WHERE once influencers earned a living with sponsorships deals and product promos they are now going to much more extreme lengths to earn their fame and cash cheques.
Far from the cosy bedrooms that once staged ‘get ready with me’ videos, social media stars have been seen scaling high-rise buildings, swimming with sharks, and taking on life-threatening challenges all in a bid to rake in followers.
Russian climber Angela Nikolau has raked in millions for her terrifying stunts Credit: instagram/angelanikolau
The couple were arrested in July for climbing to the top of the Empire State Building Credit: Reuters
And, worryingly, it’s been working.
Several ‘danger influencers’ have pocketed millions, landing book deals, Netflix documentaries and global notoriety for their extreme, and often illegal, stunts.
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Couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov more than doubled their social media following after getting engaged at the top of the Empire State Building in July this year.
Angela captioned the video which featured the couple passionately kissing, writing: “We chose to live life on our own terms, not by someone else’s rules. Fully, authentically, and with everything we’ve got.”
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Ivan proposed to his long-term girlfriend while on top of the Empire State Building Credit: instagram/angelanikolau
Angela Nikolau and her boyfriend appeared in a Netflix documentary in 2024 Credit: instagram/angelanikolau
Known as “rooftoppers”, the couple, who have an estimated six figure worth, boast over 4million followers and regularly share content from their wild adventures, which usually involves climbing thousands of feet into the air to reach the summits of famous buildings.
On their social media pages, Angela often features in videos wearing little more than underwear and a crop top.
Their escapades are so extreme that they were arrested in July for climbing the Empire State Building, where they spent several minutes on the top spire before unveiling a black and white banner with a Jimi Hendrix quote: “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace”.
Ivan then proposed to his long-term girlfriend atop the 1,454-foot building as a sea of onlookers and paparazzi watched the moment.
Despite the arrest, the stunt doubled their previous follower count and likely opened the door to even greater financial gain than their previous exploits, which include climbing the second-tallest building in the world, Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
So far, their blood-curdling stunts have earned them multiple brand deals and a Netflix documentary, Skywalkers: A Love Story, released in 2024, leading many to believe their earnings are in the millions.
They also have their own website where they flog $400 (£294) beanies, jewellery and sexually suggestive paintings ranging in price from $4,000 (£2,934) to $15,000 (£11,000). At the top of the website is a warning. “High demand – orders may be delayed”.
The couple’s “authentic” way of life has not earned them any serious injuries so far, but the risks are extremely high.
Ocean Ramsay is a former model and conservationist who swims with sharks Credit: Instagram/Ocean Ramsey
Ocean Ramsay is estimated to be worth $4 million Credit: Instagram
Megan Dooley, Head of Social Media at TAL Agency told The Jattvibe: “What we’re seeing here is content escalation in real time.
“As feeds get more crowded, a pretty picture on the feed just doesn’t cut through anymore – so creators are reaching to new heights – literally – for bigger and riskier stunts to stand out, and the platforms’ own algorithms reward exactly that kind of high-adrenaline content by giving it more reach.”
With this kind of content, Dooley warned, there is zero margin for error.
She adds: “We’ve already seen rooftoppers die attempting exactly this kind of climb, and there’s now a well-documented pattern of influencers being seriously hurt – even killed – chasing the ‘perfect’ shot.
“What’s particularly worrying is how normalised it’s become to younger audiences, who see the follower count and the payday, but not the risk assessment, the insurance, or the years of experience some of these creators quietly have behind them before they ever post that ‘spontaneous’ climb.”
Ocean Ramsay, a former model and conservationist, is yet another extreme sports fanatic whose famous shark-swimming videos have bagged her a book deal and a Netflix documentary.
With 2million followers, Ocean posts regular videos from her freediving adventures, which often involve sharing the water with extremely dangerous sharks.
Videos of Ocean feature the blonde plunging into the sea in thong bikinis and crop tops as she confidently swims up to sharks, effortlessly pushing their noses away at any sign of danger, all while smiling eagerly at the camera.
In 2025, she was estimated to be worth $4million (£2.9million). Her popularity has given her multiple sponsorship opportunities, podcast appearances, and royalties from her books, including What You Should Know About Sharks: Shark Language, Social Behaviour, Human Interactions, and Life Saving Information.
Video shows moment tourist is bitten by shark during a dive Credit: Newsflash
Tayane Dalazen was bitten by a shark while snorkeling in Brazil Credit: Newsflash
She is also the co-founder of her own conservationist company, Ocean One Diving, which offers guided shark dives, private charters, and educational research programs.
