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(narrator) NEXT ON “XTREME WATERPARKS,”
THE AUSTRIAN PLAYGROUND THAT HELPS U.S. SOLDIERS
BLOW OFF STEAM AFTER AFGHANISTAN...
(screaming)
(man) THAT IS AWESOME. (laughs)
A ONE-OF-A-KIND RIDE THAT SWALLOWS YOU LIKE A SNAKE...
YOU'RE IN THE DARK PRETTY MUCH THE WHOLE TIME.
THE DISAPPEARING FLOOR THAT CHANGED WATERSLIDES FOREVER...
(screaming)
AND THIS IS NOT YOUR MAMA'S FLUME.
THAT PART RIGHT THERE GETS YOU SOAKING WET.
YOU GET DRENCHED.
NO!
YEAH!
♪♪
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
Captioned by Closed Captioning Services, Inc.
OUR FIRST STOP TAKES US
TO THE BASE OF THE AUSTRIAN ALPS,
AN AREA KNOWN FOR JAW-DROPPING BEAUTY,
THE WINTER OLYMPICS,
AND A SUMMER WATER PARK THAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED
AS BALLS-OUT EXTREME.
(screaming)
WELL, IT'S JUST LOTS AND LOTS OF CRAZY STUFF.
NOTHING LIKE THIS EXISTS.
WE'RE IN WESTERN AUSTRIA, 30 MINUTES FROM INNSBRUCK
ON A FRESHWATER LAKE KNOWN AS AREA 47.
IT'S LIKE TOYS FOR THE BOYS.
AND THE TOYS AT 47 ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD.
THERE ARE NINE DIFFERENT RIDES
COVERING MORE THAN 12 SQUARE MILES
AND MOST OF THEM ARE FLAT-OUT CRAZY.
♪♪
WE'LL START WITH THE CANNON BALL,
A 5-TON STEEL RIDE THAT USES 500 GALLONS OF WATER
AND 35 POUNDS OF FORCE PER INCH
TO MAKE YOUR BUTT A HUMAN PROJECTILE.
SO YOU'RE SITTING THERE,
AND THEN YOU JUST HEAR THIS CLICK.
IT JUST KICKS YOU OUT UP TO 30, 35 FEET.
AND YOU GO LIKE, "I'M SO STUPID."
JUST AS WILD IS THE FREESTYLE RAMP...
A 62-FOOT JUMP 100 FEET OFF THE GROUND
THAT HITS SPEEDS OF 40 MILES PER HOUR.
SO IT IS QUITE FAST, AND YOU JUST SEE SKY,
SKY, SKY.
GET UP TO, LIKE, 30, 40 FEET AIR AND THEN YOU JUST LAND.
YOU'RE HAPPY TO SURVIVE.
IT'S BLOODY AWESOME.
AND IT'S NOT JUST FOR SKIERS,
YOU CAN TAKE A TUBE DOWN THE FREESTYLE
AND STILL CATCH SOME SERIOUS AIR.
(screaming)
BUT THE STRANGEST THRILL AT 47
HAS TO BE THE BLOB...
(screaming)
A MASSIVE 30-FOOT VINYL TUBE
FILLED WITH JUST 2 POUNDS OF AIR PRESSURE,
JUST ENOUGH TO LAUNCH RIDERS
INTO ONE HELL OF A BELLY FLOP.
THAT LOOKS GOOD ON YOU, MAN.
DAKOTA ALLEN AND HIS BUDDIES ARE AMERICAN SOLDIERS,
WHAT'S GOING ON?
FRESH FROM AFGHANISTAN, THEY'RE READY
FOR SOME HARD-CORE RIDICULOUSNESS.
I'M TERRIFIED OF HEIGHTS.
BUT GET THIS, ONE OF THEM IS HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS
STOP BEING A LITTLE GIRL AND JUMP.
NO, YOU NEED TO JUMP.
I'M GONNA GO OUT-- I'M GONNA GO OUT AND AROUND.
YOU'RE DISGRACING YOURSELF, THE UNITED STATES ARMY...
AND IOWA.
HURRY UP.
PRIVATE ALLEN'S TAKING THE CRAWL OF SHAME...
HURRY UP, “AL.”
I'VE SEEN WOMEN DO THIS FASTER THAN YOU.
IT'S AN INTERESTING CHOICE,
CONSIDERING SOON HE'LL BE AIRBORNE.
IT'S NOT ABOUT HOW FAR YOU GO, IT'S ABOUT HOW HIGH YOU GO.
(man chuckling)
(cheering)
(chuckles) THAT WAS AWESOME.
(man) HEY, ALLEN, DUDE, YOU DID AWESOME, MAN.
