The next stop on the Heroes of Cosplay
convention tour is MegaCon in Orlando, Florida.
MegaCon is one of the biggest comic conventions
in the southeast,
with an attendance of over 50,000 people last year
and is an important stop on the convention circuit.
In Los Angeles,
Yaya Han is working on expanding her global brand
by creating an action figure
before she has to head off to Denmark
as a cosplay guest and judge.
Let me make sure you're aligned.
Cosplay has changed immensely over the years.
It has evolved from being a subculture
into a global phenomenon.
I really care about your face being you
from beginning to end.
I want to do something no one has ever done before,
and really take my brand to the next level.
Okay, so right now,
I'm watching on a monitor in the background.
So I've contacted Dan Platt,
who is an amazing character modeler
who worked on Tron, Batman, and he also made Tupac hologram.
He is the right person to create the digital version of me.
So the green feedback is showing you
that we're actually receiving all of her volume.
- Check it out back there. - Oh, my gosh!
Oh, my God!
I'm a video game character, Brian!
I will be the first cosplayer in the world
to have a high-end, premium format,
collectible figure of their own original costumes.
We're gonna Hollywood-ize you
just a little bit.
Yes, make my legs longer. [Laughing]
Done!
I've always wanted to be taller.
So this is surprise. Go!
Stop.
I look very scandalized.
Across town,
Holly and Jessica are waiting for Chloe to arrive
to fill them in on their experience
competing for the first time in Emerald City.
- Hello! - Hey, how's it going?
Chloe, sit down. I wanna know everything.
- Like, what happened? - Oh, my gosh!
- It was insane. - Did you have fun?
I did. I had a lot of fun.
But it was more stressful than I expected.
- Really? - Yeah.
I mean, it was weird competing by myself.
I don't know. It's a little bit nerve-racking.
I cannot imagine that.
You've never competed by yourself?
No, we compete together.
Like, we're always the little twins in The Shining.
- We're a pair. - That's adorable.
Go Team Venture.
Go team Holly and Jessica. Just like that.
Holly and I have known each other
since we were 13 years old,
being the dorky choir kids.
And we ended up going to the Ren Fair together a lot,
which kind of, sort of skyrocketed our idea
into making costumes together.
Would guys ever compete apart, like, separately?
- I don't know. - Yeah, I don't know.
I mean, if I can do it, you guys can do it.
I mean, I--
We were trying to figure out our next costume,
and Holly wanted to do Galaxy Quest
- and I wanted to do Tank Girl. - [Gasps]
And we couldn't figure out who was gonna back down.
If you wanna compete against me--
I don't wanna compete against you.
Oh, [Bleep].
If you wanna do it for real,
then tell me right now and we'll do it, I'm serious.
She's throwing down the gauntlet.
I'm throwing down the gauntlet.
Throwing down my DS.
Will you compete against me...
Young Padawan?
Yes. A thousand times, yes.
[Laughing]
I'm a technically recovering hyper-competitive person.
So whether or not this turns into a horrible battle royale
or like Kirk versus Spock,
I don't know what's gonna happen.
We're gonna compete. It's gonna be for real.
[Gasps]
We're both really competitive,
and we both have self-esteem problems.
This will be a turning point in my life--
am I the sidekick that I've always thought that I am,
or am I capable in my own right
and I just have crazy insecurities
and should see a therapist?
- Is this gonna happen? - Yeah, let's do this.
- You have to pinkie promise. - Okay.
- All right, ready? - Pinkies up.
We've sealed the deal.
Downtown, Becky has chosen an aspirational costume,
but with very little time to execute.
She's enlisted the help of Victoria,
who she hopes will be able to share
some valuable information from Emerald City ComiCon.
So the next competition coming up is MegaCon in Orlando,
which is a convention I've always wanted to go to.
Well, I figured that Taffyta from Wreck-It Ralph
would be the perfect thing to put together for MegaCon.
It's something new,
something I've never done before,
and I've got some awesome ideas
that might just put me to the top this time.
She's not, like, this, like, white skin color.
- Yeah. - She's orange skin color.
She's, like, bleach blonde.
She's the typical valley girl, California girl.
Mm-hmm.
The character of Taffyta Muttonfudge
is one of my favorite characters
because as soon as I saw her,
I saw she was driving a pink candy car,
she had a pink helmet on.
It looked like strawberry.
She had blonde hair, fake tan, blue eyes.
