{"id":4444,"date":"2012-04-25T03:18:42","date_gmt":"2012-04-25T07:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geekstronomy.com\/?p=4444"},"modified":"2012-04-25T03:18:42","modified_gmt":"2012-04-25T07:18:42","slug":"transmissions-total-blackout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geekstronomy.com\/?p=4444","title":{"rendered":"Transmissions: Total Blackout"},"content":{"rendered":"

In October on the Syfy Digital Press tour we were introduced to a new type of game show,\"\"<\/a> one played in total darkness. Called Total Blackout and hosted by Jaleel White this show is like Fear Factor meets a power failure.<\/p>\n

At the panel for Total Blackout several reporters and one brave actor, Colin Ferguson (Eureka) took turns going into the Blackout room and hilarity ensued. The object of the game during the panel was to have the people in the room identify what they were touching but that wasn\u2019t the entertaining part; their reactions were the true entertainment.<\/p>\n

Here is the transcript from that day and don\u2019t forget to tune into the premiere of Total Blackout tonight at 10pm on Syfy.<\/p>\n

-October 2011-<\/p>\n

(Telephone app is played.)<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Is that the most random sound effect you’ve ever
\nheard? All right. Sorry. I carried it too far — too far. All
\nright. Here we are, the final panel. It is — it is going to be
\nquite a doozy. Let me tell you. We are really excited about it.
\nI’m a little nervous, actually. My heart is are going. This is
\ngoing to be like we are live here, and we are not exactly sure
\nwhat’s going to happen. It’s going to be really something.<\/p>\n

So this is the one that we had people signing up for last night
\nat the luau, and we are all sequestered. They are now
\nsequestered, right, Dana? Right? I can’t talk about this?
\nOkay. I am going to take that as a yes. So four of your fellow
\njournalists are now sequestered of the 10 who signed up. Plus,
\nwe decided to throw in Mr. Colin Ferguson just for a laugh. So
\nwe thought, you know — this is a show that, the minute we saw
\nit, we loved, and it just — it’s fun. It’s visceral. And we
\ncan now announce what it is, which is, it’s a show called “Total
\nBlackout.” It’s actually a European format. And we are also
\nannouncing that we have a host for “Total Blackout,”
\nJaleel White. That is news. Wait. I actually have news.<\/p>\n

(Telephone app played of a cowbell ringing.)<\/p>\n

So I don’t know. It’s getting towards the end of the day. Cut
\nme a break, please. This is a competition in which people have
\nto — the contestants’ own imaginations are their own worst
\nenemies. It is a series of timed competitions that, as you’ll
\nsee, occur in complete and utter darkness. They cannot see a
\nsingle thing. The show is an absolute laugh, a riot, scary as
\nwell, and we are very, very excited to have it come to our air.
\nSo I think, without further adieu, let me bring up the creator
\nand the executive producer of the show, Henrik Nielsen and, as I
\njust announced our host of the show, Jaleel White.<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: What’s up? It’s good to see you.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Nice to see you.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Nice seeing you.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: So we are doing a demonstration of this?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yes.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: We actually set up — before we do it, I just had a
\ncouple of quick questions I’m going to ask you. So, across the
\nhall, you’ve probably seen this blacked-out area. They’ve taken
\na room, and we’ve completely blacked it out so that there’s no
\nlight at all. We covered the exit signs and even the little
\nlights for the light switches. When they turn the lights out in
\nthis room, you cannot see a thing. Believe me. We tried it last
\nnight. And there are three tanks in that room that have various
\nthings in them, and the four journalists and Colin Ferguson are
\ngoing to progress through and see what’s in each tank. And it’s
\nall going to be awesome.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yes.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: So, Henrik, let’s start with you. What gave you the
\nidea to do this twisted show?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I think this is based on some of the best times
\nin my childhood and some of the worst times in my childhood. The<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Henrik Nielsen<\/p><\/div>\n

best times is when I pretended I had a spider I was chasing four sisters with, and obviously, I had no spider because I hate spiders. And they knew that, but they were still terrified. And the look on their faces was priceless. The worst time in my life was probably when we — at the country house in Sweden, when my
\nmom would come in and say goodnight, and I knew there was a spider in the room, and she would shut off the light. And my
\nface would have been a laugh as well because I was terrified.<\/p>\n

