Streamer Natalie Reynolds is facing backlash after asking a woman who couldn't swim to jump into a lake and then fleeing the scene.
Natalie, who streams on the platform Kick, participated in a scavenger hunt organized by fellow streamer Ice Poseidon on Wednesday (May 29).
The 25-year-old live-streamed as she asked a woman to jump into Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, to help her retrieve an RFID scanner.
Highlights
- Natalie Reynolds is facing backlash for asking a stranger to jump into a lake for $20 and then fleeing as the woman struggled to swim.
- The incident occurred during a scavenger hunt organized by streamer Ice Poseidon on May 29.
- Natalie claims she didn't know the woman couldn't swim and stated that the woman willingly jumped in.
"Do you know where the RFID scanner is? Because I'm trying to find this RFID scanner, and I have to kayak," asked the controversial content creator, who recently made headlines for wearing “painted pants” to the gym.
Image credits: nataliereynolds
"Ice Poseidon told me you swim in the water," she said. "You should jump in the water right now and start swimming to find it."
"Would you do that? You just should jump in right now."
Natalie then told the woman that if she found the scanner for her, she'd give her
$20, calling her proposition a "good deal."
$20, calling her proposition a "good deal."
Natalie was participating in a scavenger hunt organized by fellow streamer Ice Poseidon
Image credits: nataliereynolds
The woman accepted the dare and jumped into the lake, making Natalie visibly surprised.
"You said you wanted to swim!" the streamer told the woman when she realized she was struggling in the water.
"You told me to jump in!" the woman called out. "I can't swim!"
It's unclear whether the woman was under the influence or if she had any mental health issues.
The viral clip ends with Natalie leaving the lake with her friends, laughing as she denies her involvement in the incident.
"I didn't know! She says she's drowning!" the content creator yelled.
The 25-year-old asked the woman to jump into Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, to find an RFID scanner
Image credits: Dexerto
"Ice Poseidon told me you swim in the water. You should jump in right now and start swimming to find it," she told the woman
Image credits: Dexerto
The woman accepted the dare and jumped into the lake, making Natalie visibly surprised
Image credits: Dexerto
Later, as she and her friends drove away, Natalie live-streamed a fire truck driving toward the scene, possibly indicating emergency services had been called to help the woman.
"This is bad, Natalie," one of the friends told the 25-year-old.
The video quickly made the rounds on social media, with many users being critical of the streamer's behavior.
"All of them standing there, watching her nearly die. Absolutely disgusting," someone wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
"I hope they all get charged," another person commented.
Natalie left the lake laughing after the stranger said she was "drowning" and "couldn't swim"
"So they just laugh and walk away…." a third person said.
A separate individual said: "This social media/TikTok generation is cooked. Empathy at ZERO. All of them leave and continue to film for 'reaction content.'"
Natalie defended herself from the criticism on X, arguing that the woman wanted to jump in the lake and wasn't influenced by her words.
"The lady wanted to swim. They told me to leave and stop filming, that's why we left, and she got the help she needed and is fine," she wrote on Thursday (May 30). "Stop dragging sh*t."
"Influencers need to be held accountable," a Facebook user wrote
