The Southwest Louisiana Adventures of JOSH & JASE: Social Media Sensations Visit Lake Charles

by Kerri Cooke

“We’re the most wanted people in Shreveport,” Jase, one-half of the British social media duo Josh and Jase, joked as he walked down the hallway of L’Auberge Casino Resort.

The two were invited to Lake Charles by Robert “Bobby” Thornton, vice president of marketing at L’Auberge after he saw they were looking for recommendations on what to do in Louisiana. They accepted the offer after arriving at a hotel in the north Louisiana city that was less than pristine and felt unsafe. Ironically, Thornton grew up in Shreveport and worked his first hotel job less than a mile away from the motel Josh and Jase had booked.

Joshua Caldwell-Clarke and Jason Riley, from Derbyshire and Nottingham, England, respectively, boast millions of followers on TikTok alone. Known for traveling across the United States, eating great bites and extolling their love for America, it didn’t take long for the news to travel across Lake Charles that the two Brits were here in early May. Thornton said he believes there was so much excitement over their visit because “we have so much bad news out there all the time. When you hear about Lake Charles, it’s usually hurricane related. When the news was getting out, it was like people were dying for something positive. Josh and Jase were willing to experience the culture and people really responded to that.”

Armed with their blend of charisma and humor, Josh and Jase experienced the Lake Area during what happened to be National Tourism Week.
When asked whose idea it was to travel to Shreveport, Josh and Jase said their cameraman suggested the city as it was the northernmost city in Louisiana and the third most populous. Jase took the blame for the hotel choice. However, Josh emphasized, “We’re like cats. We land on our feet. If [the Shreveport experience] hadn’t happened, we would’ve never had this experience in Lake Charles and at L’Auberge.”

Josh and Jase dove right into Cajun culture by ordering crawfish from Mac’s/Mary’s Lounge on Broad Street. Preferring to try things out and learn on their own first for comedic value, Josh and Jase made attempts at peeling and eating crawfish before locals came to their aid and gave them crawfish peeling tutorials. “We were breaking Louisiana hearts,” Jase said, noting that this was his favorite experience in Lake Charles. “The spices hit you right in the nose and back of the throat. It was a hot day, so we got the full Louisiana experience.”

Josh and Jase were also given a tour of the newly opened Port Wonder. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Jase said. Josh exclaimed, “I went down the slide and loved it!”

With a goal of seeing alligators out in the wild, Josh and Jase took to the golf course at L’Auberge where they spotted a few. “In the U.K., we just have deer and ducks. You have dinosaurs sitting here,” said Jase. “We also played golf and realized we were terrible,” Josh added. Defending himself, Jase said he was only terrible because he was busy making sure no alligators were ready to attack.

Josh and Jase decide where to eat based on local recommendations, so they headed to Darrell’s after it was the most recommended eatery on social media. Josh ordered the Surf & Turf and Jase ordered the Darrell’s Special. Both Brits enjoyed trying their first po’boys ever, with Josh rating it a 10 out of 10.
No experience in Lake Charles would be complete without a ride over the notorious I-10 bridge. “You have a crazy bridge. It goes into space,” Jase said, while Josh described it as an “optical illusion bridge.”

Dining at Ember in L’Auberge was another highlight of Josh and Jase’s stay. “It’s up there with the best steak I’ve ever eaten,” Jase said.
As to their overall experience in Lake Charles, Josh explains, “Louisiana people are so nice. Some spent 10 to 15 minutes recommending places for us to go. Cajun culture is so unique that they wanted to make sure we experienced the right things.” Jase continued, “We love it here. It’s been amazing. A home away from home.”

What’s their message to the people of Lake Charles? “We apologize for the way we ate crawfish,” Josh declared.