I recently wrapped as a Team Production Assistant on Nickelodeon’s new family oriented, extreme game show “My Family’s Got GUTS!”
(From Nick’s GUTS website)
“My Family’s Got GUTS takes Nick’s beloved extreme sports competition show to the next level with heart thumping, head-to-head competition and the excitement and drama of unpredictable family dynamics. On My Family’s Got GUTS, kids and families can live out their greatest sports fantasies… together!”
As a Teams P.A., I was responsible for the families that participated on the show, always to be referred to as “Teams” on set, and not “Contestants.” My first episodic television show gig proved to be very similar to features in terms of comradery between other PAs, and the crew in general. Usually, there are the inevitable few egotistical, power-hungry production snob PAs on an out of town show that make relative newbies like myself feel 2 inches tall. No one on this show was really like that- everyone helped each other out, scoring an extra headset when you left yours at home, snagging some ice cream from the fancy crafty table… Don’t get me wrong, some PAs still name dropped like crazy and make Orlando seem like a joke of a production hub, but when it came time work, they were at least considerate enough to can it. Shot on Universal’s back lot in Orlando, Florida, Guts was like it’s own little city: an intricate world where everything was efficient and fluid, each department competently (and responsibly) completing its tasks under the extreme pressures of production. Call every morning was 6AM for the Team P.A.s. The major upside of such an early call being the lack of traffic on the 1-4. A definite plus if you’ve ever had to endure rush hour on this death trap of a freeway. This job had the closest banker hours I have yet to see on a set- after cleaning up after the teams, their wardrobe and their trailers, we were cut loose usually around 6PM. This allowed us to maintain some sort of life as we were able to grab dinner at a normal hour, or more exciting alternative, hop theme parks. The back lot is snuggled in between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios theme parks. With our production passes, the employees of the parks were more than generous in allowing us to sneak in VIP entrances being that we usually started to hit the parks close to closing. Often times we entertained the idea of passing out in our cars in the parking lot after hanging out after work because of our chiseled turn-around time (our fault completely). But, who would opt. to go home when you could ride Jaws or E.T. instead? Exactly.
I worked for 2 weeks on this show and it was honestly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Sure, it was daunting at times, the hours beating the hell out of you, driving home and praying you’d stay awake long enough to make it safely… However, the production staff had their shit together and it showed where it counted- in the catering, the schedule, and the atmosphere (in no particular order!). Everyone was generally high in spirits and jazzed about being at work. Perhaps it was because it was a Nickelodeon production, but the crew morale was high throttle, light and youthful. The families were great to get to know, and it was rewarding to see how the game show obstacles actually brought them closer together. There was a lot of hurry up and wait during the daily agenda and they put up with production well:
Hurry up: change into wardrobe, use the bathroom, get on your gear, get the right size gear, get the right size wardrobe, bathroom, grab some snacks, drink some water, quick let’s stretch while we’re waiting, training time, bathroom, de-briefing of daily obstacles…
DOWNTIME.
Hurry up: shoot obstacle 1, bathroom, REST, shoot obstacle 2, bathroom, LUNCH, shoot obstacle 3.
More downtime. Gotta pee?
Finally, the highly anticipated Aggro Crag. Winners hand over their shoes for us to keep in wardrobe for the finale, losers leave with an experience they can’t trade for the world and some pretty sweet New Balances. All in all, a great show.