DUDE, IT WAS, LIKE, S-SHELL SHOCK WHEN I HIT.
HE CAN ALWAYS REDEEM HIMSELF ON THE NEXT RIDE.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S THIS--
THE FREEFALL TOWER...
90 FEET OF PURE ADRENALINE.
WE WANTED TO HAVE THE FASTEST AND STEEPEST WATERSLIDE
IN EUROPE.
AT THE VERY TOP IS A DIVING PLATFORM
103 FEET ABOVE WATER.
THE TOWER HAS FIVE BODY SLIDES,
75 TONS OF STAINLESS STEEL
FOR THE FASTEST RIDE POSSIBLE.
BUT ONLY ONE OF THEM HAS A NEAR-VERTICAL DROP
OF 100 FEET,
HITTING 50 MILES AN HOUR IN JUST 1 SECOND.
EVERY TIME I GO UP THERE, I'M THINKING, MAN, IT'S STEEP.
THAT'S SO BLOODY STEEP.
IF THIS WASN'T ON TV, I'D BE DROPPING
DUDE, IT'S NOT TOO BAD.
YOU REALLY FEEL ON THE FIRST FEW FEET THAT YOU DON'T
TOUCH THE SLIDE, YOU GO, LIKE... (inhales sharply)
THAT'S WHY WE BUILT IT.
(men laughing)
BECAUSE IT'S 70 DEGREES, YOU HAVE UP TO 3.5 G-FORCE,
SO IT'S QUITE INTENSE.
THINK ABOUT IT-- 90 DEGREES IS STRAIGHT DOWN,
SO 70 IS INSANITY.
TIME TO MAKE MAMA PROUD!
(man) LOOK OUT, IOWA!
WHOO! (screaming)
♪♪
WHOO-HOO!
THE DROP WAS SO FAST.
YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO THINK.
IT WAS REAL FUN.
I'D DO IT AGAIN, AND I'M TERRIFIED OF HEIGHTS SO--
IF THAT TELLS YOU ANYTHING.
I'M GOING.
(men) DO IT!
(man) DON'T BE SCARED.
WHOO-HOO!
♪♪
(laughing)
AS SOON AS I WENT, IT'S STRAIGHT DOWN.
THEN THE WATER STARTING CRASHING OVER BEHIND ME.
I COULDN'T EVEN SEE. HUGE RUSH, I LOVED IT.
YOU GOT IT.
WHOO!
♪♪
THAT WAS CRAZY.
RIGHT WHEN I SAT DOWN, I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE.
I'M SHAKING THE WHOLE WAY DOWN,
BUT IT'S AWESOME.
ALL RIGHT, I'M THE LAST ONE. GUESS I GOTTA GO.
♪♪
WHOO!
IT WAS A LOT STEEPER, FASTER, AND SCARIER THAN I THOUGHT.
ALL THE WATER JUST RUSHING DOWN,
IT FELT LIKE I WAS GOING DOWN A WATERFALL.
NEXT...
GOT THE OKAY, YOU READY?
THE TRAPDOOR SLIDE THAT HAS RIDERS
I REALLY DON'T THINK I CAN DO THIS.
(all) GARRETT! GARRETT!
SO FAR WE'VE BEEN TO AUSTRIA AND POUNDED OUR WAY
DOWN THE COUNTRY'S MOST EXTREME SLIDE TOWER...
(screaming)
THE 90-FOOT TOWER
(screaming)
OUR NEXT STOP BRINGS US BACK TO THE STATES
TO AMERICA'S VERY FIRST WATER PARK.
IT'S 60 ACRES OF LIQUID FUN CALLED Wet ‘n Wild.
(screaming) OH, MY GOD!
(screaming)
WE'RE IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA, THE MECCA OF AMUSEMENT PARKS
AND BIRTHPLACE OF A GAME-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY
FOR WATERSLIDES--
THE TRAPDOOR.
YOU'RE ALMOST STANDING COMPLETELY UPRIGHT,
AND THEN THE FLOOR DROPS OUT BENEATH YOU.
THE ANTICIPATION IS JUST-- IT'S INCREDIBLE.
Wet ‘n Wild INVENTED THE TRAPDOOR
AND MADE IT THEIR NUMBER ONE THRILL AT THE PARK--
(woman screaming)
BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE,
(screaming)
FIVE ARE LABELED EXTREME...
(screaming)
WHICH SUCKS YOU DOWN A 53-FOOT NEAR-VERTICAL DROP.
