How Tempe, Arizona, Became Ground Zero for ‘Girls Gone Wild’ | College Porn Started Here
It started with a camcorder, a college town, and a very bad idea.
Before Girls Gone Wild became a pop-culture juggernaut — and later, a cautionary tale — its roots were planted in Tempe, Arizona, a city known for its scorching summers, wild nightlife, and the Arizona State University party scene. In the late 1990s, Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis saw an opportunity to cash in on America’s obsession with youthful debauchery. But few realize that before the franchise exploded into a multi-million-dollar empire, it was Tempe’s wild college bars, house parties, and Spring Break atmosphere that helped launch one of the most infamous brands of the early 2000s.
The Birth of an Empire (And a Legal Nightmare)
At the time, Francis was a young entrepreneur working for a Los Angeles-based video distribution company. His job involved reviewing and editing footage of real-life car crashes and violent incidents for a late-night TV show called Banned from Television. But watching chaos unfold on screen gave him a different idea — what if he filmed something less violent, but equally outrageous?
That’s when Francis set his sights on Tempe, Arizona.
Arizona State University had a national reputation for throwing some of the wildest parties in the country. The bars on Mill Avenue were packed with students looking for a good time, and the city’s proximity to Spring Break hotspots like Lake Havasu made it the perfect testing ground. Armed with nothing but a handheld camcorder and the promise of free Girls Gone Wild tank tops, Francis and his crew hit the streets of Tempe, capturing footage of drunk college girls flashing the camera.
The reaction was instant.
The first tapes sold like wildfire, and Francis knew he had tapped into something big. Soon, he expanded his operation to Panama City Beach, Florida, another infamous party town. But it was Tempe that proved the concept worked — drunk, uninhibited college students were willing to perform on camera in exchange for cheap merchandise and their 15 minutes of fame.
From Tempe to National Sensation
By the early 2000s, Girls Gone Wild infomercials flooded late-night television, promising viewers “real college girls” willing to “bare it all” for the cameras. The brand expanded into merchandise, pay-per-view specials, and even a short-lived nightclub tour.
What started as a few grainy VHS tapes in Tempe dive bars had turned into a multi-million dollar business.
Of course, the empire didn’t last. Lawsuits, scandals, and accusations of exploitation caught up with Joe Francis. By 2013, the Girls Gone Wild brand filed for bankruptcy, and Francis himself faced legal trouble ranging from tax evasion to assault charges.
The Legacy of Tempe’s Role in ‘Girls Gone Wild’
Today, Girls Gone Wild is more of a relic than a relevant brand, but its origins in Tempe, Arizona remain an important (and often overlooked) part of its history. The early success in Tempe proved the formula — if young, intoxicated college students were willing to perform on camera in exchange for nothing more than a free hat, then the concept had national potential.
While Girls Gone Wild may be long gone, Tempe’s party scene is still alive and well. Arizona State University continues to rank as one of the top party schools in the nation, and the bars on Mill Avenue remain packed with students looking for the next wild night out.
The difference? These days, you don’t need a Girls Gone Wild crew to document it. Snapchat and Instagram Stories have taken over.
Some things never change.
