HOUSTON — What started as a food review for a food influencer originally from South Florida ended with a trip to the emergency room.
It was a regular Saturday afternoon in Houston.
“Everything was absolutely perfect,” said Nina Santiago.
Until it wasn’t.
An SUV came smashing through the front of Cuvée Culinary Creations — right into a table where Santiago, known online as Nina Unrated, and Patrick Blackwood, a YouTuber originally from Pembroke Pines, were filming their latest food review.
“I’m like boom, trying to say ‘cheers’ and out of nowhere here comes an SUV crashing through a glass wall,” Santiago recalled.
Santiago and Blackwood were mid-toast, mid-bite and completely unaware that a car was about to become their uninvited dinner guest.
“I could do nothing but move out the way, push Nina out of the way and move as fast as I can,” Blackwood said.
The SUV plowed through glass but missed them by inches.
“I thought she was intentionally trying to kill us,” Blackwood said.
It’s still unclear what caused the crash, but in security footage, you can see Blackwood’s first instinct: protect Nina.
“When I pushed her off the bench I had to look to see if she was going to drive back to the restaurant,” he said.
Both were rushed to the hospital. They each needed stitches, and Patrick also needed staples.
But just a day later?
“I went back because the food is amazing. It is actually pretty good,” Santiago said.
Dinner and a show ― just not the kind they ordered.
And in true influencer fashion, they still reviewed the food.
“I did an entire blog. We went back to make sure the chef knew we didn’t have hard feelings towards him,” Santiago added.
Santiago and Blackwood told Local 10 News they’re still shaken but deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from fans around the world.
The pair says they will continue creating — only this time, they’ll probably pick a table away from the windows.
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