- A fitness influencer went viral with a video claiming he was kicked out of a gym in San Diego for unjust reasons.
- He said an employee became irate after he didn't re-rack weights properly, prompting an argument.
A TikTok fitness influencer said he was temporarily banned from his local gym over a misunderstanding about re-racking weights, which incited the rage of an employee. His videos about the incident have now sparked so much anger among his fanbase that they're spamming and trolling the gym's Google and Yelp reviews.
Mark Hunter Jr.'s video describing the incident went viral earlier this week, amassing over 19 million views. In the clip, he explained that he hadn't seen extra weights on the half-squat machine that he was using, which caused an employee to snap at him while he was working out.
After Hunter Jr. asked the employee why he was being so rude, he apparently said to the influencer, "If you wanna keep running your fucking mouth, you can fucking get out."
@markusfit Hot date tomorrow at tomorrow with Cole at TG San Diego / Pacific Beach
♬ original sound - Markusfit
According to the influencer, the employee proceeded to void the influencer's membership and promptly told him to leave the facility. The incident happened at a popular facility called The Gym in San Diego.
Hunter Jr. said his issue isn't so much about the weights, but how Cole conducted himself.
"Whether you're a gym owner, a member, a customer, or an employee, you need to show people a certain level of respect, especially if you're going to confront someone or accuse someone of doing something wrong," he said in his video.
"I have worked at a gym and had to re-rack people's weights, so I know the frustration that he had. He probably had a bad day ... but being professional, you cannot do that," he said of the employee in-question.
In a follow-up video, Hunter Jr. said he returned to the gym shortly after and talked to the owners about the situation. He said he'd heard from other gym members after his TikTok went viral who had similar experiences with the employee's short fuse.
@markusfit #stitch with @markusfit I’ll be taking my business elsewhere unfortunately due to the response. Thank you to the owner Rick for the apology.Cole…. Do better. #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Markusfit
Hunter Jr. said the owners apologized to him on the employee's behalf but refused to reprimand him or terminate his employment. He also said they told him not to return to the gym for a few months.
"It did not go as I hoped," he said of the conversation with the owners. He said he wouldn't return to the gym again — even after his probably period ended.
The influencer's fans were so disappointed to hear about the incident — and the lack of accountability — that they're trying to take matters into their own hands. People have begun flooding the gym's Google and Yelp pages with negative reviews. At one point, The Gym's ratings fell to 1.3 stars, according to a screenshot the influencer shared in his second video, although the current rating has bounced back up to 4.4 as of Thursday.
The gym's profile on Yelp currently sits at 2.5 stars, and there has been a rapid flurry of 1-star ratings from Hunter Jr.'s fans in the last few days. Some reviews were even comical, with many making obviously satirical claims about negative experiences they've had with the employee. One reviewer said the employee threw dumbbells at his grandmother while she was doing cardio; Another person said the employee bothered them by making pig noises.
Insider has reached out to Hunter Jr. The Gym did not respond to multiple requests for comment.