Roman Atwood

The year has changed, and the exact videos have changed, but one aspect of YouTube's annual top-10 remains pretty predictable: The real powerhouses on the site that claims to have democratized Internet video are network TV channels and multimillion-dollar companies - not ordinary "creators."

There are a disheartening number of Internet buffoons competing for the honor of most offensive YouTube "prank." But Roman Atwood, the 32-year-old who has twice pretended to kill his own toddler, may definitively take the cake.

The year has changed, and the exact videos have changed, but one aspect of YouTube's annual top-10 remains pretty predictable: The real powerhouses on the site that claims to have democratized Internet video are network TV channels and multimillion-dollar companies - not ordinary "creators."

There are a disheartening number of Internet buffoons competing for the honor of most offensive YouTube "prank." But Roman Atwood, the 32-year-old who has twice pretended to kill his own toddler, may definitively take the cake.