As a '90s kid, it was my dream to get slimed. I practically grew up watching my idols, favorite celebrities, and even kids just like me (only a lot luckier) getting covered in that iconic lime green goop on awards shows and TV shows. But for the thousands of times I've seen people get slimed, I never knew what it actually felt like. Was it really that shocking as everyone's faces made it seem? Was it fun? Was it gross? I was resigned to the fact that I'd never be famous enough to find out for myself.
Until Nickelodeon gave me the shot to live out my dream. That's right, at the ripe old age of 27, I have officially peaked. The network invited me down to the UCLA Pauley Pavilion early on Tuesday morning to test out one of the ways athletes would be getting slimed during the 2017 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards (taped live Thursday, July 13 and airing Sunday, July 16 at 8 p.m.). I could not have said yes fast enough.
That's when I ran into my first obstacle. I was warned by the Nickelodeon rep that invited me that the slime could stain my clothes, so I was supposed to wear something I didn't mind ruining. Um, hold up, record scratch: I care about literally everything I own. I am not lying when I say this was the scariest part of this whole ordeal. How do all those celebs get glam, knowing their looks will be ruined by a wave of slime just a few hours later?!
Finally, after a lot of hours agonizing over what I was going to wear, I hunted down an old white T-shirt that had a few holes in it and a pair of jeans I should have tossed a long time ago, along with some rubber flip flops that I could wash easily, and I was ready to go.
Armed with nothing but the knowledge that I was about to potentially ruin my clothes, I set off early in the morning for the experience of a lifetime. After a brief hiccup in which I got lost on the UCLA campus and had to get a Nickelodeon staffer to send someone to rescue me (thank you, Chris, you are my new BFF), I finally made it onto the set... only a little bit late.
The crew was working hard on setting up the massive stages, including a giant slime waterslide (which I hoped would be my slime test but nope, hopes dashed!), while I and the others getting to run the test got the rundown on what to expect from my new Nickelodeon friend.
The one thing that kept getting repeated over and over — from the Nickelodeon reps, to the crew manning the slime tests to the executive producer of the entire awards show — was that the slime was slippery. Super slippery. I had been warned to wear closed-toe shoes for this reason, but I wasn't about to ruin a pair of shoes, so I braved it with flip-flops. And then we were all offered rain ponchos to wear while we got slimed.
I was honestly shocked at how many people (other journalists and kids) said yes to that. We all came to get slimed, why would you wear a poncho?! That seemed like a waste of an opportunity. I got a lot of approving nods from the crew as I stepped up to my spot right in the middle of the stage sans poncho and knew I made the right choice in embracing the event to its full extent.
The test we were all running had three people on a bike above our heads, pedaling to fill balloons with slime until they popped, drenching all of us below. My biker lost the race, but let me tell you, the build up of hearing him pedal for so long before the balloon popped made the tension skyrocket. When it finally did pop, a giant wave of lime green slime slammed down on me. And I made the same shocked face that every celebrity and athlete and kid makes whenever they get slimes.
But now I understand why: you guys, the slime is so freezing! It's heavy, it's slippery, it's cold, it's goopy and thick. And yet, it still managed to seep into my clothes all the way to my skin like it was as thin as water. It is the craziest thing. Nickelodeon really mastered the slime recipe to make it as fun and gross as possible.
I felt like a kid again, gleefully wiping the slime dripping down my nose and wading through the literal pool of slime at my feet while the crew members squeegeed it away so we could walk away safely without slipping (did I mention this stuff was slippery?!).
The next 15 minutes were spent sliding across the floor, using approximately 20 white towels to wipe off as much slime as I could (before I realized just how much of it was determined to stay in my hair forever and I just threw it up in a ponytail). I ended up throwing my now lime green clothes away in the bathroom since I had the foresight to bring a change of clothes with me, and then I sat down with Jay Schmalholz, the SVP of Unscripted Development and Live Events for Nickelodeon, to get his expert take on getting slimed.
"People are most shocked by how wet it is," he tells me, confirming my own revelation just 20 minutes prior to our conversation. "It's wet, it's heavy, it's cold, it's messy, but it always results in a smile. It's like jumping into a pool. People love it. It's really like this right of passage, a celebration. We slime the winners, not the losers. It's never a penalty. It's a bucket list item, not a consolation prize."
But what shocks Schmalholz the most is how, "after all these years, the biggest stars and the biggest athletes in the world are calling us to be slimed."
"I still can't believe it," he says with a smile. "We've slimed every big name in the world and they all love it. It definitely requires some clean up and wardrobe changes but it always makes for a great moment. It's so amazing for the kids in our audience to see their role models and favorite celebrities be so playful and act like a kid and embrace this big mess."
