Internet celebrity isn't quite the same thing as offline celebrity, but that doesn't stop the internet-famous--or rather, the people who are assumed to be internet-famous--from rubbing elbows with music industry giants. One gamer recently tried to infiltrate an invite-only celebrity basketball game by disguising himself as the video game streamer Ninja. It's not exactly a shock that someone tried something like this. The real surprise is that he succeeded, and it appears that multiple people actively recognized him as the streaming legend Tyler "Ninja" Blevins.
A short TikTok video chronicling the incident was uploaded to the official Twitter account of Ninja's wife and manager Jessica Blevins on June 6, 2021, where she responded by declaring that the guy in the video was an icon. This show of good humor extended to Ninja himself, who jokingly reported that he didn't remember going to the game. He did not provide any information about what he was doing at the time, but as Ninja is still playing Fortnite competitively, he might have been doing that.
Interestingly, the man who disguised himself as Ninja and posted the TikTok is a celebrity in his own right. Specifically, he's Nick Wold of the band Dreamers, which has found some significant mainstream success over the last few years. Wold also sports a head of blue hair, which definitely helped create the illusion that he was Ninja, as did the black face mask he was wearing. However, Wold's biggest allies were the staff at the event and Ninja's unawareness of his activities, though it's understandable that Ninja has been busy with the announcement of a new Ninja graphic novel. The event staff has fewer excuses.
Not only did the staff not ask Wold to remove his face mask--which was a good idea for health reasons, though not for security reasons--they also didn't ask him to show his ID when he entered. Possibly they didn't realize that more than one man out there has blue hair. While Ninja may be synonymous with Fortnite, it appears he can still be a victim of identity theft in the real world. This escapade appears to have worked out quite well for Wold, who reports in the video that he was able to meet all his favorite rappers. Several other attendees, including Druski, Jack Harlow, and Chris Brown, recognized him as Ninja.
While it appears that nobody is particularly upset about this incident, it does raise some questions about security at celebrity-only events. After all, this isn't the only time that Wold has impersonated Ninja. In the wake of his success at the basketball game, Wold put on the same outfit, complete with mask, hired a fake limo and driver, and tried to get into the exclusive celebrity hotspot Saddle Ranch as Ninja. Once again, he succeeded.
This may have something to do with his willingness to tip off the paparazzi, take pictures with people, and floss with small children on the sidewalk. The video can be found on official Dreamers Instagram. While Wold may not actually be Ninja, he does appear to play the part very well. As Ninja prepares for a main role in a TV show and his connections to Hollywood strengthen, impersonating him may become more of a challenge.