walking into random houses" prank and what do you think of that prank looking back on it?

A: That was one of the stupidest pranks I could have done, but it made me who I am now, trying to change for the better. But the idea, I actually found about two years prior. I recorded the video around May 17th, 2023 but I made a similar video about a year or two before where I walked into some people's houses, including a fan's house.

One of my friends I was with one day when I was recording reminded me of the walking into houses video and dared me to walk into a house. He pointed to a door and it was open. I wasn't thinking of the repercussions or anything, just thinking, "I've done this before so let me do it again." I wasn't thinking of anything that was going to happen to me, just that it was good content. So I walked into the house and it just took off from there.

Q: Were any of your pranks ever staged, or they were all authentic?

A: All my videos were 100% real until I got my CBO (Criminal Behaviour Order). So when I walked into the house I was arrested for causing a public uproar, but I wasn't even arrested for that. I basically had a community protection notice from 2022 that prevented me from harassing or causing distress to members in my area of Hackney. The video is recorded in Hackney. So they couldn't get me on trespassing because it's a civil offense, so they got me on breach of my community protection notice.

They found me guilty of that and gave me a criminal behavior order, my CBO, which prevented me from recording people without their consent or posting any types of videos without getting consent. I couldn't trespass in the back of shops no more. So every video from after I got that, I started staging them. I was like, "With the buzz from the real pranks, nobody will know if it's real or fake." That's when I walked into another house, that's when I posted a video knocking things off shop walls. That video was staged, I basically knew the shopkeeper and just paid him to be in the video. There were probably a couple other videos that were staged as well.

I don't really like [staging pranks] because then it takes away the whole fun to the actual prank. But at the end of the day, if I'm doing crazier things it makes sense to make it staged so you're not hurting anyone or getting arrested for it.

Q: When did you first see the "walking into random houses" video going viral and what was your reaction to that?

A: I posted the video and the video went viral, but I didn't even know. I'm not a consumer of content. Once I post a video on the internet I come off and live my life, watching films or chilling with the guys. I don't really watch my social media, so I didn't even know it was blowing up viral until one of my friends told me. So I checked my Instagram and was scrolling through my feed and kept seeing the walking into houses video. I checked my TikTok and it was on about 2 million views in three hours. It was going crazy on Twitter, someone posted it and it got like 10 million views in a few hours.

From there it just started picking up heat. I didn't know how to feel. I don't read comments, so I was just happy that it stuck. I didn't know the actual damages of what I'd done.

Q: What led you to turn yourself into the police?

A: I don't really use social media like that, so my solicitor, she called me and told me I was going to have to turn myself into the police station. That's when I was like, "Oh, for what?" She was like, "You know for what, it's all over the news." That's when I hopped on Twitter, searched my name and saw [the houses prank] going crazy, trending number one on Twitter. I decided to hop on the bandwagon and make a Twitter account, then started tweeting from that.

They issued basically a warrant for me for arrest on live TV, saying my name and that they're looking for me. I had to hand myself in, that's when I knew, "Oh s---, I f----- up."

Q: Besides the random houses prank, what was the worst or most regrettable prank you ever pulled?

A: Probably stealing that old lady's dog, but there was a genuine reason behind it. When I do explain it people say it doesn't give you an excuse to do it and I know, but there was still a reason behind it. Let me explain it.

So me and my friends were chilling in the park, sitting in the grass and eating some chips. This dog just kept coming towards us. We kept shooing it and we seen the lady who the dog belonged to. We told her, "Can you tell your dog to stop coming over? We're trying to eat our food." She said, "Oh, sorry," and then I made a joke saying, "If your dog comes again I'm going to steal it."

She realized who I was, she said, "Oh, my grandson watches your TikTok, you're Mizzy, innit?" She was a bit older, people might not believe the story, but a lot of people know me from my area, so she knew who I was. So I made that joke and sat back down and the dog came and took the whole chips and ran off. This is before I ever walked into that house. So all that time I was still popping, I didn't have no controversy around me, so I thought it would go fine.

So I thought about Boonk Gang, he did the same thing, that's why I said in the video, "Boonk gang, we outside." I was referencing his video. So I took the dog, went literally down the road, ended the video, then gave it back to her. There's also a video on the internet of me apologizing and giving her back the dog.

There's always context behind things and not everyone sees the bigger picture on the internet. As content creators, we're putting out things that are going to get people to talk.

Q: You tried to act pretty cool and brush it off during your arrest video, promising to return. Why that response?

A: I was just like, "Whatever happens happens, the movement is real, we outside," but that's for the internet, innit? Deep down I'm just like, "What's going to happen to me?" 'Cause I had so many chances. I was only recently in the spotlight, but I'd been doing this stuff for a while, so I'd been getting in some trouble.