I'm like, oh, she's a California girl
in a candy car.
Automatically my kinda girl.
I'm trying to get a specific look for my skin.
It's actually kind of an orangy, tan color.
- Mm-hmm. - It's almost like a fake tan.
Okay.
With a regular sponge.
Hmm. Yes, I like that.
Now that I found the perfect color,
I really wanna find out from Victoria
how Emerald City went.
Anyway, how was ECCC?
- ECC-- - E--
- ECCCC? - ECC.
- Yeah, the Emerald City one. - Yeah.
Um, it was both awesome and not awesome.
- Really? - Yeah.
Um, the results, like, really sucked.
Really?
And I don't wanna be, like, a sore loser.
The guy who won, that was like--
and his thing was just foam armor and lights.
His entire outfit was just, like, bigger, you know,
and more impressive.
I'm finding out more and more
that something big and flashy and...
Boom-tastic is exactly what I need in order to place.
After talking to Victoria,
I realized the Taffyta costume on its own, while cute,
is actually relatively simple.
And without this car,
Taffyta really isn't a competition-worthy costume.
- And it's needs to be big. - Yeah.
For the car,
I'm definitely gonna have to have Lance help me with this.
And that's something
we're definitely gonna have to figure out how to do.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
You too.
After her loss in Emerald City,
Riki is starting to work on a new costume
based on The Rocketeer
to show off her skills as a fabricator.
- Knock knock! - Hey.
- Hey, girl! - What's up?
What are you doing here?
I'm meeting up with Riki
before Riki competes in MegaCon
and before I head off to Denmark.
- I know you're going to MegaCon. - My first time.
I'm pretty excited.
For the next competition coming up in Orlando,
I want to revisit The Rocketeer.
I've always been a fan of the Dave Stevens comic.
And Darwyn Cooke did a story about Bettie Page
putting on Cliff Secord,
the Rocketeer's jacket and jetpack.
And I thought I could do a really good job
at doing Bettie Page as the Rocketeer.
You're gonna make the backpack light up?
- Yes. - [Gasps] Sweet.
You know, 'cause I hear lighting up wins you awards.
I didn't place at Emerald City,
but I would be surprised if I don't place
with the Rocketeer.
It's got props, and I don't wear any pants with it.
So it's got some sex appeal.
I think it's awesome. I hope you win.
- I hope so. - I really do.
Best of luck! I hope you sell a lot.
- Take care! - Bye!
In Los Angeles, Becky and Lance
are discussing plans for the life-size prop car
to go with her Taffyta costume
in hopes of taking home best in show at MegaCon.
I think my biggest concern is gonna be the shape of it.
How are we gonna build this with the rounded parts
and also have it light enough?
The first thing that pops to my mind
is we want to make a car.
Are you nuts? [Laughing]
If I could do this in the real world
without having to worry about getting it there
and it breaking, I would do it.
I would cast it.
In past conventions that I've been to,
the people who win the big prizes
are the people who have something big,
something flashy for the judges.
And without something like a car,
I have no chance.
I got a couple little ideas as far as how to build it.
But I mean--
I am most definitely going to need help with the car.
With less than a week to MegaCon,
Riki is working on her Rocketeer jacket
while her husband Chris helps de-mold
her all-important rocket pack.
Hey. We have a problem.
- There's a screw-up. - What?
Any defect in the rocket pack will be seen by the judges
when Riki wears it onstage
and could hurt her credibility as a master fabricator.
When I de-molded,
you put the cut seam on the beauty part.
I put the cut seam on what I thought
was the back of the mold.
When you do a mold,
you need to have a cut seam to get the piece out of the mold.
If it's in the back, no worries.
It's against my back. You're not gonna see it.
The problem was it was in the front of the rocket pack.
Why did you-- Why didn't you mark it?
Because the mold was faced out this way,
and you did the first couple coats.
When I came in,
it looked all the same all the way around.
Regardless, it's gonna be a pain in the ass...
- I know, but... - To clean up.
That's not-- I'm sorry.
But I know I didn't mess up.
I would never do that on purpose.
This sucks.
Coming up...
This piece just need to be shorter
so it's in closer.
The is going to be the biggest prop
that I have ever worked on.
This thing isn't even working.
I have had no sleep for two days.
It's just totally [Bleep].
I'm sorry that I'm not you.
Oh, my God, this is so ridiculous.