So it’s a combination of both. It’s really — once people are in
\nthe dark and can’t see anything, the faces — they forget the
\ncamera is there. So, also, they become very naturally responsive
\nto the environment thing, and I think you’ll see that in a moment
\nthat that is very true, that that’s the part of the comedy of the
\nshow is how you actually express yourself in the dark because you
\ndon’t know.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: And, Jaleel, what — you hose this show. It’s a
\npretty crazy show.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Do you know what? The show is unique, you know.
\nIt’s a game show that’s absolute darkness. And, I mean, I’ve
\nobviously been pop-up guy for 2011, and I just keep kind of
\npopping up in these different places. So I think this — for me,
\npersonally, I don’t think this is a place where people would
\nconventionally expect to find me, but as far as the show is
\nconcerned, I really think Henrik and Jack and Jeff really have a
\nshow that people will just naturally watch. And I love to be a
\npart of any kind of television that people will naturally watch.
\nI’ve checked out the Norwegian version of this show.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: It’s great, right?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: You can’t help but just laugh as they are going\"\"<\/a>
\nthrough it, and it’s real darkness. It’s a game show shot in
\nnight vision. That’s cool.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Yes. We are very excited about it, and we are going
\nto show you some footage. This is projection just to give you a
\ntaste of it. We have not started to shoot the show yet, and we
\nare just designing the set and are building them. This is — a lot of this footage is just their casting tape that they — in
\norder to find a cast or to sell the American version of the show.
\nSo it is just that raw, and yet I think you’ll see it kind of
\nspeaks to you in a very particular way. So I think we should
\nprobably just watch it.<\/p>\n

(Clip shown.)<\/p>\n

So yeah. When we showed that to the engineers, it was like,
\n“Said, we would like to do this show.” So I think unless there’s
\nsomething else, I think we should just go for it, right? I think
\nwe have people in the other room to lead us through. You are
\ngoing to be on the microphone.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yeah. I will, as much as I can, try to imitate
\nwhat we are going to do in the show. They are going to go
\nthrough three tanks, the contestants, and they are competing
\nagainst one another to identify what’s in the tanks in the
\nquickest amount of time.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: And they are being held in a —<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: They have no idea now what’s going on. I didn’t
\neven brief them as to what kind of game show. So I will do that
\nnow. We’ll make it into — so, Michelle should be ready, I
\nthink.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Yeah. Okay. Here we go. Let’s see what happens.<\/p>\n

(The audience is watching the TV monitors.)<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: So they can hear you.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Can you hear me, Michelle? Can we hear
\nMichelle?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: We can definitely see Michelle.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Yeah, there’s a snake in there.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: We can’t hear Michelle. Kevin, would you put
\nthe camera on Dana? Dana, can you hear me?<\/p>\n

DANA ORTIZ: Yes.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Okay.<\/p>\n

DANA ORTIZ: She’s at the first tank.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Michelle, can you talk to me, please?<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Hello.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Hello, Michelle. Can you put Michelle’s hands
\non the table. Then we will start. Thank you.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay.<\/p>\n

DANA ORTIZ: Have you got it?<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Uh-huh.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Okay. Michelle, the first question, did you
\nsign the release form?<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Unfortunately, yes.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Good. Good. And just to let you know, there’s
\na paramedic in there, and there’s a wrangler. I won’t tell you
\nwhy the wrangler is there, but he’s in there.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: I can guess.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Good. In front of you, there’s a tank, and to
\nyour right, there’s two more tanks. And all I want you to do is
\ntell me what’s in the tanks. Once you’ve guessed the first tank,
\nyou can move on to the next one. Understood?<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: All right. Well, your time starts now.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: What?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You feel your way. Ahead of you, there’s a tank.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Oh, okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: There you go. And please be careful because it
\nmay — it’s a little bit fragile, what’s in there. So don’t be
\ntoo rough.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: What? I don’t want to put into a thing of
\nbutter. Okay. I’m putting my hands in the tank. Is something
\nsquishy. It’s an animal of some sort. Is it a frog?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Ooh. It’s not worms. I can’t tell. If
\nit’s not a frog, is it a turtle?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No. You can lift it up carefully if you’d like.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: I don’t know if I want to touch it. Is it
\nfish?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Oh, it just moved. What is it? Okay.
\nIt’s moving. I can’t tell what it is, though. It’s —<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You are completely right. It’s living.<\/p>\n

