The Big Fib!
That's now our name.
The Big Fib!
Show's still the same.
The Big Fib!
Let's play the game.
The Big Fib!
We're still on fire, busting liars.
But now... The Big Fib!
From Luke, Texas, this is The Big Fib.
And now here's your host, Debra Goldstein.
Welcome to The Big Fib, the game show where kids choose between the thrilling force of truth and the free falling whiplash of lies.
I'm your host, Debra Goldstein, and in the studio today is our sound effects robot Lisa, which stands for live in studio audience.
Oh, no, it's gone.
It was just here a second ago.
Now it's gone.
What?
What is it, Lisa?
My ice sculpture.
I had just finished carving the last edges of the life size sculpture of myself to submit for my final grade in the ice sculpture class.
Are you sure you left it here?
Oh, I'm absolutely positive.
This is the platform I put it on.
This platform surrounded by a puddle of water?
Yes.
How long ago did you put your ice sculpture there, Lisa?
I left it here last night so I could bring it to class right after we're done here.
That's what I was afraid you were going to say.
I know, I know, I get it now.
Anyone could have come in here and seen the glorious work of art that I created and taken it.
But who?
Lisa, no, your ice sculpture melted.
If you don't leave ice in the freezer, it will melt.
That's why there's a puddle on the floor.
That's also a possibility.
I'm sure it was lovely.
How about you just take your mind off of it by telling us how our game works?
Okay, good idea.
So first I make an eye sculpture of myself.
And then it melts.
Then we bring on two grown-ups.
One is an expert.
The other, a liar.
And it's the job of a human child to help us figure out who is who.
Because no one can spot a liar better than a kid.
Except maybe a velociraptor.
But ours escaped.
Woo!
Okay, what are we lying about today, Debra?
We are lying about roller coasters, an amusement park ride.
That is an elevated railway with sharp curves and steep slopes over which cars travel.
Lisa, do you like riding roller coasters?
Oh, I'm my own roller coaster, Debra.
I can go fast or slow.
I can swerve around a corner or...
Roll down a hill.
I don't need some other machine whipping me around, dizzying turns and hurling me down slopes at ridiculously fast speeds.
You're afraid of roller coasters, aren't you?
Yes, but only because they're terrifying.
Well, you don't have to ride a roller coaster today, but you are going to learn a lot about them, along with our contestants.
So why don't you tell us about our contestant today?
I'll do it.
Thank you.
Our human child contestant is a third grader who loves snakes and sewing, Benetia Clark.
Hi.
Hi, Benetia.
How are you?
I'm good.
Excellent.
Welcome to the show.
I want to hear all about you.
Like, you love snakes?
Yeah.
I just like them.
I don't know why.
Like, all my friends are like, why do you like snakes?
And I'm like, they interest me.
I like how they're always like, hey, what's going on?
Would you like to go to the library with me?
That's how snakes talk.
Right, Venetia?
No.
Not so much.
Do you have a pet snake?
No, but I want a cat really badly, but my parents won't get me one.
Why don't you compromise and get a snake?
I'm trying, but they won't let me.
Well, good luck with that.
We'll talk to them.
Thank you.
You said you also love to sew.
Have you made anything recently?
Yes, I make pillows, like mini pillows for American Girl dolls.
Wow.
I borrow my mom's sewing machine and we sew together.
Oh, that's so nice.
It's really fun.
I love that.
Yeah.
Wow, very cool.
Maybe one day you'll be able to make a pillow for your cat that you'll get One day.
Hopefully.
Maybe when I'm in college.
Oh yeah, when you're in college, your dorm room's going to be filled with cats and snakes.
It's going to be awesome.
No!
I only want one cat.
I only want one cat and one snake in a terrarium.
That's fine.
In the same place, we'll just make sure that snake doesn't eat cats.
No!
Yeah, if you put a cat and a snake in a terrarium, you're going to end up with just a snake.
