“Two Steps Ahead, I’m Always Two Steps Ahead,” popular mukbang YouTuber Nikocado Avocado said in a recent video, where he revealed his part in a huge internet social experiment for the past few years. This social experiment proves that people should not judge anyone, because one never knows what they are going through.
Nicholas Perry (Nikocado Avocado) started his page in 2014, showcasing his vegan lifestyle. However, as he garnered more attention around 2016, he started doing mukbangs — videos or livestreams featuring a person eating large quantities of food. Regular consumption of such a large number of calories is very unhealthy. Soon, his Youtube channel grew to almost 4 million subscribers. Despite suffering from obesity, heart attacks and having to wear a CPAP, Perry continued filming these videos, even when it became dangerous for his health. After spending months at the hospital, he told his viewers he was going to start a weight-loss journey, but soon after announced he would not be pursuing it. On Sept. 7, 2024 he uploaded on all of his social medias explaining that this had all been a social experiment and that in the past two years he had lost 250 pounds. All the videos he uploaded through that time were old videos recorded prior to his weight-loss, leaving the internet shocked and confused. He had been tricking the internet to believe he had not made any progress. His audience can truly tell he’s proud the experiment succeeded.
“I honestly found it really interesting, because it was a switch up,” FHS freshman Ella Kamhaji said. “It was a different one, and it was really appealing to a lot of Gen Z-ers.”
On Sept. 18, 2024 he was quick to announce that this was once again another experiment and he did not lose any of the weight ever, claiming the videos he posted were of him from 2014. This newest update left the internet completely confused and very unsure if he lost the weight or not.
Although his drastic change made him look different because of the weight loss, he is still the same person he always was, but people felt more comfortable hating him when he was unhealthy. People now like him more after the drastic change.
“I’m proud of his transformation, because it showed people that you can be healthier if it’s needed,” Kamhaji said. ”It’s really sad that he’s getting criticized for it because he’s just trying his best. So, love you, Nikocado Avocado.”
Sometimes social media can be deceiving and it can be easy to forget that the people behind the screen are also human and have their own feelings and insecurities. While many people support his change now, many originally bullied Nikocado for his heavy weight. Nobody knows what someone is going through and how hard they are working to improve themselves.