(Audience sighs.)<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Oh. What?<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

I can’t tell. I’m not an animal person. So — if it’s not a
\nfrog, is it a snake?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yes.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Get out of there.<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: That was well done, Michelle. It’s only going
\nto get worse from now. If you move to your right —<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Wait a second. Huh?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: If you move to your right along the table, you
\nare going to find the second tank.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: I don’t want to touch it if it’s going to
\nbe another snake.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No, No. I promise you it won’t be a snake.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Is it going to be a viper? A chicken?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Michelle, what the whole game show is about
\nidentifying, and it’s on time.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay. Where’s the other —<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Keep going.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Keep going.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Oh, okay. Okay. I’m scared to put my hand
\nin here. Whoa, whoa.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

I wouldn’t put my hand in there. That feels like a chicken or
\nsomething.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No. That’s incorrect.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Do I have to touch it?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I’m sure you will find out if you touch it.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Be careful.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: I don’t want to put my hand in it. Is
\nit — it’s weird. I can’t tell. Is it — because it’s not a
\nfrog. It’s not a turtle.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

Is it — I don’t know. I have no idea.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: All right. The last guess, Michelle. Your time
\nis running out on this one.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay. Is it — it’s not another snake. I
\ncan tell that. It’s furry.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: What’s big and furry?<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: A pig? It’s not a bird, is it?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No, it’s not. Your time is out, Michelle. I’ll
\ntell you when you come out. Will you move to the next tank,
\nplease.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You are doing well.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: You really are, Michelle. You are doing great.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Take it down.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: I’m not putting my hand in here based on
\neverybody’s reaction.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No. I wouldn’t, but you have to.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Everyone’s reaction is —<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Marvin, will you show us the hand, please.
\nOkay. Be brave, Michelle. Be brave. There you go. You’ll find
\nit. It’s more scared of you than you are of it.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: What? I’m scared here.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Get your hand in there, Michelle.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay. It’s not going to bite, is it,
\nwhatever it is?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: There you go, Michelle. You can pick it up.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: What is that?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You have to tell me.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: You see, I’m not up on my animals. Let’s
\nsee. This reminds me of “Flash Gordon.”<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: “Flash Gordon”?<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: This isn’t a snake. It’s a — oh. I can’t
\ntell because it’s bare. It is all skin. It’s not a chicken, is
\nit?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No, it’s not.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Is it a —<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Again, I’m sure, if you get a really good touch,
\nyou’ll guess it.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I’m a hundred percent sure you’ll find out.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Because it’s not a — okay. I’m just going
\nto grab a handful.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Grab it. Just grab it, Michelle.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Oh, yeah.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Oh, yeah, this feels nice.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

I really can’t tell what it is. It’s not a dog, a shaved dog or
\nanything.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

What is this? It’s not a snake. It’s not a chicken. Is it a
\npig?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Michelle, your time is up.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: But you did really, really good. Thank you so
\nmuch.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: You did great, Michelle.<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I’ll tell you what it is afterwards.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: What is it?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: It’s a foot.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: It’s a what?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: A foot.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Oh. Whoa. Are you serious?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: I just think we figured out one of your fetishes,
\nMichelle.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: I need my feet. So —<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: And the other one was a teddy bear a teddy bear.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: It can’t can be a teddy bear.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Very much a teddy bear.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Is it a shaved teddy bear?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Dana, you can take Michelle out. Thank you so
\nmuch, Michelle.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: Thank you.<\/p>\n

