The students following along in the background are occasionally out of sync or hidden behind one another. The Anchorage Daily News later described it as having “an Alaska feel,” a kind way of saying it was cheaply made. The production values are low- the lighting is garish, the picture is grainy, and the sound is tinny. In the video (which is available on YouTube), Smithey doesn’t brandish a whip, only too-tight sweatpants, a low-cut tank top, and a sweatband. In 50 minutes, he would guide the group through at least 50 different butt-related exercises, all the while shouting, “Beautiful legs … beautiful legs … work those beautiful legs … and don’t forget to squeeze those cheeseburgers out of those thighs … and that carrot cake … and those french fries!” He taught his class with the lights dimmed, a spotlight on him, music cranked. Buns, Professor of Bunology, Prince of Pain, Master of Masochism, and the Bunmaster. He brought a cassette tape and a long leather whip (just as a prop, he reassured me), and referred to himself as Dr.

“Specifically, I put together a workout that just burned their butts.”Īccording to the website he maintains now, Smithey’s classes were filled with wild antics.

He decided to channel that anger into intense workouts in his aerobics classes. “I was looking at total failure with my exercise studio, and I got more angry and more frustrated,” he says. Smithey soon found himself in a financial hole, haggling with his landlord for a break on rent and trying to figure out how to attract enough aerobics students to make the business viable.

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