Fear is (almost) not a factor for me
Fear is (almost) not a factor for me!
So yesterday, the design militia ( (c) Julie Tran ) and I stormed Universal Studios - if we, here, define "stormed" as "waited in a lot of long lines at."
As we were preparing to get ourselves into our second line of the day, a guy in a hawaiian shirt asked us if we wanted to try out for the Fear Factor LIVE stage show. A few weeks ago, Harry and Mandy got into the stage show, and they got first and second place. Kurt and I had actually been playing around with the idea of copying them, and getting first and second place ourselves, and unlike Harry and Mandy, we'd have Julie to take the pictures to prove it.
So we went to the casting call. Julie decided to try out too, though I think she was still expecting to be the one to take the pictures.
About 16 people were vying for the 6 slots, and after introductions and paperwork and watching a video of what we'd be doing, Kurt, Julie and I all made it on to the next show! There was excessive jumping and celebrating, especially from Julie, who was incredibly happy to not have to be the one with the camera.
We found ourselves backstage with the other contestents - a 35 year old man and two of the most annoying girls I've met in my entire life, and this is truly saying something. They were from Michigan, which explains a lot. Once backstage, we were introduced to our costumes... spandex. I had flesh bluging out slightly at every seam. It was hot in more ways than one. We got our protective gear, and a crotch harness that was far too tight (though i can't complain... after one glance at Kurt, I felt dirty, and knew exactly where everyone's eyes would be drawn during the first challenge.)
We got our helmets, and we heard the screams of 1400 people. We ran out onto the stage.
"Contestents" the host said, "turn around and look at your first challenge!"
We turned, and saw a series of small platforms 40 or 50 feet high, each one with a small, downward-curving bar above it. We were to walk out onto the platform, hold the bar and the platform would drop out from below us. The first two people to fall would be out. Theoretically, I don't like heights, but I was more scared about being kicked out the first round, so I was relatively calm while climbing the heavily fog-machined metal spiral staircase to my platform.
I was hooked up to the safety line, and (this was actually the scariest part) walked to the end of my platform. I instinctively reached up to the bar above my head, so I'd have something to hold on to. It was then that I realized how sweaty my palms had become. God forbid I am in a life-threatening situation where my hands require to be dry, because I couldn't un-moisten my palms at ALL. The spandex was no help at absorbing any of it, and every time I tested my weight a bit on the bar, my hands would slip off. I looked over at Kurt, and we both made gestures that clearly said "I can't dry my f-ing hands off!" I couldn't imagine that I'd be able to hold on for more than a couple of seconds.
But, it was too late to worry anymore, and the audience yelled "THREE! TWO! ONE! GO!"
The platforms dropped. I didn't fall off immediately, which was exactly what the two annoying girls did, but one of them had problems with her harness, and instead of falling like the other girl, she stayed up at the top, dangling. I didn't know that, though, and I had only seen one person fall as my hands slipped off. Julie was down at almost the same time as me, so we weren't sure who made it. Kurt outlasted the 35 year old guy. So, it was Kurt, Julie, 35 year old, and me in the second round. We were taken to the back to change some of our gear.
Our harnesses were loosened (much to Kurt's happiness) and we got more protective helmets and wrist guards. We ran back onto the stage, where a table stood, supporting a slew of nasty things, and a blender. I was too distracted by the cameraman in my face to hear what all the ingredients were exactly, but I caught "old milk, fish guts, pig parts, crickets and mealworms." Luckily, we were going to be racing while eating, so I was glad we wouldn't have time to really think about what we were eating.
The race had more to it than eating, though. After the smoothie finished blending, we were sent to our first obstacle. Our arms were strapped to these poles a little above our heads. There was some kind of mechanism in it that makes it unlatch after so many revolutions, so the point was to spin in circles until free.
"THREE! TWO! ONE! GO!"
There was a lot of spinning. Five or six revolutions later, I was free. I think I was actually one of the first out of my restraints, but I managed to fall to the floor immediately after getting loose, and falling lost me some time. From there we had to run across the stage to a tank full of eels to retrieve three Fear Factor flags, one at a time. After getting a flag, we ran to the middle, where each of us had a bar just above headlevel with 3 rings to hook our flags onto. But, around the four bars was a rotating platform with these huge obstacles that looked like thick pipes. Like this:
So Kurt and 35 year old man pulled ahead as Julie got her first flag. I didn't know how everyone else was doing, I was just running back and forth between the rotating platform and the tank, sloshing water up onto myself and trying to manipulate the hook of the flag correctly. By the time I had three flags, Kurt and 35 year old were already at the table with the smoothie. There were two gulp-sized cups we had to ingest - the first two people to finish would go on to the final round. I picked up my first cup, and downed it in one huge swallow.
