01x04 - Steroids

[bunniefuu]

♪ ♪

(overlapping chatter)

MARIANA: Your classic
American barbeque.

Perfect weather.
Meats on the grill.

And a backyard full of friends.

But this is not your
typical summer get together,

because this is
Dr. Tony Huge's house.

MARIAH: Tony.
We're ready for you, dude.

♪ ♪

MARIANA: And
performance‐enhancing drugs

are at the ready.

TONY: Yeah!

MARIANA: Tony Huge is
the face of a movement that

believes performance‐enhancing
drugs, like steroids,

can turn everyday people...

TONY: Friends of Freedom.
Pioneers of human evolution.

MARIANA: Into superhumans.

TONY: Instead of using
medicine to make us average,

we can use medicine
to make us evolve.

MARIANA: Tony's fans say his
drugs make you feel like a god.

MAN: I don't wanna be average.

Whatever I can do to keep
excelling, I'll do it.

MARIANA: But are the
authorities closing in?

INTERROGATOR:
You have no formal medical

training whatsoever, correct?

MARIANA: And are the
dreams he's selling...

TONY: 100% legal.
No side effects.

MARIANA: Actually nightmares?

THOMAS: Being superhuman on
steroids is part of the game.

But the reality is, you
can't be superhuman forever.

And your heart doesn't
wanna be superhuman.

MARIANA: So they're
playing with fire?

THOMAS: They're
playing 100% with fire.

MARIANA: This is
a story about the next

generation of steroids.

And the man behind the needle.

Do you think everybody
should be taking steroids?

TONY: Absolutely.

♪ ♪

MARIANA: When I started
investigating the underground

expl*si*n of
steroids in America,

there is one name I heard
over and over again.

TONY: Dr. Tony Huge.

Dr. Tony Huge here.
Dr. Tony Huge here.

Where in the world is
Dr. Tony Huge, update?

MARIANA: Dr. Tony Huge.

Hi.

TONY: Mariana.

MARIANA:
Reporting for duty, Tony.

TONY: Yes. Welcome.

You now get to see the
behind the scenes of how we

actually build muscle,
besides the drugs.

Although there might be some
of that involved as well.

MARIANA: Okay.

OPRAH: Did you ever take
banned substances to enhance

your cycling performance?

LANCE: Yes.

MARIANA: Performance‐enhancing
drugs are notorious for

causing scandals at the
highest levels of sports.

But these days, people
like Tony Huge are bringing

experimental versions of those
same drugs to the masses.

TONY: I'm gonna show
you what we do before our

workouts as bodybuilders.

MARIANA: Just minutes
after I arrive,

Tony invites me and a
handful of his "guinea pigs,"

his words, not mine,
into a locker room.

TONY: You know, they
wouldn't do it openly.

We'll get kicked out of the
gym if there's people around.

This is generic
Chinese growth hormone.

This is an underground
testosterone.

All right, Akaash,
I'm loading your needle.

You want testosterone?
Do you need test?

TONY: This is actually an
extremely potent prototype.

A half cc would...

AKAASH: Oh, let's do it,
let's do it, like...

TODAY: Okay. One quarter.

MARIANA: Ah, it looks like
a big needle that I wouldn't

wanna stick on myself.

Yeah.

It's much bigger than I
thought and thicker too.

TONY: So, now,
this is Molly's shot.

In one month, she can make
about a year and a half worth

of muscle‐building progress.

MARIANA: And why
are you doing this?

MOLLY: I've always had
insecurities, like,

with my body, with myself.

So it slowly but surely does
help you gain that confidence.

MARIANA: Yeah, I'm feeling
the pressure right now guys.

I'm feeling really
tiny and terrible here.

I feel so out of
shape right now.

Dr. Tony Huge is a
larger‐than‐life figure

in the world DIY
performance‐enhancing drugs.

You're Dr. Tony Huge.

Where did you get your
medical degree from?

TONY: I don't have
a medical degree.

I'm a Doctor of Jurisprudence.

Contact us at Hughes
Financial Law today.

I'm a lawyer. Retired lawyer.

Yo soy Antony Hughes,
le puedo ayudar en Espanol.

It's quite fortunate for
the audience that I'm not an

actually medical doctor
because if I was,

they would take my license for
teaching the things that I do.

MARIANA: Tony is
evangelical about the power

of anabolic drugs.

TONY: I love steroids.

I think before I
came on the scene,

steroids were an
even greater taboo,

so I've sort of
made steroids cool.

Steroids. Steroids. Steroids.

I use them all the
time in mega doses.

And I don't think
it's a bad thing.

Be swell and swole,
friends of freedom,

pioneers of human evolution.

MARIANA: Dr. Tony Huge
is a fitness influencer,

a new type of social media
star who posts workout

photos and advice.

ZAC (over phone): Now you and I
have talked about getting ready for shows.

And this time, what I can do,

with some of these
new compounds that you've

come out with...

MARIANA: Tony spends hours
every day talking to people like Zac,

a 22‐year‐old bodybuilder
prepping for a competition.

TONY: Okay. Let's do it.

Let's keep you healthy and
get you in the best condition

you've ever been in, my friend.

♪ ("Move Pon Bakka"
by Tambor Battant Feat. Brail) ♪

MARIANA: So when did you
start taking steroids?

MARIAH: Uh, steroids?

I actually started taking
about two years ago.

I didn't know I was taking them.

