- Stories.
- Since the dawn of time, we've relied on stories
to entertain and enlighten.
- Be they tales of adventure, love, loss,
or abject stupidity,
these sagas are passed down through generations--
a grand catalog of our collective experience.
- But what about those epic stories
only shared among a small circle of friends?
How do they achieve the legendary status
they so richly deserve?
- By being told here.
- Welcome to the ultimate chronicle of humanity.
- This is "True Story with Ed and Randall."
[dramatic music]
- Good evening, and welcome to "True Story,"
the show that brings you true stories
from real people across America,
and Ed and I are only given one detail ahead of time:
the storyteller's name.
Hello, Tselane. - Hi.
- What genre would you say this story is overall?
- You know what, it might be a horror mystery, I'm not sure.
- Okay. - A horror mystery?
Okay. Set the stage for us.
- I was working as an after-school teacher
for a science program.
It was a couple of years ago, actually.
- Couple years ago. - Yeah, couple years ago.
[eerie music]
* *
I was working at this after-school program
at one of these schools, and they were like,
"We need a full-time science teacher."
I was so excited that they gave me an opportunity
because I was just finishing college.
- What was it that made you so excited
about this particular school?
- Oh, because I love the kids.
[bell rings]
- We got this.
Okay. Hi, everybody. Hi. Welcome, welcome to class.
Oh, you look great, everyone's really doing it.
Yes. Yes, fashion.
Okay, backpack. Great, come on in. Okay.
- I was super excited and stoked about it
and just loved the vibe.
- How important was it for you
to get this job as a teacher?
- Getting this job was so important to me.
I guess it's just, like, growing up,
science was, like, a part of my life.
Like growing up watching my mom being a nurse
and, like, sitting around,
talking about crazy stories at the dinner table.
- So we drained a total of 3.8 milliliters from the left knee
and 4.1 from the right.
- Science is awesome! - That's my girl.
- And I loved science,
but I never saw a science teacher that looked like me.
- Yeah.
- I guess it was, like, a lot of pressure.
I was like, "I have to be this person
that I didn't have growing up."
- You have felt a calling to be a teacher
basically your whole life. - Yes.
I landed this incredible job, I'm so excited.
This is, like, my first time being, like,
in a classroom setting as a teacher.
- You got this job. - Mm-hmm.
- You set up your classroom. - Yes.
- It's your classroom. - It's my classroom.
I got all my beakers, I got all my equipment.
I had to reorganize and clean it.
It was great, it was exciting. It was fun.
- What makes it special?
What's your, sort of, like, signature?
What makes the classroom yours?
- Oh, my little skeleton that sits in the corner
that looks crazy with the outfits.
Like I'll put, like,
cute little outfits on the skeletons.
- Nice, nice. - Yeah.
- Does he have a name?
- You know what, they call him Skelly.
- Hello, there, I'm Skelly.
- You're making this special. - I'm making it special.
There was a really popular teacher there.
She's, like, organized and beautiful
and her classroom is neat.
- And what was her name? - Good morning, good morning.
Good morning.
- Miss Susan.
Okay, wait, I sense a--
from the way you said that, I sense some-- there's some--
- Ooh, I got a chill. - Maybe some friction there.
- Yes.
You know, when I got there, I was just super excited
and not thinking, but apparently I took over
some of the attention that she was getting.
- How long had Miss Susan been teaching at this school?
- Oh, she had been teaching there for five-plus years.
- Oh, she was-- - Oh, okay.
- So she was VIP. - She was locked in.
- Oh, yeah. She was locked in.
So she's like, "Who is this new person coming in?"
- Some competition.
- So I said rutherfordium? I don't even know her fordium.
[laughs]
- Hi, Tselane. - Oh, here we go.
- Hi, Miss Susan.
- So she gave you some attitude?
- She gave me a little side eye.
- Mm. - Yeah.
- It was passive aggressive, it wasn't like overt.
- You're doing puppets. That's cute. That's fun.
- Yeah, it's actually a unit on the periodic table
using a visual aid, so.
- Oh, that's neat. That's creative.
- Yeah, I know. Thank you.
- Mm.
Well, what I love is that you're showing everyone
that it's okay for women to be nerds.
I love that for you.
- Thank you.
And similarly, you are showing everyone
that it is okay to dress like a realtor in Dallas.
- Oh, well, thank you so much.
- Okay, well, thanks for coming by.
Everyone, let's talk about social cues.
- A few months later, and it's--
they're setting up for this review.
So once you start teaching at this school, after so long,
they have to come in, and administrators
will come in the classroom
and just kind of observe your teaching
and see how everything goes.
With the review, they'll decide if they want to keep you longer
or if your contract is going to be over.
