If you’ve spent any time online, chances are Tiny Chef, with his 12M+ followers across social media, has made you smile.
Known for whimsical cooking videos and devoted fans that show up for everything from dance breaks to cat cameos, Tiny Chef has built a following that actively participates in his world.
That relationship with his audience became especially important in the summer of 2025, when his Emmy Award-winning Nickelodeon show was unexpectedly canceled. The question wasn’t whether fans still cared, it was what should come next.
Chef did what he’s always done best: bring others along for the ride. That meant staying close to his audience and continuously listening as ideas and inspiration evolved.
When you're at a crossroads, stay open to feedback
When Chef’s show was cancelled, we shared a simple one-question survey on our SurveyMonkey Instagram:
“What should Chef’s next career move be?”
Some fans envisioned Chef gliding across a ballroom floor on Dancing with the Stars. Others wanted an Anthony Bourdain–style food adventure. A few even suggested something…more political.
At the time, Chef was on a post-show adventure, traveling west on the open road. When we shared out the responses we received, he saw how eager his fans were to help shape his journey. And when he landed in Pioneertown, California, a tiny desert town known for its Old West charm and ceremonial mayors like Harry T. Cactus and Sam the Goat, his next step seemed clear.
Chef threw his hat into the race for ceremonial mayor, and he turned to SurveyMonkey to keep on listening.
Step 1: Build a platform together
This wasn’t going to be a top-down campaign. Instead of reacting to a single moment or snapshot of opinion, Chef kept checking in, using feedback as continuous guidance. Voting in the election was open to all and every vote doubled as a donation to a local nonprofit, giving his campaign a big dash of real-world impact.
Using SurveyMonkey, Chef surveyed fans to help build his political platform and gauge awareness of the election itself.
More than 2,000 fans weighed in to help define the campaign. The results were delightfully democratic:
- 35% voted for the campaign slogan: “Nothin’ Tewww Tiny Fo Me!”
- 35% chose “Tiny Pawty” as the official party name
- 22% selected “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra as the campaign song
Early polling showed Tiny Chef was a clear favorite among his fans. But as any good pollster knows, broader opinion can still surprise you.
Step 2: Poll the wider electorate
Just days before voting closed, SurveyMonkey polling revealed an unexpected twist. Among Americans who planned to vote in the election, another candidate was narrowly in the lead.
The race was on.
Step 3: Count every vote
When the dust settled in the desert, Tiny Chef won the election and officially became Pioneertown’s next ceremonial mayor. A campaign built on listening, participation, and a whole lot of heart crossed the finish line.
What this shows
Tiny Chef’s journey is whimsical, but the takeaway is serious: When you ask the right questions, you invite people to show up. And when you keep asking—not just once, but continuously—you move from reacting to feedback to actually learning from it.
From shaping a political platform to testing messaging, gauging awareness, or running polls on hot-button issues, SurveyMonkey helps organizations turn opinions into insight and insight into action.
That’s why political action committees, city council members, school boards, government agencies, and advocacy groups rely on SurveyMonkey to:
- Crowdsource ideas from the communities they serve
- Test messaging before it goes public
- Run fast, reliable polls on issues that matter right now
- Make decisions grounded in real feedback, not guesswork
Whether you’re running a mayoral campaign in the desert or shaping policy at scale, the principle is the same: listen first, then lead.
Tiny Chef did. And the people voted.
