They were supposed to be the future of darts.
Teenagers beating Phil Taylor. Kids lifting world youth titles. Factory workers turning into World Championship finalists. Prodigies compared to Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen.
But instead of dominating the sport, they disappeared.
In this video, we dive into the rise and fall of 8 darts wonderkids – players who had the talent, the momentum, and the hype… but watched it all collapse.
We cover stories like:
Corey Cadby – “The King” who beat Phil Taylor at 20, reached the UK Open final… then vanished amid visa chaos, street-fight videos, and a tour card he never even used.
Leighton Bennett – the 13-year-old phenom who beat Phil Taylor and was tipped to rival Luke Littler… before an 8-year match-fixing ban ended his career at 18.
Kirk Shepherd – the 1000/1 factory worker who reached a World Championship final, then says he wishes it never happened as dartitis, gambling and depression took over.
James Hubbard – the man who beat Michael van Gerwen in a World Youth final and knocked out Adrian Lewis at Ally Pally… then quietly faded away.
Jamie Lewis – from World Championship semi-finalist to averaging 57 on TV and walking away from the sport while battling anxiety and depression.
Benito van de Pas – once ranked 13th in the world with multiple titles, now a forgotten name after a brutal slide in form and mental struggles.
Keegan Brown – World Youth Champion, NHS lab worker, mental health battles, losing and regaining his tour card… and still fighting to rediscover himself.
These aren’t just dips in form.
They’re complete collapses — shaped by scandal, mental health, pressure, money, and life away from the ockey.
👇 Let us know in the comments:
Which career collapse shocked you the most? And which of these wonderkids do you still hope makes a comeback?
If you enjoy deep-dive darts documentaries, make sure to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next one.
RIGHT NOTICE: The Copyright Laws of the United States recognize a “fair use” of copyrighted content. Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act states: “Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.” This video and our YouTube channel, in general, may contain certain copyrighted works that were not specifically authorized to be used by the copyright holder(s), but which we believe in good faith are protected by federal law and the fair use doctrine for one or more of the reasons noted above. Fair Dealing: Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 (UK) section 30 states “Fair dealing” with a work for the purposes of criticism or review, of that or another work, does not infringe any copyright in the work provided that it is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgement. Copyright in a work is not infringed by the use of a quotation from the work (whether for criticism or review or otherwise).———————————————————————————————————————–
[amazon_auto_links id="551"]