A Tampa influencer who went viral on social media is facing backlash after attempting a dangerous camping stunt during Hurricane Helene, which has claimed more than 130 lives.
Mike Smalls, the 26-year-old full-time streamer, clinched millions of views after posting videos of himself trying to set up a tent in gale-force winds before being knocked down and nearly swept away by the floodwaters.
Smalls took on the Category 4 storm, which struck the Florida Gulf Coast on September 26, and continued to cause devastation across the southeastern U.S.
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He filmed himself at Bayshore, in Tampa, wearing a tank top and a cap while attempting to pitch a tent underneath a bridge.
The video, that has now gone viral, shows Smalls battling the intense winds as he struggled to erect the tent.
At one point, he entered the tent as it flapped wildly in the storm, and in another clip, Smalls could be heard calling for help as floodwaters hit his tent. He then continued to film himself wading through the water and laughing at the perilous situation he had found himself in.
Kick Streamer went live in a tent during Hurricane Helene and it almost wiped him out ???????? pic.twitter.com/ea3YfLTwsm
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) September 27, 2024
Despite the warnings, Smalls dismissed his critics and explained his motivation behind the stunt. “I decided to stream myself during the hurricane because I knew it would be something creative and new [that] the live-streaming industry hasn’t really seen before,” he said.
As Smalls streamed the incident live, viewers expressed shock and concern about the danger it came with on social media. “This ain’t gonna end well,” one user commented on X, where the video has amassed over 11 million views. Others warned him about powerlines, sharks, snakes, and alligators. “Your life is next to lose,” one viewer wrote.
Smalls then revealed that he was drawn to storm chasing due to his lifelong fascination with storms, and was far from scared although he was fully aware of the consequences. “I knew some may find [it] shocking, entertaining, dumb, comical, or even off-putting. But regardless of the reactions, people would still tune in just to see what would happen,” he said.
The streamer also claimed he conducted extensive research before attempting the stunt and believed he had timed it perfectly to avoid any serious danger. “I knew the hurricane was going to be bad, but not that bad in my area if I timed it perfectly,” Smalls reassured his fans on social media.
Smalls admitted that the situation became tense most of the time, yet insisted that he never felt his life was in serious danger. “I’m an entertainer and a very calculated person. I would have never done it if I genuinely thought my life was at risk.”
The 26-year-old also made sure to hit back at those who heavily-criticized him and questioned his sanity in exploring such an attempt. “Many people gave me props for the creativity and guts to pull something like this off, while others thought this was a cry for attention or very dumb.”
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“When people say this was ‘dumb’ and that I’m risking my life for views, I understand it may appear that way, but they didn’t see how calculated I was and the research that went into it. Hence, why I was able to make it home safe and sound”, he added.