I've thrown up once since I was 7 years old; I have an extremely strong stomach. I'll tell you now that I didn't throw up on stage in front of 1400 people, but it was a close thing. Right after swallowing the first cup, I involuntarily gagged at the puke bucket. I couldn't stop myself. The stuff smelled and tasted THAT bad. It smelled like vomit mixed with sour milk, and tasted worse. I'm pretty sure my body thought I was eating vomit, and was doing everything in its power to keep me from swallowing the second cup. But I did it. I pulled ahead and finished first in the race.
I kept gagging, even after I won. I tried to wipe my mouth, but my wrist-guards were getting in the way. I turned to see who I would be going up against in the final round, because whoever it was wasn't far behind me, and to my ultimate surprise, it was JULIE! She managed to pass both of the guys in the smoothie-eating!
Julie and I were taken to the back, where we were supplied with water and mouthwash (thank GOD, because we were both still involuntarily gagging as we came backstage). We were outfitted in these hideous yellow suits and taken out to the stage again.
The final round was simple. We were harnessed in above a thick wheel with two rounded handles on each side. The player who spun the wheel a certain number of times won. The catch was, that the rounded handles would shoot electric shocks that got more powerful as you got closer and closer to the goal. The loser would be launched across the stage with a bungee cord.
"THREE! TWO! ONE! GO!"
We started spinning. It wasn't easy, and the first electric shock surprised me, and I accidentally let go. I kept going, gripping the handles and spinning it as fast as I could. Another jolt went into my hands. I let go again. I could tell that Julie was pulling ahead... I heard the host say "Come on, Ashley! Catch up!" and knew I was getting further behind. I told myself to keep holding on, and tried to spin faster than Julie. Suddenly, a burst of light, and my harness tightened as the bungee cord pulled me up into the air fast, and I was soaring over the heads of the people in the front row.
To be perfectly honest, being pulled through the air like that was so much fun that I was almost glad I got second place.
Julie won a t-shirt that said "Fear Factor Champion" which might not seem like a lot, but it elevated her to faux stardom for the rest of the day, as people stopped her and asked if she really won, and what she had to do and all that jazz. The back of the shirt read "Fear is not a factor for me," which we chuckled at, because the next thing we went to was the haunted house, and Julie and I were clutching each other in fear.
It was a load of fun, and even though we didn't get to go on some of the rides, Julie won us a pass that gets us to the front of every line to every ride and show in the park! So we're planning on going again, which will be great fun for all.
For another account of this adventure, please visit http://users.livejournal.com/_introspect_/118570.html
So yesterday, the design militia ( (c) Julie Tran ) and I stormed Universal Studios - if we, here, define "stormed" as "waited in a lot of long lines at."
As we were preparing to get ourselves into our second line of the day, a guy in a hawaiian shirt asked us if we wanted to try out for the Fear Factor LIVE stage show. A few weeks ago, Harry and Mandy got into the stage show, and they got first and second place. Kurt and I had actually been playing around with the idea of copying them, and getting first and second place ourselves, and unlike Harry and Mandy, we'd have Julie to take the pictures to prove it.
So we went to the casting call. Julie decided to try out too, though I think she was still expecting to be the one to take the pictures.
About 16 people were vying for the 6 slots, and after introductions and paperwork and watching a video of what we'd be doing, Kurt, Julie and I all made it on to the next show! There was excessive jumping and celebrating, especially from Julie, who was incredibly happy to not have to be the one with the camera.
We found ourselves backstage with the other contestents - a 35 year old man and two of the most annoying girls I've met in my entire life, and this is truly saying something. They were from Michigan, which explains a lot. Once backstage, we were introduced to our costumes... spandex. I had flesh bluging out slightly at every seam. It was hot in more ways than one. We got our protective gear, and a crotch harness that was far too tight (though i can't complain... after one glance at Kurt, I felt dirty, and knew exactly where everyone's eyes would be drawn during the first challenge.)
We got our helmets, and we heard the screams of 1400 people. We ran out onto the stage.
"Contestents" the host said, "turn around and look at your first challenge!"
We turned, and saw a series of small platforms 40 or 50 feet high, each one with a small, downward-curving bar above it. We were to walk out onto the platform, hold the bar and the platform would drop out from below us. The first two people to fall would be out. Theoretically, I don't like heights, but I was more scared about being kicked out the first round, so I was relatively calm while climbing the heavily fog-machined metal spiral staircase to my platform.
I was hooked up to the safety line, and (this was actually the scariest part) walked to the end of my platform. I instinctively reached up to the bar above my head, so I'd have something to hold on to. It was then that I realized how sweaty my palms had become. God forbid I am in a life-threatening situation where my hands require to be dry, because I couldn't un-moisten my palms at ALL. The spandex was no help at absorbing any of it, and every time I tested my weight a bit on the bar, my hands would slip off. I looked over at Kurt, and we both made gestures that clearly said "I can't dry my f-ing hands off!" I couldn't imagine that I'd be able to hold on for more than a couple of seconds.