Someone told me
they were vitamins.

MARIANA: Who? Who?
Like a friend or?

MARIAH: It was an ex‐boyfriend.

MARIANA: And then when you
found out, were you angry or?

MARIAH: No, because I liked
the results that I got from them.

MARIANA: Back at Tony's house,
his friends are open about

using steroids.

SOLDIER: If you're someone
who's deploying all the time,

or you're in a specialist
operations career field,

we don't get down days.

MARIANA: That includes a
member of US Special Forces.

SOLDIER: We're hiking
the tallest mountains,

we're in the hottest deserts.

Pretty much perform
like a superhuman.

And when it's a life
or death situation,

it's a small price to pay to
take performance‐enhancing

drugs to be able to get
back home to my family.

MARIANA: Who contacts
you about steroids?

TONY: Everyone.

Teenagers all the
way up to old ladies.

I kid you not.

And everywhere in between.

Police, 40‐year‐old female,
house moms that are using them

to get in better shape.

MARIANA: Do you still
take steroids now?

WOMAN: I do in the sense
of if I wanna get ready for

Halloween, I wanna body paint.

MARIANA: Uh‐hmm.

WOMAN: So for me to be able
to body paint after three kids,

instead of me doing
a cabbage soup diet.

MARIANA: Uh‐huh.

WOMAN: I wanna look
strong and feel strong...

MARIANA: Uh‐huh.

WOMAN: And not to
(bleep) up my metabolism.

MARIAH: Everyone has their poison,
whether it's smoking,

or alcohol, or hardcore
opiates, and you know,

things like that.

Pick your poison and
that's the one I chose.

MARIANA: Tony is happy to give
away performance‐enhancing

drugs at his party.

But how do everyday people
normally get their hands on them?

Do you know where the
steroids you take,

do you know where
they're coming from?

SOLDIER: It depends.

MARIANA:
You don't wanna tell me?

SOLDIER: Not at all.

MARIANA: So the
anabolic's that you take,

where are those coming,
where is it coming from?

MARIAH: Our source
asked not to be named.

WOMAN: Um, I wouldn't say.

MARIANA: You don't wanna say?
WOMAN: No.

MARIANA: See, I've spoken to
several people here and nobody

wants to tell me where from.

Why is that?

SOLDIER: Well, I don't know you,

and it's a small community,
and you're dealing with stuff

that can potentially put
other people in jail.

MARIANA: Okay.

Can you just tell me if they come
from overseas or they're domestic?

MARIANA: Okay.

Here's the thing,

I don't really take
no for an answer.

So, after a few off‐camera
conversations with Tony,

he agrees to show me where
underground steroids come from.

Yeah. This is where
he told us to meet him.

Not where you'd think they'd
be doing steroids and human

experiments, you know.

I see this light over there.

(engine approaches)

Tony Huge, right here.

So, you're, it's not,
is it here?

TONY: No, it's not here.

I'm gonna take you to it because the
experiments that we do are kind of underground.

You're not supposed to
experiment on humans and

you're not supposed to be
making some of these compounds

the way we do.

And that's a lot of risk to
me and the people I work with.

MAN: Yes. Yes.

TONY: Thank you.

MARIANA: When you mentioned
an underground lab,

I definitely wasn't
expecting something, so.

It looks, it looks
like a real lab.

TONY: Well, it has to be clean
and it has to have all the

tools that we need for
any given experiment.

MARIANA: The DEA and FDA are
the federal agencies with

oversight on steroid use.

They often make news for
busting underground labs.

ANCHOR (over TV): DEA
agents raided the facility.

REPORTER (over TV): A
massive ill*gal drug operation.

Homemade drugs are especially
dangerous to anyone who uses them.

MARIANA: Aren't you scared
they could come after you?

TONY: Yeah,
everything, they did.

They did.

MARIANA: Tony is the
face of Enhanced Athlete,

a supplement company that was
raided by the FDA in 2017.

That same year, Enhanced Athlete
was accused in a civil

lawsuit of selling products not
approved for human consumption.

INTERROGATOR: You said you've
got a doctorate of laws?

You don't, you don't really
think it allows you to call

yourself a doctor, do you?

TONY: Yes.

I was under investigation
for many years and they were

surveilling me and, and my
CEO ended up in, in jail.

ANCHOR: This is New Tonight.

A Sacramento man was sentenced
to three years in prison today

for selling fertilizer
disguised as fat‐burning pills.

MARIANA: And you guys
were making that here?

TONY: That's what Scott
was prosecuted for.

MARIANA: Why are you still here?

And why's he in prison?

TONY: Because I never made
money from any of this.

I was a lawyer.

I sold my law firm and
I took that money and I

invested it into research.

MARIANA: Tony
claims that for him,

developing new drugs is
merely a passion project,

albeit, a risky one.

So why do you let
us film in here?

Why do you let us come here?

TONY: Because there's,
there's a risk versus benefit.

This is my passion.

I retired from law to further
the chemistry of bodybuilding.

Instead of just using
medicine to make us average,

we can use medicine to
continue to enhance us,

to make us evolve.

MARIANA: And who make, do you
actually make all of this or

who makes this?

TONY: Coach Trevor
is our lead chemist.

Hey, Coach Trevor!

MARIANA: Coach Trevor
is Tony's secret weapon.

Hi.

TREVOR: Hey. How's it going?
MARIANA: How are you?

I'm Mariana.

