An online prankster showed his fans that his health was no laughing matter, as he revealed his “insane” body transformation after a two-year hiatus on YouTube.
Content creator David Dobrik, who has 17 million subscribers, returned online on Tuesday as he revealed his new look to his friends in a 14-minute, 20-second video documenting his fitness journey.
“Oh my God,” comedian and actor Josh Peck said.
“I can't believe you have perfect abs,” YouTuber Olivia Jade said.
“Oh my god,” one friend exclaimed as he revealed his muscular body.
In 2024, Dobrik quietly focused on reducing his fat with trainer and Xeela Fitness CEO Ilya Fedorovich.
“It's crazy that I look like this. I don't know what happened,” Dobrik said in a documentary posted on the Xeela Fitness YouTube page on Tuesday. “I've never taken my health seriously.”
Dobrik's body fat percentage started at 27.8 when he made a bet with Fedorovic that the couple would take a trip if he could improve his physique.
Throughout the year, Fedorovich pushed Dobrik to run, play tennis, box, weightlift and wrestle as they traveled the world working out in places like Italy, Peru and Slovakia.
There were difficult times too.
A collection of clips showed Dobrik and Fedorovich ranting about his unhealthy food choices and alcohol consumption causing him to stop seeing results for two months.
“I had an unfortunate moment during this transition where I had to accept defeat and realize that maybe my methods weren't the best way to handle things,” Dobrik admitted.
Fedorovich created a 75-day challenge to help the YouTuber get back on track.
At the end of his journey, Dobrik's body fat dropped to 13.1 percent and he gained 10.5 pounds of muscle.
“I couldn't be more grateful for the people around me who pushed me this year to be a better version of myself,” Dobrik wrote on Instagram. “I owe everything to all my friends, especially Elijah who literally changed my life,” he wrote. “I love ya dude. I don't even feel like eating candy anymore!!!!”
Dorbrick surprised Fedorovic with a blue Ferrari as a 'thank you' for the work he did throughout the year.
Aside from his recent health update, the YouTuber found himself in controversy in the years leading up to his hiatus.
In 2021, Dorbrik was sued for $10 million by former collaborator, Jeff Witek, who was reportedly injured in a stunt gone wrong.
People magazine reported that Witek suffered serious injuries, including a fractured skull, facial fractures and eye damage, after he swung on a rope attached to an excavator while filming a video.
Footage from that moment was posted on YouTube in April 2021 but has since been deleted, the people added.
In 2021, YouTube stopped monetizing three of Dobrik's channels after a woman alleged that one of his buddies had raped her, the BBC reported.
The YouTuber apologized for what allegedly happened with the former collaborator.
“I was completely disconnected from the fact that when people were invited to make videos with us, especially shock videos to get views or whatever, I was creating a power dynamic that was not “Fair.” “I didn't know this before.”