This is one of those things that could break us apart,
and we'll never make costumes together again.
I just pray that nothing is damaged.
I have no idea what's gonna happen
when I open this box.
Oh, my God.
Riki and Chris have been working nonstop
on the Rocketeer costume.
But they've run into a snag with the most important piece--
the rocket pack.
When I de-molded,
you put the cut seam on the beauty part.
I know I didn't mess up.
I would never do that on purpose.
Why didn't you mark it?
Because the mold was faced out this way,
and you did the first couple coats.
When I came in,
it looked all the same all the way around.
I had it on the board,
and I faced the beauty part towards...
- Towards the outside. - To where the table is.
Yeah, how am I gonna get behind it
and put a cut seam there?
I can't [Bleep] up.
I wanna be taken seriously in cosplay.
I wanna be known for my craftsmanship.
I wanna be known for my prop making.
I'm not taking responsibility for this one.
In fact, I think you actually marked on, with a marker--
It's gonna be a pain in the ass...
- I know, but... - To clean up.
When you clean it up,
you basically need to sand it off
or dremel it off,
and then you need to fix it with a patch.
I just have, like, a ton of other stuff to do,
so I'm gonna sort of lean on him
to fix the seam on the rocket pack.
Plus, it's his fault. So he can fix it.
It sucks, 'cause it's a good mold otherwise.
Out in Los Angeles,
Holly and Jessica are just getting started
on their costumes for MegaCon,
and already they're feeling the weight of the competition.
I'm gonna let this dry a bit, and then mold it.
Even though we're competing,
we still have to share a workspace.
It's super weird.
It's gonna be really, really hard
keeping it fun, while at the same time
keeping it the fact that we're not cosplaying together.
Do you like my alien eye?
Yeah, it looks nice.
When I was a kid,
I watched a total of three movies on repeat--
Galaxy Quest, Men in Black, and Apollo 13.
And so Galaxy Quest
being something I hadn't made a costume of yet,
that's why I wanted to do it.
Don't look at this. It looks very phallic.
The character in Galaxy Quest is called Laliari.
For my costume, I have to make a body suit,
and I also have to make an alien prop
sculpted out of foam and covered in latex.
So for the alien, I need a lot of upholstery foam
because I'm gonna be carving the body out of upholstery foam.
It's my little tentacle.
And I'm also going to be sewing the tentacles
because I don't have enough time to carve them in physically.
I only have to make, like, 10 billion more.
I'll be sculpting the eyes and casting them in latex,
and then I'll just be gluing it all together
and painting it.
I listened to the Galaxy Quest theme song
all the way home in my car.
What did you do, Jessica, to get ready for your costume?
Cried.
Holly and I know each other, and we know how competitive
and emotionally to the core we take things.
So this is very much against everything we believe in
to compete against each other.
I have always wanted to do a Tank Girl costume.
She's scrappy, she's irreverent.
She doesn't give a crap about what anyone thinks about her,
and I would love to channel that more
in my everyday life.
Tank Girl was a comic long before it was a movie.
All the other cosplayers I've seen
have tried to do the bullet bra,
hiding the hair with a hat Tank Girl.
I'm gonna go bald, totally comic book Tank Girl.
So how much of your costume do you have together then?
Well, I have most of the basic costume part.
Right.
And then I'm gonna have this missile launcher.
Tank Girl's a kick-ass Australian
in the post-apocalypse wasteland.
She's gotta have some amazing prop or weapon
to showcase how badass she is.
I just need to pattern this.
- You need any help over there? - No.
Don't you worry about me.
Even though we're doing this separately,
we are actually adding more
to our portfolio for our company CrabCat.
It's double exposure for us. It's gonna be awesome.
Let's make a pact that if we ask each other's opinions,
- we give an honest opinion. - All right.
We will give each other an honest opinion...
Without sabotaging each other.
Across town,
Becky is finishing up her Taffyta costume,
while in the garage,
Lance begins work on the most important part of the costume,
the car.
I've been working on the costume,
costume is coming along great.
For the car, I'm looking at it as a challenge
because it's definitely something
I've never done before.
We have to put all of the styrofoam pieces together,
which I guess, according to Lance,
means that he is going to have to literally kind of sand down
and cut little pieces and fold them accordion-style
in order to get them into shapes and circles.
Is that gonna be a problem when it turns?
I don't think so.
