10 Times Fitness Influencers Went TOO FAR

10 Times Fitness Influencers Went TOO FAR

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re exploring the most infamous times when fitness influencers took extreme measures chasing fame, results, or influence, leading to shocking consequences.

Tammy Steffen

Instead of following the expression that “the best revenge is a life well lived,” Steffen went for the scorched earth approach. After all, the fitness influencer created at least 369 Instagram accounts and 18 email addresses to harass and threaten people who’d previously worked with her. In 2018, Steffen took it up a notch by claiming her daughter had been the victim of an attempted kidnapping in Florida. The evidence, which included the influencer apparently getting a headless doll as a threat, pointed to one man, whom the police later discovered Steffen had blamed for her losing a fitness competition. She also got her daughter to lie and accuse the man. In 2019, Steffen was sentenced to four years and nine months in jail.

Krissy Cela

Celebrated for being on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, Cela was taking the fitness world by storm. Yet in 2025, the Algerian-born influencer, who lives in the UK, found herself in massive controversy. Instead of uploading one of her typical workout videos, Cela had a little cameo guest, her infant, who was directly below her as she squatted with heavy weights. Yikes. Viewers were outraged at the recklessness, as a loss of balance or dropping the weight could’ve had drastic consequences. Thankfully, nothing bad happened. However, Cela will probably think twice before having her child closely involved in her workout again.

Wes Watson

Building his reputation as a fitness influencer who spent time in jail after committing robbery and assault, and was changing his ways, Watson seemingly turned back towards crime again in 2023. That year, he was accused of organising an attack on Hakeem Ibrahim. Watson issued an open challenge, which Ibrahim attended. Instead of a contest, he was allegedly attacked by Watson and others while they uttered slurs. Watson claimed the altercation was consensual. In 2025, Ibrahim issued a lawsuit against Watson. It got worse for the influencer in 2026 when he was charged with allegations that he’d attacked his partner. Apparently, he got aggressive after seeing her attire when she attended a Miami Heat game and believed she was cheating.

Stefi Cohen

A boxer, a holder of multiple powerlifting records, and running a fitness empire, Cohen has a lot going for her professionally. However, her personal life has seen her endure several scandals that damaged her reputation. In 2022, Cohen allegedly guessed the laptop password for her ex-boyfriend and found intimate photos of his new partner. She then reportedly sent the photos to others in group chats. While Cohen was arrested, the charges were later dropped. In 2025, she was arrested for allegedly attacking her current partner, Tristan Hamm, who denied the accusations against Cohen. As such, the case was dropped. Hamm would later claim to TMZ that Cohen was “being extorted by an illegal immigrant” who was now getting revenge with the legal system.

Liver King

If you wanted to look like Brian Johnson, better known as the Liver King, then all you needed to do was follow his “ancestral lifestyle,” which involved intense workouts and consuming an obscene amount of raw meat with a carnivore diet, which health experts have criticized. However, Johnson’s perception wasn’t the full truth. In 2022, his emails were exposed publicly, showing that the influencer was spending over $11,000 a month on steroids and performance-enhancing substances to develop his physique. As the backlash swept in, Johnson released a video apologizing for using steroids. This sparked viewers to issue a lawsuit against him for deception, which was later discontinued. In 2025, with his empire destroyed, Johnson admitted he was wrong about following a carnivore diet.

Nathan Williamson

Also known as the Flame King, Williamson operated the bodybuilding company Team Future Muscle in Melbourne, Australia. However, rather than relying on exercise and diet, he was seemingly using a much more intense and dangerous method to get clients and perhaps himself to gain muscle. In 2023, after months of investigation, the police searched his property and the gym he worked from, as well as the residences of others allegedly involved. Deemed the largest steroid seizure in the country’s history, the officers found millions of Australian dollars' worth of illegal and controlled substances, as well as 300,000 AUD in cash, around 215,000 USD. Following his arrest for substance trafficking, Williamson pleaded not guilty to the accusations in 2024.

Brittany Dawn

In 2014, Dawn launched her fitness company, using social media to promote it. Yet barely a year after forming, her business’s reputation began spiralling. The company offered clients a tailor-made workout program and diet for a fee of up to hundreds of dollars, with Dawn in regular contact. However, the plans allegedly weren’t tailored for the individual, nor did she speak to them. Dawn seemingly deleted negative online reviews, blocked the disparaging clients, and offered refunds if they signed NDAs. Yet after the mainstream media examined the scandal, Dawn released an apology video. In 2022, she was sued by the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which was settled in 2023. After the collapse of her fitness company, Dawn has shifted her content to Christianity.

Dmitry Nuyanzin

In 2025, for weeks, Nuyanzin had been consuming 10,000 calories per day, mostly from junk food. Considering the average man is meant to have 2500 a day to maintain weight, that’s an absurd increase. Living in a world where extreme challenges please the algorithm, Nuyanzin was probably expecting to go viral. The Russian influencer wanted to test a weight-loss program he’d developed. So, Nuyanzin intended to show potential clients that his plan would help him lose 50 pounds. However, the rapid weight gain, which was nearly 30 pounds in a month, had caused issues with Nuyanzin’s health. So, he cancelled training sessions and planned to visit a doctor. Yet before he could, Nuyanzin sadly passed away in his sleep after experiencing cardiac arrest.

Justyn Vicky

Born in New York City and raised in Bali, Indonesia, Vicky was a professional bodybuilder and instructor at The Paradise Bali gym. Alongside taking part in and winning bodybuilding competitions, he also showed his workouts online. In 2023, he was doing a barbell squat. Previously, Vicky had alluded to the exercise being dangerous. As he did a repetition, he struggled to rise back upwards to a standing position. Despite the spotter’s attempt to take the weight, he slipped too. As Vicky collapsed, the 460-pound barbell pressed against the back of his neck. Alongside a fractured neck, Vicky’s nerves connected to vital organs were compressed. While he quickly underwent surgery to repair the damage, sadly, Vicky didn’t survive the procedure.

Rich Piana

After getting into bodybuilding as a tween, Piana saw quick success as he won competitions. Later, he became an influencer, providing motivational advice to aspiring bodybuilders. Yet rather than only exercise and diet being responsible for his physique, Piana spoke openly about using steroids since he was a teenager. However, he discouraged others from following in his pharmaceutical footsteps, pointing out the many side effects. In 2017, when Piana was having his hair cut by his partner, he collapsed. His heart was restarted. However, the lack of oxygen led to brain damage. After two weeks in a coma, Piana sadly passed away. While the autopsy couldn’t rule out substances, Piana had an enlarged heart and liver, common issues from steroid use, and heart disease.

Who is the most wholesome fitness influencer that you follow? Let us know below.