Is This YouTuber Taken Hostage By a Cult? (Alyx Weiss / Ayydubs)

[@andrewko-ki6ru]

I LOVE that Ethan *refuses* to be silenced 😂❤ "oh that's her ? She's striking us? For this footage? Perfect, play more footage, especially if they don't want us to" 💀💀😂 my favorite thing about Ethan for sure.

[@zoo3708]

Also it feels like Olivia is afraid some of the footage wont be interesting to Ethan so says to skip it and hes like wait no keep going. Lmao I love how excited he gets about the drama

[@urnice2jk]

I used to watch Alyx over ten years ago when she was just starting on youtube and was doing vlogs about her life as a high school student. In that era of her life, she became very obsessed with Zumba and the Zumba community and fully joined it and followed it like it was a cult. It seems like she has this type of personality so it does not surprise me that she has gotten involved with something like this.

[@maddimorello6695]

I REMEMBER THAT she would literally go to zumba like 2-3x a day

[@wishingwellfilms]

yes same!!! and she was doing acting auditions in LA in the beginning too, before the fake uber vids she always still vlogged from her car it was fun

[@dancinmuffinbro]

]

[@jazzyroly]

I remember hearing her on a podcast talk and joke about how she wanted to join Scientology just for shits and giggles. And seeing this makes me so happy she didn't go there 💀 holy shit

[@SammySprinks]

Yoooooo interesting point

[@madisontaylor4296]

Olivia better never stop these. I’m obsessed

[@INeverMetaphorIDidntLike]

she's incredible... shane dawson wishes his deep dives were as smart and thoughtful...

[@JessicaStevens-fl5tj]

Agreed !!!!

[@hiddenverses]

I could see "H3" turning is "Here's the Tea"

[@munchmunchmunch]

I honestly am Suprised I am just now hearing this story !

[@patmacrotch5611]

Olivia had the best segments. Her power points are top notch! I like em especially because the always cover content I don’t normally watch.

[@zofka9894]

Exactly!!!

[@lianadelia3858]

It’s so sad and scary because having watched Alyx’s videos for a while now, I always felt like she had this sharpness/ “withitness” and would be able to see through this kind of thing. I mean, prior to her disappearance she had the knowledge and foresight to know that what she was stepping into was, in fact, a cult. But it just goes to show that cult manipulation isn’t about the intelligence of the people they’ve recruited, more about how vulnerable those people are emotionally.

[@hannahpaulina3908]

I was literally thinking the SAME thing!!! I was like damn she seemed so much better and smarter er than all of this,

[@MadisonLa369]

logic and feeling are two different things! I think we know which one she sided more with :(

[@HedonisticPickle]

Ironically it’s typically the more intelligent people that get recruited by cults. intelligent people tend to seek for ”the truth” about life and meaning for their existence and therefore come in contact with cults a lot more. Cult members are rarely dumb or ”useful idiots” that movies make them out to be at times. That’s why they also convince others, ”because someone so smart wouldnt get involved with something so crazy.”

[@lljw7151]

the people you think it could never happen to are the most vulerable

[@Bell4.]

HONESTLY the was she communicated with her callers and audience you could tell she was a little dumb. EVERYTIME. and she tried to talk to a guy on omegle to create an actual relationship...

[@mikaylasmith7600]

Holy cow, the early signs of being sucked into cult propaganda. It's both fascinating and terrifying.

[@jysonbarreto6624]

41:53

[@jysonbarreto6624]

P

[@lilymcmahon6242]

To me, the most disturbing part is the Ayahuasca - I understand and respect the cultural and spiritual importance of substances like that, but how she described that they’d get headaches and they’d “mix them up something” to make them instantly feel better - super concerning and a great way of controlling people/distancing them from the outside world

[@lissie3669]

Right, like I know the center she went to is probably one of the ones for rich white people. It’s a shame because the way ayahuasca is used by indigenous peoples can be so healing. The way these centers operate is so unserious and disrespect the sanctity of these substances.

[@urmothersucksrocksinhell]

i immediately was turned off by that :/// it sounds like keeping them drugged up and not fully present, in control, and consenting ://

[@pierogipierogipierogi]

Yes and taking psychedellics with People makes you bond very quickly and deeply at least it seems like it does...

[@Fckoffmagpie]

@@pierogipierogipierogifacts

[@Havibox21]

Guys this woman is lying hard to everyone. This is something basically akin to an experience. Wich you have to pay for by the way. 2000 or 4000 pesos and its only for 1 night. and they only give the medicine if the experience was too hard on your body. basically like taking pain killers. Its never recommended to people going through tough things in their lives because it could really come down hard emotionally for you. And then she mentions "the center" . In mexico that place is only for druggies or people that start consuming to much alcohol and has to have family consent to get you and take you or you submet yourself by free will. It just sounds like she heard this story and repeated it to get attention or put herself through it. Anyone that i know that has ever been to "the center" they say its the worst experience ever.

[@emilydownton417]

I used to love her when I was younger. I hope she makes it out of this safe and healthy. And if she is trolling, that is soooo messed up given there are so many real victims of this and it’s almost like a mockery.

[@meganl9573]

i always joked about going to my local scientology church just to fuck around and see how funny it was and now i’m glad i never did

[@Chilam.]

I made a fresh Twitter account and followed a bunch of nice qAnon accounts, after about a week of consuming insane qAnon Twitter content for a couple hours a day for a week I genuinely felt scared at how easy it would be for someone to be converted, particularly irl.

[@phelan8385]

​@@Chilam.Mfs be dumb

[@TaliaDaSilva]

Ayahuasca is an ancient practice pre colonial times. It has nothing to do with cults.

