TikToker Anthony Festa showed up for a 6 a.m. solidcore class on a random Sunday expecting the usual early-morning burn — and instead walked into a completely empty studio. No instructor, no classmate, just him and a row of reformers. Naturally, he did what any creator with a phone would do, hit record.
In the now-viral clip posted on November 30, he joked, “Am I the only one at solidcore?” before adding, “I don’t even think the teacher’s here.” With no coach in sight, he decided to take matters (and the Megaformer) into his own hands. “You snooze, you lose. I was here on time. I’m doing my class,” he said, later calling it “a very good makeshift private solidcore.”
What started as a funny moment turned into something much messier behind the scenes. Days later, Festa returned to TikTok with a more serious update, revealing that the instructor allegedly showed up halfway through the class — and then began reaching out urgently, asking him to delete most of the video. “Once I left the class, the teacher started blowing up my TikTok, my Instagram, my phone,” he said, claiming he was asked to keep only “the last 30 seconds.” Since it was Thanksgiving weekend, he didn’t respond immediately.
Things escalated fast. Festa said his best friend called to warn him that some coaches were panicking about potential job consequences and that Festa’s own membership might be at risk.
@anthonyrfesta My own solidcore class #vlog #dayinmylife
According to Festa, a coach even contacted his friend directly in an effort to reach him — something he believed crossed a line. “If this girl wants to be involved in me and my friendships and reach out to my friends on behalf of her, then she needs to quit her job as a coach and become a client,” he said in a follow-up video.
When he went back to the studio the next day, he confronted a coach about the outreach, calling it “completely unacceptable.” He also recalled a manager telling him, “I think we all learned some valuable lessons from this,” which didn’t exactly help the situation. Festa maintained that there was “nothing wrong” with his original video and insisted the real issue was that “someone didn’t show up to their job on time.”
Viewers are split over the whole situation. Some say Festa was totally justified and that the real issue is the coach showing up late, while others think he had way too much confidence turning a full solidcore studio into his personal 6 a.m. playground. (And honestly… how did he get in?)
Either way, people are invested. The original video has already racked up more than 2 million views.
The drama even caused tension in his friendships and left him with “a really bad taste” about the whole ordeal. Still, Festa told Us Weekly he was shocked, but amused, by how big the story became. “I didn’t think it would go as viral as it did,” he said, noting that both videos blew up after he posted the follow-up.
He added that he appreciated solidcore reaching out. It was nice to see that Solidcore issued a statement emphasizing that they value me as a client,” he told Us. Through everything, Festa insists he has “absolutely no regrets.” As he put it: “I live my truth.”
In a statement to People Magazine, solidcore said they’ve been in contact with Festa and handled the matter internally, adding that they “remain committed to providing a welcoming environment for all our clients.”
