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Where Are They Now? Here's What [10] Guy A.K.A. 'Really High Guy' Has Been Up To Since His Viral Meme
A photo of a red-faced, sleepy-eyed man became a viral meme ten years ago, often used to joke about thoughts people have when they get way too high. The man's glazed-over expression was paired with an almost-there smile, all while the frame of the photo indicated that he was absolutely slumped over in his bed. After rolling through several nicknames, including "Really High Guy" and "Stoner Stanley," people decided to call him [10] Guy.
But what used to be a part of the meme canon between the years 2011 and 2012 quickly became a minor internet mystery. The photo had begun making the rounds with no real name or context attached to it, and internet users were left to fill in [10] Guy's backstory on their own.
That is, until 2021, when [10] Guy came forward as Connor Sinclair, an Irishman now living in England and running a food hall with his girlfriend. Here's the backstory behind [10] Guy, and a look at what the meme legend has been up to in the years since the meme.
Who Is [10] Guy and How Did His Photo First Land On The Internet
Back in November 2011, Redditor /u/randomdave posted a photo of Sinclair to the subreddit /r/trees, a long-running forum frequented by cannabis enthusiasts who call themselves "ents." The caption on the image reads, "Being at a [10] is not always pretty."
Not very long after, Redditor /u/Ahahaha__10 reposted the photo with Impact Font text on it that read, "Texts the person next to them / 'I want hopsital.'" The post was captioned, "The happened to a friend of mine on his first ever bong rip."
According to Sinclair in a later interview, his photo spread across Reddit and into the wider internet seemingly overnight. People thought that his expression was "too high" personified, and jumped at the chance to post jokes about that one friend who greens out constantly.
What Does The '10' In [10] Guy Mean?
The etymology of the "10" in the moniker "[10] Guy" can be traced to a chart well recognized by the members of /r/trees. These ents had long devised a scoring system to indicate their level of weed intoxication, from [1], the lowest, to [10], the highest.
Of course, there was also a level [11], which the chart described as only having been achieved by very few people, with hallucinations and disassociation typically only seen in high levels of psychedelic usage. Thankfully, no one seemed to think that Sinclair was at an [11], although his [10] Guy status did seem to indicate that he seemed really, really "out of it."
What Is The Backstory Behind [10] Guy, And How Does He Remember The Meme Spreading Online?
The photo of [10] Guy, according to the man himself, was originally taken in Ibiza, Spain in the summer of 2011. In a 2021 interview with KnowYourMeme, Sinclair talked about how a dozen of him and his friends, guys and girls, all went to Europe after graduating high school and spent a week staying in the cheapest rooms and partying like crazy.
He thinks the famous photo was probably taken by a friend named Emma three or four days into the trip, a few hours into pregaming for a night out, and first uploaded to his friend's private Facebook page. A few months into university Sinclair saw the photo and sent the photo to his friend and neighbor Dave A.K.A. /u/randomdave "for a laugh," not knowing that Dave would then post the image to Reddit.
He remembers seeing the first meme made using his image; the post about a friend who wanted to go to the "hopsital." Sinclair says that his German roommate at the time didn't really "get" the jokes, and he wasn't entirely sure he did himself. But the memes kept coming and soon enough Sinclair knew to embrace it.
What Does [10] Guy Think About His Internet Fame, And What Has He Been Up To In The Years Since?
Connor Sinclair thought it was really funny how so many people were convinced that he was Quentin Tarantino. He also saw celebrities, YouTubers and internet semesters editing and superimposing his face into other memes, YouTube thumbnails and one-off gags, but he didn't think much other than "that's pretty funny."
Sinclair says that people at his university and out in public would sometimes recognize him at the height of his meme fame, back when he was still more or less anonymous. He never came forward as the person behind the meme publically because he wasn't sure about how a weed-related meme would play into his academic and career responsibilities, but he definitely enjoyed the minor fame it got him during his college days.
In hindsight, [10] Guy says he shouldn't have worried as much as he did because no employer has really minded that he was a viral meme back before he even entered college. Best of all, he actually ended up meeting his girlfriend because his friends bragged about him being "the meme guy" to her friends, prompting her to ask him for a photo.
Since he graduated from university, Connor Sinclair lived in Edinburgh and Canada before settling in England with his girlfriend Lucy. Sinclair went from being a rugby trainer to running a food hall with his girlfriend, providing the important service of supplying people with meals during the 2021 lockdown.
What Is [10] Guy Up To These Days, And Why Did He Finally Reveal His Identity To The World?
Sinclair is very honest in his motivations for coming forward as the man behind the meme 10 years after it first went viral. "I'm not going to deny the NFT thing is a part of it," he said, referencing an NFT project he did alongside the likes of Bad Luck Brian, Boxxy and Overly Attached Girlfriend.
10 Guy Original NFT is minted and ready to go. Listing taking place very soon…Shoutout to
solidbadluckfor inviting me to withFND pic.twitter.com/EEhqNymSN5— 10 Guy (@10GuyOfficial) May 13, 2021
He said he never made any money from the meme, besides being gifted the occasional pint by someone who recognized him at the bar. While he doesn't quite feel like he's "owed" anything, he says he finds the idea of an NFT fun and interesting, adding that he had to be talked into it by the creator of Nyan Cat..
Funnily enough, Sinclair mentions how getting involved with the NFT project gave him a little bit of FOMO about not "coming out" as the meme before he did. He said that talking to all the other meme creators involved with the NFT project made him feel like they were part of a pretty cool club that he ended up missing out on, but he ultimately doesn't have any real regrets.
Where Can You Find Connor Sinclair A.K.A. [10] Guy Today?
Connor made a few social media accounts ahead of his NFT launch, but they largely have not been updated since 2021. He goes by @10guyofficial on Twitter and Instagram, and 10 Guy Official on YouTube, but it seems as though he has relegated himself back to a life of relative peace and quiet since his "coming out."
For the full history of [10] Guy, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
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