[@dumbgenious1960]

@@TaliaDaSilvain Peru maybe but in 21st century North America it is very cultish. It can be both, just because it’s cultural in one country does not mean it can’t have other connotations in another. What if heroin was used culturally somewhere? Doesn’t mean it isn’t terrible for you here

[@fuzzjunky]

@@TaliaDaSilva SHE called it a cult. NOT US. some of it was culty, not that aspect. but the reality was definitely more benign than she had gaslit people to believe for sure. the danger here is that the brainwashing is done and she is telling you what they have programmed her to say. some people in nxivm were thinking it was all about volleyball and networking right till the end.

[@RazorianBuck]

Did nobody notice that the lock on the door was on the outside? That would lock someone inside the room.

[@RazorianBuck]

at 18:07

[@mooooogrrrr]

@@RazorianBuck i just had chills go down my spine... this is bad

[@JustyMe]

At least there is a window that should be easy to destroy if you need to escape, but still, so disturbing... no privacy nor safety.

[@camilabonfadini3332]

I DID!!!

[@pterodactylboy1233]

They could have been recording in a hallway…

[@sugarvenom999]

I used to watch her a while back and totally forgot about her channel and it’s insane to see this is what’s happening now

[@rainkaine4416]

same

[@KOmyself]

me too like 4 5 years ago i loved how funny the vids were this is crazy

[@cocoooo222]

me too. i used to binge watch her videos with Jenn. she randomly popped into my head recently and i instantly wondered where she is in life currently and now i’m really scared and sad for her. i hope she wakes up and gets herself out of this mess.

[@vikki-333]

same

[@TA-vi6tn]

Ethan's right I think she didn't really plan it but the cult saw the reaction to her disappearance and prob forced her to claim to have planned her silence when in reality they just wouldn't let her post at first. Creepy

[@bangtanluver]

I had i feeling she was heading down this road when she announced in a video she’s was gonna go on a spiritual retreat…. It always starts with a spiritual retreat with drugs

[@katielowe7970]

Im glad im not the only one who's noticed, as a long time viewer of her and someone who watched all the podcasts you could see the slow progression towards this

[@maddiem1182]

when did she say this?? heartbreaking

[@bangtanluver]

@@maddiem1182 on her podcast

[@from-skz]

@@maddiem1182roughly like 10-11 months ago

[@MadisonLa369]

Honesty I feel like Americans being starved a sense of genuine community and having to live a life so centered around themselves or what they own breeds situations like this. It makes me sad because Alyx probably is looking for a deep connection with others around her and what she found is a cult... :(

[@cjboyo]

I’d agree. Our hyper individualist hyper capitalist society breeds cults

[@iceheap9422]

​@@cjboyo it's actually very easy to find and build a community. It's just that America is so individualized and self sufficiency is so encouraged that people don't realize that.

[@00bones00]

@@iceheap9422 idk about you but where i live its very much not easy to find or build welcoming communities , its very dependent on location and intersectionality . i have tried to build communities in my area and it always fails because the majority of people in this area are not similar to me . youre probably just privileged enough to have joined multiple communities and you dont realize its different for everyone

[@dinah5191]

Omg so true

[@dunemae]

Do you mean white Americans?

[@same4585]

i feel bad for people who fall under the spell of a cult... they're probably just lonely or going through a rough time, and the thought of such a warm welcome to a "big family" is really appealing in times like that

[@mauroboros8566]

There's definitely nothing wrong in my book with doing Ayahuasca. It's common to fast before Ayahuasca rituals. This is not necessarily part of the cult. There's aspects of Ayahuasca shamanism that have been around for ages. HOWEVER, I can definitely see how someone can use Ayahuasca as a tool to form a cult because you become highly susceptible for many hours under that drug. There are many stories of "shamans" who have taken advantage of women in these "ceremonies". As someone who's spent a lot of time studying both cults and Ayahuasca for spiritual and medicinal use, I just want to clarify so people don't stigmatize Ayahuasca. Because Manson used LSD to brainwash his cult too, it doesn't mean LSD is a cult drug. I definitely wanna learn more about this "maestro" and see what's really going on, because there's an actual list of things that help definitely what a cult is and I want to see how many of these boxes this "cult" ticks off.

[@TaliaDaSilva]

Yes, this, thank you. Everything she described it’s a part of the ceremony and then it’s over. You are not supposed to keep that diet, you are not supposed to stay, or any of those things, it’s not a lifestyle. As much as locals respect Ayahuasca it’s also a way for them to make money specially from people traveling to Peru. Maestro was more likely who performed the ceremony and was very respected for his connection to the earth. Now, how healing is it? Who knows. I’ve seen it help many friends but I think she’s romantizating it more than it’s need it. I know it sounds so crazy for people who are not from a country that grows with this idea of how connected to the earth we are, but that it’s very respect here. Ayahuasca does not equal cult. Many people come here, have the experience, and leave. I feel like she has made it a bigger deal than it was. And it’s now exploiting it like she is Colon discovering America again.

[@mauroboros8566]

@@TaliaDaSilva thank you for your input. I definitely agree with your comment. I personally plan to make a trip like that to Peru and will carefully choose where I go since there are stories of shamans who are just sort of taking advantage of the Ayahuasca tourism and trying to scam them in one way or the other. But that's just hopefully a few out of many who spend their entire lives dedicated to true shamanism and trying to help people in a spiritual level. I definitely think she's probably making more out of it than what it actually is to get more clicks and stuff, which is upsetting because it just makes uninformed people misunderstanding what the culture and spiritual practice is really about.