Yeah, the snake will be in the terrarium, but the cat will be roaming around my dorm, so it'll be fun.
Oh, good.
Yeah.
Phew.
Okay.
Our first expert is Jay Kistler.
Jay, please introduce yourself to Vanitya.
Hi, Vanitya.
It's nice to meet you.
Hi.
I am a roller coaster engineer extraordinaire.
I design roller coasters and I oversee them being built.
Excellent.
Thank you very much.
Let's now meet our second expert, Lucy Morterra.
Lucy, please introduce yourself to Benetia.
Hi, my name is Lucy Morterra and I love roller coasters.
And I even wrote a book about roller coasters called Rolling with Lucy.
Never heard of it.
I know those familiar sounds you're rolling out there, Lisa.
Oh, you should know them because it's hot seat time.
That is correct.
That is when we put our experts on the hot seat while they answer Venetia's questions.
Lisa, whom should we put on the hot seat first?
I'm choosing Lucy Morterra because her name is more terror, and there's nothing more terrifying than roller coasters.
Interesting.
Okay.
Benetia, what's your first question for Lucy?
Okay.
Why don't I fall out of a roller coaster when it goes upside down?
You don't fall out of a roller coaster when you go upside down, because they have very good safety features.
There's something called the Ziploc, and that keeps you in place so you're never going to fall out.
You don't have to worry.
Okay.
There's also probably roller coaster glue that you use.
That's what I do.
I just put it all over my butt.
But I thought you were terrified of roller coasters.
Why would you go on one?
Debra said if I wanted any friends, I would have to do it.
No, don't do that.
Yeah, Debra's very emotionally manipulative.
I don't think that that is true, but if it's something that's upsetting you, we'll talk about it later.
Okay.
Okay, Benetia, what's your next question?
Okay, this is for Jay.
Who gets to decide height requirements for roller coasters?
So to determine how high someone can be, they do what they call a restraint analysis, and the manufacturer decides that.
The main reason why height is very important is it's called ridership.
So they want to get the most people as possible to ride the ride.
So the lower the height requirement, the more people can ride the ride.
Okay, so this is for both of you.
What exactly is your job?
Oh, I just try and prop up, Debra.
But I think she meant for our roller coaster experts.
Oh, OK.
So I actually used to be a teacher and that was my job.
And then I loved roller coasters so much.
I kept going on them.
I kept writing about them.
So finally, I started writing about them so much.
I started a blog and then I realized that I could actually write a book and make some money and make that be my second job.
Cool.
So I go ride on roller coasters and that's my job.
I want that job.
It sounds like a pretty cool job.
How about you, Jay?
Me?
Well, what I did is I started in the mid-90s for an American roller coaster company.
And I was designing roller coasters.
And then there's this Italian company.
And believe it or not, they gave me an offer I could not refuse.
And they asked me if I wanted to move to Italy.
So I moved to Italy and I liked it a lot.
And I was designing coasters over there, but I did get homesick and I wanted to see my mom.
So I decided to come home.
And in order for me to come home, I didn't design roller coasters as much.
So my job now is, for all rides we sell in North or South America, they go through my office and I'm responsible for the installation and commissioning of all rides.
That sounds like an interesting job.
It has its ups and downs.
So this one's for both of you.
What do you do on a regular day at work?
I'll go first.
My job is like a roller coaster and there is no regular day and it is never the same twice.
And it is a thrill a second.
But the best days I have on roller coasters is right when a roller coaster is we finally tested it and it's commissioned and we've done all the testing we need to to put a person on and I get to ride for the first time.
So that's not a typical day, but that is my favorite day of work.
Cool.
So I don't have a typical day at work either, since I ride roller coasters and everyone is different.
But sometimes I do research on roller coasters if I'm stuck at home, like I have been lately.
And so I find out interesting facts about roller coasters that I didn't know before, such as the old Yankee Stadium.