DANA ORTIZ: Henrik, we have Rae.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Hi, Rae.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Hi.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Can you hear everything I say?<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Yes, I can.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Good. You are in a game show called
\n“Total Blackout.” I guess that doesn’t come as a surprise right
\nnow to you. And there’s the table right in front of you.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: I see it — feel it.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Right. Now, on that table right in front of
\nyou, there’s a tank, and in it, there’s an item you have to
\nidentify.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Oh, boy.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: And to your right, there’s two more tanks. Now,
\nthe game show is about identifying as many objects as quick as
\npossible.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Hmm. Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: So your time starts now.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Okay. A snake?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: That’s a little bit fast. Did you — can I hear
\nit again?<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: A snake.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: She’s right.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Move to your right, please.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I think you are going to win this. To your
\nright, on the table, right there —<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Gotcha.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: — you’ll find a tank. Be careful. And it’s
\nalso a little bit fragile.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: A koala bear? Can I use two hands?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Excuse me?<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Can I use two hands?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yes.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: I don’t know. A bear? A teddy bear?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Right. Correct.<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Move to your right. There’s going to be one more item —<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: It’s at the end of the table?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: — in a tank.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Fearless.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Is this one fragile?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You are the winner of all “Total Blackout” as
\nI’ve ever seen.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Is it fragile?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Excuse me?<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Is it fragile like the others? Should I be gentle?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You are quicker.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Is it fragile?<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: A foot?<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You won.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Where many am I going now? To the right?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: You are correct.<\/p>\n

RAE HANSON: Okay.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: She can find her way out of the room.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Thank you.<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Wow.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Kevin, could you put it back in, please.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: She just stuck out her hand.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: There’s no way I would do that.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: She just would climb into the tank.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I’ve done shows where nobody actually puts their
\nhand in anything.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: These are journalists. You know, they put their
\nhands in everything.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: I’m sorry if I have more sense than that.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Kevin. Sir, if you can feel the table right in
\nfront of you. Don’t touch the tank now, please. All right. Can
\nyou hear me, Aaron? I can’t hear Aaron. Can we put some sound
\non Aaron, please.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Can Aaron talk? They need to back him away from
\nthe table.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: Testing, one, two, three.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Aaron, can you hear me?<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: I certainly can.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Okay. Kevin, could you help out, please. Thank
\nyou. There’s a loose connection in your sound. We’ll fix it.
\nWill you test the mike, Aaron. Aaron? Should we take him out in
\nbetween? Dana? Thank you.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: How do you like TV?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Hi, Sammi. Can you hear me?<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Hi. I can hear you.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Good. You are in a game show called “Total
\nBlackout.”<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: And your job — right there. There’s a table
\nright there.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Yes.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: And now just listen carefully.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: In front of you — if you move a few inches in
\nfront of you, there’s a tank.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Don’t start yet. And your job is to identify
\nwhat’s in the tank.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I warn you a little bit — to be a little bit
\ncareful. It’s fragile, and it moves.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: It’s what?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: It’s moving, and it’s fragile.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Okay. Cool. To the right of you, there’s two
\nmore tanks.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: And you can start now.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Am I at the right one?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You are at the right one.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: And please tell me what you are thinking and
\nfeeling.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: I think it’s kind of slimy. Is that a turtle?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: It feels like some kind of weird animal, some
\ntiley thing. Wow, I’m so specific, aren’t I? Oh, I know this
\nanimal. They are making fun of me, aren’t they? I should have
\npaid attention in science class. Yeah, I got nothing.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You can grab it gently and pull it out if you’d
\nlike.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: I give up. It’s a reptile.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

Oh, hi, little guy.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Can you guess what it is? Touch it again,
\nplease, gently.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Am I getting rated on this? I have no clue, some
\nkind of lizard. No, it’s not.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: All right. Sammi, you can move on to the next
\none. It’s a snake.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Oh, okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Actually, three.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: That’s it?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: That’s it, but you have two more tanks. Don’t
\nforget that.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Am I at the right one now?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You can move to your right and find the next
\ntank.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: To my right?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Your right. Thank you. It’s a little bit down
\nthe road.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Tell me when to stop.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You are almost there.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay. I feel the tank.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: There you go.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Do I have to worry about being bitten or anything?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I can’t tell you.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

There’s a paramedic in there. So don’t worry.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: There’s a what?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: There’s a paramedic in there and a wrangler.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>SAMMI TURANO: That felt not like a reptile or an amphibian. Oh,
\nGod. This is — you know, it’s a furry animal. Do I hear a pet?
\nDoes it have four legs? Oh, it feels like a kitty —<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You tell me.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: You can use both hands.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: — or a bunny. Oh. Oh.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: We don’t want to bond with it. We want you to
\nidentify it.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: I think it’s either a — it feels like a cat.
\nYeah.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: All right. Sammi, your time is up on this one.
\nI’m sorry. Would you move further down the tables.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: This is going to on YouTube as, like, the
\nstupidest person ever?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No. This way.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: This is my least favorite.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Oh, geez. So am I touching it now?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You just go ahead.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay. Oops.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Do you smell anything?<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Oh, dear God. It’s bringing back memories of when
\nI worked at the county fair. That guy is not my friend.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You need to make it — just keep it on a bigger
\npicture. That’s good. Madam?<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Please don’t bite me.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