[@TaliaDaSilva]

@@mauroboros8566 oh good luck on your trip here! Yes be very careful about scammers, I understand that this is the main source of income of many locals but sometimes they take advantage. And yes that was my point, misinformation can be harmful to the culture and also I’m sorry but it doesn’t sit right with me when a girl from a first world country talks about how nice “simple life” is, when what really is is rural life, they don’t choose it they can’t afford anything else. She says she was liberated but what she did was see people who are happy and have less than her, well glad we could be of service. I’m sorry, it bothers me, it happens a lot. And the fact she wants to come film it? After calling Ayahuasca a cult and laugh about it? No, it’s just disrespectful

[@yagirl4367]

this whole thread was really helpful to keep in mind while i listen. thanks for sharing guys

[@mauroboros8566]

@@TaliaDaSilva yeah i hate to see privileged people use other cultures for social media clout. It's really upsetting and ignorant. I totally get your feelings on that. There's also a whole environmental issue with Ayahuasca tourism and how it affects the availability of Ayahuasca because it's probably being used a lot more than it used to be. Lots of factors, and this story doesn't help any of them.

[@mayam6444]

A friend of mine in HS started coming to school telling us about his massage course he was doing outside of school and then one day he just stopped coming to school and wouldn’t return our calls. Next thing we know his dads on tv claiming to be the reincarnation of Leonardo da Vinci and saying he can massage away breast cancer.

[@babieeden]

Bro making up the most elaborate story to touch boobs is crazy

[@mayam6444]

@@babieeden underaged ones at that

[@BayBay-vj3nr]

I liveee for Olivia’s recaps being posted to the highlights channel, I don’t got time for the 3 hr vids always but I doo have time for Liv’s PowerPoints.

[@codirennke1109]

I would love to see you guys have Aaron from Growing up in Scientology on. He has a great sense of humor so I selfishly want to see yall together but also he has a ton to teach the world about cults.

[@j3in725]

Yes or someone like Chris stuckman who grew up in a more "in your face" type of cult.

[@sarahbugg3955]

That would be a great interview!

[@alexandranord150]

Yes!!

[@elenafierros4312]

I find it crazy how she says she “escaped” the cult but with the other girl she was in the cult with she talked nothing but good about it 😂😂

[@amanda-et6pv]

she "escaped" a different cult and joined the current one shes in right after, I think

[@2turg_2furious]

@@amanda-et6pvthat sentiment is still wild like to be like “I escaped this crazy cult” and then turn around and be like “oh but this one is great and technically it’s not a cult” like GIRL some awareness would do great 😭

[@lizzieoleksy39]

I watched the whole thing on her channel and got a weird feeling and after watching this and reading the comments I just feel so weird about it. I do feel like they really got her in deep, if it’s walks and talks like a cult, it’s a cult…

[@barnyard0394]

omg honestly, its so scary how insidious it all felt because i only just watched the video on her channel and i only heard rumblings that she was back so i was like ok let me check it out and at first i thought it was all a bit/joke but then towards the end i was like wait this is actually so cool, maybe i should explore this and go to peru too! I'm going through my own healing journey and this sounded so amazing but then i read all the comments and it felt like i had woken up and it was so scary because i almost bought into it :/

[@Gabajidev]

What she described in that video didn’t sound anything like a cult tbh…was just An average ayahuasca retreat center…

[@skittles696]

​@@GabajidevIt sounds like both, which speaks to itself

[@cctomcat321]

The only other time I've heard, "well if that's a cult, I'm in a cult", excuse was from someone at a Trump rally. Nuff said.

[@HedonisticPickle]

@@Gabajidev you’re irresponsible. Stop making up defenses for this insanity just because you enjoyed a retreat a few times. How many shamans have you called ”maestro”?

[@BabyMango]

Hila is giving “artsy berlin dominatrix” and I’m here for it

[@GenevieveRadich-qi9le]

YOU CAPTURED IT SO WELL

[@ItsJC-gu3jz]

I love the look sm bruh

[@lelaweber47]

This story is crazy and Hila looks stunning

[@ciaraskeleton]

I'm not being mean, but the girl in question is not smart enough to plan such an elaborate scheme. She got into a cult, she's bored, she's searching. She doesn't want to admit that she is now a victim. Now the more we tell her to get out, we reaffirm what the cult tells her. That they're the only ones who get her. The way she's talking is like 'they aren't a cult, also they healed chrone's disease' 'they isolated me for 12 days' they're forgiving unforgivable things' (that's a worrying one..). Cults are designed to do what they do, it works, it works on everyone and anyone who opens themselves to it even a little. As time goes on, cults become more covert and sophisticated. Theyre using semi honesty ATM. 'yeah we're a cult, whatever youuu want to call it! We just call it family'. Can't wait for Ethan to inihilate the cult members

[@michaelpena2869]

And why do u say she’s not smart cuz she has multiple degrees and her older vids talked about her art degree and how she uses it she’s mentally Ill but don’t discredit her

[@whattheheckdani]

i completely agree. i watched her for a while and she doesn’t seem like the type to try and scheme. i think she is just trying to explain it 100% honestly and doesn’t realize how crazy she sounds lol

[@hanchohal]

Sounds like she was searching for community and flew a little too close to the sun. Got sucked in, it’ll be harder for her to leave now with all the negative comments she’s receiving. Wishing her the best in a bad situation 💗

[@SergioR00]

@@michaelpena2869 Book smart is only one aspect of overall intelligence. The fact she knowingly and willingly joined a cult for the hell of it or for “content” shows that she is not very smart/weak minded

[@Clonetrooper87]

She doesn't need to be smart to come up with hoax. There just needs to be enough gullible people for this to work.

[@eszterkorognai2564]

Can we just take a little bit of time to appreciate how amazing Hila looks?