There used to be a roller coaster there.
What?
But then they tore it down to make Yankee Stadium.
Wow.
Oh, I thought you meant in the middle of the baseball field.
That would be so dangerous.
Before that, before that.
Like in the 1800s.
Thanks for clarifying.
So this one's for both of you.
What was your favorite moment in your job?
Like, what was your favorite day, your favorite moment?
I like that question.
Jay, you can go.
There's a lot of good moments, but I'm thinking the best one was I was at a July 4th outdoor concert and it was so crowded that you had to take buses to the parking lot.
And as I was standing in line for the bus to go back to the parking lot, the girl behind me overheard what we were saying and she's like you're a roller coaster designer.
And we're married now.
That's all it took.
Whoa.
That was a quick engagement.
Yeah.
Well, I guess it's very attractive to be a roller coaster engineer, right?
Lisa, I don't think marriage works that way.
I think you have to get more of a relationship.
No, you just go wait in line and then you're like, this is my job.
And the other person says, oh, love, we're married.
All right.
So we found out that roller coaster engineering and designing leads to love.
And what is Lucy's favorite moment in her career?
Well, mine is a little bit similar.
I went on the cyclone in Coney Island with my boyfriend at the time.
And all of a sudden the roller coaster stopped at the top and he had paid somebody to stop it there.
And that's where he asked me to marry him.
Guys, I told you, you just wait in line for things and you get married.
Yeah.
No, you have to propose and everything.
You have to propose.
No, no.
Yes, you do.
Apparently at the top of the roller coaster.
Apparently.
I mean it's not very safe, because what if it went down as you were proposing and you lost the wedding ring?
Yeah.
That would be bad.
That's true.
That would be bad.
So I'm curious to know if each of you has a favorite roller coaster.
I certainly have a favorite roller coaster.
There's my favorite roller coaster and then the favorite roller coaster I designed.
So I'll go with.
The favorite roller coaster I designed is the Pony Express in Knott's Berry Farm in California.
And it's not the longest or the fastest, but what it is, is it's a fun ride.
So the second I get off it, what I want to do is turn around and get back right on it.
So that's why it's my favorite coaster.
And the gondolas or the trains, they're modeled like horses.
So you ride it like you're riding a horse.
Cool.
That's my favorite ride.
Okay, and Lucy?
Wow, this is a hard one to choose.
Can I have more than one favorite?
Is that okay?
Yes.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Obviously, the one where my husband proposed to me is one of my favorites.
But I also got to go to the Steel Dragon, which is in Japan.
Oh, I've heard of it.
Yeah, and it's the longest ride.
It's a four-minute ride.
So it's the longest ride I've ever been on.
And so even if you wait in line, you've got a nice long ride.
And that was really fun.
Oh, think about how many times you could get engaged on that ride.
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It's time for the Shorts on Fire round, when our experts have to answer as many questions as they can before time runs out.
Experts, you're going to have to answer at a high velocity.
Benetia, let's start with Jay.
You can start your Shorts on Fire questions for Jay.
Now!
Go!
What kind of force keeps you from falling out of a roller coaster while it's upside down?
The vertical forces.
When you are testing a roller coaster ride, what do you put in the seats to act like passengers?
There's two things.
We put in typically water dummies to simulate the weight of a passenger, and we also put in what they call an accelerometer, and that's to measure the loads to verify it's safe to put people on it.
Is a roller coaster ride faster when seats are full or when there are empty seats?
When they're full.
Which type of g-force happens when you are going up and the train is going down and you feel like you are floating?
That's a negative g.
What kind of wheels are placed under the rail to keep the train from coming off the track over hills?
Those are called upstop wheels.
What do you call a roller coaster when the track is attached to the middle of the train instead of above it or below it?
Oh, a monorail.
Okay.
What was the name of the 1999 computer game that gave players the chance to design their own amusement park?
Oh, what is that?