Although it is unclear exactly how much she earns from her social media channel, many have estimated that her shark-swimming stunts rake in thousands.
However, it seems that copycat stunts are ending in inkury as one woman discovered.
Desperate to snag the perfect snap of her own shark swim Tayane Dalazenb was given a nasty shock when she was bitten.
The 37-year-old Brazilian social media personality, was left with horrific lacerations to the thigh after taking part in a shark-diving trip on the Brazilian coast earlier this year.
During the trip, which she recorded, Tayane was bitten by a two-metre-long nurse shark which clamped its jaws around her leg, holding her underwater for several seconds before releasing her.
The incident attracted widespread attention after Tayane shared the clip online, which received millions of views. Afterwards, she claimed that posting the video “wasn’t for social media” but to share the “very frightening” experience.
Gabby Nikolle, from the US, is also known for testing the limits of human’s relationship with dangerous creatures. The social media star co-owns the Bellowing Acres Alligator Sanctuary, and often shares terrifying videos getting up close and personal with the jawed animals.
In one shocking photo, she kneels behind a large alligator with its jaws open while holding one hand on its back. In other videos, she films just centimetres away from one of the reptiles as it bears its teeth to the camera. Her content is extremely popular online, where she has 400,000 followers on Instagram.
Gabby Nikolle pictured with an alligator Credit: instagram/gabbynikolle
Gabby co-owns the Bellowing Acres Alligator Sanctuary Credit: instagram/gabbynikolle
Another couple to push the boundaries are British influencers, Matt and Julia, who have visited countless countries many would consider unsafe. Their “extreme travel” content has seen them touring Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran.
The UK government advises against all travel to Iran, though it didn’t stop the pair from selecting it as the destination of their “summer holiday”. A clip from the trip saw them hopping in the back of a pickup truck, sampling the local cuisine and roaming the busy streets.
They also took a trip to Afghanistan, despite officials warning of “extremely dangerous” travel due to a “heightened risk of British nationals being detained” in the country.
Captioning a series of pictures from the trip, they joked: “It was a tough choice between Alicante and Afghanistan for this year’s summer holidays, but there’s no Plov in Spain.”
The pair boast 36,000 followers on Instagram where they promote their numerous travel guides and e-books. An “ultimate Russian survival package” is priced at £95. They also provide travel guides for Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, all of which cost £9.99.
British influencers, Matt and Julia (pictured in Afghanistan) have visited a number of dangerous countries Credit: instagram/matt.and.julia
The pair have 36,000 followers on Instagram Credit: instagram/matt.and.julia
Expeditions hosted by Matt and Julia aren’t cheap. A 12-day trip to Iran costs £2,490 per person and promises tourists a once in a lifetime trip through “one of the world’s most fascinating and misunderstood countries”. Elsewhere, a 9-day trip to Uzbekistan, which is now sold out, costs £1,800.
But while these influencers have managed to come away relatively unscathed it is sadly not always the case.
However, some danger influencer have met a more deadly fate. The first selfie-related injury was recorded in 2011. Since then, an entire Wikipedia page has been created to document deaths caused by people trying to find the perfect social media photo.
Earlier this year, one hiker was killed after falling into the crater of Mount Slamet in Central Java in Indonesia. The 16-year-old had been trying to find the best angle to take pictures when the ground gave way, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the crater.
A 24-year-old died after falling more than 330 feet when a cliff edge collapsed while she was attempting to take a photo near the Belaya River and White Cliffs in Russia’s Irkutsk region.
Similar cases have occurred in the UK. Maria Eftimova, a 28-year-old influencer, also died after falling while climbing a mountain in Wales.
But Dooley worries that even the prospect of death isn’t enough to put wannabes off.
Dooley adds: “The pull for people: the danger isn’t a side effect, it’s the product.
“The more extreme and unrepeatable the stunt looks, the more it’s worth to brands, streamers and sponsors, which creates a pretty grim incentive to keep pushing further each time.
“We’ve already seen rooftoppers die attempting exactly this kind of climb, and there’s now a well-documented pattern of influencers being seriously hurt – even killed – chasing the ‘perfect’ shot, whether that’s swimming too close to wildlife or a single misstep while climbing without safety equipment.
“A viral photo lasts a day; the consequences of getting it wrong last a lifetime, or end one.”
