Influencer Breaks Spine Attempting Viral Nicki Minaj ‘High School’ Challenge

A Russian influencer, Mariana Barutkina, 32, suffered a broken spine while attempting a viral TikTok challenge inspired by Nicki Minaj’s iconic “High School” music video.

Barutkina, who recently gave birth tried the risky challenge just weeks postpartum — and it ended with a scary fall and serious injury.

The Nicki Minaj ‘High School’ Challenge
The challenge involves recreating Nicki Minaj’s iconic pose by balancing on one foot in high heels atop an object(s).

In Barutkina’s case, she balanced on a baby formula container placed on a sauce pot, which was set on a marble kitchen island. The pot slipped, causing her to fall backwards off the counter.

Influencer Breaks Spine Attempting Viral Nicki Minaj ‘High School’ Challenge
Influencer Mariana Barutkina Breaks Spine Attempting Viral Nicki Minaj ‘High School’ Challenge (Image Credit: Instagram)
Barutkina Speaks Out After Painful Fall and Spinal Fracture
Barutkina posted the incident on Instagram, revealing her diagnosis of a “The compression bending uncomplicated fracture of the body.” Captioning the post, she wrote;

“I decided to start blogging, the first content shooting – and here I am leaving the doctor diagnosed with ‘Th9 compression bending uncomplicated fracture of the body.

The irony? Karma? Or just life, which always tests our strength at the most unexpected moment.”

Viral Nicki Minaj Challenge Sparks Risky Stunts on TikTok
The “Nicki Minaj ‘High School’ Challenge” has become a popular yet dangerous trend on TikTok, with participants often escalating the difficulty by adding unstable props such as stacked dumbbells.

The video has triggered a buzz on social media. Netizens reacted with a mix of disbelief, concern, and criticism.

Here are some of the reactions:

@pro6lema;

imagine breaking your spine for tiktok clout when you could just post yourself looking hot in regular heels lol… some of y’all need adult supervision 💀

@ni2thalo;

People obsessed with going viral than being an actual parent…

@CJReinvted;

& whose at fault? You shouldn’t kept it cute but you wanna try to out do others.

@ExecutiveJoker;

Sometimes, the clout ain’t worth it.

@Veygha;

Damn.

That’s actually sad asf.