PKI Jizzman Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=50774&src=3 Imagine 130,000 mealworms slithering, sliming, twisting and twirling in your hair, down your neck and along every inch of exposed skin. You'll have the chance to see what it's like Saturday at Six Flags Great America, which kicks off its annual Fright Fest this weekend. To add a little more horror to the Gurnee theme park during Halloween season, officials will award a family pack of 2008 season tickets to the one person each weekend who can lie for one minute in a clear coffin filled with squirming mealworms. The prize is worth about $300. Brooke Gabbert, public relations manager for Great America, said the idea was the brainchild of park employees. It is designed to up the ante after the 2006 Fright Fest stunt, where people were asked to eat extremely large Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Fans of that contest shouldn't worry -- the roaches are back, too. But it's the mealworms that will take center stage. "It's really disgusting," Gabbert said. "Originally, we were only asking people to lie down in 10,000 worms. But it wasn't deep enough, so we ordered about 120,000 more." She said the lucky contestant will climb into the plastic coffin and get comfortable. Then park officials will dump the worms in the coffin, starting from the head and working down to the feet. People will wear ear plugs and goggles to keep the worms out of unwanted places. However, she added, the contestants' mouths will not be covered, so screaming is not recommended. "The worms aren't big, but they squirm and crawl around a lot," she said. "They're disgusting." She said the worms will be reused throughout the month and will be stored in a habitat created by the park in between contests. For cockroach fans, the giant hissing roaches are back, along with a bunch of new edible items for the Wheel of Fright. During the program every Friday at 7 p.m. at Hometown Square, select audience members will spin the wheel and eat whatever critter pops up. The cockroaches are on the wheel, along with night crawlers, crickets, wax worms, hot peppers and "Rocky Mountain oysters," better known as bull testicles. "Those things are just mammoth, like the size of a steak," she said. "It's a delicacy in some places, but it's really repulsive in others." People who compete and win will be given passes allowing them to move to the front of the line on one or two rides, Gabbert said. "The staff here will determine whether the people can go to the front of one or two rides," she said. "It all depends on how hard the task is to complete." The theme park also opens a new haunted house called Studio 13: Where Film Comes to Fright. It features scenes from 13 famous horror movies, such as "The Exorcist," "Friday the 13th" and "Saw." For children, the Character Candy Trail is planned, where Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Tweety Bird will pass out candy to children trick-or-treat style. "We wanted to give more to everyone this year during Fright Fest," Gabbert said. "We have more for children, for adults, and for the people who just want to see disgusting things." Fright Fest What: Six Flags Great America Fright Fest Where: Grand Avenue in Gurnee When: Fright Fest opens Saturday and runs on weekends in October. Hours are 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. Cost: Admission is $54.99 at the gate, but passes can be picked up at www.sixflags.com for less, depending on the weekend. Children under 54 inches tall are $34.99. Special events: On Saturday at 7 p.m., then every Friday at 7 p.m., the Coffin of Fear and Wheel of Fright contests will take place at Hometown Square. Also, make sure you check out the new haunted house, Studio 13: Where Film Comes to Fright. There's also the Mausoleum of Terror Haunted House, the Dead Man's Party show and The Haunted Castle pictorium. Special Costs: Haunted houses are $5 before 5 p.m., and $8 after 5 p.m. A pass to both after 5 p.m. is $12. What is a mealworm? Before you climb into that coffin, you might want to know what's climbing in there with you. -- The 130,000 bugs in the Six Flags coffin actually are mealworm larvae. The mealworm is not a worm at all; it's the spawn of the darkling beetle. -- The larvae's only job is to eat and grow into a beetle, shedding its skin as it outgrows it. It takes about three months for the larvae to become a pupa. Then it cocoons like a caterpillar, and after about two weeks it turns into the beetle. --The worms are golden yellow and have 13 segments -- a head, three thoratic segments, and nine abdominal segments. They pull themselves around on six stubby legs. -- The mealworms eat grass, grain and corn meal. Source: www.lawrencehallofscience.org Bugs: Whatever you do, don't scream in there Wow, that's GROSS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbilly Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 wow what a disgusting thing, but it'll definitely bring in the crowds, it's cool how parks individually are upping how they run things. Should be a big hit, even though I wouldn't eat any of those bugs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singemfrc Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I don't see how mealworms is upping the ante..personally I think eating the cockroaches would be worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 Yeah, for a minute with the worms? For a 2008 season pass?! That's pretty good. I might do it if I was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceDragon Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I don't see how mealworms is upping the ante..personally I think eating the cockroaches would be worse. Yeah, the worms are easy as pie... Oh no, I get dirty for a minute with worms but I get a family ticket if I can lay still for 60 seconds... Ooooh scary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S. Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Mealworms are dry and have a fairly rigid skin and are not at all disgusting (although I don't know what they look/feel like if they get smashed). It sounds like a good way to get season passes, I wish I lived closer to Six Flags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierced_b0i Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 The mealworm coffin sounds easy, but if they get agitated they tend to curl up and clamp onto your skin, which can be pretty annoying. Mostly a pinching feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 But they could also crawl up your nose or down your pants! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loco Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I don't know if I could do it. Worms are gross and creepy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natatomic Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Shoot, I don't think I could do it. I have a mild phobia of worms (yeah, I don't know what that's about either). I'd probably have to take a sedative first. Hmmm...there's an idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Neverm ind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vekoma Fan Boy Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I'd do it. It is EATING them I cannot do. A minute with worms? Its like being 4 years old all over again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccron10 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I wonder if PETA might get involved somehow. lol. I doesn't really seem that scary, but if someone was afraid of worms, then they'd be scared out of their minds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odene497 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 It's not like its regular soft squishy worms. It's mealworms. Judging by what I've seen on Fear Factor with mealworms, it's quite painful to have them all over your body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesdillaman Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I think these stunts are a sign of a chain desperate to hype up tired season pass sales, not to mention halloween events that just aren't up to par with other park's. -James Dillaman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I don't think season pass sales are a problem for six flags. If you go to a six flags park 3 times in a season, it is paid for. I think more people would buy six flags season pass than a cf sp if they don't live close enough to a cf park or in ohio. I know a cf sp for me is silly because the closest cf park is 2 hours (kings island) and 5 hours (cp). While I have 3 six flags parks within 3 hours of where I live (st. louis, kk, and great america). Also, if I remember right, Six flags sold quite a few sp's this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I don't think season pass sales are a problem for six flags. If you go to a six flags park 3 times in a season, it is paid for. I think more people would buy six flags season pass than a cf sp if they don't live close enough to a cf park or in ohio. I know a cf sp for me is silly because the closest cf park is 2 hours (kings island) and 5 hours (cp). While I have 3 six flags parks within 3 hours of where I live (st. louis, kk, and great america). Also, if I remember right, Six flags sold quite a few sp's this year. Six Flags passes are an amazing deal if you buy them at the right park and time. I think ours were $60 each this year with no extra charge to hit all their parks. You can't beat that price. Some parks charge more than that for a single day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I know right now, 55 dollars gets you a six flags sp for 08. Plus since I am already a sp parking, that is only a extra 25. 80 dollars for a season pass with parking. I looked at a maxx pass earlier this year and the cheapest one was 125. With only two visits to CP and a KI trip planned next year, it still isn't worth it. I used to be a Six Flags sucks kinda person, but then I visited SFSTL and that park won me over. I have only been to one other park (SFKK) and HW is my favorite park by St. Louis is a close second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesdillaman Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I have nothing against six flags, and I think their passes are a much better deal than CF's season passes ($140?!?!?) I was just saying I think silly hype things such as this are secondary and if they provided a better guest experience in their parks, they wouldn't have to be hyping up getting free season passes like this. That was my point. -James Dillaman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okinawaboy11 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Ha! Easy. I spend more time processing and purchasing my season pass than that. Piece of cake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STR8FXXXINEDGE Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 This sounds like an easy way to get a Season Pass to me. I'm going to be there Saturday. Could I be the lucky person? This will be my first time to the park. Any tips for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobtallicA Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I would do it. 1 min w/worms> spending 90$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterNut17 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I'm also going to be there on Saturday, but I don't know if I could get a chance to do it. I would do it, but the odds of getting chosen out of all those people are slim to none. How do they choose who gets to do it, by the way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFGAFan4 Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 ^Last year for the cockroaches, whoever raised their hand to do it, they picked a random person out of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterNut17 Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 Hmmmmm. I guess I might actually have a chance then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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