TREVOR: Trevor.
Nice to meet you.

MARIANA: Nice to meet you.

The two are incredibly close,
with an almost brotherly bond.

This is your lab?

TREVOR: This is it.
This is ground zero.

MARIANA: And they have a
shared passion for creating new

performance‐enhancing drugs.

TONY: Coach Trevor and I
have gone over the protocol.

What I'm gonna start with
is 50 milligrams per day.

MARIANA: Tony was saying
that you're the main chemist.

TREVOR: I think
they call it chef.

MARIANA: Sort of
Breaking Bad kind of a thing?

TREVOR: No, meth, no.

MARIANA: Trevor is obsessed
with the chemistry behind steroids.

He even has the chemical
structure for testosterone

tattooed on his hand.

TREVOR: This is my
favorite hormone.

First one I ever made.

MARIANA: The first
one you made in a lab?

TREVOR: Uh‐hmm.

MARIANA: Trevor says he's
permanently mutated his body

through years of
experimental steroid use.

TONY: So Trevor's arms
are just around 21 inches.

Mine are around 19 inches.

MARIANA: And mine are
around, half an inch.

Despite the imposing exterior,

Trevor sees himself as
a science nerd at heart.

If you wanted to, what drugs
can you make right now?

TREVOR: Actually, it'd be easier
to name what I couldn't make.

MARIANA: Could you make cocaine?

TREVOR: Yeah.

MARIANA: Can you make heroin?

TREVOR: Yeah. Very simple.

MARIANA: Do you know
how to make fentanyl?

TREVOR: Yeah. That's, yeah.

MARIANA: Do you
know how to make meth?

TREVOR: Yes.

MARIANA: If you can make
any drug in the world,

why are you making anabolic's?

TREVOR: Because I could
sell steroids to a lawyer.

He's happy and it
improves his life.

If it's not
hurting you, why not?

MARIANA: Is what
you're doing dangerous?

TREVOR: Yeah, yeah...

TONY: Sometimes, really
bad things do happen.

And, and afterwards,
we sometimes say we're never

gonna do another experiment.

MARIANA: In a recent experiment,

Tony says he overdosed on
a banned dietary supplement,

and he then vomited
for two days straight.

TONY: But we are addicted
to the science and pioneering,

and we do, we do continue
experimenting even after

bad things happen.

MARIANA: The raw chemicals
that you use here,

where did those come from?

TREVOR: Almost everything
comes from China now.

MARIANA: Because these
chemicals are often on the

DEA's list of banned substances,

companies in China have
found inventive ways to

sneak them past customs.

TREVOR: Here's one.

MARIANA: Disguised as food.

TREVOR: Yeah.
It looks like flour, right?

MARIANA: And so a lot of
it is actually coming out.

So it's not dangerous that
it's all over my hands, is it?

No?

TREVOR: Yeah, actually...

No, it's not.
Nah, I don't wanna bust..

MARIANA: Today, Trevor and
Tony are developing a new,

injectable version of a
drug called "ASARM"

TONY: A Selective Androgen
Receptor Modulator.

So, potentially the
future of steroids,

all the benefits without
the side effects.

MARIANA: And this is ill*gal?

TONY: This is ill*gal to
sell to a human as a supplement.

It is legal to possess.

It is legal to use.

MARIANA: People are using the
stuff that you guys are making

here in this lab...
are using this.

TONY: Yes, they are
using these formulas by,

by facilities we have,
are teaching how to make

these things underground.

MARIANA: That was a very
around the way answer.

TONY: I was a lawyer.
I was a lawyer before.

MARIANA: The stuff
that is made here,

does it end up inside people's
bodies around the country?

TONY: That's what
I don't wanna answer.

MARIANA: Because that
can get you in trouble?

TONY: Right.

I plead The Fifth.
I plead The Fifth.

I plead The Fifth.

MARIANA: No matter
what Tony might say;

there's a black market
for these types of drugs.

And demand is high.

Is this some of the stuff
you're delivering today?

MARIANA: I mean, so it's
basically, it's a drug deal?

DAVID: Check this stuff.
BUYER: All right.

♪ ♪

MARIANA: How long have you
been selling steroids for?

MARIANA: A few days later,
I find myself on a ride‐along

with one of Sacramento's
busiest steroid dealers.

Are most of your
buyers bodybuilders?

MARIANA: I'll be
calling him David.

Is part of the reason
you sell it is so that you

can take them as well?

So you can afford your own?

MARIANA: Oh, wow.
So testosterone. Trenbolone.

MARIANA: If David were caught,

he could face five
years in prison.

The maximum punishment for
selling steroids without a prescription.

BUYER: Yeah.

MARIANA: David has agreed to
wear a wireless microphone,

so I can monitor this
deal from a nearby car.

DAVID: How's everything?
BUYER: Oh, great, doing good.

DAVID: Yup. BUYER: Here.

DAVID: Five a joule.
BUYER: Right on. Yeah.

MARIANA: They just did
this right in the open.

Even the money was
exchanged out in the open.

BUYER: Right on. Thanks.
DAVID: Have a good day.

BUYER: I'll talk to you later.
DAVID: Yes, sir.

MARIANA: David also allows us
to secretly film a deal he has

arranged at a local gym.

MARIANA: David tells me that a
steroid regimen can cost users

between a couple hundred and
a thousand dollars a month.

DAVID: All right, bro.
I'll see you, man.

