The fame-hungry influencer who filmed himself jumping into a raging river during Hurricane Milton has responded to critics who attacked him for his bizarre antics.
Mike Smalls Jr., 26, of Tampa, has racked up millions of views after sharing clips of himself donning an air mattress, an umbrella and a pack of ramen noodles to ride out the storm.
In an effort to make some extra cash with a $7,000 prize offered by streamer Adin Ross, Smalls, who said he could “barely swim,” filmed the encounter on Kick, a popular livestreaming platform, while sitting next to a flooded river .
He quickly vowed to jump into the water on his mattress if he reached 100,000 views during the Category 3 storm, which left more than 3 million residents without power and killed an estimated 23 people.
After streaming for hours and racking up more than 60,000 views in a now-viral clip, people condemned Smalls for his outrageous decision, but he said that as a content creator he had to keep things “edgy” and that it was a “calculated blast ‘was. ‘
‘You know, I take safety very seriously. To some extent you could say it’s irresponsible, but for me I’d say it’s a calculated firecracker,” he said. BBC.
Mike Smalls Jr., 26, of Tampa, has received millions of views after sharing clips of him donning an air mattress, umbrella and pack of ramen noodles to brave Hurricane Milton
He told the BBC that as a content creator he had to keep things ‘tense’ and that it was a ‘calculated blast’
“From a content creator perspective, people like to see edgy things,” he added.
He told the outlet he had a plan if the storm affected his ability to continue streaming.
The 26-year-old said his plan was to “make some nice clips and then, if it gets too wild, I can just, you know, take my little five- and 10-minute walk home.”
Milton did indeed pick up the slack, as Smalls was nearly blown away several times on Wednesday.
“The wind started to pick up and I can’t swim… so I had to grab onto the tree,” he remembers.
When asked how he felt about people bashing him for taking valuable resources away from others who might have needed them during the storm, he told the newspaper “it’s definitely a tough situation.”
“At the end of the day, because of my ‘stupid decision,’ I don’t want to endanger other people’s lives, and people are trying to come and save me,” he said, before the reporter told him. that the emergency services would actually try to help him if he needed it.
‘Don’t save me! I know what I got myself into, don’t save me!’ he shouted in response.
The clip captured Smalls battling the elements as rain pelted his face, making it difficult to film and keep his camera dry.
As he livestreamed, viewers quickly left warnings and comments expressing their shock and confusion as to why he would willingly venture into the horrific storm.
“I’m trying my best to feel sorry for him,” one said.
A viral clip showed Smalls being knocked to the ground by gale-force winds during Hurricane Helene
“He just acts as a human piñata against the storm,” wrote another.
“Just put all the kickstreamers in jail now,” said one.
Another person asked, “Is your life worth $70,000?”
This wasn’t the first time Smalls voluntarily got caught in a hurricane, as he pulled a similar stunt during Hurricane Helene.
The full-time streamer, 26, battled the Category 4 storm while on the Bayshore when the extreme weather rolled in on September 26, filming himself wearing a vest and cap as he pitched a flimsy tent under a bridge.
The clip, which has since gone viral, shows Smalls battling the elements as he set up the fabric den and climbed inside as the walls swayed in the wind.
In another part of the footage, he could be heard repeatedly calling for help as a body of water crashed into his tent.
He filmed his surroundings in which he saw an underground area full of water, while Smalls waded through it and laughed at the dangerous situation he found himself in.
Smalls is just one of many streamers and content creators livestreaming their reckless behavior online, many doing so during Hurricane Milton.
As a full-time streamer he is no stranger to performing stunts, but the 26-year-old claims he did ‘extensive research’ before deciding to tackle the Category 4 storm.
Streamer Adin Ross launched a $70,000 “survival challenge” during the storm, the big prize Smalls wanted to win.
During his livestream, Ross confirmed that another user had won the top prize, but Smalls told the BBC that he still managed to make enough money to pay some of his bills thanks to his video.
The risky challenge saw 18-year-old Shaun Sharkey, also known as Shoovy, arrested Wednesday after breaking into an apartment building to chase Hurricane Milton for the substantial prize.
Sharkey said it was his friend’s apartment he broke into, but in the livestream on his kick channel he broke into the apartment with a screwdriver. He was later seen with a knife while the door was open.
The creator was stopped by police when the video was interrupted.
The 18-year-old was arrested for burglary and resisting an officer. He had a $1,000 bond on the second charge, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
His Kick channel was deleted that same day.