All language subtitles for True Story s01e04 Tselane, Nathan.eng

- 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.

- 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.

- 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! 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!

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 *

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