MAN: All right, man.
I appreciate it.

DAVID: Yes, sir.

MARIANA: So all of
this is ill*gal though.

What you're doing, selling this.

MARIANA: This is
totally ill*gal?

MARIANA: Do people buying
steroids ever ask you about

any side effects or any of
the dangerous side of it?

MARIANA: "What can I
get to look like that?"

MARIANA: The demand for
performance‐enhancing drugs

stretches from coast to coast,

and users are quick
to sing their praises.

ZAC: I just love it.

It's like getting
dressed in the morning.

What am I gonna do today?

I'm so interested in my body's
physical ability to change,

especially so rapidly.

My body's my art.

I'm not happy with
my masterpiece yet.

MARIANA: Zac used to inject
the types of traditional

steroids I saw David
selling in Sacramento,

but then he met
Tony Huge online.

ZAC: We just, we chitchatted
back and forth about

what I was doing, and
he sent me a care package.

MARIANA: Of what?

ZAC: And he was, like,
of SARMs and supplements from his company.

All of that stuff.

It was like $700 when
I checked it out.

Now he seemed like
this, you know,

hot celebrity kind of guy.

I couldn't believe that,
like, me of all people,

he just sent it out to.

MARIANA: The two have remained
friends and Zac has sought out

Dr. Tony's help as he preps
for the Olympia Bodybuilding

Competition in Las Vegas.

Armed with Tony's
new experimental drug,

Zac is on an extreme diet and
working out five hours a day.

But he still has a lot of fat
to lose and muscle to add.

ZAC: Hey babe, can
you grab that mirror?

MARIANA: And he's
running out of time.

ZAC: Tony just sent me
some pretty awesome stuff.

You know the SARMs
I've been running?

WOMAN: Uh‐hmm.

ZAC: He sent me the
injectable version,

so I need you to put
this in my shoulder.

WOMAN: Okay.

ZAC: Okay.

MARIANA: Zac's girlfriend is
generally supportive of him

using anabolic drugs.

WOMAN: Okay. ZAC: Cheers.

Fast. There you go.
Push deep into the muscle.

Ow. Ow.

MARIANA: Zac's mom on the
other hand is decidedly not on board.

MOM: I mean, I know it's naive
to think that most athletes,

professional athletes,
aren't doing drugs.

But it's kind of a known
thing in bodybuilding.

And that, it's terrifying.

ZAC: She was like,
"Why compete in a sport that

relies on drugs to win?"

And she has a point.

MARIANA: Do you think he'll
do well in this competition?

MOM: I don't know if you
can win without doing drugs,

so I'm okay if he doesn't win.

I'm...

MARIANA: You prefer
that he doesn't do drugs?

MOM: I would prefer that.

MARIANA: There isn't a lot of
research done on SARMs yet and

what effects it can have.

Does that worry you?

ZAC: That's true.

But, I mean, it's just me
taking a risk and putting a

leg out there and
seeing what happens.

JEFF: Back then,
I felt like a loser.

I felt like a zero,
felt like a nobody.

And I found this thing,
the sport that could give me

respect immediately for nothing.

You know, almost
unearned, you know,

you get big in the gym
and people were afraid of

me or respected me.

MARIANA: Like Zac, Jeff
started bodybuilding and using

steroids when he was in his 20s.

But a decade later, he was
diagnosed with heart failure.

JEFF: The heart thing, that's
what everyone's risking.

And it's just when, when's
your number gonna get called?

Like that's how
bodybuilders die.

I was weak, like, weaker
than I'd ever been.

And there was something
obviously wrong.

When they use that word
"heart failure", it's like,

yeah, that hit me
like a ton of bricks.

And I got a kid right now,
I've got a family, like,

"Yo, this isn't cool."

ABBY: Now that we have a baby,

it was putting
a lot of strain on us.

JEFF: Many, many people I
admire were doing steroids.

MARIANA: Uh‐hmm.

JEFF: And they
weren't dropping dead.

My hero's Arnold Schwarzenegger,

they're alive,
they're still alive.

They were big steroid users.

MARIANA: Ironically, doctors
only discovered Jeff's heart

problems when he was sent to the
hospital for a different medical emergency,

also caused by steroids.

JEFF: Like my butt
was so big, that, like,

I had elastic basketball shorts,

and I couldn't pull
them up over my butt.

It was...

MARIANA: Because it was too big?

JEFF: Yeah. It was, like,
I don't know if you can tell, like.

MARIANA: I can definitely tell.

JEFF: You know.

MARIANA: After injecting a
batch of underground steroids,

Jeff got an infection
so malicious,

that doctors had to amputate
parts of his butt and legs

just to keep him alive.

JEFF: The lady was like,

"Holy (bleep), we gotta
operate on you right now."

You know, there were
seven surgeries to get the

infection under control.

And then there were five
surgeries to clean it.

So there was 11
surgeries in 24 days.

MARIANA: Eleven surgeries?

JEFF: Eleven.

MARIANA: It was only then
that Jeff began to rethink his

long‐time steroid use.

Tomorrow, Jeff will get the
results from his cardiologist.

JEFF: I'm hoping that,
you know, I'm gonna get

some good, good news.

MARIANA: Uh‐hmm.

What would be the
worst‐case scenario?

JEFF: Oh, it got worse, I
mean, wouldn't that be scary?

