What just happened? TwitchCon, the Twitch convention that celebrates all things streaming and gaming, took place over the weekend, and it was pretty eventful. In addition to Master Chief grinding away on stage with Megan Thee Stallion, one streamer broke her back and another broke her ankle participating in events at the show.
The worst injury occurred during a Face Off event, a promotion between Lenovo and Intel. This Gladiators-style contest involved two people trying to knock each other off podiums using large, padded poles and into a pit filled with foam cubes.
But whoever filled the pit with those cubes should have added them a bit more liberally, especially as some streamers were jumping off the podiums after a battle. One of these was Adriana Chechik, a streamer and adult performer with over 800,000 Twitch followers.
Probably the most painful thing I've seen in awhile. Twitch streamer Adriana Chechik has confirmed broken her back in two separate places following this jump at TwitchCon pic.twitter.com/QdojGn5UtG
--- Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) October 9, 2022
As you can see in the video from Jake Lucky, Chechik jumped off the podium after her victory and performed the splits in mid-air before landing on her tailbone. The grimace suggests a painful landing, but she starts moving and smiling. That's when it becomes apparent Chechik has been badly injured. "I can't get up," she says, though an announcer insists, "no, no, she's fine."
Chechik later tweeted that she had broken her back in two places and needed a metal rod surgically inserted for support.
Well, I broke my back in two places and am getting surgery to put a meter rod in for support today. Send your support. When it rains it pours and I am definitely feeling the rain right now.
--- adriana chechik (@adrianachechik) October 9, 2022
EdyBot, the other person in the video crashing into the pit, said she also damaged her back. Another streamer, LochVaness, dislocated her knee and sprained her ankle after stepping off the podium, and others have reported being hurt performing similar actions.
Yeah my dumbass fell in after my round and I couldn't walk most of last night and today the back still hurts
--- Chris Ricks (@DaSuperBlackGuy) October 9, 2022
Many have pointed out that the pit was far too shallow, "like three cubes deep," for people to jump into. According to Chechik, Lenovo said people could dive in ("booty first"), and a commentator at the booth mentioned being "able to jump into that foam and enjoy yourself." However, PC Gamer notes that contestants were warned against diving into the pit and had to sign liability waivers.
The event remained open before Chechik's incident despite several injuries. It re-opened shortly after she broke her back but was later closed due to the mounting number of people being hurt and those using it "breaking rules."
Elsewhere at TwitchCon, Genshin Impact streamer Zummmers broke her ankle at World Balloon Cup after jumping over a chair in a replica of a living room.
Master Chief, the covenant are invading, where are you?
--- Steggy @ #TwitchCon2022 (@Steggy) October 9, 2022
Chief: pic.twitter.com/OzWlAKTfqF
Away from all the injuries, attendees witnessed the unexpected sight of Halo's Master Chief joining Megan Thee Stallion on stage during her set, proving that John-117 is as lethal on the dancefloor as he is on the battlefield.