So what we're gonna do is take the shell of the car,
put a buckle around my waist
so I can hold the car up around my waist,
and sort of make it part of my costume.
I'm going to Barney Rubble it.
The car is very important because the costume itself
is very simple.
And it's all about the wow factor.
You need to bring something
that just blows the judges out of the water.
This piece just needs to be shorter
so it's in closer.
It's gonna be shorter.
The car, by far, is going to be the biggest prop
that I have ever worked on.
With her rocket pack fixed,
Riki is ready to move on and add some eye-catching details
she hopes will set her apart
from the rest of the competition.
So I went to, um, the store, and I got one of these lights.
I'm wondering if you can help me put it in the jet pack.
That's a good brightness.
Yeah, but when I put it in, it's too big.
So I end up finding this flare emergency light,
and it doesn't fit up into the rocket pack.
And I'm like, [Bleep],
'cause I'm, like, pretty much leaving the next day.
Can you pull it apart?
I'm not very good at that.
That's why I wanted to know if you could help me
grind out the circle.
Yeah, all right.
Chris is gonna have to do a little kit bashing
to kinda get it into the rocket pack.
I'm crossing my fingers!
I know I gravitate towards things that light up.
It's really important that it lights up,
so I'm freaking out a little.
- Hey. - Hey.
- I got it working. - Really?
So it's in there
and I'll put some screws in place to hold it.
So it's a good find.
Yeah.
I'm actually kind of excited, the fact that it lights up.
I've never had a light-up costume,
light-up anything.
So I'm hoping that it will get me in with the judges.
You are lit up.
Well, it definitely lights up your ass.
In Los Angeles, since Jessica is competing solo
for the first time,
she has to go shopping without her cosplay partner Holly
and has decided to bring her husband Graham for support.
- Ooh, I'm so nervous! - Don't be nervous.
Okay, I'll try not.
Don't tell Holly that I'm nervous though.
I won't tell.
Jessica's pinning all of her hopes at MegaCon
on being the first bald Tank Girl cosplayer.
What if I just, like, shave my head?
No, that's okay. I like your hair long.
Okay.
The most important thing for me,
no matter what else,
is that I do a really kick-ass bald Tank Girl
because no one else has done it.
I mean, latex is what I'm used to using.
But the cool thing about vinyl is that you can just put,
like, acetone on a q-tip
and it just kind of burns it off,
which actually blends it.
If the bald cap doesn't work,
the rest of the costume is not gonna be impressive.
And if you can't do a seamless blend on the bald cap...
It's amateur hour.
You will not win a costume contest.
So is this what marriage is like?
Spend all Saturday looking at makeup,
and then at the end, I have to buy it all.
It's fun with Graham,
but it's kind of weird not being there with Holly.
Maybe I'll do something nice for you later.
I see.
I hope she misses me as much as I miss her.
Oh, it'll be good. You'll have fun.
It's the night before MegaCon begins,
and Becky and Lance are still dealing
with how to take her competition-worthy prop
and get it to the convention
to prove that she's more than just a method actress.
All right, so we've got to figure out
how to get it all back its shape that it needs to be,
put the pieces in the right location,
get the axles on there, get the wheels on there,
get that all glued together.
So the car's finished.
We just have to break it down and pack for travel.
Without this car, my costume has no chance
up against the likes of Riki or Holly or Jessica.
And I hate that something so important
has to be reassembled in a hotel room.
Saturday's gonna suck!
- Putting it together? - Yeah.
Yeah, I know.
It's the night before the competition at MegaCon
and Holly is hard at work trying finish her alien prop
for the contest.
Last piece of latex and this thing clogged it.
But even with her husband Ross by her side,
she's finding out cosplaying without Jessica
isn't easy or fun.
Don't roll over that. That's the latex.
It's drying.
I hate this stupid thing.
Doesn't ever work.
Keeps clogging.
So I have to take the whole thing apart then.
I have had no sleep for two days
and I can't believe that my gun isn't working.
I am literally ready to flip the table.
This thing isn't even working.
- I have to take it apart. - Still not working?
And it's still not working.
It's just totally [Bleep].
And Ross is, like, looking at me
like I'm having a breakdown.
I was using it last night just fine.
[Bleep].
I realize that I had just had the nozzle on too tight.
I mean, Jessica's usually the one
that tells me to just... Stop and have fun.
And since she's too busy,
now I have to have, like, repeated breakdowns because...
Ha.