ABBY: I'm hopeful that it
will be a positive move in the

right direction but,
you know, I, in my gut,

I don't think this is
something that's just gonna go

away overnight,
or in a few months.

MARIANA: Jeff is about to find
out how a decade of steroid

use will impact his
long‐term chance of survival.

♪ ♪

JEFF: I think some of the
damage I did is probably

permanent as far as,
like, an enlarged heart.

DOCTOR: Yeah.

JEFF: I don't wanna go
back and body‐build.

I'm not looking for that.

I'm looking for, you know,
how long can I live, right?

Like, I mean, if you
look around this office,

who's here?

It's old men.

It's like, "Why am I here?"

I'm freaking 37.

Something's wrong, right?

MARIANA: Jeff has been under
the care of a cardiologist for

the past year, ever since
doctors treating his steroid

infection also discovered
signs of heart failure.

So, doctor, because Jeff took
testosterone for so many years.

DOCTOR: Right. Right.

MARIANA: Now his body
doesn't produce it naturally

and he actually has to take
testosterone to stay healthy.

DOCTOR: Right. Right.

This is the unfortunate
irony for guys that are

looking to become
superhuman, per se.

You know, they end up
in a point where, again,

they obliterate
their body's own ability

to produce testosterone.

MARIANA: Today, Jeff will be
getting the results to see if

his heart has bounced
back to normal.

DOCTOR: So there's, there's
two main things we're

evaluating with that echo.

One is your systolic function,

which is the squeezing function,

and that was the one
that was mildly reduced last

time you were here that actually
does not look significantly different.

JEFF: All right. DOCTOR: Okay?

So it still looks a
little bit sluggish.

JEFF: Yup.

DOCTOR: But there's another
parameter that we look at,

which is the relaxation
function of the heart.

JEFF: Right.

DOCTOR: And that was also quite
abnormal last time you were here.

That looks significantly better.

JEFF: Okay. DOCTOR: Okay.

Now we're not, we're not at
the point where I'd say your

heart looks normal,
unfortunately.

JEFF: Right.

DOCTOR: I think you should
sort of get your mind around

the fact that you're
probably gonna be

on long‐term medication.

I worry about Jeff's longevity.

His heart actually hasn't
bounced back to normal.

MARIANA: Uh‐hmm.

DOCTOR: And the
longer we see it,

that sort of suggests
that something permanent

has happened there.

MARIANA: Uh‐hmm.

And if he started
taking steroids again?

DOCTOR: Not a good outlook.

MARIANA: We've heard from a
lot of people that say that

there is a safe
way of doing this.

The people that
have gotten hurt,

it's because they didn't know what they were
doing and they were taking too much or...

DOCTOR: Right.

MARIANA: But there is actually
a safe way to do this they say.

DOCTOR: Right.
MARIANA: What do you think?

DOCTOR: I think those people
are kidding themselves.

The best data that we
have are autopsy studies.

That means someone died.

Jeff, frankly, is lucky.

There's lots and lots of case
reports of young guys having

heart attacks and having
strokes, sudden death.

So your first symptom is dying.

THOMAS: What do I
think of Tony Huge?

A very dangerous guy, because
he's so seductive and his

social media is so amazing.

We have young men, boys,
13‐year‐old boys, 16, 18,

25 that are buying it
hook, line, and sinker.

MAN: He wants to actually
better the world.

MARIANA: In your
average American suburb,

I meet up with two of
Dr. Tony Huge's biggest fans.

When did you guys
start taking steroids?

MAN: Four weeks ago.

MAN: Yeah, week four.

MARIANA: And how
do you guys feel?

MAN: Honestly,
it's, it's superhuman.

MARIANA: The shocking thing?

They're only teenagers,
which is why we aren't showing their faces.

MAN: Just taking this, just
the light dose that we are on,

has just been crazy.

MARIANA: Do your parents know
that you're taking steroids?

MAN: No.

MARIANA: So do they see,
have they noticed a difference in you?

MAN: Little bit.

They're kind of
suspecting it now.

MARIANA: And aren't you guys
afraid of all these dangers?

MAN: There's too many
things like that,

in life (bleep) worry about
a steroid or SARM giving you

some small side effect.

MAN: Yeah.

MARIANA: I mean, an enlarged
heart is not a small side effect.

MAN: Well, of course.

MARIANA: Heart failure
at an early age is not a

small side effect.

MAN: It's not a small
side effect, of course,

but if you do the right thing,
especially learning from

someone like Tony where
he literally lays everything

out for you.

He, he gives you
the training advice.

MARIANA: Uh‐hmm.

MAN: He gives you
the nutrition advice.

And he also tells you not to
(bleep) do it if you're not healthy.

And I know there's that one
percent chance to, what,

I take this first cycle, and
I'm not gonna bounce back for

the rest of my life,

I'm on testosterone replacement.

I understand that risk and
I'm willing to take it.

THOMAS: Are you kidding me?

It's 100% dangerous.

MARIANA: As Tony Huge arrives
in Las Vegas for the start of the

Olympia Bodybuilding
Competition,

I meet with Dr. Thomas O'Connor,

a physician who specializes
in steroid abuse.

THOMAS: He's destroying lives.

He looks like he's a physician,

and he calls himself a doctor.

If they were medical
professionals,

they'd be in jail.

MARIANA: So Tony Huge
right now is creating this

injectable SARM.

He says it's like a steroid,

but without side effects, right?