- No big deal. - Oh.
- No, just your entire career in the balance.
- So, yeah, I'm like, "Oh, so this is my first, big, huge job
that I've been waiting for, and now I'm getting judged."
- So the stakes are high? - The stakes are so high.
I'm like, "Wow, Skelly, what are we going to do?"
- How are we going to impress the administrators?
- I feel for you, Tselane. You're in quite a pickle here.
Let's get to work.
- Okay, we need an experiment
that's really gonna capture the kids' imagination.
You know, show the administration
what Tselane's classroom is all about.
I just wish I knew which day they were coming.
- Just so I understand, so other teachers
bring their classes into your class?
- Yes, I'm science lab, so I'll--
so they have science, but they'll have
their regular teachers, and their teachers will,
yeah, bring the students in for the hour.
So I have probably five or six different classes a day.
- Okay. - Okay, and there's always
another teacher coming in with the students?
- Always. Yes.
- And maybe it's a little bit more tense on the times
when Miss Susan brings her class in.
[tense music]
- Miss Tselane.
[wind blowing]
- Miss Susan.
* *
[eagle screeches]
- Miss Tselane, I hope you're ready for your review.
If you don't make the grade,
they're gonna send you out to pasture.
- Oh, I'll have them eating oatmeal
out of the palm of my little hand.
- Is that a fact?
- It is, indeed.
Nice, long stalk of gluten you got there.
- Gluten? This is wheat.
- Well, not everyone's a scientist.
[horses whinny]
- Nice one.
- Always tense when Miss Susan brings her class
'cause the kids are overly excited, and she's just like--
- Why aren't they as excited with me?
- Yes, for sure. - Yes!
- Because they get really, really wild
when they come to my class. I mean, I'm good.
That's why they call me Miss Tsunami.
So I usually calm them down at first.
- Hold on. - Yes?
- They call you Miss Tsunami? - They call me Miss Tsunami.
I'm really chill, but if they get out of hand,
I'm like, "No, like, let's lock it up."
- Mm-hmm. Yeah. - You are a tidal wave...
- Yes.
- Of awesome teaching. - Right?
- Yes, yes. So the kids love you.
- The kids love me. - And they're super excited.
- Yes--I was looking online for some cool things,
and I found this really cool experiment using nylons
that you cut and, like, squeezing oatmeal through it.
That represents, like, the digestive system.
- They nylons are the intestines.
- Yeah, yeah. - The oatmeal is the oatmeal.
It could be oatmeal.
Yeah, breakfast. - Like, the person ate oatmeal.
- Exactly! It's so simple, right?
- It's exactly how it works, Ed.
- That's so-- it's exactly how it works.
So I was like, "Oh, this is gonna be fun."
Miss Susan comes in. She brings her students.
They're loud.
I'm like, okay, trying to explain, okay,
this is what we're doing today, guys.
We're talking about digestion
and, you know, they're raising their hands.
I'm giving them a breakdown. I split them up into groups.
They have these giant bowls with the oatmeal that's,
like, with oil in it, with these bowls of oatmeal.
These giant bowls that
they have to squeeze everything through.
They're excited because they get to get their hands dirty.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- They're just like, oh, we don't have to sit down
and write anything? Okay, cool.
And I notice a couple of people start walking into the room.
- You digest it, and it becomes a little softer,
a little stickier when it moves through the--
Principal Harris--
uh, through the digestive tract, um.
- So it's the principal and a couple of administrators.
They came in, and they're just with their note pads.
And I'm like, why the note pad?
- Yes. - But it's--
I'm sure it's normal,
but it doesn't make it easy for me.
So I'm just like, "Okay, guys, yeah."
And I'm nervous, and I'm anxious,
but I'm trying to use that energy
to, like, make the experiment more fun.
I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, but this--
this is legitimately terrifying.
- Oh, yeah--I'm trying to pretend that they're not there.
- Yeah. - You can't pretend...
- You can't.
- They're not there because they're there.
- They're there.
- Okay, so, um, who had breakfast today?
What'd you eat? Did you eggs?
I didn't eat breakfast, I was too stressed out.
[chuckles] Just kidding.
- Strike one. She looks nervous.
- Um, how do your hands feel? - Sticky.
- Yeah, sticky, yeah. That's bad.
You're good, it's good. This is what we're doing.
So, uh, the digestive system, right.
- They're there but I'm like, "Let's see, guys.
Let's do this." So I'm, like, trying
to get the kids excited and into the thing.
They're laughing, they're happy.
They have their long, you know, nylons,
they're squeezing the oatmeal through to the bowls.
- Okay.
- And then one student decides to scream out...