[@kaitrinmaughan]

yessss! i was looking at her the whole time like 😍

[@emilypeen9199]

This was the last person I would have expected to fall into this :(

[@valentinabrestovac]

Right! I was such a big fan for so long I feel a sort of loss

[@itzerinn2489]

no seriously i’m like so sad i hope she can get out fr

[@5ivelivesordie]

This just shows you that it can be anybody, most of the people in cults today left behind families, good paying Jobs, everything for the cult

[@astridjorgensen7971]

i love that olivia forces them to learn about things they wouldnt usually know about. like the selena and hailey drama i loved that they were forced to learn about it lol bc it’s something i find interesting and same with this i didnt expect them to talk about this but i had watch alyx’s video when it came out and it was on my mind for days bc it was so weird and then they talked about it and i love that it was brought to their attention thanks to olivia!

[@MMAChe.]

Ayuasca certainly has so many medicinal benefits but you're in such a vulnerable state during your trip that people can definitely be taken advantage of during

[@olliecurtin8590]

Just like how Charles Manson brainwashed people on LSD. It's not the drugs fault

[@dumbgenious1960]

There are actually 0 medicinal benefits. It’s mainly recreational or for some people cultural

[@MMAChe.]

@@dumbgenious1960 oh what do you think it does for people?

[@lemonade9922]

Fr. So many women have come forward about being SAed by “shamans” at retreats/wellness cults like these. Also a dude died at one from having a bad trip on the drugs provided. It’s a huge money grab for these foreign countries. Most retreats are like $1,000+/week. Ayahuasca is really popular in the culture and history of Peru, and A LOT of unqualified locals open these retreats and exploit and exaggerate the medicinal properties and the rituals of taking the drug. It’s often considered sacred practices in the culture there, so the fact that this retreat is open to anyone is baffling to me. It just proves how locals exploit the practices to pay their bills. Also the retreat/cult Alyx is talking about is Mai Niti Ayahuasca Center in Peru. Had a friend go there too, and stayed for over 4 months. They lived at a few retreats around there and just never went back to society, they supposedly became a shaman and now live at one. Alyx Weiss is 100% in a cult. And they are using her for her $$$$. Her friend Tessa Coleman in the video also goes to Mai Niti and follows them in social media. Both Alyx and Tessa have left reviews on the cults google page. It’s so eerie how it only has 5 star reviews :/ and if you look at the photos when googling the “Ayahuasca center” you’ll notice most of the people who go and pay for these places are wealthy white ppl who think they’re hippies and are “woke”. When really they’ve reached an aimless point in their lives, are very vulnerable, and they choose to “heal” by isolating in a foreign country, taking potent psychoactive drugs, and starving themselves on a very restricted diet/fasting all together. Nothing about combining all of those things in a short amount of time screams healthy, wellness, or medicinal. It’s a scam, and I’m worried for her 🫤 My biggest question/takeaway from all this is: If the drug is so healing, then why do they keep returning to this place and taking the drug? It’s not healing. What’s happening is they are being isolated and the only people around them are the people at this retreat, so they have this sense of community. They might leave the retreat for a while until the after glow of the drugs wear off, and then they’re right back in to that “warm and fuzzy” sense of support and community again. That, and they’re most certainly getting a dependence/addiction to it too. Especially if they’re doing large amounts of it (which they seem to be doing). Also, the fact that they are isolated and away from their home country, makes them so much more likely to be manipulated, brainwashed, and taken advantage of. 🤷🏼‍♀️ just my thoughts tho

[@skittles696]

​@@MMAChe.Judging by their comment, makes them trip

[@mirdoglol9482]

love when the crew brings in stories gives me old school TMZ vibes but laid back and chill. killin it per usual!!

[@jelam0721]

On the topic of cults, my mother is a psychologist and they just recently hired a man that was working at a rehab facility in Clearwater. Apparently, when you are hired you do something called a 'stare test' and what you do is you sit across from someone and stare into their eyes without looking away for two hours. Another thing they did(i forgot the name)was basically sit in a room with another person and have them say the most horrible stuff about, and you're not allowed to get mad. He had this happen to him, and he also had to do this to other people. Shit is crazy fr

[@aloe191]

That’s Scientology baby!

[@KayetlinAlexander]

This sounds like pratices that come from Synanon, which started as a drug rehab group and whose abusive tactics have become the norm in a lot of teen reform schools/wilderness programs. TrueAnon pod did a great series on this

[@aloe191]

@@KayetlinAlexander maybe, but it’s probably Scientology. Clearwater is literally the Scientology Mecca, a majority of the businesses in Clearwater are Scientology owned and they LOVE rehab centers. Look up Narcanon and Criminon, both are “rehab” centers run by Scientology. Plus the room thing is a classic Scientology tactic going back to the 50’s it’s a practice called “Bullbaiting”

[@miriamhavard7621]

​@@aloe191could you tell us more about "bullbaiting" please? I've never heard of it before.

[@spliffyhippy3966]

Crazy! She’s definitely in deep and basically scouting out. Smh. So glad you guys covered this

[@maggssez]

I used to love her videos, i stopped watching her a while ago, and this is the first thing I’ve heard about her in ages and I am truly shocked

[@jom.1998]

As someone who has watched and studied cult upon cult upon cult, she absolutely joined a cult. The discussion of how fundamentally it changed their lives, that before they weren't even living, this is unlike anything I've ever seen -- that is cult speak without question. not to mention the food control and isolating you from everyone else and every other red flag

[@snel556]

I was raised in a cult, and actually had to fight to leave at 18. Seeing the way she talks about all of this is deeply disturbing to me.