THOMAS: Okay. It's, he's wrong.

It's not possible right now.

Pharmaceutical companies
like to do what?

Make money.

MARIANA: So you're saying
that if it was possible to

create a steroid without
the side effects that the

pharmaceutical companies.

THOMAS: Billion‐dollar industry.

MARIANA: Okay.

And the fact that they're
not all over it right now,

it's because.

THOMAS: It's, that's it's
beyond the science of today.

MARIANA: Recently, the FDA
released a statement saying

that SARMs can increase the
risk of heart attack, stroke,

and liver damage.

The same side
effects of steroids.

THOMAS: The patients
tell me that, "Hey, doc,

I used to love Tony Huge, man,
because he represented just,

like, freedom and
all this kind of stuff."

TONY (over phone): You see me
in my bedroom with a hot girl.

THOMAS: "And then I really
took some of the drugs he

recommended and then I
ended up in the hospital,"

or "My brother died" or

"A friend of mine
is really suffering."

You see the bodies
that are constructed.

Being superhuman on steroids
is part of the game.

It's part of the trip.

But the reality is, you
can't be superhuman forever.

And your heart doesn't
wanna be superhuman.

MARIANA: When I first
see Zac in Las Vegas,

it's hard to argue
with the results.

His transformation
is jaw‐dropping.

That's him before and after?

ZAC: It, kind of, just
speaks for itself.

It's just nine weeks, yeah.

MAN: Yeah.

MARIANA: Holy moly,
that is crazy.

This is in just nine weeks?
Just three months?

MAN: Correct.

MARIANA: In just nine weeks,
Zac dropped his body fat from

21% to 5%.

He credits a dedicated
workout and diet routine.

MAN: Two training
sessions a day.

Zero carbs of course and...

ZAC: I get, yeah, I've
been doing three hours

of cardio every night.

MARIANA: He also credits
the drugs that Dr. Tony

recommended, including
the new injectable SARMs.

But the work is not over.

TONY: So the first thing
I'm gonna inject you with is

RAD140, the injectable SARM.

MARIANA: Zac has 24 hours
before the competition.

He and Tony plan to make
the final hours count.

TONY: I'm gonna give you
a dose of 40 milligrams,

which is, you know, that's
pretty high for an injectable.

ZAC: That's a, yeah.

TONY: All right.

I'm gonna sh**t
it into your delt.

And this is gonna burn.

You're gonna wake up tomorrow
morning looking more vascular

and harder and drier.

ZAC: Just in time
for prejudging.

TONY: Perfect. Yeah.

ZAC: Yeah.

TONY: That's a good one.
Oh, I see you twitching.

It stings, huh?

ZAC: Yeah, that one burn.

TONY: Oh, yeah. That stings.

And it's bleeding too,
so I'm gonna hold pressure.

ZAC: It's getting pretty sore.

TONY: Where, where do,
where do you want this last one?

ZAC: (bleep).

TONY: It's worth the pain.

Oh, the other thing I want
you to take is Viagra.

ZAC: Okay.

TONY: Not for, not
to get an erection.

We're taking this to push the
blood flow into our muscles.

MARIANA: Tony really
believes in his dream of a

steroid replacement with
none of the risks.

TONY: We did some damage.

ZAC: Yeah. TONY: You
ready to lift? ZAC: Let's do it.

MARIANA: But the reality is,
he just doesn't know what the

long‐term dangers will be.

TONY: Push them up
and out in front of you

little bit for upper chest.

ZAC: Like I told Tony,
as long as he can guarantee

I'm not gonna die
right away from this stuff,

then, it's okay.

MARIANA: Why do you put some
much confidence and trust in Tony?

ZAC: Because not only
is the man honest,

he's a really good friend too.

He's just an awesome uncle that,

that knows everything and takes care of
you when you need it and is always around.

TONY: All right. You're gonna have
to breathe more because your blood is

super oxygenated now.

MARIANA: When you hear all
these stories about pros

taking steroids and
the side effects and...

ZAC: Uh‐hmm.

MARIANA: You know, all
the dangers involved,

does that scare you at all?

ZAC: No.

A lot of these guys overdo
it and it screwed themselves.

I have enough knowledge to keep
myself within a safe realm,

and I know
enough to trust my gut.

MARIANA: Tomorrow, Zac will
pit himself against other

aspiring bodybuilders.

It will be a test of both
Zac's new physique and of

Dr. Tony's new wonder drug.

MAN (over PA):
And coming up next,

we have competitor
number 43, Ali Balighi.

MARIANA: It's the first
day of Mr. Olympia,

and hundreds of bodybuilders
are squaring off.

(inaudible)

MARIANA: Zac is about to go on
stage for the amateur portion

of the competition.

If the judges like
what they see,

Zac can fulfill his goal
of turning professional.

ZAC: I don't consider
myself natural at all.

I may not be using steroids,

but I'm still like
using things that are

comparable and influence
your hormonal balance.

MARIANA: Uh‐hmm.

He's betting that Tony Huge's
new experimental drug will

give him a competitive edge.

ZAC: With the injectable SARMs,

what I want is to look
roided out without being on

mainstream roids and
being way healthier.

(overlapping chatter)

MARIANA: Today, Zac will
take on 24 other amateur

bodybuilders in the
Classic Physique category.

MAN: Yeah.

MARIANA: Only the top three
will advance and be given

their professional cards.

That's him. That's him.