Roller coaster tycoon?
Frogger.
Is a flume a roller coaster?
No, it is not.
And time.
Time, that's all the time.
Okay, well done.
Now, Lisa, kindly reset the timer.
Benetia, you're going to read the shorts on fire questions for Lucy now.
What is the name of the largest club of roller coasters and amusement park fans?
It's called ACE, American Coaster Enthusiasts.
What kind of roller coaster has cars that spin on their own during the ride?
Oh, that's called a spinning wild mouse.
Would you rather ride in front, middle, or back of a roller coaster train?
Oh, definitely in the front so I can see what's going on.
Which roller coaster brings riders underwater?
Schlitterbahn in New Brunswick, Texas.
Who is the famous roller coaster designer who suffered from motion sickness?
Pass.
What is the most exciting part of a roller coaster ride?
Just as it starts.
The end.
To you.
What is the record for the most roller coaster rides in a day?
There was a team of two brothers named Ben and Will Glancy in California, and they rode 19 times in one day.
Name one of the fourth dimension roller coasters.
Oh, insane.
That is time.
Time.
Time's up.
Well done.
That was like a dueling coaster.
Yeah.
Okay, it's decision time.
It's time to discover who the lying Sidewinder is.
Venetia, who is our Big Fibber?
I think it's Jay.
Why do you think Jay is our Big Fibber?
I just think he was saying um a lot and he said for Lucy to go first, which I think he was trying to subtract time.
I see.
For his next question.
Okay.
But also I have mixed feelings because I've never heard of the book Lucy wrote.
So I still have mixed feelings about who I think.
I see.
But I still think the liar is Jay.
Okay.
Let us see.
Will the actual roller coaster expert please tell us who you are?
It is me, Jay Crisler.
Oh, yes, Jay Crisler is a roller coaster engineer extraordinaire.
His official title at the ride manufacturer Zamperla is Head of Engineering and Service for the Americas, but he rarely uses that as quite a mouthful.
But yes, it's true.
It is Jay, but it is time for some fact checking.
Jay, what facts did Lucy share that were clearly inverted?
I think I've never heard the term ziplock for a roller coaster restraint.
I use it for my sandwiches, but not for my roller coasters.
Yeah, that sounds a little sketchy.
Well, Lucy, tell us, how are you spinning your wheels today?
I just made up that there was a roller coaster where the old Yankee Stadium used to be.
I wish there were, but...
But I made that up.
I knew that was sketchy.
She did say it happened in the 1800s.
Yes.
I don't think roller coasters were invented in the 1800s.
Well, yeah.
Not quite, yeah.
It's not Yankee Stadium, but in the Detroit Tigers.
In their stadium they have a Ferris wheel from my company.
Really?
They do?
Oh, interesting.
Lucy, was the thing about your boyfriend proposing to you true?
Not at all.
Or was it not at all?
Not at all.
That's sad.
No, not at all.
I have two more lies.
Yeah, Lucy, there were some others you should probably correct.
Some more, yeah.
So the roller coaster that brings riders underwater is not Schlitterbahn.
No.
It's another place in Japan that does that.
And also the record for the most roller coaster rides in a day, is not the team of two brothers, Ben and Will Glancy.
Those are my sons.
Aww.
No, that's right.
There were four gentlemen who raised 40000 for Children's Miracle Network in 2001, riding 74 rides in 24 hours.
Yeah, they took a helicopter to get from state to state.
What?
I know, pretty crazy.
I bet you'd love to do that, right?
Yes.
Yes, yes, yes.
Yes.
It is time for us to put the brakes on and bring this show into the station.
Thanks to our contestant, Benetia, who was inclined to identify the truth.
Thank you to our expert and liar, Jay and Lucy, and to Lisa, who never gets enough airtime.
And, of course, many thanks to our listeners tuning in to The Big Fib, where we decelerate lies and ascend the tracks of truth.
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