Twitch's new hot tub stream category is full of spoofs, scams, and... otters

San Francisco, California - Twitch's new dedicated hot tub section doesn't seem to be going to plan, with established streamers mocking the category that has seen no end of spoofs, scams, and... otters?

Former League of Legends pro Toby Horne's spoof "hot tub" stream got him banned.
Former League of Legends pro Toby Horne's spoof "hot tub" stream got him banned.  © Screenshot/Twitter/@udysof

Twitch recently announced the creation of a dedicated category for hot tub streamers, dubbed "Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches". Unsurprisingly, debate over the decision has got quite heated among the Twitch community.

Many believe that the creation of the new category could be the Amazon-owned company's way of making sure that ad partners don't pull funding entirely.

The problem, though, is that it creates a potential inequality between frequently-demonetized female streamers and your average male streamer.

Demonetization isn't the only problem with Twitch's new hot tub stream category

According to Kotaku, Twitch hasn't been regulating the new "Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches" category of the platform, giving room to scammers and deepfakes. A number of accounts have been called out for impersonating famous streamers and capitalizing on their popularity.

On top of that, the new "Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches" category is full of not only scammers, but spoof accounts mocking the new genre and - bizarrely - a strange predisposition to marine mammal rescue.

Twitch's hot tub category fills with fakes and impersonations

The Marine Mammal Rescue channel streams a live feed of swimming otters.
The Marine Mammal Rescue channel streams a live feed of swimming otters.  © Screenshot/Twitch/@MarineMammalRescue

Scammers are impersonated trend-setters like Kaitlyn "Amouranth" Siragusa, often promising access to OnlyFans pages in exchange for subs to their channel.

Other users have used the change as an opportunity to openly mock women that have already been terrorized and harassed for streaming video games in swimsuits.

Dexerto.com shared the case of one spoofer, Toby 'udysof' Horne, who was banned for a day after streaming from an inflatable pool in a wig and bra. He mimicked his female counterparts by writing the names of subscribers all over his body and attempting to pose seductively in front of his camera.

Cardi B stuns fans with new look and bold piercings
Cardi B Cardi B stuns fans with new look and bold piercings

The ban also highlights Twitch's internal confusion over how their rules are applied, as Horne said Twitch didn't provide a reason for the ban.

You wouldn't expect to see otters in a hot tub stream, but you'd be wrong!

Horne's ban was likely due to him wearing a bra instead of "swimwear", but he's not alone in finding the phenomenon of hot tub and beach streaming bizarre and troublesome. While the category does feature a number of so-called "hot-tub streamers", it is mostly filled with something a little less risqué.

The rest has been filled primarily with the feeds of countless spoofers, scammers, and even a few entertaining options, such as a live-cam of otters in their "tub", and a feed of Geralt from The Witcher game in a steaming bath.

Cover photo: Screenshot/Twitter/@udysof

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