Q: You ended up doing an interview with Piers Morgan about the whole situation. What was that like and how did that happen?

A: The day I came out of court the day I got my CDO, Piers Morgan's team emailed me, they were like, "We'll get you a cab right now, can you come to the studio and come on live TV?" Obviously, they had a hidden agenda, I had no media training and had just come out of court, so they wanted to catch me when I had the least expectation of what was going to happen. I didn't even know Piers Morgan at the time, I just heard "national TV" and I was like, "Yeah, clout."

[Piers Morgan] is the same as he is on TV, just a fiery narcissist. I like to have a conversation with the person who's interviewing me beforehand so I know we're calm before the interview and there are no bad vibes between us. I'm talking to him and he's just like, "Wait until the interview, sit down." He didn't even offer me water or anything, just said, "Wait for the interview, sit down."

I sat down to prepare myself and just randomly he started. So the interview happened and then at the end, he's like, "We're finished, you can go." He just wanted to hop on the bandwagon and basically wanted to exploit me for views, because he didn't offer any support, any help, he just wanted to be fiery at me so he could have a reaction from me because he knew I was going to be fiery back and he would get good content.

At the end of the day, he did have valid points and he did talk to me like a professional journalist, but he could have done it better.

Q: So what was your time like when you were in prison? What did you learn?

A: So I did 18 weeks in HMP Thameside, which is basically just a prison. On the internet it says "young offenders institution," but I was in a full adult prison. Obviously, because I had clout behind me it was calm, everybody knew me, wanted to talk to me and whatnot. But prison is not a nice place.

When you're confined behind four walls for basically 23 hours a day it starts to get to you. You get a lot of free time and start to see where you went wrong and how you need to change and make things better for yourself. You don't want to end up back in that place. Nobody is there for you, it's just you and a bunch of other criminals who have done plenty worse crimes than you.

Prison is not a good place, especially in the U.K. Even if I did go to a young offender's prison, it would have been way worse because I feel like the youth in the U.K. are ruthless. The U.K. is glamorized as this nice-looking country, but in the deepest depths of the U.K., in the London parts, it's not nice out here. Someone is dying every day. There's not a lot of things out there for the youth, not a lot of opportunities. It's just an everlasting cycle of being in knife crime, selling drugs, doing something that's detrimental for society. They end up in the cycle of going into prison and coming out with no prospects, then doing the same thing. It's an everlasting cycle.

Q: What made you decide to turn your life around?

A: I feel like [the decision] got more nailed into my head in prison, but before I went to jail I was already back in college. I decided to go to a college to get my media qualifications and all that. I was doing good there, then I went to jail and realized that there was still places and areas where I could have improved on, so I made it my decision to change up for the better and make better decisions in life.

My child is about a year and six months now. [My partner] conceived when I was 17. I need to do better for my child because, at the end of the day, he's my legacy. I've got to do right for him and show him the way so he doesn't end up like me. He may feel like, when he's older, "Oh look this is my dad" and he might want to act like me. I can't have that. I've got to change my life in a positive way and show him there's better things to life than being an antisocial youth.

Q: What steps are you taking and what steps have you taken to turn your life around?

A: I've got a couple of projects in the works right now. I'm not going to speak too hot because actions speak louder than words, but I'm going to start a company called Pattern Up. Basically, it's about finding young people employment. "Pattern up" is slang in the U.K. that basically means "fix up." We're also starting to do more talks to the youth and that, use my platform to spread my experience of suffering through mental health problems, going to jail and being raised in the hood, basically.

I recently got two internships, one at some online journalist column writing columns every Friday and I got another internship basically doing social media marketing for a company. So I've started doing stuff like that.

Q: Will you be coming back to social media and content creation in the future?

A:I'm banned from posting videos until November 2024, so until then I'm just trying to work on my personal life and make things better there before I come back to social media. When I do come back, I want to start doing music, boxing and other influencer-related tasks.

I don't want to make prank content in the way I made it before, but if I were to ever come back to prank content, I'll probably do like Jidion-type content, more entertaining and not just full-on harassing the public.

Q: Do you have a message for kids who may be looking to turn their life around?

A: My message to young people is simply to embrace the journey of change with courage and determination and recognize that the path is going to be challenging. Look at my life, I went to jail for about two or three months. Every step forward is a victory and sometimes you've gotta take six steps back to take 10 steps forward. You've got to stay focused on your goals and never underestimate the power of your own potential. You've got to believe in yourself and let your aspirations be the driving force towards a better future.

A big thanks to Mizzy for talking with us. You can follow and support Mizzy on Instagram at therealmizzyy or X / Twitter at @madmanmizzy.