But, it was too late to worry anymore, and the audience yelled "THREE! TWO! ONE! GO!"
The platforms dropped. I didn't fall off immediately, which was exactly what the two annoying girls did, but one of them had problems with her harness, and instead of falling like the other girl, she stayed up at the top, dangling. I didn't know that, though, and I had only seen one person fall as my hands slipped off. Julie was down at almost the same time as me, so we weren't sure who made it. Kurt outlasted the 35 year old guy. So, it was Kurt, Julie, 35 year old, and me in the second round. We were taken to the back to change some of our gear.
Our harnesses were loosened (much to Kurt's happiness) and we got more protective helmets and wrist guards. We ran back onto the stage, where a table stood, supporting a slew of nasty things, and a blender. I was too distracted by the cameraman in my face to hear what all the ingredients were exactly, but I caught "old milk, fish guts, pig parts, crickets and mealworms." Luckily, we were going to be racing while eating, so I was glad we wouldn't have time to really think about what we were eating.
The race had more to it than eating, though. After the smoothie finished blending, we were sent to our first obstacle. Our arms were strapped to these poles a little above our heads. There was some kind of mechanism in it that makes it unlatch after so many revolutions, so the point was to spin in circles until free.
"THREE! TWO! ONE! GO!"
There was a lot of spinning. Five or six revolutions later, I was free. I think I was actually one of the first out of my restraints, but I managed to fall to the floor immediately after getting loose, and falling lost me some time. From there we had to run across the stage to a tank full of eels to retrieve three Fear Factor flags, one at a time. After getting a flag, we ran to the middle, where each of us had a bar just above headlevel with 3 rings to hook our flags onto. But, around the four bars was a rotating platform with these huge obstacles that looked like thick pipes. Like this:
So Kurt and 35 year old man pulled ahead as Julie got her first flag. I didn't know how everyone else was doing, I was just running back and forth between the rotating platform and the tank, sloshing water up onto myself and trying to manipulate the hook of the flag correctly. By the time I had three flags, Kurt and 35 year old were already at the table with the smoothie. There were two gulp-sized cups we had to ingest - the first two people to finish would go on to the final round. I picked up my first cup, and downed it in one huge swallow.
I've thrown up once since I was 7 years old; I have an extremely strong stomach. I'll tell you now that I didn't throw up on stage in front of 1400 people, but it was a close thing. Right after swallowing the first cup, I involuntarily gagged at the puke bucket. I couldn't stop myself. The stuff smelled and tasted THAT bad. It smelled like vomit mixed with sour milk, and tasted worse. I'm pretty sure my body thought I was eating vomit, and was doing everything in its power to keep me from swallowing the second cup. But I did it. I pulled ahead and finished first in the race.
I kept gagging, even after I won. I tried to wipe my mouth, but my wrist-guards were getting in the way. I turned to see who I would be going up against in the final round, because whoever it was wasn't far behind me, and to my ultimate surprise, it was JULIE! She managed to pass both of the guys in the smoothie-eating!
Julie and I were taken to the back, where we were supplied with water and mouthwash (thank GOD, because we were both still involuntarily gagging as we came backstage). We were outfitted in these hideous yellow suits and taken out to the stage again.
The final round was simple. We were harnessed in above a thick wheel with two rounded handles on each side. The player who spun the wheel a certain number of times won. The catch was, that the rounded handles would shoot electric shocks that got more powerful as you got closer and closer to the goal. The loser would be launched across the stage with a bungee cord.
"THREE! TWO! ONE! GO!"
We started spinning. It wasn't easy, and the first electric shock surprised me, and I accidentally let go. I kept going, gripping the handles and spinning it as fast as I could. Another jolt went into my hands. I let go again. I could tell that Julie was pulling ahead... I heard the host say "Come on, Ashley! Catch up!" and knew I was getting further behind. I told myself to keep holding on, and tried to spin faster than Julie. Suddenly, a burst of light, and my harness tightened as the bungee cord pulled me up into the air fast, and I was soaring over the heads of the people in the front row.
To be perfectly honest, being pulled through the air like that was so much fun that I was almost glad I got second place.
Julie won a t-shirt that said "Fear Factor Champion" which might not seem like a lot, but it elevated her to faux stardom for the rest of the day, as people stopped her and asked if she really won, and what she had to do and all that jazz. The back of the shirt read "Fear is not a factor for me," which we chuckled at, because the next thing we went to was the haunted house, and Julie and I were clutching each other in fear.
It was a load of fun, and even though we didn't get to go on some of the rides, Julie won us a pass that gets us to the front of every line to every ride and show in the park! So we're planning on going again, which will be great fun for all.
For another account of this adventure, please visit http://users.livejournal.com/_introspect_/118570.html