Oh, sorry.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Come on. We are voting for you. Get in there.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: I am in.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No. It’s only in the middle.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Again, you are not my friend. Come on, baby. Be
\nnice.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

It feels like a hand. I hear you.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

Ah.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: All right.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Yes.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I’ll spare you.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Okay.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: It’s a foot.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Oh. I was close.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yes, you were close. Thank you, Sammi. You did
\ngood.<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: There he is.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Hi, Colin.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: What is this?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: It’s a game show called “Total Blackout.”<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Really?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I guess you figured that out. Put your hand on
\nthe table right in front of you.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Got it.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I’m just going to tell you the rules. There’s
\ngoing to be three tanks, and they’ll all have something in them
\nthat you have to tell me what it is. And the first tank is right
\nin front of you.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: All right.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: And please be a little bit gentle.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: What the hell?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You may hurt it. It may hurt you, but we have
\nparamedics in there. So don’t worry.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: All right. All right. All right. This is —
\nhow do I — all right. Oh, there was nothing human with that.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Would you make a bigger picture, madam, please.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Oh, I’m so unhappy. Oh, no, there’s nothing
\nhere. Oh, it’s going to be crawling around. Okay. What is
\nthis? Okay. Okay. Do I have to touch it any more than this?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Are you touching it at all?<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Yeah. I’m touching something.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Tell us what it is.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: It feels like snake.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: You are correct.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: You are correct.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: That’s right.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: I’m going to leave him alone.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Move down to the right.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Move to the right.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Move to the right?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yeah.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: All right.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: There’s going to be another tank.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: All right. There’s another tank. I’ve got it.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: There you go.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: This is actually significantly more terrifying
\nthan I had anticipated.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: And this tank is worse, but —<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Where did you come from? Who raised you? All
\nright. In here?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yeah. Just go ahead.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Ah, for the life of me. All right. It’s furry.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: That’s right.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: It’s furry.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: And big.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: It’s in a cage. It’s not happy. It’s furry.
\nIt’s my hand. It’s a lot of slime. Oh, wow, I’m unhappy. What
\nis this?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: You can use both hands if you want, Colin.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Yeah, I could. I could.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

All right. No. This is no — I’m going to use the back of my
\nhand just to get psychological. What is this? Is it a stuffed
\nanimal?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yes.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Is it?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yes.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Thank God.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: All right. One more challenge.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: All right. The next one?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: To your right, one more. I think you’ve come in
\nsecond place.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Yeah. All right. All right.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: All right.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Go in?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: When you are ready.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: I’m wildly unprepared for this. Okay.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Just keep the big picture.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Okay. All right. Hey, buddy. All right.
\nOkay. It’s moving. It’s moving. Crap. Okay. Okay. All
\nright. Do you know what? Don’t even take the time.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: It’s a squirmy fellow.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Yes. Yes. I’ve got it. All right. All right.
\nYeah. Is that a foot?<\/p>\n

(Laughter and applause.)<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Wow.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Colin, thank you.<\/p>\n

COLIN FERGUSON: Thank you so much. That was awesome.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: I think we should — I think you can end it there.
\nI don’t think it gets any better than that. Is there anybody
\nthere, Sally?<\/p>\n

SALLY: It’s going to take a few minutes to get Aaron miked up.
\nSo, then, we’ll take questions.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Take questions?<\/p>\n

SALLY: Yeah.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Okay. Any questions? Sorry. I mean, obviously,
\nit’s a very rough live version of the show, but you clearly get
\nthe hang — get the sense of it, and, obviously, there’s a great
\nvariety of reactions there.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Yeah.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: So why don’t we open it up. First of all, thank you
\nto our fearless contestants.<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Let’s give an extra hand to our winner, Rae.<\/p>\n

