Apr 27 2008
The QuizBus Rides!
QuizBus, originally uploaded by daveronku.
Click the image below to see the original, plus a bunch more pictures, on Flickr.
Well, it’s not riding quite yet. But here’s the biggest prop we’ve ever had — our very own short bus!
This bus will be the star of our latest educational TV project. It’s a series of programs called QuizBus: Dealing With Data, the subject being statistics, the audience middle school kids, and the premise a game show in a school bus, a la “Cash Cab.”
Besides the incredibly cool paint job, there’s a lot more customization here. On the exterior there’s a hood scoop, four fog lamps, chrome wheel covers, and flashing multi-color neon underneath. The ugly black mirrors have been replaced with cool chrome ones. Now we just need to apply the logo to several places.
On the inside, there’s new carpeting and headliner, a six-speaker 750W sound system, flashing chaser lights, custom bench seats, three nine inch LCDs and one 42″ plasma screen. The driver and host seats are racing seats. The side windows all have limo tint in them, and the driver’s side and door windows have a 35% tint.
Andy, the genius who’s worked his ass off for this project (logging over 400 hours so far) has a little more work to do. We plan on shooting the program in late May. Can’t wait to see the bus completed!
Oh that’s really cool! Great work by Andy the genius. I bet when you’re all done with the show you could sell this to someone for a profit!
Are you going to be having kids play the game? Will the bus actually be moving during the game like cashcab or is that an insurance nightmare?
No, we’re having ‘teachers’ - actors - playing the game. Kids are too difficult to work with.
The bus will be sitting still during taping. But it’s not about the insurance. We need too much power to run all the video equipment, and we can’t afford the kind of stuff they have inside the Cash Cab.
Taping will be done over three days around the end of May. it’s going to get damned hot in the bus with all that gear and nine bodies inside (four contestants, quizmaster, driver, two cameramen, and audio person). We’re going to look into renting a portable a/c unit to pump in cold air in between takes.
Try opening the windows. Maybe with a big fan outside.
Looks cool, maybe you can do quizzes about the constitution. You probably have some leftover material from that program!
Hydraulic shocks. Definitely. And spinning rims. Can you make traffic behind you stop? That would be handy for pub crawls.
I know you will be wearing your helmet. Do send pics of you in the back wearing a helmet.
Put in a mirrored ball and a pole, and that has Cleveland weekend written all over it.
Wish we could open the windows, but that’d screw the lighting all up. And it’d be more fun to do some Constitution stuff, but the State insists we do this show on statistics. What better way to spice up the subject than customizing a short bus?
As for the full Cleveland party bus experience, well…
Bring it to the reunion. Great hotel shuttle. Put in a kegerator for Jim K and his magic libation, and we just might have us a weekend.
The first statistical question could be: How many can people fit on the QuizBus at once?
That’d be a blast, but at 6 MPG, it’d cost us around $400 for gas.
Jeez, that thing gets the same mileage as the space shuttle, with hopefully less crap falling off of it. $400 for gas? I’m thinking $550 by July. Good thing it’s downhill from Cleveland to here.
(and if congress suspends the gas tax for the summer, I’m never voting for anyone. ever. again. it. wont do. anything.)
It’ll do as much good as the ‘rebate check’ we’re all going to get.
Forgot about that. Make it 2 kegs for the bus, and a 50″ plasma! Hey, what can I say, I’m a patriot.
Hey, you can put a bathroom in there! (You’ll have to if you put in a kegerator) Then if you can figure out how to use urine for internal combustion, you’re set.
Um, hello….why waste precious stimulus money on a restroom when the windows open? Oh — I forgot. The ladies. Better put in the restroom, or we’ll be stopping every 8 minutes.
That thing looks like a transformer in disguise. Bumblebus. Optibus Prime.
Isn’t that the point? Transformers, robots in disguise….
That’s one cool school bus! The boys thought it was neat. They love decking out the cars in a game on the game cube. They said when they get to a high enough level they will be able to modify a fire truck. I’ve got to see that! LOL!