[@Elkura_xo]

If it’s not too personal can I ask how so? I’m not half way through. Of course only if ur comfortable xx hope you’re having a great life now

[@BlueTulipe]

I know this is an old video now, still wanted to comment... but it really freaks me out to see people taking cults so lightly. I was born and raised in a cult, got out when I was 18... there's nothing funny or light about it and this girl is being very irresponsible. It took me so much to get over it, start living a normal life... I'm in my 40s now and still hurts me every day. I wish people where more aware of the real difficulties cults have on people long term.

[@Lissynick]

alyx started to take the “spilling your secrets” videos too far and i got sick of it and stopped following her but when she did the uber videos she really went into character to the point where i feel like she would troll the internet, but at the same time her description is so clearly evidence of her being in a cult. i think she joined to be like “LOL this will be good content” instead of really understanding the danger of what she was getting into and now shes too far in

[@youngthrilla]

LMAOOOO Ethan: “not buyin it girl” Olivia “I don’t know girl” Ethan: “not you girl, her girl” Olivia: “I know girl, I got you girl” 😭😭😭 I love Olivia sm 😂

[@Huesoup]

I hope Olivia talks about Michelle Phan also joining a cult. Those insta stories were insane.

[@chanadomo]

I need to know about this !! Michelle Phan was my childhood

[@nunya5057]

what !!

[@nat3799]

Yessssss!!!

[@msophie.22]

Pls explain

[@aspannas]

Not to mention her becoming a bitcoin evangelist

[@mandyskw91]

What an irresponsible and disturbing thing to do..knowing she has a very young audience too? What is she thinking..

[@QTpatootie95]

I'm pretty sure her audience is adult women

[@mandyskw91]

@@QTpatootie95 uhh have you heard the secrets that come in for her series? Alot of them are in highschool still.

[@nunya5057]

she’s not thinking, she’s become delusional

[@jacz1210]

shes human and makes mistakes

[@eri7411]

i grew up watching her and it honestly makes me so sad. i LOVED her channel.

[@Austinmoore2005]

Olivia shouting out Do We Know Them made me so happy in the beginning. Jessi loves H3 so much I’m sure she had to be excited to see it

[@mmgs1148]

I dont think inviting her while she is still in it is a good idea. Maybe she is on a way to escape, but reaching out to her will make the cult members try harder to get her on their side. I think the interview when she is out of it, if she ever gets out, would be better. Deprogramming is like making a feral cat like you - when you try to get a little closer too fast, the cat just runs away.

[@whitneysmith9357]

Something just isn’t right. I watched this girls videos a lot, especially the Uber ones, she does not care what people think of her, she’s the master of trolling. Her Uber driver pranks were insane and she can act very well. This whole thing is probably fake.

[@whitneysmith9357]

Like I’ve never seen someone act so well and so weird ass shit and be cool as a cucumber like her, she has to be acting.

[@aspannas]

I would be very fucked up to make up this shit, that's psychopathic behavior, not a prank

[@HedonisticPickle]

@@whitneysmith9357 if that is the case, she’s an insensitive asshole. Cults are harmful and have real victims. She’s sick if she’s trolling.

[@rainkaine4416]

i hope it is cause if not its fucking nuts

[@Dkfhebdbebdbebdb]

idk hmm I don’t think so tbh I’ve been watching her for so long I feel like something like this with her genuinely being gone for so long is out of character. either way it’s all weird

[@wizzyleaks]

honestly go ethan for pushing copyright law like that good on him.

[@Beckaboo3397]

If its like an abusive relationship Isolation No technology No career Your old friends aren’t your friends No thinking for yourself You need to look up to me I can heal you and make you a better person Etc etc etc ITS A CULT!! I’m with you Ethan I don’t think she planned on going dark for that long either that or she had known these people from the “compound” longer than she made out on that last podcast with Carly and Erin and was already controlled. She’s either fell in head first or is too scared to say anything to leave now. Either way it’s not good!

[@oopsmyumbrella3079]

Drooling over Hila rn

[@shayladecou2140]

Aren’t we all😩 stunning

[@blakethekilljoy]

She just keeps upgrading I’m like damn slayyy

[@RamonaGelosi]

I'm so glad that you are talking about this, also all of you are amazing, how is it that this is the first time I come across with this channel???? AND THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY'RE IN A CULT IT'S LIKE HAHA TEEAAAA, IT MAKES ME SO MAD AND FINALLY I FIND YOU PEOPLE AND SAY WHAT I THINK THANK YOU. It's not funny, it's not cool, it's f*cking dangerous. Holy sh*t, 30:46 THAT'S MY COMMENT OMG this never happened to me

[@SamFokker]

What are the odds you find this vid on this channel for the first time and see yourself in it 😂

[@RamonaGelosi]

@@SamFokker SO CRAZY

[@nicholas7695]

Highly recommend RecklessBen’s videos infiltrating the yellow deli cult. Shits hilarious but also crazy af. Also I really hope Alyx gets help, I used to watch her before she did the secrets videos and she seemed like such an amazing beautiful person and it’s really upsetting seeing her go through this. Most KZbinrs I’d just think this is whack but Alyx? This shit hurts man she doesn’t deserve to go through this. ALSO I SUPPORT PSYCHADELICS LIKE 100% and this shits a fkn CULTTTTTT. Yes you can gain so much from Ayahuasca but you can’t make it (and other psychedelics) your life. I’m not religious so no prayers but I have Alyx in my heart hoping for the best.

[@peachkisser]

his vid is hilarious

[@viankahihatz7015]

using Ayahuasca to form a cult is disrespectful to the Shipibo people. Yes, they do have fasts and plant fasts.

