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

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

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

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

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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

Yoooooo interesting point

41:53

P

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

Agreed !!!!

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

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

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.

​@@Chilam.Mfs be dumb

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

@@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

@@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.

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

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

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.”

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

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...

Exactly!!!

at 18:07

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

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.

I DID!!!

They could have been recording in a hallway…

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.

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

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

@@pierogipierogipierogifacts

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.

YOU CAPTURED IT SO WELL

I love the look sm bruh

same

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

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.

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

​@@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.

@@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

Omg so true

Do you mean white Americans?

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

when did she say this?? heartbreaking

@@maddiem1182 on her podcast

@@maddiem1182roughly like 10-11 months ago

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

@@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 😭

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

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

@@babieeden underaged ones at that

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.

@@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.

@@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

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

@@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.

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

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

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 💗

@@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

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

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

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

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

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 :/

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

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

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.

@@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”?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That would be a great interview!

Yes!!

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

what !!

Yessssss!!!

Pls explain

Not to mention her becoming a bitcoin evangelist

That’s Scientology baby!

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

@@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”

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

I'm pretty sure her audience is adult women

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

she’s not thinking, she’s become delusional

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.

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

@@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.

i hope it is cause if not its fucking nuts

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

Can’t find it either but i remember the video

Really hope that is the case.

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.

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.

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

Aren’t we all😩 stunning

She just keeps upgrading I’m like damn slayyy

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

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

his vid is hilarious

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!

It ain't funny though.

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

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

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

@@SamFokker SO CRAZY

Not funny tho.

they had her on a couple weeks back - ru-vid.com5C0VjNTsjk8?feature=share7

isn't it! Skinny legend!!

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

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

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

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

Same, the drew collab recently got recommended to me

@@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)

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

but the way everything happened is so strange

@@itzerinn2489 Hoaxes tend to be strange though

Honestly I hope that's the case

It's not cute, though.