TONY: Oh, Zac. Yes, Zac.

MARIANA: Are you nervous?

TONY: Yeah, I'm, I, I
usually get nervous, like,

for the competitor,
for the client so.

WOMAN: Yeah, Zac.

TONY: Beautiful.

WOMAN: Fifty‐one.

TONY: Tighten the lower abs.

MAN (over PA): Relax.
Quarter turn to your right.

TONY: Wow.

MARIANA: Woo‐hoo!

When he first walks on stage,

I'm once again blown away
by Zac's transformation.

MAN (over PA):
Let's hear some noise.

Who do you guys wanna see?

502.

MARIANA: Contestants are
called to the front of the

stage in groups of five.

Judges are looking for the
perfect combination of muscle

definition and size.

Officially, steroids drugs
are banned at Mr. Olympia.

But there are no
drug tests today,

so it's impossible to know
if any of these bodies were

sculpted with anabolic drugs.

MAN (over PA): 481, 485.

TONY: You see how some of
these guys have a lot more

muscle than Zac has?

MARIANA: Yeah.

TONY: Now if Zac can get this
amount of muscle with his posing,

with his structure,

then he could go
really far in this sport.

MARIANA: You can see the
frustration on Zac's face as

other competitors are asked
to pose for the judges first.

MAN (over PA): 390, 476.

MARIANA: Tony believes that
the bigger participants have

simply taken more
drugs than Zac.

TONY: If he wants to grow after
this competition which I think he will,

then it's time to start
using some of the drugs that

can build a lot
more muscle like the rest of

these guys have.

MAN (over PA): 315.

MARIANA: Yet another group
is called up instead of Zac.

MAN (over PA): 502.

MARIANA: As the
first session ends,

his odds are not looking good.

MAN (over PA): Relax.
Thank you, gentlemen.

MARIANA: But there's still
another round of the competition,

and anything can happen.

TONY: Zac. Amazing posing,
incredible stamina.

But how do you feel?

Do you feel flat?
Do you feel full?

ZAC: I mean, I might have
just got my a*s whooped.

TONY: Now, if you wanna use
this as an experiment to see

how much we can fill you
out with some more advanced

chemistry before the finals,

then that's what
we can do right now.

MARIANA:
Despite Zac's pessimism,

Tony sees a golden opportunity.

Like what?

ZAC: Like what? Is the question.

TONY: Like, like
insulin, IGF, high carbs,

throw in some sodium.

Let's do it. Let's.

MARIANA: So that
would be right now?

TONY: Let's do a
three‐hour transformation.

MARIANA: Right now?

TONY: Let's get him some
drugs and some food.

So this is, this is gonna
be a little dangerous because

I want you to take a high
dosage really to fill you out.

TONY: I'll grab some
goodies to inject.

TONY: The insulin is gonna
cause your blood sugar to drop.

And then I'm gonna
inject you with AMP,

Adenosine Monophosphate
to volumize your blood.

MARIANA: Tony is injecting
Zac with hundreds of dollars

of free drugs.

TONY: And that also can
make you very dizzy.

MARIANA: But what's
the real cost for Zac?

TONY: I don't want you
to pass out on stage,

but we're gonna get
you right to the edge of

where you're gonna
be a little bit dizzy.

Okay. I'm gonna put
the insulin in last,

so first I'm putting
IGF des, 200 micrograms.

Ah, what the heck,
250 micrograms.

TONY: Yeah.

TONY: Two, yeah, nothing's
gonna happen to you.

But right before
I sh**t, sh**t that,

I just want some pictures and,
and video of you because it's

gonna work pretty quick.

So I've got my
videographer here.

What do you think?

You got a good angle.

Of all the SARMs, this is one
of the faster‐acting ones.

MARIANA: Are you doing any
of these for the first time?

ZAC: Yeah, all of them.

TONY: Three hundred
micrograms of IGF des,

five units of growth hormone,
and fifteen units of insulin.

It's a lot to combine.

MARIANA: Zac is understandably
nervous about taking

insulin in particular.

ZAC: Are we doing this
whole shot in my glute?

TONY: On your glute, yeah.
ZAC: On my glute?

TONY: And Vivian, how long
until the rice is ready?

MARIANA: Insulin can be bought
over the counter at any drug

store but injecting too much
of it can lead to seizures,

coma, brain damage, or death.

TONY: As soon as we hit this,

I want you to
start eating some carbs.

Don't like shove it down,
but just start snacking on it,

get your blood sugar steady.

After the shot, I'm gonna put
pressure on it so it disburses

it into the bloodstream faster.

MARIANA: Zac is
also injecting AMP,

a steroid created for
racehorses and not allowed for

human consumption.

TONY: It's gonna
hyper‐oxygenate your blood,

and so you're gonna be gasping
for air to get more oxygen

into your bloodstream.

This is actually
very therapeutic.

It's actually
very, very healthy.

Does it sting?

ZAC: Oh, yeah.

MARIANA: I'm not gonna lie.

I'm completely rooting for
Zac to win this competition.

But I don't wanna see
him die in the process.

TONY: Of all the SARMs,
this is one of the

faster‐acting ones.

MARIANA: On a short break from
the Mr. Olympia competition,

Tony is about to inject
Zac with a long list

of anabolic drugs.

TONY: So this time, you're
taking a 30% higher dosage

than we took at the
gym for practice.

ZAC: Okay.

