I don’t normally write reviews about carnivals, but when a
popular TV show rolls into town and sets up a few rides and games as a
makeshift film set, I make an exception.
Apparently Ben Higgins, the guy
who was chosen to be the object of desire on the next season of ABC’s hit dating
show 'The Bachelor', is from the town where I currently reside. As part of the show, the guy brings several
girls to his hometown and takes them on various dates, or at least that’s how it was explained to
me. I’ve never actually seen the show.
So what does this have to do with amusement parks? I’m glad you asked. For one of the hometown dates, the producers
set up a carnival on the courthouse square, complete with rides, games, and
food booths. The public was invited to
participate in the filming, so I decided to check it out and write a review.
It was a chilly October night and the moon was out in full
effect. In order to be admitted to the
carnival, entrants had to sign a waiver and receive a wristband, thereby giving
the production company the right to film them.
After waiting in line to get my wristband, I made my way around the square to see what
the carnival had to offer.
Carousel
There were four rides in total: a Ferris wheel, a carousel,
a KMG Freak Out,
and an A.R.M. Ali Baba. It wasn’t much of a selection, but all of the
rides were free and it was enough to provide the carnival-like setting the
producers were attempting to create. As
a rule of thumb I typically don’t trust traveling carnival rides, but the
falling star type rides are one of my favorite flats so I took the A.R.M Ali
Baba for a couple of spins. This version
had over the shoulder restraints which limited the side to side freedom allowed by the
lap bar only versions, but overall it was an okay ride.
A.R.M. Ali Baba
In addition to the rides, a few game booths were set up
around the square. The classics like “balloon
darts” and “basketball toss” were among the offerings, as well as a horse
racing game that incorporated elements from Fascination. The games were not included with admission,
so if you wanted to play you had to pay.
Also available for purchase were your classic fair foods like corn dogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes, etc. It was nothing spectacular, but it was what you would expect to find at a carnival.
Ferris Wheel
As far as the filming was concerned, I didn’t pay too much
attention to the cameras and tried to stay in the background as much as possible. The layout of the carnival was set up for easy transitions
between activities for the bachelor and his date. The couple arrived to much fanfare and then tried
their hand at the basketball toss before stopping for a forced kiss on their way to the carousel.
Everything was planned out by the producers, including the
physical interactions between the couple, so it was a bit odd to witness. I’m not sure how anyone can watch this show
and actually believe that the people on the date are really getting to know each other
when there are thousands of people in the background watching their every move, but I
digress.
KMG Freak Out
All in all it was a fun night. If I was a fan of the show it probably would
be been a lot more exciting, but it was still a beautiful fall evening and it’s hard to complain about free carnival
rides and the chance to possibly be on TV.
The show is expected to air in early 2016, so be sure to check it out if you’re into that sort of thing.
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