- Oh my God, this is poop! They're pooping.
- Yes, yes, they technically-- yes, they are, technically.
- I would call that an astute scientific observation.
- Right, I'm like, "It's actually a bowel movement."
- Yeah. - Yes.
And so all the kids start screaming about it.
students: Poop butt! Poop butt!
Poop butt!
- Okay, let's all just use our inside--
- Hmm. Strike two.
- Smaller voices, please. - Potty humor. Interesting.
- They're like, "Yeah, it's poop!"
You know kids, they can't hear words like that.
- The administrators are looking
and writing their notes.
I mean, I think the assistant laughed.
- [snickering] - I know, it's a little...
- What? It's funny. It's funny.
- So it's turning into a mad house?
- It's a little bit of a mad house, it's a little wild.
- And the administrators are scribbling...
- Yeah. - Just furiously.
- In my mind, they were scribbling.
They were like--you know?
- The principal just literally wrote "poop."
- [laughs] Yeah. - Or "fired," either one.
- Meanwhile, Miss Susan is just like--
- Oh, Miss Susan loves it. She's eating it up.
- Wow, it's getting really out of control in here.
students: Poop butt! Poop butt!
Poop butt! Poop butt! Poop butt!
- If only there was there was an actual teacher
in the room, am I right? [chuckles]
- She loved that you were kind of getting in a tight spot?
- Yeah, she had a smirked little face
and she was just like, "Hmm." - Mm-hmm. Ah.
- I'm just gonna get one of these.
[camera shutter clicking]
Oh, that's cute.
Yeah, that's a memory right there.
- Yeah, I guess Miss Tsunami can't control her class.
- Yeah, she can't hang. Exactly.
- So there's six groups.
In the six groups, there's a group over to the right,
has some--a couple of the rambunctious kids in the group.
- Okay. - Yeah.
- Whatever one does, the other does.
If one is like, "Eww, oh my stomach hurts."
They're like, "Yeah, that's nasty."
One student, I noticed, you know,
making these grunting sounds.
I'm like, "What is going on?"
- Oh, no. You gonna be okay?
- They're like, oh, oh, you know?
Like, kind of, like, gagging a little bit.
Out of the blue, it just was a literal projectile vomit.
[kids screaming]
[dramatic music]
* *
And once that happened,
the whole room exploded into noise and chaos.
- Hey, hey! Everybody calm down!
- Are you all right? - I'm fine.
- I'm not. - Yeah, okay.
- Dr. Forsyth?
Hi, yeah, we're going to need
to move up my next therapy appointment.
There's been another traumatic science incident at school.
- Because kids are gonna say,
"Oh, my God, it's throw up!" - Yeah.
- So then you got people jumping.
They were, like, pushing their chairs back
and so overexaggerated, and I get it.
- Sure, yeah. - Jumping around.
Chairs flying in the air. - Eww, gross!
- Jumping around, eww, this is disgusting.
They're, like, pushing the chairs back, moving around.
The principal and everybody is just there.
And they're calm, they're so calm,
and I'm freaking out in my mind.
[kids yelling]
- Oh, my gosh.
- And then another student gets sick and throws up.
- [gasps] - Same table?
- Chain reaction? - Chain reaction.
- They really do copy each other.
- Yeah. [all laugh]
- Wait, wait, wait, oh! Honey, are you okay?
Are you all right? You're okay?
Okay. Um, everyone, sit!
- What do you think is going through the observers' minds,
beat by beat, in this moment?
- The assistant, I think she got a kick out of it all.
- Okay, Christie, that's-- shh, just, please.
- It's just--it's funny. It's really funny now.
- No, it's not funny, okay.
This is work, and this isn't one of your open mic nights.
Please.
- I'm sorry, but also, how would you know?
You never come.
- I just knew that it was not a good thing.
- She can't control her class?
- Yeah, she can't control the classroom.
Why would she do this experiment?
Like, and I think these are all my own thoughts, you know?
- Sure. You're projecting.
- Yeah, I'm projecting, like the vomit.
- You're projectile thinking. - Projectile thinking.
Exactly. I was thinking the same thing.
- You're projectile thinking. - I'm just shooting it out.
Like, I'm like, okay.
- But they're not giving you anything,
so you got to fill in the blanks yourself.
- Exactly. Yes, I'm filling in the blanks.
[kids yelling]
[tense music]
* *
So I'm like, "Okay, everybody, freeze.
Freeze. Don't touch anything."
So I had to make all the kids--
I said, "Everybody, stand up."
Two kids, I had an assistant take the two kids
out to the nurse just to make sure they were okay.
- Miss Susan, I need you to line everyone up,
take them into the hallway while I clean everything,
and then we can resume in a minute.
