Fitness entrepreneur Sam Wood faces public scrutiny following Noosa incident

One former associate said Wood was “ruthlessly ambitious about building his brand”, but was often reluctant to acknowledge or pay those who contributed to his ascent.

The dashing reality star engaged a retinue of publicists, personal trainers, marketers, brand managers and dieticians, who got virtually no recognition and sometimes spent months chasing him for payment.

Some were never paid for their services, while a few were forced to use lawyers to apply pressure. On one occasion, gym equipment was seized from his gym in East Brighton, The Woodshed, to recoup a debt.

His burgeoning profile created an expectation that local businesses would align their products with his brand, and pay for the privilege.

“He used commercial arrangements to build a perception of himself that wasn’t real. It was all an illusion, and I’m not even sure he realised how entitled he’d become,” said a former associate.

In 2016, Mazda agreed to provide Wood with a BT-50 utility – free of charge. But Wood considered the deal beneath him, and negotiated a separate arrangement with a Melbourne-based Mercedes dealership.

The same year, Wood and Snezana were guests of the Singapore Tourism Board, which fully funded their five-day visit. However, Wood complained bitterly about a quid pro quo expectation that he make a series of social media posts to promote the island nation.

Another source from the commercial television industry, who asked not to be identified because of the nature of the allegations against Wood, said the reality star was desperate to become a personal trainer on the relaunch of the Biggest Loser in 2017.

Wood recognised the potential to parlay his appearance on the show into increased memberships for 28. But he was left seething when the network overlooked him for Sydney-based trainer Shannon Ponton.

During negotiations for the sale of 28, Wood admitted to Harvey that he discovered “a new term”.

“It’s called ‘key man risk’ or ‘key person risk’, and that is we pull the value of your business down if it’s too heavily based on you,” he said.

“I don’t think they thought I might do something like that. You know, if you do anything incriminating, or you get hit by a car, or, you know.”

During an uneventful few days in Noosa with his family, Wood was spotted by locals enjoying ice-cream with his kids near the luxury beachfront apartment they had rented in the La Mer complex on Noosa’s glamorous Hastings Street.

The night before their planned return to Melbourne, a trifling argument over packing blew up into what police allege was a violent domestic disturbance that sent their happy family narrative off script.

The dispute spilled into the hallway, the court heard, with Eve, now 21 and back in Australia after a stint in New York studying business fashion, telling Wood to leave her mother alone.

Police allege Wood approached Eve aggressively and Snezana intervened.

Wood is alleged to have grabbed his wife by the throat with one hand, throwing her against the wall and striking her head.

While keeping a firm hold of Snezana, he is alleged to have thrown her to the ground, and while on the ground held her throat, gripping tighter and restricting her airway. She attempted to free herself and scream for help, in fear for her life.

Eve called police and Wood was thrown behind bars, charged with domestic violence offences, including assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation.

Snezana was treated by paramedics and gave a video statement to police, the court hearing she remains “supportive of the charges”.

Wood was supported in court by father Andrew, with his lawyer saying the fitness guru would defend the charges and may be entitled to a self-defence argument.

Wood remains locked up until his next court appearance in November, however his lawyer, Mathew Cuskelly, told this masthead on Friday he had received preliminary instructions to make another bid for freedom on Wood’s behalf in the Supreme Court.

The facade of Wood’s perfect life was further shattered when the court heard Snezana had told police of a previous alleged incident of domestic violence in Victoria.

No charges were laid, and the details were not ventilated.

The status of the Woods’ TV marriage made good is unclear.

On Monday, the couple issued a joint statement saying they were “working through this as a family” as their children returned to Melbourne and went back to school.

In January, the couple settled on a $7.1 million purchase of a Brighton home, which this masthead was told, by a source close to the family, the couple never moved into. They said the home had recently undergone a cosmetic overhaul towards putting the residence back on the market.

Instead, the family have been renting a nearby home, where Wood’s Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon sat idle this week in the home’s gated driveway, identifiable via personalised number plates.

It’s not just Wood’s personal life that is in tatters.

On Tuesday, Bastas and his GBH Group stood Wood aside before, the next day, terminating his commercial deal with the company.

The definitive move from Bastas included swiftly removing Wood’s image from the 28 Group websites and Instagram pages. The wider backlash against Wood was also immediate. He lost online followers, while 28 by Sam Wood ambassadors and coaches publicly cut ties.

Even before last Saturday, Wood was under considerable pressure.

The Australian Taxation Office sued him, alleging $7.3 million in unpaid income tax. According to a writ filed in the Victorian County Court, Wood failed to stump up $4 million for the 2022 financial year, about $102,000 for FY2023 and $3.2 million in FY2024.

Wood never filed a defence or counterclaim to the case, despite being granted an extension six times. The matter was dismissed in September. Wood was ordered to pay the ATO’s legal fees worth $1647 and the case was settled.

Meanwhile, the corporate regulator was looking over his shoulder too.

The Woodshed Group Pty Ltd, of which he was a director and major shareholder, was struck off the companies register at the end of August after it failed to pay fees and meet other renewal requirements for several years running. A company’s annual review includes a declaration of solvency. An ASIC spokesperson declined to comment on the action.

At Wood’s gym in Brighton, The Woodshed, subcontracted personal trainers were last week still running classes.

Wood’s image and story as the gym’s founder remained on its website and a video featuring him posted to its Instagram account last month also remains in place.

Phone calls to the gym go to voicemail, until Thursday featuring a recorded message from Wood himself, “Hi, it’s Sam…”.

By Friday, he’d been replaced by an automated voice.

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