THE BRAIN WASH IS AN INCREDIBLE RIDE,
BECAUSE IT TAKES YOU INTO A FUNNEL AND THEN YOU HEAD
BACK DOWN AND YOU DO THIS THREE OR FOUR TIMES IN THE FUNNEL.
JUST AS FREAKY IS THE DISCO H2O...
OH, MY GOD. OH!
A TOTAL THROWBACK TO THE ‘70s.
IT'S THE LARGEST BOWL, YOU KNOW, IN THE WORLD.
UH, THERE'S MUSIC. THERE'S A DISCO BALL.
IT'S GOT ALL THESE COOL THINGS.
THEY REALLY, YOU KNOW, MAKE THE RIDE MORE THRILLING.
(screaming)
YEAH, SWEET.
IT'S SPRING BREAK IN FLORIDA,
AND THESE GUYS ARE FRATERNITY BROTHERS
LOOKING TO CONQUER THE NOTORIOUS BOMB BAY.
OH, MY GOD.
THE SLIDE STANDS 76 FEET HIGH.
THE RIDE DOWN IS SO FIERCE,
(screaming)
CHICKEN OUT AND REFUSE TO ENTER THE CAPSULE.
NOPE, NOPE, NOPE.
THEY CAN'T HANDLE THE 40-MILE-AN-HOUR DROP
READY?
I LOVE TO MESS WITH PEOPLE ON MY RIDE.
IT BUILDS UP--IT BUILDS UP WHILE THEY'RE IN THERE,
AND ONCE I PRESS THAT LAUNCH BUTTON...
YEAH!
AH! LOVE IT.
(screaming)
WITH FOUR FRAT BOYS MAKING THE CLIMB,
CHANCES ARE PRETTY GOOD SOMEBODY'S GONNA GET NERVOUS.
I REALLY DON'T WANT TO DO THIS.
I MIGHT NOT DO IT. I'M GONNA BE HONEST.
I THINK SO.
I'M PUMPED.
I'M SO PUMPED.
UP FIRST IS BROCK,
THE ONLY ONE WHO'S BEEN ON BOMB BAY BEFORE.
GOT THE OKAY. YOU READY?
(trapdoor opens)
(screaming)
♪♪
WHOO-HOO-HOO!
OH, MY GOD. THAT'S SO AWESOME.
(laughs)
(high-pitched voice) CLASSIC, LOVE IT. (claps)
YEAH, MAN.
YEAH.
(screams) YOU ALL RIGHT? I'M READY FOR YOU.
FIVE, FOUR, THREE...
(trapdoor opens)
(screaming)
♪♪
(Corey) WHOO!
(screams)
♪♪
WHOO! THAT IS SO SWEET.
THE FIRST, LIKE, SECOND AND A HALF IS, LIKE, THE WORST.
AND THEN AFTER THAT, IT'S FINE.
(man) GARRETT BETTER NOT CHICKEN OUT.
YEAH, HE'S DEFINITELY GONNA SCREAM LIKE A LITTLE GIRL
YEAH.
DON'T EVEN-- DON'T TALK TO ME.
(man) OH, OH.
(laughs)
(Corey) CROSS THOSE ANKLES.
YOU CAN DO IT.
JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES, HOLD TIGHT.
CLOSE YOUR EYES, HOLD TIGHT. YOU CAN DO IT. I KNOW YOU CAN.
(both) YEAH.
NO!
HE GOT OUT.
(all) GARRETT! GARRETT! GARRETT! GARRETT! GARRETT!
GARRETT! GARRETT! GARRETT! GARRETT!
I REALLY DON'T THINK I CAN DO THIS.
(all) GARRETT! GARRETT! GARRETT! GARRETT!
GARRETT DERDERIAN IS PANICKED AT THE TOP OF BOMB BAY,
A 76-FOOT WATERSLIDE IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA.
(man) NOBODY WANTS TO RIDE BOMB BAY.
IT'S A RIDE THE OTHER GUYS IN HIS FRATERNITY
HAVE ALREADY CONQUERED.
WHAT'S CAUSING HIS ANXIETY?
A FLOOR THAT DISAPPEARS BELOW YOU,
A DROP THAT HITS 40 MILES AN HOUR,
AND A CRAZED OPERATOR.
(Corey) YOU READY?
(Corey) FIVE, FOUR,
THREE, TWO...
WHOO!
(screaming)
(cheering)
YEAH!
THAT WAS HORRIBLE. THAT WAS HORRIBLE.
AS THEY CLOSED THE DOOR AND JUST LAUNCHED IT,
MY EYES WERE CLOSED, AND I WAS JUST HOLDING ON.
BUT I DID IT, SO WHATEVER.