Now, Miss Susan, please.
- I love that you enlisted Miss Susan to help you here.
- Oh, I had to give her a job. Yeah.
- Yeah. Because it's that's sort of--
- It's kind of a boss move.
- It's a control move. I like it.
- Susan, go. - Okay.
- Go. - Thank you.
- This is the best day of my life.
- Okay, shh.
- And were the principal and the administrators--
were they--
- They walked out because it smelled.
They stepped out for a second, but they came back in after.
So finally, they come back in the classroom,
and everybody is still overly excited,
and they don't care about anything else.
They just want to talk about the throw up.
And I'm like, "Okay, let's do an overview of digestion.
And, you know, this has to do with digestion, too, guys."
- Yes! - This is vomit.
This is, like, stomach.
- Work it in! - You know, stomach acid.
- Brilliant.
- Uh, okay, okay, so vomit. That happened.
But how does it happen? [gasps]
Mm, we think we know, huh?
Okay, so food is broken down mechanically...
- And I was trying to explain to them, like, how the stomach
and why those things happen and certain things and--
- You just push the oatmeal the other way.
- Yeah, exactly. Exactly. - Yeah.
- And I was trying to, like, incorporate it in,
and I brought out Skelly.
And then I had the-- there's some pieces
you can put inside of Skelly, the stomach--
- Wait, Skelly gets to be a part of this?
- Skelly was in it. - How psyched is Skelly?
- So you're like, "Skelly, you're on."
- So that's how it works, kids.
The digestive system is really just
a bunch of individual parts,
just like the engine inside of a car.
Food goes in,
your body processes it, and food comes out.
- I did the best that I could,
but I wasn't sure how the review went.
- You didn't know if you'll have a job.
- I did not know that I was--
I didn't know what was going to happen.
I was like, it could either way.
- Yeah. - You know?
- When the principal and the administrators left the room...
- Mm-hmm. They didn't even say anything.
- What was their vibe? What was their look?
- Oh, their vibe was like no vibe.
- No vibe. - There was no vibe.
I couldn't read anything. - Right.
- I was like, did I do good, did I do bad?
Was it a good thing I did that? I wasn't sure.
- So digestive food is absorbed, right,
in the intestine.
And once that happens, once it's all broken down...
- So I was like, okay, well,
you know, if this is my last day,
I guess I went out with a bang, you know what I'm saying?
- Yeah. - Like, hey.
- Yeah.
- Like, I don't know when the review is gonna--
like, I don't know when they're gonna get back to me on it.
- Right, right. - So I came into work
the next day kind of tired, kind of down.
You know, still trying to put on a face.
Like, hey. Hi, guys.
And the students...
- Miss Tsunami, I heard about your class.
That's so cool.
- Oh. - You're so cool.
We're gonna vomit so hard next year.
- Sick. - Literally.
- Oh, okay.
- The talk of the school. - The talk of the school,
but I still haven't heard anything about my job.
- I didn't get a response right away.
I actually had to kind of teach for a few more days.
- Oh, gosh. - Wow.
- What tough days.
[apprehensive music]
* *
So you're thinking, "My days are numbered."
- The next day is when
I found out in the morning, before work.
- You got called to the principal's office?
- I, like, got dressed up and I was, like, really,
like, prim and proper.
I was like, "Let me make sure that they see a different side
so just in case, I'm ready."
- You got, kind of, like, gussied up for this meeting?
- Yeah, oh yeah. Mm-hmm.
- You got your hair done. You got new clothes on.
- Yeah.
- Are you feeling kind of, like, bold?
Or are you just sort of presenting bold?
- It's a fake bold.
- Yes, a fake bold. - Yeah, yeah, it's a fake bold.
You know, we got to put on--
- So underneath, you're, like, a ball of nerves.
- Underneath, I'm like a scared little cat.
I'm like, "Oh, my gosh."
- So you're like strutting in confidently,
but then you hit the glass window.
- Oh, I walked slow. I don't know if I strutted.
I was like tiptoeing in there, but I tried to pretend.
So I go in the principal's office
prior to school starting.
So I go into the office, I sit down.
The moment is, like, her going through this--
you know, these papers of notes,
and I'm just, like, sitting there, like,
holding onto my seat, just stressing out.
- Sorry, it's just sturdy. Is that oak or ash?
You know, neither is on the periodic table of elements.
Would you believe that? Wood.
Because of the trees and the oak.
You get it, it's okay.
- So towards the end, she finally goes...
- I did get a lot of feedback, though,
from that experiment of yours.
And I have to say... [clears throat]
* *
We liked it.
Parents loved it. They loved you.
Oh, heck, I tolerate you.
