Entrepreneur and social media personality, Gavin Mayo, has made some bold claims about water that is sending the internet into a frenzy. The California-born influencer is under fire for claiming that water is a “scam” and that it allegedly “dehydrates” your body. Opposing years of scientific evidence and research — it’s widely understood that water plays a vital role in a multitude of bodily functions and is crucial for maintaining health and well-being — it’s fair to say that the content creator’s beliefs go against the grain.
The clip, which was posted to r/TikTokCringe earlier today, shows off Gavin Mayo’s ill-informed claims in a candid video interview. Accompanying the footage is the caption, “BRO SAID WATER IS A SCAM AND I COULDN”T BELIEVE WHAT HE SAID“. The interviewer clarifies at the beginning, “You also believe water is a scam.” giving Gavin Mayo the chance to explain himself. In response, the influencer says, “Yeah, I mean, water is a solvent, so it’s dissolving your body. The fact that people say that it’s hydrating your cells is cr*p.“
Going further, the 23-year-old influencer explains, “It’s not a carbohydrate, it’s not a fat, it’s not a protein, literally a solvent. If you put any type of material in water, it dissolves it. That’s what it’s doing to your body. And same thing with water weight, and you’re drinking all this water and bloating, there’s actually no benefit to it.”
His bizarre advice continues, “If you want to hydrate, you have fats, you have juices, you have something that your cells can actually utilize. And this is probably the craziest thing I’ve ever been saying this for three years, everyone on the internet. Like, if you actually look behind it and think logically about it, water does not hydrate you, it dehydrates you. And I know it sounds crazy and we can dive more in the topic later, but that’s how I feel about water.”
The content creator does go on to admit that he has a “sip” of water now and again, but claims that water is in raw meat, which he is known for eating with regularity. He then goes on to claim that the “healthiest tribes in Africa” don’t “drink water,” but instead suck on roots, ending the clip.
Due to the controversial nature of Mayo’s claims, online reactions have been scathing. One Redditor wrote, “Take microphones away from these numbnuts, please.” while another added, “The 95% of people who watch this because they understand this guy is spewing nonsense make it possible to reach the 5% of people who buy into this garbage. That creates the carnivore bots all over social media.” A third commenter penned, “I love how he says he doesn’t drink water and then instantly admits he takes a sip here and there but what he doesn’t tell you is what he does drink is containing water like sports drinks and other ‘hydrating’ drinks. You can feel brain cells dying as he speaks..” A fourth comment simply read, “Occams razor. Some people are just mind bendingly stupid.”
Interestingly, in December 2024, Gavin Mayo was actually arrested in connection with a “six-count indictment” for “defrauding investors of more than $22 million in cryptocurrency” in a fraud case in Los Angeles, so I’d take what he says with a healthy pinch of salt. He’s clearly someone who’s not very trustworthy.