FROM SUNNY ORLANDO TO THE CORNFIELDS OF INDIANA,
WHERE THERE'S A FLUME LIKE NO OTHER ON EARTH.
(screaming)
IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF AN ALIEN MOVIE.
THIS MONSTER RIDE DROPS A 1-TON BOAT
THERE IT IS. IT SPLASHED YOU.
GOTTA GET READY. WHOO! WHOO! WHOO!
IT'S THE WORLD'S TALLEST WATER RIDE.
WE'RE THREE HOURS SOUTH OF INDIANAPOLIS
IN THE TOWN OF SANTA CLAUS,
WHERE IT'S CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
MORE THAN A MILLION PEOPLE COME HERE EACH YEAR
TO CELEBRATE THE BIG GUY
AND GET THEIR RUSH ON AT HOLIDAY WORLD.
IT'S TWO PARKS SIDE BY SIDE.
50 DIFFERENT RIDES,
AND NEARLY HALF HAVE YOU SCREAMING ON WATER,
LIKE THE MAMMOTH, THE WORLD'S LONGEST WATER COASTER.
THE RIDE IS OVER A THIRD OF A MILE LONG.
UM, THE LARGEST DROP IS ABOUT 40 FEET.
WHEN THEY ENTER THE BOTTOM OF THIS HILL, THEY'RE GONNA
BE GOING OVER 40 FEET A SECOND, SO IT'S REALLY COOKING.
AND RIGHT NEXT TO THE LONGEST WATER COASTER IN THE WORLD
IS THE SECOND LONGEST ON THE PLANET.
(screaming)
THE WILDEBEEST IS ABOUT 1,800 FEET LONG.
IT'S A FAST RIDE.
WE'RE TALKING 45 FEET A SECOND AT ITS FASTEST.
IT'S, UH, REALLY INCREDIBLE.
YES!
MADELINE'S A PRINCESS FOR THE INDY 500,
A GIRL WHO KNOWS ALL ABOUT SPEED.
SO SHE AND HER FRIENDS HAVE COME TO HOLIDAY WORLD
TO TAKE ON THE PLUNGE.
PILGRIMS PLUNGE
STRETCHES 165 FEET OVER THE PARK,
HIGHER THAN ANY WATER RIDE IN THE WORLD.
(screaming)
THE DROP IS 131 FEET,
SO IT'S LIKE FREE-FALLING FROM THE SISTINE CHAPEL.
THERE'S NO TURNING BACK ONCE YOU'RE IN THE RIDE.
YOU CAN'T--YOU GOTTA COME DOWN. THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY DOWN.
TOO LATE. RIDER REGRET? NOPE. YOU'RE GOING OVER THE HILL.
IT'S SO HIGH. OH, MY GOSH.
AND GETTING TO THE TOP IS AS CRAZY AS THE DROP.
IT TAKES 20 SECONDS TO GO UP ALMOST 14 STORIES.
IT'S A FAST ELEVATOR.
AND IT ARRIVED IN 4 GIANT, 40-FOOT PIECES
WITH INSTRUCTIONS NOT IN ENGLISH.
NOW THIS RIDE PRESENTED A HUGE CHALLENGE,
BECAUSE IT'S, UH, SWISS DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED.
SO THE SWISS SENT US THESE WONDERFUL PIECES
THAT WE HAVE TO ASSEMBLE ON-SITE HERE IN SANTA CLAUS, INDIANA.
YOU SEE HOW HIGH THAT IS?
OH, MY GOSH! OH, MY GOSH!
I'M TERRIFIED, OKAY?
ON THAT ELEVATOR RIDE, YOU'RE LIKE, “OOH.”
WHERE THE BOATS HAVE TO PASS, THERE'S A LITTLE TWIST IN THERE.
(screaming)
IT KIND OF TIPS YOU A LITTLE BIT,
(Madeline) IT'S, LIKE, SHAKING, YEAH.
THEN IT--ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU'RE 13 STORIES UP
AND ABOUT TO DROP, AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO.
AND IT CLINKS, AND YOU'RE LIKE, OH!
WHOO-HOO!
(screaming)
♪♪
YOU END UP SHOOTING DOWN,
AND THE WATER'S HITTING YOU IN THE FACE,
IT'S A 45-DEGREE ANGLE,
AND THAT 10-PERSON BOAT IS HITTING 50 MILES AN HOUR.
MY STOMACH WAS IN MY THROAT THE WHOLE TIME.
I WAS HANGING ON TO EVERYTHING I COULD. MY LEGS WERE SHAKING.
YOU GET THAT FEELING ON A ROLLER COASTER,
BUT YOU DON'T EXPECT IT ON A WATER RIDE.