I don't love you, but I tolerate you.
I think you have some good qualities.
So, um... [clears throat]
Yeah, I would say you are A-okay.
- Is that a principal joke? - Yeah, it means your review.
You get to keep your job. - Ah!
- Ah, yay! [laughs]
- Okay, thank you. I love it.
No, thank you. And I just, yeah.
- Good, all right.
- Is that it? - Yeah, you just leave.
- You got to keep the job! - I got to keep the job.
I got to keep the job. Like, I was so happy.
- Well, when you were walking out of there,
did you, like... - I did.
I was, like, trying not to be too crazy
because I was like, okay, don't be that.
But I was ecstatic. I was ecstatic.
I was so thrilled, and I was grateful
because, look, I have a good heart,
and I just want to do the best for the kids.
So I knew me being there, if their energy
and their excitement for science was there,
like, I was, like, okay, good. I'm doing my job, you know?
- I'm happy for you. - Thank you.
- But I'm super happy for those kids.
- Right, right? - Yeah, yeah.
- Because they got you.
- And they're never gonna forget that lesson.
Like, they're never gonna forget science.
I have a couple of kids that want to be scientists now.
[inquisitive music]
* *
- [vomiting] [cheers and applause]
[triumphant music]
- Thanks, Miss Tsunami.
- Wow. - That's amazing!
- Yeah, it was cool.
- Thank you so much for sharing this.
- Aw, you're so welcome.
- It's a story of triumph over adversity.
It's a story of inspiration to young children.
- Yeah. Thank you so much for that.
- Thank you, guys.
- Thank you. - It's amazing.
[heartwarming music]
* *
So what do you think, Ed? You ready for another one?
- Yep, let's do it. Hello, Nathan.
- Hi. - Welcome.
- Thank you. Thank you for having me.
- Nathan, we can't wait to hear what you have to tell us.
- Yeah.
- Just so I can get kind of a vibe here, um,
if your story were an animal,
what kind of animal would it be?
- Ooh, it would be the full development
of a monarch butterfly,
starting in a little baby caterpillar moment,
into a cocoon, and then the struggling through
and the full metamorphosis transformation
into taking flight.
- Well, that was an incredibly story.
Thank you, Nathan, for your time.
[upbeat music]
- This sounds amazing.
I'm, yeah, I'm riveted already.
So set the stage for us.
- So this story takes place kind of where most
Asian stories take place, um,
the cornfields of Ohio.
- Sure. - And, you know.
- Here, in the untamed cornfields of Central Ohio
resides a curious subspecies of the monarch butterfly:
The Nathan Ramas Park.
Join us as we follow the life cycle of this little Nathan
to find out if he can beat the odds,
spread his wings, and soar beyond the corn.
- And so, I kind of grew up in this very small town.
We'd go pick apples in the orchard
and, you know, go to cornfield mazes all the time.
- So did you have, like, a pack of friends
that you ran around with in the corn mazes?
Was it a--
- I had a best friend in the world.
His name was Greg.
- The Nathan is a social butterfly,
requiring companionship to thrive.
Ours was lucky to find the rare best friend
known as Greg.
- We knew each other, actually, since preschool.
We went to the same preschool together,
and, you know, we were best friends.
We did sports together.
We did, like, you know, Honor Society together.
And I was in love with Greg. - Yes, okay.
- Like, I was head over heels, and he actually--
he was the captain of a jump roping team.
- Can I ask you about this jump roping thing for a second?
- Yes, yes. So--
- Is this something that your school competed in?
Or it's like--something that he just, like, got together?
- So his little sister really wanted
to start a jump rope team.
- Hey, Greg's sister. What are you doing?
- I'm starting a jump rope team.
- That's very specific.
How can you have a team without a coach?
- [whistles] I'm gonna be the coach.
- And so his mother became the coach of this jump rope team.
- What--what--where did you--
how can you have a team without members?
- I'll join the team.
- And I used to go watch them jump all over town.
[lively dance music]
[sultry music]
* *
- What was your disposition towards jump roping?
Was it something that you really wanted to be a part of
or you just thought it was really great
that your friends were doing this?
- I love-- that's a great question.
I love being supportive.
Like, I don't like being the do-er of things.
I love being on the sidelines.
You know, for Greg, I was that kind of, like,
"Oh you're doing something amazing and something
"that's really niche that, like, you know--
that's just exciting and really cool."
And so it was just really great being
that kind of cheerleader.
Getting to just see, like, the world of jump roping.
And jump roping it-- it is like "Bring It On."
It's like, you get all these colored jump ropes,
and you get this, like, cute, spandex outfits.
And you go and you jump,
and it's professional, like, Double Dutch.
