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, from Tampa, has racked up millions of views after sharing clips of himself setting up an air mattress, umbrella and pack of ramen noodles to brave the storm.
In an bid to make some extra cash through a $7,000 prize offered by streamer Adin Ross, Smalls, who said he ‘could barely swim,’ filmed the encounter on Kick, a popular live-streaming platform, as he sat beside a flooded river.
He soon promised that he would hop into the water on his mattress if he reached 100,000 views during the Category 3 storm that left more than 3 million residents without power and an estimated 23 dead.
After streaming for hours and getting more than 60,000 views in a now-viral clip, people blasted Smalls for his outrageous decision, but he said as a content creator, he had to keep things ‘edgy’ and that it was a ‘calculated banger.’
‘You know, I take safety very seriously. To a degree, I guess you could say it’s irresponsible, but for me, I would say it’s a calculated banger,’ he told BBC.
Mike Smalls Jr., 26, from Tampa, has racked up millions of views after sharing clips of himself setting up an air mattress, umbrella and pack of ramen noodles to brave Hurricane Milton
He told BBC as a content creator, he had to keep things ‘edgy’ and that it was a ‘calculated banger’
‘From a content creator standpoint, people like to see kind of edgy things,’ he added.
He told the outlet that he had a plan if the storm impacted his ability to keep streaming.
The 26-year-old said his plan was to ‘get some nice clips and then, if things get too wild, I can just, you know, track my little five, 10-minute walk back home.’
Milton did, in fact, pick up as Smalls was seen nearly blowing away multiple times on Wednesday.
‘The wind started picking up and I don’t know how to swim…so I had to grab onto the tree,’ he recalled.
When asked how he felt about people bashing him for taking away precious resources from others who might have needed it during the storm, he told the outlet ‘it’s definitely a sticky situation.’
‘At the end of the day I don’t want, for my “dumb decision”, I don’t want to put other people’s lives at risk, and people try to come save me,’ he said, before the reporter told him that emergency services would in fact 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 whipped around in his face, making it hard to film and keep his camera dry.
As he live streamed, viewers were quick to leave warnings and comments of their shock and confusion as to why he would willingly venture out into the horrific storm.
‘I’m trying real hard to feel bad for him,’ one said.
In a viral clip, Smalls could be seen getting knocked to the ground by the gale-force winds during Hurricane Helene
‘He’s just acting as a human piñata against the storm,’ wrote another.
‘Just put all the kick streamers in jail at this point,’ someone said.
Another person asked: ‘Is your life worth $70,000?’
This was not Smalls’ first time voluntarily going out into a hurricane, as he pulled a similar stunt during Hurricane Helene.
The full-time streamer, 26, took on the Category 4 storm as he situated himself at the Bayshore when the extreme weather rolled in on September 26, and filmed himself in a vest top and cap as he pitched a flimsy tent under a bridge.
The clip – which has since gone viral – captured Smalls battling the elements as he erected the fabric den and climbed into it as the walls thrashed around in the wind.
In another section of the footage, he could be heard repeatedly calling for help as a body of water strikes his tent.
He filmed his surroundings which saw an underground area full of floodwater, as Smalls waded through and laughed at the dangerous situation he found himself in.
Smalls is just one of many streamers and content creators who have been live-streaming their reckless behavior online, with 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 attempt to take on the Category 4 storm
Streamer Adin Ross launched a $70k ‘survival challenge’ during the storm – the big prize Smalls set out to win.
During his live stream Ross confirmed that another user had won the grand prize, but Smalls told BBC he still managed to make enough money to pay for some of his bills because of his video.
The risky challenge saw Shaun Sharkey, 18, also known as Shoovy, was arrested on Wednesday after breaking into an apartment building to chase Hurricane Milton for the substantial prize.
Sharkey said it was his friend’s condo he was breaking into, but in the live stream on his kick channel, he broke into the apartment with a screwdriver. Later, he was seen holding a knife with the door open.
The creator was restrained by police as the video cut out.
The 18-year-old was arrested for burglary and resisting an officer – for the second charge he had a $1000 bond, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
His Kick channel was taken down that same day.