[@heyimmomo8211]

I believe she joined Temple of the Way of Light. She talks about being away from LA, learning Spanish (since it's in Peru) and they have 12 day ayahuasca isolation.

[@Psychedealio]

Olivia's PowerPoint segments are fire

[@jenwatchingyoutube]

I really think this is a prank that she is pulling to get views and attention to her channel. I've been watching Alyx's videos since 2014 or 15 and she has always had a thing for pranks and getting a reaction by acting like she is "crazy". Think about her most successful series, the Uber driver pranks. The entire concept was her acting "crazy" and saying absurd things to get a funny reaction from people. She has talked about taking acting classes and improv classes so she knows how to pull off a character. The entire cult video reminds me of one she uploaded back in 2014/15 that I can't find anymore so it must be deleted but the video was her and her best friend at the time Trudy telling a very long and detailed story (over 10 minutes long if i remember) of "the craziest night of their lives" just to say at the end that the story was completely fake and they just made it up for fun. The video had all these weird specific details that made people believe that it must have happened but she had just made up the entire thing as a joke. I honestly think that's what she's doing here. I think she's just a creative person who enjoys acting and maybe saw that people thought she joined a cult and thought it would be fun to see how much traction she could get feeding into the story. Also, if she was in a cult there is such a small change the cult would be okay with her making a video calling it a cult. Any cult leader would know that that word brings SO much negative connotation and would make people way less likely to join.

[@Binstabih]

Can’t find it either but i remember the video

[@SchrodingersKitties]

Really hope that is the case.

[@thisisarandomurl2000]

THIS. that video where she lied about the whole situation is what made me unsubscribe because it made me feel so unsettled. now that all this is coming out i’m getting that same bad feeling. yes it is very elaborate and messed up but i would not be surprised if it was all fabricated.

[@celinay]

Also, the kidnapping story prank!!! Remember when she uploaded that storytime about getting kidnapped, then when she got backlash, she made a comment explaining that it was supposed to be funny satire about overdramatic storytimes. I think it happened back in 2017. She fooled a lot of people. And if I'm not mistaken, the story was stolen from some other youtuber.

[@dirtysluuut4deftones]

It’s a weird ass thing to lie about either way

[@thisisarandomurl2000]

Her filming inside the cabin makes me second guess the validity of this story…i don’t think a cult would allow you to film what is going on in there? Maybe she’s working on a nextflix documentary about how easy it is to prank the internet? idkk

[@BrokenEvil]

they probably let her record the nice parts of it for recruitment once they realized she could get more support that way, a lot of people fell for it

[@RumHam1017]

When I watched this on the live I knew it was up in the mountain of Eaton canyon. I was born and raised in Monrovia and there is a "church" waaay up there on a trail passed the memorial bridge. Just my theory.

[@nunpho]

Yay, shout-out to Jessi and Lily from do we know them! Id love to see them on the show at some point

[@outcornered]

I hope that it's ALSO a prank, just a major major prank. Knowing how silly she is and how great she is at doing her pranks

[@miriamhavard7621]

I don't know Alyx, but I'm feeling like she's pranking people; I can't take a lot of what she's gushing about at face value; it seems more like somebody's idea of being "clever" on the subject of cult behavior. However, cults are no laughing matter. Many people have seen loved ones DESTROYED by these types of things. I was a child when the Manson family happened, in senior high school when Jonestown happened; I remember clearly when Waco happened and also Heaven's Gate. It's not something to smugly "hee hee hee" about. And this NXIVM thing? Absolutely SHOCKING. People thought it was about self-improvement courses, not an undercover cult with a religious ferver in it's top members!

[@miriamhavard7621]

It ain't funny though.

[@Marina-cq2yt]

Ethans weightloss is reaaaally apparant right now! ❤❤

[@RealElongatedMuskrat]

isn't it! Skinny legend!!

[@LisaLee__]

This needs a trigger warning. This is crazier and sadder than any of us can even imagine. Also its a woman leader- she said Maestra- which is female teacher.

[@annapoopy]

To be honest if I was being influenced by a female leader I’d definitely be more trusting

[@miriamhavard7621]

​@@annapoopyso that means you are more at risk to be drawn in by a female con-artist. A con is a con. .

[@jojoenerez4815]

So this Alyx person didn't like the potluck cult. Then joined a different cult. The Ayahuasca cult with a Maestro.

[@itzerinn2489]

dude i used to watch alyx religiously this is insane. still watch jenn all the time and occasionally people will ask her what happened between them and shes never mentioned anything.

[@INeverMetaphorIDidntLike]

i used to watch alyx back in the day and had to stop because she herself was just very culty. every new thing she was into became her whole life... she seems to have no real identity herself and just morphs into new things every few months, it became unbearable to watch. plus, some of the secrets people revealed that she would read straight up traumatized me forever, i still talk about one of them in therapy almost every month... it just dismantled my brain🙃 she's not a healthy person and i hope she gets the help she needs, because i have a feeling she does a lot of damage to some of her viewers

[@sunny100294]

I want to know which story that was that traumatized you 😵‍💫 I love that kinda stuff. I should probably not say that or feel that way but I do

[@maddimorello6695]

i think what she meant about the prolonging worry is that she still had a connection to the outside world, she still had people who cared and would help if she needed, she had a place/audience/job if she were to leave. but if she talked about the cult, the way she is now, she can’t be fully honest about it and that feeling of a back-up/security net might disappear. it sounds like there was a time where she knew something was off but once she “reached her higher self” she didn’t feel that worry anymore and didn’t need the security blanket and was able to speak confidently about her cult

[@0ut.the.0x]

this is so strange? i was actively watching her videos not any longer than a year ago. didny stop for any particular reason, just sort of faded away as it does. i had no idea about this.