You know, it's something called the Team Show
where you have to have eight people compete,
and you all go out there,
and you're jumping these giant ropes,
and you're doing all these flips and tricks.
- Wow, this is awesome.
Hey, let's get the crowd to do the wave, huh?
- Yes! - All right.
both: Whoo!
- Whoa, that's more like a tidal wave.
- And so they were training for regionals.
So what you do is, you train all year,
and then you then go to regionals, then you--
to try and get to nationals to try
and get to the world championships.
Kelly, the co-captain, she had this move
where she would backflip into the Double Dutch ropes.
One day, during practice, she backflipped and broke her back.
- I'm good. - Oh, my gosh.
- I'm good. - And so she had to drop out.
And her dropping out, though,
means that they couldn't go to regionals.
- Right. - Because you need eight people
to compete and without Kelly, they only had seven.
And so when Kelly was injured,
everybody else was just gonna quit,
and the team was just gonna disband.
- Dynamic duo over here. Good job.
- Hey, Nathan, I, uh, I have something to ask you.
- Yeah? - Will you...
- Yes?
- Will you join the team?
- Uh, me?
You've seen me. I'm not athletic.
Plus, the cardio is, like, insane.
I get winded just watching other people dance.
- And he was like, "Well, you've watched us jump
"so many times, and you have rhythm,
"and you run cross country poorly.
So, like, you're not coming from zero."
- You can be the new Kelly. Just imagine the crowd.
[chanting] New Kelly, new Kelly.
- I don't know. - We just need another body.
For me? Please?
[heartfelt music]
* *
- This was Greg asking.
He knew that if I-- if he asked me,
that I would say yes, you know?
Because I never would say no to him.
And without Kelly, like, they had no--
they had zero powerhouses.
It was a truly, like, "Little Giants,"
"Mighty Ducks" kind of ragtag moment, you know?
And we were jelling.
There was Dave, who was, you know, maybe 4'11.
Just this, like, like, smooth, little, tiny, Latino boy.
And we had impossibly delicate girl Amanda.
She just, like, looked like the most beautiful crane, you know?
- Just like a porcelain doll of a person.
- Yes, just a porcelain doll.
Just like, one of those, like, ballerina figures.
And there was just, like, these two sisters.
They were Dave's little sisters,
but they just, like, they were only there to, like,
be injured every day.
"Oh, no, we're injured today. No, it's the ankle today."
- What was the name of the team?
- The team was...
[adventurous music]
The Mustang Ropers.
- The Mustang Ropers? - Yes.
As much as I had seen them, you know, like,
pick up these licorice ropes and do all their tricks
and everything, I had never jump roped before.
And so I was going in fully blind,
fully just in the dark, fully lights off.
- Whoa. - It was that kind of thing
where I first came in being like,
"It's jump rope, it'll be easy."
And then I was like, "Oh, no, no, no,
"I have to be a national gymnast
"and also have rhythm and also, like,
"basically be a boxer and, like, jump rope, you know?
Like, and have insane endurance."
- It's training time.
[exciting rock music]
Come on, you got it, Nathan.
Go down, go down.
Isn't this fun?
- Yeah, yeah, it's fun.
- Give me another, give me another.
One more, Nathan.
Two.
Come on, give me another.
- Are you clapping? - You'll get there.
- High knees. Let's see it. There you go.
36, 38-- - Zero, zero.
I can't do any more, Greg.
- Come on, give me one more. - Okay.
- One more. - [groans]
- All right, take a break. Take a break.
- And, I remember "American Idol" season one
was just airing, and I was just, like,
and I was watching Kelly Clarkson's journey.
I would just be in this ice bath,
and just, like, watching the screen
and just being like...
- I am Kelly.
- How do you think you've actually grown
throughout this process?
- I've grown as in getting used to,
kind of, the scheduling and stuff.
Like, it's so mad but, like, we're just now
getting used to everything, and it's so great.
- Give people an idea who are watching how you feel,
where you are, where your head is in this competition.
- We're kind of tired. - I'm also tired.
I see myself in you, Kelly Clarkson.
- Kelly is me. Like... - Wow!
- I am here, and, like, we are both on our national journey,
you know.
Just, we are fully parallel right now.
- I am Kelly.
[coughs]
- All right, let's run the routine one more time.
- I'm sorry, I can't do it, Greg.
I'm sorry.
- Hey, I know it's hot.
I know you're tired,
but it's called jump rope, not chump rope.
And I know that in each and every one of you,
there's a heart beating at Double Dutch time.
I'm not gonna let you quit now.
We are the Mustang Ropers,
and we're gonna make it to nationals.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- All right?
- He's right, let's do it. Come on!