SAMMI TURANO: Do I get anything for being an idiot?<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Any we have any questions from the press?<\/p>\n

QUESTION: So have you begun filming yet?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: No.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: What is actually going to be off limits? Like, do you
\nknow what I’m saying? Like, you used a live snake. What would
\nyou never put in a tank or in a room with people in the dark?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Anything that would be dangerous to the
\ncontestants.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: Okay. Thank you.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Real dangerous. It’s not about fears. It’s
\nbeen danger and fear. It’s two different things.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: Thank you.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: So what do the winners get?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Huh?<\/p>\n

QUESTION: What do the winners get?<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: What do the winners get?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Oh, a cash prize.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: We’ve got — let’s not leave Aaron hanging.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Oh. Hi, Aaron.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: Can you hear me?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yes.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: All right.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: So this is called “Total Blackout,” and you’ll
\nfind three tanks in front of you. One is a little bit to your
\nright and then two others down to your right. Your job is to
\nidentify what’s in the tank.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: So I reach in?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Be a little bit careful, and be gentle with what
\nyou touch.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: Okay.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>HENRIK NIELSEN: And tell me what it is.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: This feels like a boa constrictor or a snake or
\nsomething.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Yes, you are correct. You are giving it a massage
\nnow. So move down to the right.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: That’s right.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: He likes them.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: Did you not know that I have owned snakes in the
\npast?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: No.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No, we did not know that.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: You see, a fun fact. All right.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: If you move to your right, you’ll find the next
\ntank. To your right.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: To my right. Okay. Left. Right. Okay. I’m not
\nfeeling it but — can everybody see me right now?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Oh, yeah.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: Okay. So this is Tank 2?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Yep, there it is.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: A teddy bear?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: If you only now how match.com this is right now.
\nTo the right. To the right, the next tank.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: Okay. Keep going?<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: There’s no self-preservation at all.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: I feel like I’m walking like Frankenstein. All
\nright. Reach in, in this one as well?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Yes.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: This is a body, human. This is a foot.<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Is that the talent master?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: I think Rae got beaten. Thank you, Aaron.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: What’s in Door No. 4 here?<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Aaron will not be participating in this series.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No. Obviously, we do not feel he’s a contestant
\nto this game.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: All right. Other questions?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Aaron, you did a great job.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: I was wondering if you can talk a little bit about
\nwhat goes into choosing the contestants, or is it — do you do
\npsychological profiles or have a team of people interview them?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yeah, they do go through a psychological test.
\nWe don’t want anybody to freak out that much that they can’t
\nreact. I mean, they have to be able to put their hands in. And,
\nyou know, they think it’s fun afterwards. So — but we don’t
\nwant contestants like Aaron, obviously.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Yes. That would obviously be screened out.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Yeah.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: Right.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: And, actually, a lot of contestants who have
\ndone the show in many other territories, they have overcome their
\nfears by this, and they think that they really overcame
\nthemselves and are happy they did it.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: I’m curious how Jaleel got involved with this project.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Excuse me?<\/p>\n

QUESTION: How Jaleel — how he was chosen to host the show.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Can I answer that?<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Well, I will tell you, you know, that we went to
\nlooking at a lot of different hosts, and the host of the show is
\nreally key because you want someone who is going to embrace the
\nfun of it but also be able to, you know, not be too warm and
\nfuzzy, so really a fine line to balance. And there was no
\nquestion that I think Jaleel was really someone that was going to
\nidentify with the contestants when we saw him interact with them.
\nIt was really obvious that he had that kind of mix because you
\ncan overplay it, too, right? It can be too dark. And we
\ndefinitely didn’t want it to feel too game show, and obviously, I
\nknow, that’s something that Frementle (ph) and Henry felt very
\nstrongly about, too, so I think kind of a very naturalistic, very
\ngenuine person, and Jaleel, who just really embraced it.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: We are going out for drinks later.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Yeah, yeah. Awesome.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: We got to see how Colin Ferguson reacted. Any plans
\nalready for a possible, like, Syfy celebrity version?<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: It’s so much about, like, as you can see, who — how
\nthey act out in the dark. So I think our first step is, like,
\nlet’s get the show working.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Yes.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: And then we will go from there. But we have talked
\nabout pairs and talked about —<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: We have couples, episodes with couples. It
\nworks really well when they talk to each other in the room and —
\nyeah.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: Hi.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Mr. Fearless.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: The first question is whose foot was that? And
\ndoes anyone have any Purell?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Rae is giving it to you.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: And secondly —<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: And, Aaron, I need it after you.<\/p>\n