(screaming)
THAT PART RIGHT THERE GETS YOU SOAKING WET.
YOU GET DRENCHED.
YOU'RE SOAKED IN A 20-FOOT WALL OF WATER AND READY FOR MORE.
SUPER FAST! BEST RIDE EVER!
(screaming)
(woman screaming)
IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FEELING.
FROM ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST INSANE WATER PARKS...
(screaming)
A PLACE THAT'S 100% TESTOSTERONE...
(screaming) OH, MY GOD!
TO THE FIRST-EVER RIDE THAT DROPS YOU LIKE A BAD HABIT,
WE'RE SCREAMING OUR WAY
THROUGH THE PLANET'S MOST EXTREME PARKS.
OUR FINAL STOP TAKES US TO ARIZONA
AND WHAT'S CALLED “THE VALLEY OF THE SUN.”
THE 100-PLUS TEMPS LEAVE YOU GASPING FOR AIR,
JUST LIKE OUR PARK.
(screaming)
WE'RE IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA,
NOT FAR FROM THE DESERT CITY OF PHOENIX.
Wet ‘n' Wild IS THE STATE'S LARGEST PARK--
35 ACRES WITH MORE THAN 30 DIFFERENT RIDES,
AND TWO ARE THE ULTIMATE IN EXTREME.
THE CONSTRICTOR IS THE FIRST ONE
OF ITS KIND IN THE ENTIRE WORLD...
‘CAUSE IT SQUEEZES YOU DOWN,
AND IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE BEING SWALLOWED BY A SNAKE.
IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FEELING.
MAXIMUM VELOCITY IS THE OTHER BIG BRAG
AT Wet ‘n' Wild.
IT'S THE ONLY DUELING WATER COASTER ON THE PLANET--
THINK SIDE-BY-SIDE 830-FOOT DRAG STRIPS.
(screaming)
YOU'RE POWERED BY A-A HUGE RUSH OF WATER.
(screaming)
YOU CAN'T BELIEVE THE FORCE AND THE AMOUNT OF WATER
THAT COMES FLYING AGAINST YOUR BACK.
(screaming)
IT TAKES 250 GALLONS OF WATER PER MINUTE
TO RACE RIDERS THROUGH EIGHT HIGH-SPEED DROPS.
ERIN BEAT ME, AND I'M SO PISSED!
I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA WIN.
IT WAS DEFINITELY THE BEST RIDE.
YEAH.
ERIN AND SABRINA ARE STUDENTS AT ARIZONA STATE
AND THEY'RE KICKING OFF THE SUMMER
WITH A LITTLE SPLASH AND SCREAM TIME.
(screaming)
♪♪
THE DROP IS CRAZY.
TRIED TO BRACE OURSELVES AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
EVERY TIME IT'S, LIKE, HERE-- IT'S LIKE... (gasping)
THE GIRLS HAVE YET TO RIDE THE SINGLE MOST UNNERVING RIDE
IN THE PARK-- THE CONSTRICTOR.
478 FEET OF COILED FIBERGLASS
THAT STARTS FIVE STORIES UP
AT A SPEED OF 26 FEET PER SECOND.
I THOUGHT THE LAST ONE WAS SCARY,
OH, NO. I CAN'T HAVE THAT FEELING AGAIN.
THIS IS NOT A RIDE FOR THE CLAUSTROPHOBIC.
IT LITERALLY CLOSES IN ON YOU AT 4 1/2 FEET
AND WIDENS TO 7 FEET 3 SEPARATE TIMES
AS YOU ENTER THREE DIFFERENT CORKSCREWS.
(both) OKAY.
AAH! (laughs)
(screaming)
(screams)
(Sabrina) YEAH.
THE WHOLE TIME. THERE'S, LIKE, LITTLE, LIKE,
THINGS OF LIGHT JUST, LIKE, THAT SHOW THROUGH.
BECAUSE THE TURNS ARE 7-FOOT WIDE SECTIONS,
IT ALLOWS YOU TO TRACK HIGHER ON THE WALL
AND STAY ON THE WALL ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TURN.
(screaming)
DROP DOWN AND THEN YOU'RE IN THE SMALL CORNER AGAIN,
AND THEN YOU'RE FINALLY OUT OF THE RIDE.
(screaming) OH, MY GOD!
THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
THIS ONE MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE.
THIS ONE--I THOUGHT THIS ONE WAS MOST FUN.
(screaming)
THERE'S NO DENYING OUR OBSESSION WITH WATER PARKS.
NORTH AMERICA HAS MORE THAN A THOUSAND PARKS,
MORE THAN 79 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR,
(screaming)