[hopeful music]
all: Ropers! Ropers! Ropers! Yeah!
- Did the Mustang Ropers have a reasonable shot at,
like national level competition?
- It truly felt like a shoot for the moon kind of thing.
And so we were kind like this team held together
just by threads, you know,
by the time we got to regionals.
- Okay. - Threads and a lot of heart.
- So much heart. - A lot of heart. Of course.
- Yeah, and so literally it was like
right before we went on at regionals, and Greg said...
- Okay, guys. This is it.
I want you to go out there and give it 110%.
- Do it! [all cheer]
- Ladies and gentleman, the Mustang Ropers!
- Hey, I just want to say thank you.
You know, thank you for doing this.
- And it just made my heart just, like, explode.
- Wow. - Yeah. Got it.
- Felt like a lifetime of gratitude in that one sentence.
- Yes.
- So, you know, we're jumping,
and we're all just, like, you know, like young kids.
[upbeat dance music playing]
* *
[cheers and applause]
And we put it all out there, you know,
and the top four teams go to nationals.
- And the winner
of the jump rope regional championship is...
- Now, how many teams are at the whole regional?
- I think for regionals, there was 20 or 25 teams.
- Okay.
[tense music]
- The Blue Team Dreams!
[cheers and applause]
- We got fifth. We were one place away.
all: Blue Team Dream! Blue Team Dream!
- It was this moment, I put in the work, and it happened,
and everything came together, and we did our best.
- At this point, did you-- were you a little sad
because you shared this experience with Greg,
and it wasn't gonna continue?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- Absolutely because the regionals was just a day thing.
- Yeah. - You know, you can drive there
and then come back the same day kind of thing.
And so it's like there's something
just so magical about the idea
of going to a sleepaway adventure, you know,
with your best friend
and who you think is your soul mate, you know?
- Yeah.
- And so it was just kind of like, oh, my dream's over.
- Yeah. - But...
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
Okay. Yeah, yes. We'll be there.
- One of the teams got disqualified.
Maybe it was fate that wanted me to, you know,
stay in the hotel room with Greg, you know.
- We're going to nationals! - Oh, yeah! Yeah!
- It was like someone turned on, like, that--
not even--not a light switch, but, like,
one of those, like, big, like, sci-fi, like...
[imitates electrical humming]
- Yeah. - You know, like, moments.
Like, we were-- it was electric.
Except the twins, the twins were just like--
they were like, "We did not ask for this, you know?"
- They're like, "My ankle still hurts."
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where's my brace, you know?
- They were putting their foot in the door like...
[all laughing] - Yeah!
- Yeah.
- So it's a month till nationals,
and I, like, always look back on that time of my life
as, like, the most innocent, positive time
because I was doing something that felt selfless,
and I was doing something with someone that I--
because when you have your first love,
it's kind of like,
you don't have anything to compare it to.
- Wow. - Wow, okay.
- And so it just--
it feels like everything is final, you know?
So we get to nationals. - Ooh.
- Like, it is not small potatoes,
and it was everything.
It was the anticipation of the competition of the next day.
Like, the big, big day kind of thing.
- Oh, we have arrived. [laughs]
- Got our room key, roomie.
[apprehensive music]
* *
- But, like, but that night, like, this is just our night
where, like, Greg and I get to just, like,
clear our heads and be in this hotel room alone--
- Just you two? - Just us two.
I was just like, "I think I need to, like, just, like,
tell him maybe not even how I feel," but, like,
I just felt like I needed to say something, you know?
- Yeah, cause it's all in you, and it wants to come out.
- Yeah, I was like...
- Hey, I need to tell you something.
- Good, because I need to tell you something too.
- I was just like, "This is it.
Like, is he gonna propose to me?"
- Yes!
- Like, my 14-year-old self, you know?
Like, and it just, like-- it's just, like,
and the seconds felt like an eternity.
- I am in love with someone.
- I was so happy that I could, like, feel tears,
you know, in that moment. - Yeah.
- And I was just, like, okay.
And, um, and he's just like...
- I'm in love with...
[heartfelt music]
the captain of the Heartbeats.
- I love you. What?
Our rival team?
- The number one jump rope team in America.
- Yeah.
- Like, they were the Death Star.
We are Luke Skywalker, and he was in love with Liz.
And-- - I'm feeling devastated.
I cannot imagine
what went through your soul in that moment.
- I was so crushed, and he was like...
- So listen, I need you to do me a favor.
I want to go hang out with Liz tonight.
So can you cover for me?
- It ended up just being a devastating night, you know?
- So you had said to him that "I have something to tell you."
- Mm-hmm.
- Did he ask, "What was it that you have to tell me?"
- So...