And that's the key to getting slimed, from the slime master himself: you just have to embrace it.
"I always try to give people a Sliming 101, but the bottom line is don't hide from it. Don't be afraid of it," Schmalholz says. "Enjoy the moment. Don't try to protect yourself, there's no escaping the slime. You're not going to win."
You hear that, all you poncho-wearers?!
Update: Also, from TheWrap:
Inside the Nickelodeon ‘Kids’ Choice Sports Awards Slime Test [...]
TheWrap gets slimmed ahead of Thursday’s sticky awards show — and it’s really messy
This Wrap editor finally has something in common with Kobe Bryant, David Beckham, Derek Jeter and Rob Gronkowski — she got slimed!
The rite of passage happened as part of a slime test for the 2017 Nickelodeon “Kids’ Choice Sports Awards,” which will be hosted by Russell Wilson live from the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles Thursday.
The first thing you need to know about slime is it gets everywhere – and it’s super slick, super messy, and super cold. But considering the heat wave Los Angeles is currently experiencing, the chill was very refreshing. [...]
Before taking the plunge (literally) I was, thankfully, armed with a plastic poncho that at least saved my hair from looking like a demented green Joker rip off. Daring participants are then told to stand under three huge chutes, while in our case, volunteers on the deck above rode exercise bikes that then activated the slime machine (the actual mechanics behind this are still a mystery to me).
We were warned that, above all, not to look up (slime apparently doesn’t taste very good) and not to move afterward — as the plastic-covered floor is as slick as after a Patrick Bateman “American Psycho” rampage.
And then WHOOSH — the wave of slime that millions of kids across America dream of being drenched in came flooding down like a green tsunami over our heads, before slowing down to a steady drip like a giant leaky faucet.
Similar to a roller coaster ride, the buildup to a sliming is far worse than the actual experience, and the exhilaration afterwards lasts far longer.
But of course, you have green sticky remnants in your shoes, clothes, hair and other orifices for days to come as a reminder of the epic experience.
Earlier (before being nearly drowned in green gunk by his crew), TheWrap spoke with Jay Schmalholz, SVP of unscripted development and live events at Nickelodeon, about what viewers can expect from the star-filled show, which features Julian Edelman, Von Miller, Michael Strahan and many others this year.
See highlights from our pre-sliming chat below.
TheWrap: Why is Russell Wilson the perfect three-peat host?
Jay Schmalholz: It’s a no-brainer. He is so likeable, he is really good at it, kids love him and he’s like a big kid himself. He supports anything with kids in sports and he’s really just so playful. From a Nickelodeon perspective, that is what we’re looking for. Russell also treats it like a football game and reads the playbook so is always super prepared.
What new surprises should we expect this year? What big stunts or challenges are you most excited about?
Every year we try to go bigger and blow kids’ minds. This year, we have Slime Mountain, which is a giant ramp that goes into a pool of slime. Athletes have to climb it, break the codes and then they come down a water park-worthy slide that’s 80 feet long and 45 feet high.
How does the show attract such a high level of stars each year?
Our audience has a huge appetite for sports. The athletes like coming because they get to be big kids, be playful and bring their families. Nickelodeon has great relationships with the leagues and many of today’ biggest sports stars grew up with the brand. We do it in such a special, unique way that it’s not an ordinary awards show.
Aside from being such fun entertainment, why is it important to encourage kids to be sports fans and have such good role models?
That is one of the reasons we do the shows. Kids love sports stars and they’re great role models. Their acceptance speeches are so genuine — they really encourage the kids to follow their dreams and to keep playing sports.
What is the secret to making slime?
It is a special (secret) mixture that we make specifically for the network. It is sticky, wet, fun and is always a celebration. It’s our own special sauce!
What’s the best way to survive a sliming?
I always tell the athletes — including Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter and David Beckham — that it is an honor to be slimed. You’ve gotta take it with as much as excitement as you can. Embrace it, enjoy it and don’t brace yourself too much. It’s really fun experience and unlike any other.
Who handled the sliming the best — or worst?
Everyone handles it well, we’ve slimed the biggest stars in the world, and they’re all laughing backstage afterwards. It is a rite of passage and on everyone’s bucket list.
“Kids’ Choice Sports 2017” will be taped live on Thursday, July 13, from UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, and air July 16 at 8 p.m. The show’s sponsors include include Airheads, Crest, Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen, Popsicle, Chrysler Pacifica, Capri Sun and Verizon.
--Ends--
Hosted by Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson and being taped live on Thursday, July 13, from UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Sports Awards 2017 are set to air Sunday July 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Nick USA!
More Nick: Nickelodeon Unveils Star-Studded Kids' Choice Sports 2017 Attendee Line-Up!
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