[@sageherring8622]

This brought back so many bad memories for me lol I unknowingly joined a cult four years ago and finally left in December 2022. It wasn’t with Ayahuasca like this but it had ALL the same tendencies and similar practices. I wish she didn’t think of it so ignorantly because people who have actually been in one got so deep that they got to the point of having nothing and having to start over. Unfortunately the same will likely happen to her. I pray she wakes up and realizes a cult isn’t a fun thing to be in and it’s extremely dangerous. She has a maestro, we had a ‘papa’

[@hannahkienast8824]

I’ve been watching Alyx forever…so happy y’all brought light to this

[@annakatie7347]

I was randomly watching the collab Drew did with her & wondered where she went - this is the last thing I would have expected to see. She's in deep.

[@nisamlelo]

Same, the drew collab recently got recommended to me

[@annakatie7347]

@@nisamlelo she just called into todays podcast. it's not a cult thing, she's just dumb & handled it very poorly (in my opinion lol)

[@marissalynn2471]

This is definitely her sense of humor

[@miriamhavard7621]

Not funny tho.

[@bloomingorchidenergy]

I've been watching her since she was in high school and a beauty vlogger. she made a video in college talking about her pretty severe OCD, so this is not entirely surprising to hear.

[@jennatavares4695]

What bothers me the most about this girl is that she's aware enough to say she's in a cult, but here she is appealing to her audience about how GREAT this cult is. And she's talking about how she felt comfortable leaving her friends, family, AND fans in the dark for LONGER so she'd 'have something to come back to' like what does that even mean? You think you're fans are gonna be chill knowing you made them feel concerned for your safety and in reality you're "chillin" and telling people not to confirm you're ok. No. Id be fuming if a creator I love disappeared without a word and then came back almost 6 months later to say "I didn't wanna tell y'all I'm ok, just wanted to let the panic soak in for y'all so I'd have something to come back to". No matter who she is, she doesn't DESERVE a platform to return to if that's how little she cares about the fans.

[@startfarting]

i get that you and others as fans of her may feel entitled to her and her time but at the end of the day that connection to someone on social media is a personal choice. to add what alyx talks about through her video and the experiences she shares is the connection she’s gained from taking planters medicine (ayahuasca mainly) but that doesn’t mean she’s wrapped in a big scary cult. if you take some time to research what she’s talking about and not completely put aside all the things she’s said you might be able to see a more valid picture

[@ragd0lle]

@@startfartingyou say “do more research” but don’t even list resources YOU used?

[@haileyniick]

i’m sorry but i feel you ethan holding the cold drink to your sore neck LMAO i have shoulder issues that’s my life

[@jackielang8248]

these jump cuts make me feel like i'm having a stroke

[@awkwardlys6640]

Honestly glad someone is talking about it because it’s so sad. And no one has talked about it

[@zofka9894]

I'm obsessed with these powerpoints! Olivia is the Tea Queen! They are so entertaining....

[@kittygoesWOOF]

Olivia, amazing presentation as always ❤ Hopefully you're able to have Alyx on stream. Ideally in person. I'm really interested in the name of the cult and the main members/leader.

[@bonelesschickenwings]

When she says she didn’t wanna come back because people were worried is her slipping up. She was nervous that if she went back that people would talk her out of it. Something deep down inside her was telling her its dangerous and wrong but she didn’t want to stop, probably because she deeply needed spiritual connection, people join cults in very desperate and sad and weak moments

[@startfarting]

that’s kind of the process of taking ayahuasca as well as the integration period

[@miriamhavard7621]

​@@startfartinghere's a thing. There is this fetishization of spirituality that cult leaders tap into in order to take advantage of people.

[@SummersFrost]

I LOVE OLIVIAS SEGMENT. please never stop

[@Lindseyisloony]

Some types of people are very susceptible to cults and frankly Alyx is DEFINITELY one of them. Kinda hate to say it as somebody who watched her for years but it's always been apparent that she's strange and in search of something due to her mental health issues.

[@tr0ubledl0ve]

20 minutes in is the reason I love Ethan and the team fr bc they actually care about the truth and its rly sad to see alyx like this, used to love her content

[@ashleywilliams4665]

I’ve noticed that every time I click on a highlight to watch, Olivia is presenting the topic. Just wanted to say i appreciate Olivia and the topics she covers because it brought me back to watching H3 way more

[@MattPORTLAND]

Helluva thumbnail god damn

[@ashtonheardthat]

so, i agree that alyx is in a cult, BUT she actually was talking about “maestras” not a “maestro”. she said the maestras ran these sessions that they would go into that sounded extremely traumatizing and like they’re purging, crying, and idek. it was very strange and probably one of the most concerning parts of that video.

[@sierrafarnum9689]

I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I'm not 100% sure this is a cult. A lot of people are just extremely spiritual. It sounds odd that instead of having the average goals that people have in society some want to focus all their intentions on what they see on spiritual growth, but I'm not sure that's an inherently negative thing. This is a lot more common in Eastern Religious groups/Buddhism, trying to focus on "being one with the universe" "losing your ego" etc. If the group starts to abuse you and makes your life worse, it's a cult. But just a spiritual group is not necessarily bad.