- So what did you want to talk about?
- Um.
- I don't even remember what I was gonna say,
but I think I was just something about, you know...
- Just so thankful we're friends.
- You covered. - I just covered.
And I'm so glad that we're here,
getting to jump on this national stage.
- So are you gonna help me sneak into Liz's?
- Okay. - Yes!
- So happy for you.
- Oh, gosh, and you're saying that with a broken heart.
- Yes, and so basically, like,
I covered, and when they did the rounds.
I was like, "Yeah, Greg's here. He's just in the bathroom."
- Oh, gosh. - And so, like,
I spent the night, you know, covering for him.
And what I thought was this whole night
where we're going to sit up all night
and tell each other our secrets
and just kind of, you know--
I don't even know if I was old enough
to really understand, you know, like, love
and all that comes along with that, of course.
But, like, I just knew that this was supposed to be,
like, our night where we got to spend together.
[somber music]
And right before we got on the stage for nationals,
I realized that even though I did all of this for Greg...
- Welcome to the national stage,
the Mustang Ropers!
- I was doing something where someone else--
in someone else's playground,
in someone else's house, you know?
And I finally saw, like,
"Oh, this is-- this is my house, too, now."
- I am Kelly Clarkson. This is my "American Idol."
- Did you say something? - Not now, Greg.
This isn't about you, this is about me.
I've been waiting a lifetime for a moment like this.
- You're in this stadium. - Yeah.
- The lights, the electricity of this moment...
- Yeah.
- And suddenly, you realize,
"I belong here, and I deserve to be here.
- Yeah.
- And I have what it takes to kick ass here."
- And so, like, the lights go down.
It's that moment where you can, like, see the dust
in the air, you know?
And, like, everything slows down.
- [imitates power humming] - Yeah, exactly.
They're literally spinning those ropes,
and then we jump over the middle,
and there's this moment in the routine
that's one of the most difficult passes.
It's these-- it's an iconic jump rope move
where basically the main jumper, which is Greg,
he'll go down the line and jump the rope
and jump the person at the same time.
And so it's going down the twins
and then Dave and then Julie, and I'm at the end.
I could just feel our energy in that moment, you know?
Because you have to be such a synergistic team.
- Yeah. - I could feel the rope
coming over me, and then I could feel it--
it's like you can almost--
just, like, you saw the rope moving.
I didn't feel any negativity, you know, like, in that moment.
- We're doing it. - I know.
- And then we--
that's when we know that the routine is over.
And we're standing there, and we bow, and we wave.
It was such a culmination of the entire journey.
- Yes. - Even if it was--
even though it was just one jump,
it's like my whole journey, like,
started with one jump and ended with this one jump.
- Yeah, yeah.
- And we were standing there, and they were announcing
the people who were gonna win,
you know, the competition, and of course,
the Heartbeats win first place.
Liz, of course, you know, grabs the trophy,
and we're all cheering for her,
and I'm cheering for her, you know.
We end up getting our participation trophy.
- Hey, come on, guys. This is all right.
- Yeah, this is good.
- It was almost better to lose, in a way.
- And also for you, it wasn't about winning so much.
Especially after this entire journey.
It's like this--you won for yourself in a lot of ways.
- I feel like every kid wishes that they could be
on the national stage for something, you know?
- Yes. - Of course.
- And kind of rediscovering my best friend.
- And in this process,
your affection for Greg just--
it persisted, but just took a different shape.
- I was so set on a path that I envisioned
for what Greg and I's existence would be.
The growth that I got from becoming
a nationally competitive jump roper,
I realized that it far outweighed kind of
my hopes and dreams
for what I thought that the relationship had to be.
And it was so worth in that-- in the long run,
I wouldn't trade this story for the world.
- Well, thank you so much, Nathan.
- Of course. - And I'm gonna say something.
You're not a dusty, little moth.
- No. - You are a goddamn monarch...
both: Butterfly. - Thank you.
[all laugh]
- * I don't really care where we go *
* So long as you are with me, I'm home *
* Take me to the top of the world *
- Oh, yeah, I still got it. - Yeah, you still got it.
- Yes! - Yay! All right!
[cheers and applause]
- Where y'all at? - Right here.
- Hey!
[both laughing]
- I just want to, like, scream in your face.
- It would be a little weird. It's fine, but do it.
* Wonderland's where *
* I'ma take you higher, babe *
* Wonderland is ours again, love *
* Wonderland's where *
* I'ma take you higher, babe *
* I don't really care where we go *
* So long as you are with me, I'm home *
* Take me to the top of the world *
* And I'ma take you higher, babe *
* Runin' through the sunset with me *
* We can write our own love story *
* Take me wherever you want to be *