Netflix's 'Untold: Raygun' portrays breakdancer's Olympic disaster as art, fueling backlash
The Way brothers' documentary positions Rachael Gunn's infamous Paris 2024 performance as creative expression, but audiences see deliberate mockery of the sport.
What to know
- Netflix's Untold documentary frames Raygun's infamous 2024 Olympics performance (0 points in two rounds) as artistic expression by an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances.
- Online commenters reject this narrative, arguing Gunn and her husband deliberately planned the performance knowing she lacked the technical skill to compete, and intentionally damaged breakdancing's credibility as an Olympic sport.
- The central debate: whether Gunn's performance was a misguided attempt at creativity or calculated mockery dressed up as a redemption story.
The dispute Whether Gunn's performance was a deliberate artistic choice or a genuine attempt that failed—and whether the documentary obscures her intentionality by framing her as a sympathetic underdog. · positions read across 146 posts and comments
Gunn deliberately mocked the sport; the documentary whitewashes her intentional sabotage as artistic expression.
-
“It's very hard to ever make this as some great underdog story when everything she did was so deliberate.”
AllTheReservations · Reddit ↗
The documentary and Gunn are self-serving, and she damaged breakdancing's Olympic future for profit and fame.
-
“Single-handedly reduced a sport to mockery.”
Cold-Zucchini9305 · Reddit ↗
The Untold series consistently produces biased, excuse-making documentaries that misrepresent their subjects.
-
“'Untold' docs are biased puff pieces that make every excuse in the book for people who did dumb things.”
jsu9575m · Reddit ↗
This is essentially unintentional comedy; the absurdity of the situation makes it entertaining regardless of intent.
-
“This entire thing is actually hilarious. Like a straight up comedy movie.”
MenBearsPigs · Reddit ↗
Rachael Gunn (Raygun) Australian breakdancerChapman Way Filmmaker, Untold directorMaclain Way Filmmaker, Untold directorSammy Free (Sammy Sex) Gunn's husband and breakdancing coach
The record 1 articles and posts · last 30 days
What people are saying 24 voices from 1 site · best of 146 · verbatim
- Did Gunn intend her performance as a joke from the start, or did she genuinely believe in her choreography?
- How much did the rigging accusations (later debunked) influence the Way brothers' decision to make the documentary?
- Will the documentary rehabilitate Gunn's public image, or further cement her as a symbol of Olympic breakdancing's failed debut?
- Sep 1
-
I'm not so sure she could have clawed her way to beloved. I don't think it's all that controversial to say that she set breakdancing back as a legitimate sport. She is all people talk about from its debut at the Olympics. This person who did not appear to be dancing much better than an average person with no training. Yet somehow was considered to…
-
Because, surprise, she was never joking or doing anything ironically. She genuinely felt like she was an elite level dancer. The fame she got was entirely accidently and undeserved.
-
There were a couple of things where I was like "okay, that's fair, but you still knew you couldn't do it." Her husband was her coach. While Lewe got her a strength and conditioning coach to work on the fact she couldn't do power moves, he himself only attended 10 training sessions. Lewe did not know what she was going to do when she told him in…
-
Also sounds like no mention of the WDSF using breakdancing to backdoor ballroom dancing and other dance sports into the Olympics. Even videos covering her and the doc don’t mention this.
-
> she does the kangaroo shit, the sprinkler and fuck all Poetry, my friend
-
She is the least Aussie Australian ever. I have never encountered such a serious, humourless, miserable Aussie in my life ever. And half my family are Aussie (the rest are Kiwi & Brits) basically three nationalities known for their banter & humour. Idk wtf went wrong with her but I agree that she really could have become a living legend, enjoyed…
-
It feels like a mockumentary. Just like the one where Joaquin Phoenix ”becomes a rapper”. It’s impossible to not see it as a skit when you hear Sammy say that Rayguns performance (3rd round) was art and the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen…
-
Imagine training hard all your life, finally getting to fulfil your dream at competing at the Olympics. Then when you tell people you competed at the Olympics at break dancing they would just be like "oh like Raygun?". Single-handedly reduced a sport to mockery.
-
This entire thing is actually hilarious. Like a straight up comedy movie.
-
Your synopsis starting with introducing SAMMY SEX makes me wish the Coen Brothers actually did get a hold of this
-
Yeah, it's very hard to ever make this as some great underdog story when everything she did was so deliberate. It's hardly brave when she went in knowing she didn't have a shot, deciding not to take it too seriously and deciding to make a joke of the whole thing. Killing the reputation of an Olympic event people already weren't on board with and…
-
Seriously this woman gets more hateful every time there something written about her.
-
That comedian talking about how it would be impossible for people to confuse her with the real raygun because she isn't a Olympian level athlete and not able to do her moves cracked me up.
-
I skimmed it so you don't have to: \-Her husband goes by "Sammy Sex" and then started doing kids parties and thought maybe that name was a bad idea. \-She goes through qualifying rounds and they don't show the dance moves but she qualifies for Australia. Nothing about any of the controversy of qualifying. \-3 rounds at the Olympics. She gets…
-
She actively gamed the system to beat out people who were actually talented and qualified.
-
Nobody was really asking for ANY of that.
-
If Ray Gun had just owned it and become and Eddie the Eagle type figure, she really could have been beloved. Instead she didn't understand she was a meme, took it way too seriously and tried to sue a comedian doing a musical about her. Maybe that will make for a better film though.
-
She literally deliberately did what she did and shit all over the olympics and other contenders. Now she is trying to improve her image via this "documentary".
-
Honestly unsure who could give a single shit about this woman in 2026.
-
This is the most self-centered shit possible. She cashed and made a living off of turning an event into a joke and now she puts this out for what. Hop along, lady.
-
Even after all the media coverage it got, I still don't really understand what happened. Did she intend it to be a big joke? How did she make it that far?
-
Literally they next sentence: "Or, if you prefer, a wildly unqualified, OK-at-best breakdancer thrust into being an Olympic athlete."
-
"Untold" docs are biased puff pieces that make every excuse in the book for people who did dumb things.
-
Gunn’s story is of an “ordinary person who had been thrust into these extraordinary circumstances.” Oh fuck off. Nobody made her do that shit.