The Flank drama explained: ZooMaa & Ben clash over CDL show’s future

Rory Teale
Ben Nissim and ZooMaa on The Flank

The Flank hosts Ben J Nissim and Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto have clashed after Ben complained on stream about lack of show progression.

The competitive CoD community has been enjoying The Flank for a number of seasons now, with its blend of elite-level CoD insights with pro-player banter.

It seems as though things may have hit the rocks though, as Ben spoke out about some issues he has with The Flank, and it came to blows on-stream as ZooMaa and Ben clashed.

The Flank beef explained

Nissim let fans know his frustrations on stream during a Halo tournament watch party, implying a lack of ambition from his Flank co-hosts.

Ben expressed his disappointment with the lack of future planning for the show, saying: “I’ve been frustrated recently with the Flank.

“I feel like I’m the only one that wants to take this show to the next level. I feel like I’m just screaming into a brick wall these days. And when we go to events I feel like I have to do literally everything. I’m really hoping it changes.”

He went on to say that while he’s focusing on the bigger picture, he feels like “people are stuck in the moment too often” and he’s the only one who wants to do it.

ZooMaa and Ben clash on stream

ZooMaa responded to Ben’s criticisms live on stream when the two were in a voice call, saying “you made me look bad, you tried to make me seem like I don’t give a f**k.”

Following the stream where Ben talked about his frustrations, ZooMaa said that fans had been calling him “immature,” and accusing him of “not caring about the show.”

Ben did admit that he regretted what he said, stating “I misconstrued it in that clip, that’s not at all what I was trying to say.”

The two appeared to agree on certain topics, with ZooMaa letting Ben know that “I’m on your side” regarding the issues. But Nissim still didn’t seem reassured, saying that “my issue is that I’ve been talking about it for eight months, and it still hasn’t got done.”

Fans of The Flank will hope that the two can put aside their differences to keep The Flank growing, especially with more pros retiring, and Scump and Methodz’s show “The Breakdown” also contesting them for viewers during the CDL season.

About The Author

Rory Teale writes about Gaming and Trending News for Dexerto. He is in his final year at Loughborough University, pursuing a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. Rory is passionate about all things gaming, and spends his time playing Destiny 2, ranking up in competitive shooters, and testing his reaction skills and combos in games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat - and of course writing about anything and everything in-between. You can contact him at rory.teale@dexerto.com.