It's Effin' Science: The ZUG Interview A comedy article
by Johnny Plankton 4,102 27 06/15/2010 03:41 PM 3544 views
Many times you want to devise a prank that requires actual smarts, but then you're stopped by the fact that you spent high school Science class in a deep, restful slumber.
Fear not, daring prankster, for G4TV has created a new science show (premiering tonight, Tuesday 6/15/10 at 9:00 p.m.) that grants us smartlike powers: It's Effin' Science! The show features insane science pranks and stunts such as PORTA-POTTIES LAUNCHED INTO SPACE, JET-PROPELLED SHOPPING CARTS, and REFRIGERATOR LAWN DARTS. It's everything a child-man/woman could want in a show ... and more!
The "and more" part includes elements that other science shows like Mr. Wizard's World and Bill Nye the Science Guy never had, like a snarky babe host (Angie Greenup) and a demented human guinea pig (the riotously unbalanced Internet star Marc Horowitz), who both help out the resident scientist (Chad Zdenek). As one producer put it, the show is "about people with a lot of scientific knowledge, and no common sense."
Sciencey Chad Zdenek and crash test dummy Marc Horowitz flank the soon-to-be-object-of-geek-obsession Angie Greenup
ZUG caught up with the crew the day after Marc and Chad had conducted an experiment to determine what happens when a fire hose is hooked up to a jetpack: "I got slammed to the ground about seven or eight times," said a bruised Chad. "I think we need design 2.0."
Before filming started, the crew met for the first time in February, at a Six Flags park. "They kind of forced us to bond because they didn't want us to meet for the first time in front of the cameras," said Marc. "So we pretended it was Angie's birthday, without telling her of course." The staff of the theme park serenaded a confused Angie with "Happy Birthday," and the bondage was on, so to speak.
"They're both fun and great to work with, but they're both disgusting," said Angie of her co-hosts. "They both fart about 250 times a day. We're out in the desert, where farts shouldn't smell, but they still do."
Angie said she was lured to the project through a Craigslist ad looking for a sex slave for Marc's grandmother. But in reality, G4 knew Angie from Renegade Productions (the show's producer), Marc from previous auditions, and Chad as the engineer and "destruction consultant" from the G4 show Human Wrecking Balls, where the oversized maniac Pumphrey brothers broke lots of stuff -- either with their hands, or occasionally with Chad's cleverly designed schemes.
It's Effin' Science features 3-4 stunts and pranks per half hour, such as making a toilet explode with foam, or trying to create a hoverboard like in Back to the Future. Despite all the gadgetry available to the team, Angie says she thinks the funniest bit involved just cornstarch, water and a large tub. When the cornstarch was added to the water in the tub, Marc, who ironically suffered through delusions that he was Jesus Christ for a few years (not a joke), was able to walk across the "water." That is, until it turned into quicksand, and he spent ten minutes trying to free himself after sinking in the mixture like a missionary in a Tarzan movie. "I laughed so hard, I pissed my pants," said Angie.
Since It's Effin' Science -- which began as a popular segment on G4's flagship Attack of The Show -- is a science show, one would have to assume that the experiments are pretty controlled. So have any of the experiments had unexpected results? "Oh yeah. Some of them don't go as planned," said Chad. "Like most of them."
For instance, the rocket-powered shopping cart was supposed to be manned by Marc, but they decided to test it first with a crash test dummy. Good thing. One rocket fired before the other, and the shopping cart "spun around at about 100 miles per hour," according to Chad. Then a second rocket fired, giving the cart equilibrium, and it shot down the road before stopping a half-mile away. "We caught up to the cart," explained Chad, "and the neck of the mannequin was snapped off."
Chad says the science of the show is factually correct. "I do quite a bit of work making sure the science stays on track. A lot of my engineering buddies are going to be watching, so it has to be accurate and true."
So who is the show's target audience? "A 50 year-old woman who smokes too many cigarettes and drives a used Nissan Sentra," says Marc.
Hopefully she remembers to try out these stunts with a crash test dummy first.
"It's Effin' Science" premieres Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 at 9:00 PM ET/PT immediately following G4's live E3 coverage.
"MarC. MARC Horowitz. At least spell the dude's name right."
I don't know about you Randall, but I spent more time making fun of teachers than helping them correct papers. Which probably explains why I work here!
I don't know about you Johnny, but it sucks when your friends are trying to get all the press they can to help their new show and people can't even spell their name right!
These people are your friends? Are they the ones you force to drink cheap beer and other awful things for your articles?
If so, I'd watch out, because they are probably creating this whole show just so they have a reason not to get in trouble when an experiment goes wrong and they "accidentally" set your house on fire.
"Just Marc is (my friend). I make no claims as to the other goons in that show"
Funny thing, Randall. Prior to the interview Master Horowitz and I discussed his friend Harmon Leon, and our mutual love of his work. There was no mention of you. Perhaps you should stalk him a little harder. Also, I spelled his name correctly 7 out of 9 times in my original text. Shouldn't I be given some credit, like they do at the special Olympics?
BTW, I didn't find the other folks to be goons. As a matter of fact, I may begin stalking the funny and beautiful Ms. Greenup myself.
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