AARON SAGERS: Okay. Just being on the receiving end, it was
\nfun. I don’t quite — I didn’t quite get the first part of it,
\nbut just when is this happening? I guess, when is this — when
\nis this launching? Like, when are we going with this?<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: We don’t have an air date yet. We are actually —
\nand, in fact, we actually delayed the shoot so that Henrik could
\nbe here because you can see, like, his essence. Like, we
\ncouldn’t do this without him.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: Yeah.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: So I think the plan is to start shooting in the next
\ncouple of weeks.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: Very cool. That’s fun.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: Hi, guys. I’ve got a question. So you’re going to
\nhave other contestants doing this kind of thing, but would you
\nguys ever actually do it yourself?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: No.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: In the pilot, I did a version of it.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: All right. Cool. Thanks.<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: No. I would be a great contestant, but
\nobviously, I can’t. I’m ruled out.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Same.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA: It’s kind of weird being in there because
\nwe are so used to watching these types of shows, really go deep
\ninto, like, the really nasty, slimy stuff. So when you are
\nputting your hand in there, it’s hard to imagine it’s a teddy
\nbear because I could have sworn it moved when I touched it, and
\nit was breathing. Is that part of the psychology of it, that
\npeople these days really expect it to be worms and —<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: One of the key elements in the show is that the
\nviewers know more than the contestants. So when you enter the
\nroom, we will always, as a viewer, know more than you as a
\ncontestant, and that’s where the humor comes in. There’s always
\na twist in all of the games, actually. The viewers always know
\nmore than the contestant, and that’s where the comedy comes in.
\nIt’s like when I ran — chased my sisters with a spider. I
\ndidn’t have a spider.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: This is for, actually, all three of you. If you had
\nto do it and they said you didn’t want to, but you had to, what
\nwould you be most afraid of having in there that you wouldn’t
\nwant to be in there?<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Well, I can speak for me because I hate spiders.
\nThere’s one game where they have to pick as many fake spiders as
\npossible. We load it with plastic spiders, but there’s one real
\ntarantula in there. And that reminds me of my childhood, you
\nknow. One spider is enough to freak me out. So having to touch
\na lot of fake spiders, I knew I would be the one to pick the
\nright one — I mean the real one. That would be — that’s the
\nworst game for me.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Jaleel?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: I think there’s got to be a common thread in the
\nshow that there’s going to be something from everyone’s childhood
\nthat they fear, and for me that would — I was going to say I’ll
\nbe random. I prefer not to touch a possum. I just — I’m not
\ngoing to go into the stories. It involves taking out the trash
\nas a kid. I prefer not touching any possums.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Cockroaches. Big water bugs, no way. No way.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: That’s nothing. I just don’t want the possum.
\nBring on the roaches.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: Teddy bears are too terrifying for me.<\/p>\n

(Laughter.)<\/p>\n

I wouldn’t want it to be a teddy bear. All right. I think we
\nhave time for one more question.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: Jaleel.<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Yes.<\/p>\n

QUESTION: What are the chances that we can see your “High Top
\nFade Out” brother Dule Hill be a guest on the show?<\/p>\n

JALEEL WHITE: Well, you know, this is all in the NBC family.
\nSo, obviously, I know the guys want me to get the show rolling.
\nYou know, I — if I have to know the NBC family and how they
\noperate, at some point, they will make it available for celebrity
\ncontestants. But I’m going to let Henrik and Mark determine
\nthat. But, trust me, I would love to give you Dule Hill. Trust
\nme. I would love to.<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: All right. I think that brings us to the end of our
\nday. Thank you all. Thank you guys very much. I think —<\/p>\n

HENRIK NIELSEN: Thank you.<\/p>\n

(Applause.)<\/p>\n

MARK STERN: We are going to — I’m going to have them come down
\nhere for five or ten minutes to chat with you, and then we are
\ndone for the day. And then we get to go — at 6:15, we are going
\nto be meeting in the front to go to the park. So thank you all
\nfor a great day. We really appreciate it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n