MARIANA: Tony is hoping
to transform Zac's body

in just three hours.

TONY: Okay. So it stings a lot.

So we're definitely gonna
have to put pressure because

the body's gonna react to that.

If I put pressure,
it distributes into your

bloodstream quickly.

So this time...

MARIANA: It's a last‐ditch
effort to impress the Olympia

judges for the final
round of the event.

ZAC: So what's this
gonna do for my physique?

TONY: Make your veins pop
out, make your muscles fuller.

MARIANA: This is all against the
rules of the Olympia competition,

and it's the kind of thing that can
get you in trouble with the DEA.

How much of all the
stuff you've given him,

how much of it is ill*gal?

TONY: Let's see.

So the AMP's not
technically ill*gal.

It's a grey area.

This is something you wouldn't
be allowed to sell to another

human for human
consumption like a drug,

it's not FDA approved.

MARIANA: Are you allowed to
administer them to somebody else?

TONY: Probably not.

MARIANA: Could he get
in trouble for this?

TONY: No. Nope.
MARIANA: Are you worried, Zac?

ZAC: If the po‐po come
knockin', we'll run together.

TONY: You've got the
number of your lawyer.

ZAC: Okay. TONY:
Dr. Tony Huge. ZAC: All right.

MARIANA: After injecting half a dozen
new anabolics into his bloodstream,

Zac arrives
back at the competition.

He's due on stage in
less than an hour.

TONY: Okay. That's pretty good.

So, now we can see
some veins popping out.

He looks like he put
on about eight pounds of

muscle in just a few hours.

MARIANA: It's true though.

You can totally see
the difference now.

I don't think I could notice
any of these veins before,

and now I can notice them all.

Zac's veins are popping,

and his muscles are
noticeably bigger.

He's also feeling short of
breath, a side effect of AMP,

the horse steroid.

He's worried that
this won't be enough to

impress the judges.

I'm worried he's going
to pass out on stage.

MAN (over PA): Competitor
number 100, Daniel Chmura.

Competitor number
158, Luis Estrada.

MARIANA: As other
competitors are eliminated,

Zac remains on stage.

MAN (over PA):
61, Anmar Ezzulddin.

MARIANA: He's still up there.
TONY: Yeah.

MAN (over PA): Competitor number 204,
Denny Guemos.

TONY: Good. Good.

MARIANA: They didn't
call his number.

MAN (over PA):
Competitor number 312...

MARIANA: But finally,
Zac's name is called and

his day is done.

MAN (over PA):
Competitor number 315.

MARIANA: He finishes
tied for 16th place.

Not the results he
was looking for.

Are you sad at all?

Are you disappointed?

ZAC: I'm not actually
extremely disappointed.

I just didn't have the
conditioning I needed so they

deserved it more
than I did today.

MARIANA: At the end of the day,

Tony and Zac are both
clear on one thing,

competing at this level will
mean taking even more drugs,

and even bigger doses.

ZAC: I definitely felt good
with Tony's little c*ck.

Yeah, that definitely
worked, that whole thing.

TONY: Bodybuilding is a
sport, and it's also art.

And the drugs and
the steroids give us a bigger

paintbrush and more
colors to choose from.

ZAC: That's exactly right.
That's exactly right.

MARIANA: Would you
call it an epidemic?

THOMAS: This is an epidemic
where you look great,

but your day will come.

MARIANA: It's estimated that
up to four million Americans

are now using steroids.

Hi, Tony.

TONY (over computer):
Hi, Mariana.

MARIANA: How are you?

TONY (over computer):
Good. Thanks.

MARIANA: So you've spent the
last couple of months in Thailand,

is that right?

TONY (over computer): Yeah.

I'm building an epicenter
of chemical transformations to

push the limits on
performance enhancement.

MARIANA: When I last
checked in with Tony Huge,

he's still promoting
"Enhanced Athlete" products,

but he's got a new place
to conduct human experiments.

Are you and Trevor
planning on moving your whole

operation to Asia?

TONY (over computer): Yeah.
We're transitioning right now, so yeah.

As fast as we can.

In Thailand, they have
clinics on every corner.

We don't have to
go through doctors and get

prescriptions for lab work.

Look, SHBG, Cortisol,
DHT, Prolactin estrogen,

Growth Hormone.

We can just move much
faster in Thailand than in

the US with our research.

MARIANA: In 2019, a bill was
introduced to the US Senate

that would allow the DEA to
arrest anyone making SARMs.

Are you ever afraid
that the authorities will

come after you?

TONY (over computer): Yeah, sure,
there's always a little bit of that fear.

Yeah. It's not so much that I'm
running away from authorities

and law enforcement, as it is,

I'm just less of a target
if I'm outside the country.

MARIANA: Do you think there's
anything wrong with wanting to

be superhuman?

TONY (over computer): No.

I think that that is the
next step of our evolution.

I mean, how strong
can we become?

How amazing can we look?

How long can we live?

If people could just visualize
when they felt the best in their life,

imagine having that
all the time and then

imagine amplifying it.

That's what it feels
like to be superhuman.

And once people experience,
it's hard to go back.

MARIANA: This is what makes
Tony's pitch so seductive.

He believes,
with missionary‐like zeal,

in what he preaches.

TONY: All right. Here we go.

MARIANA: That sort of faith
can be dangerous, even deadly.

But it's hard to argue
with those convinced they're

on the path to salvation.

♪ ♪