[@iixumi2690]

it definitely isnt a cult, just a ayahyasca retreat place. i find it kinda messed up that she's miss spreading information about places like that

[@mangop1e]

@@iixumi2690literally, gringos have found a way to demonize ayahuasca it’s actually insane

[@carly1954]

i’m a long time subscriber of alyx and i am so glad u have made this episode and taken the time to do research and look into this situation properly. i am extremely worried about the direction she’s going in and would love to see if having her on ur podcast would help talk some sense into her, although after hearing your thoughts, i’m not sure what it will do for her at this point

[@nayomii1377]

they had her on a couple weeks back - kzbin.info5C0VjNTsjk8?feature=share7

[@bangtanluver]

So strange how she talks like she knows what cults are and how she then tell if someone is a cult or not then….. joins one

[@dopamine_27]

Hmm I went and watched the full vid and I have mixed feelings. I think we don't have enough info to come to a real conclusion so far tbh. I know a lot of people who went in weeks long spiritual and sometime shamanic retreats including psychedelics and spiritual teachers/shamans and it wasn't cults and they came back to their "normal" life. What's weird is the way she went about it, disappearing with no real warning and coming back months later giggling about it. Anyway, all I'm saying is that I'll be waiting on more info and hoping it's not a cult cause I know that spiritual retreats and practices can look really intense from the outside without necessarily being cults. Let's hope she's truly okay. X

[@sabrinac2775]

I want to point out something I noticed while visiting her instagram. Alyx and the girl have matching wrist tattoos now.. might pertain to the cult name.

[@tiffanyygrace]

Omg I'm so glad Olivia watches Do We Know Them, we need Lily and Jessi on H3!

[@quinadams3181]

I've been listening to Olivia the entire time!

[@renaee_qt]

I had a good few months where I used to watch this creator. It’s honestly to bad that they are going down this cult pathway. Eventually I hope they see the truth.

[@nn-lh8he]

Hila's hair/makeup is EVERYTHING omg

[@kaetlinbunner4982]

i loved her revealing secrets series and podcast and was wondering why she stopped posting it’s insane

[@brix6275]

NOT ALYXXX. Hold up this better be a joke. I love this girl!

[@valentinabrestovac]

Same! What is going on 😭

[@kareeeenina]

What many cult members seem to have in common is that they try to dispute cult claims by pulling up a) either a cult definition that's incorrect or incomplete or b) misintepred the definition in a way that the described signs are actually something "positive". It's one thing to accidentally join a group while not being aware that they're slowly stripped away from control over the most important aspects of their lifes but to then read and discuss about it and convincing yourself that you're not experiencing something negative is depressing.

[@BlameJuliet]

Honestly this is so dangerous, she really must not know much about cults. Some cults will start killing off members just for wanting to leave. She has such a massive audience, and she's basically telling them that joining a cult is for the laughs. She could get people hurt or killed.

[@miriamhavard7621]

Yes. It's playing with fire if she's trolling 😢.

[@Summer-lt8zt]

India Oxenburg isn't in NXIVM anymore. Hasn't been for a bit. Felt important to clarify that because that's who ethan was referring to

[@prisibun]

Ayahuasca is not something to be doing everyday every week. So crazy how normalized it seem to these people. Really dangerous

[@Clonetrooper87]

I feel like this clip will be used in a future video about how a KZbinr suckered all of us into believing she was in a cult.

[@itzerinn2489]

but the way everything happened is so strange

[@Clonetrooper87]

@@itzerinn2489 Hoaxes tend to be strange though

[@idilkaraali]

Honestly I hope that's the case

[@miriamhavard7621]

It's not cute, though.

[@sunshinefreckles9732]

Eyeroll omg tell me it’s your first time doing hallucinogens without telling me… damn man acting like this mindframe is a new discovery.

[@TaliaDaSilva]

Ugh this story.. idk. I’m Peruvian, I have close friends who have done Ayahuasca, and honestly I have never heard of it as a cult. It is a spiritual trip, highly respected by those who conduct the trip, it’s a hole thing but it’s not like something that last so much. But they were Peruvians as well. What it’s more likely to me, is that they offered them to stay more for more money. Locals do be robbing gringos like that. Honestly i don’t know how to explain it. I feel that what she took out of it and how she explains it has more to do with her than with the experience. Like she was lacking meaning and has made this her personality now. I have seen this be a positive experience for people, and I’m not promoting it, I would never do it I don’t trust my mind could handle it it seems very profound. But idk after learning about so many cults and Scientology etc I just know this was most likely not that. What she names as shedding normal society it’s just rural life. It’s not a spiritual journey it’s how people actually live here. Nature based, respectful to the earth, that’s not culty and it bothers me that it’s been presented that way. Sorry if I couldn’t get my point across well enough but I feel very passionately about this and English it’s not my first language. Anyway, family❤

[@TaliaDaSilva]

Maybe Ayahuasca needs some explanation, and I’m not an expert but it’s not just like taking mushrooms and having a trip. It is a full experience. It does need a special diet, social restrictions, etc before you have the ceremony. It’s all part of it and then it ends. So many people come to Peru for the true experience and then leave, it’s not a long term thing. The Maestro is who conducts this ceremony and it’s probably respect for his devotion to the earth. But again, people are not suppose to stay, it’s the ceremony and adios. She was gone for 4 1/2 months but she was only in Peru for 1 month (standard for the ceremony, can be less can be more) She wants to come back and make a documentary? That just feels to me like “look people here eat from the earth and are happy ain’t that so crazy? Come and you can be liberated too” she seems really nice and not ill intentioned. But I give her 3 months before she misses her Dyson and goes back to her normal life.

[@laurad.m6807]

What I find weird is that woman she was with was also a english native speaker , I got cult vibes from her friend not just "ayuhasca ceremony" ( it was 4 whole months) . And we have to have in mind that there are a lot of cults here in Latin America ,that have gringos as leaders because there are less regulations on land owning and labor laws.

[@jessicacollins4042]

❤

[@charnith5017]

it can definitely be used to manipulate people. It’s all about intentions.

[@BirdyyyBoyy]

The PowerPoints are my favorite segments, Olivia kills it!