The internet misses the point of Nikocado Avocado’s weight loss ‘social experiment’

Nicholas Perry, better known by his internet personality Nikocado Avocado, shocked his followers when he revealed he secretly lost 250 lbs over two years.

Perry became famous on YouTube for his mukbang videos. He is among the most extreme mukbangers who garner attention by utilizing the shock factor and eating enormous portions of food in one sitting. Over the years, he experienced noticeable gain weight and although his videos continued to attract millions of views, his comments were often filled with fatphobic insults and people claiming they only “hate-watched” his videos to see if he was still alive. His content also highlighted a double standard in the mukbang world. Even though his eating habits mirrored numerous extreme mukbangers, the hatred was more pronounced towards him compared to others who did not appear to gain weight.

Recently, though, Perry pulled one of the biggest “social experiments” on the internet.

Nikocado Avocado debuts dramatic weight loss transformation

On September 6, Perry uploaded a video to his main YouTube channel titled “Two Steps Ahead.” In the video, he wears a panda mask over his head, revealing how he has always been “two steps ahead” of the internet. He explained that he had pulled off the biggest “social experiment” of his career by losing 250 pounds over two years, unbeknownst to viewers. He kept his weight loss journey secret by uploading old videos to the internet to keep up the ruse. Perry discusses how he watched people calling him “fat and sick and boring and irrelevant” just days before he debuted his weight loss transformation.

Perry concludes, “People are the most messed-up creatures on the entire planet.” He makes a good point, as his social experiment proved just how gullible the internet is. They believe whatever is shown to them on the screen without stopping to think that perhaps there’s more to the story behind the scenes. However, he seems to be continuing with his usual content, as he immediately partook in what appear to be two new mukbang videos and teased that more mukbang content is on the way.

The double standard persists as people are now praising him and declaring him “healthy” because he lost weight. (Despite the harsh toll extreme weight gain and loss in such a short time can take on the body.) Others are entirely missing the point of his transformation. While his “experiment” demonstrates why you shouldn’t attack people you don’t know on the internet, many are still using it as an excuse to be fatphobic. One of the top posts on X about the influencer is from a user claiming that “bullying does work” and assuming it was the hatred he received that motivated his weight loss.

His transformation is also already causing unrealistic weight loss expectations in others, with people saying, “If Nikocado Avocado can do it, so can you.” It’s unfortunate that everyone is missing the point of his experiment and simply using his weight loss to continue peddling their fatphobia, unrealistic expectations, and double standards.