JACKSON BERKLEY

Barstool’s Most Dangerous Gameshow is a challenge/competition web series that combines elements of shows like Fear Factor, American Ninja Warrior, and The Real World. Season 2 was constructed and filmed on a large summer camp in Estes Park, CO. Scott Sicari, who designs sets for much of Barstool Sports’ online content, flew me out with the rest of his shop team to work on the build and assist with on-set dressing and maintenance.

We worked alongside a dedicated challenge course team; many of the elements we built were parts of obstacle courses or used by contestants in some way during the challenges. We had a team of about 10 carpenters and scenics to divide and conquer the long punch list; while most of work was collaborative, I was tasked with a couple of significant solo builds. One of my early tasks was “fabbing out” over 20 4’x8′ frames that were eventually painted green and wrapped in camo as part of a challenge’s set dressing. I also independently built a large practical staircase that contestants would use to step up into a large pool of live snakes. In a pinch, I volunteered my Photoshop skills to make a grotesque period portrait of the host, Rone, that would be featured as a key prop during the deliberation/voting scenes (the pen they used to vote with was a Sharpie epoxied into a whittled branch that I fabricated).

This was an extremely fun and satisfying travel gig in a gorgeous part of the country with a great team. Everyone gave their “A” game, and the whole experience felt like a beautiful vacation, punctuated by moments of hard work and weird mountain weather.

Memorable moments included: watching a grown man get tricked into thinking he was wading through a pool of snakes; eating summer camp food in a beautiful wooden lodge; a raucous after-party at The Stanley Hotel; sheltering from several spurts of golf ball-sized hail; living alongside an incredibly comfortable and ubiquitous elk population; deepening friendships with a very talented group of professionals.