Now I start becoming too hard on myself,
and it's not fun anymore.
As an artist, you're always gonna be
your own worst critic.
It makes you go crazy.
This is what happens.
Jessica and I,
we thought it was going to be just the same, but it's not.
Competing is usually stressful enough.
And now that we don't have each other
to help each other out pretty much,
it's just really, really awful.
You'd think after doing this for as long as I have,
like, the [Bleep] I would make would end up looking better.
[Laughs]
While Holly struggles in Los Angeles,
MegaCon is kicking off its first night.
And Becky has just landed...
- We gotta check the box. - Go, go, go, go.
To find out she has problems of her own.
- How are you? - Uh, I'm okay, I think.
[Both laughing]
We arrive in Orlando,
and the box that we packed the pieces in
is covered in airport security tape.
And obviously opened up,
which cannot be good.
As soon as I saw that tape on there...
Yeah.
My heart fell to the frickin' floor.
I just pray that nothing is damaged.
That's my biggest concern.
My heart is beating, like,
a million miles an hour right now.
[Laughs]
I am freaking out.
I have no idea what's gonna happen when I open this box.
Hey, a notice of baggage inspection.
No [Bleep].
We've opened up your box
and gone through all of your private stuff.
All of your dangerous styrofoam.
Oh. Good. Ha ha!
Yea, this is good news.
Side back, side back. Side front.
Hood.
We get to Orlando, I open the box,
I started doing my mental checklist.
Sides. Okay, where's those sides?
- That's the top. - Okay, there's the hood.
Where's the scoop that goes behind her head?
I'm not seeing the scoop.
[Bleep] What--
the back scoop should be there.
Um, why is that not in here?
Did you put it in here--
there's no way to put it in something else.
This car was supposed to be the prop
that would help me place here at MegaCon
and maybe even win me $1,000.
Not having all the pieces of this car
is going to ruin any chance of me winning this competition.
Oh, my God.
Riki and Chris arrive at MegaCon...
[Box bangs]
Oh! Ooh, be careful.
Chris!
And need to find out if Riki's costume
has survived the trip.
Still--
lights up.
Well, it looks like my Rocketeer costume made it in one piece.
It's always very nerve-racking
when you travel with costume parts.
Everything looks okay.
All right, good.
As long as it doesn't, like...
Break between now and the competition.
Did you bring the floor costume?
It should be in the garment bag.
When you go to a convention,
often you have multiple costumes.
The competition costume is the costume you compete in,
and the walk-around costume is the costume
you go on the floor and you get your pictures taken in.
After changing into her floor costume,
Riki decides to hit the convention with Chris.
We gotta meet-- go meet Brian, so.
Okay.
While Yaya is in Denmark at another convention,
her fiance Brian is here running her merchandise booth
at MegaCon.
Here he is.
How we doing? You look great.
Thanks!
Are you gonna do some of Yaya's prints
and stuff like that or--
no, not here.
They don't buy when she's not here to sign.
Oh, okay.
'Cause they get excited about it,
and then she's not here to do the signature.
This is Yaya's business.
If I could go to cons and make money,
that would be great.
Like, if I could find that perfect widget
that I could sell, that would be great.
But my end goal is to become a professional costume designer
to be able to work on movies, TV shows.
So I hope with costuming and competing,
that it'll help me take my costuming to the next level.
- Meow. - No. Don't.
- See, that's totally you. - Stop. Yeah.
[Laughing]
Back at the hotel,
Becky and Lance are still coming to grips
with the discovery of the missing car part.
It was in the box.
That scoop was ten hours' worth of work.
And that's gone.
And if the scoop is gone,
I don't have enough extra material
to make a new scoop.
Plus, I don't have the time.
Oh, man, this is-- aghhh!
I don't even know what to say.
Lance, calm down.
I'm upset too, but Lance needs
to just get a grip and get it together.
You got five days, and I get it.
[Sniffles]
I'm just gonna go with what I've got.
At this point, I'm looking at all the pieces of the car,
and I see absolutely no way to put this thing together
in any salvageable form.
I'm gonna put all the stuff back in the box
and just make sure everything's okay with the costume.
Okay.
Come back in if you want to.
Coming up...
- Whatever. - Oh, my God, stop it.
I would just be a huge jerk
if I didn't help Jessica
with things that she literally could not reach with her arms.
This started out as a joke,
one of those things that could break us apart.
Oh, God.
You're basically wearing a jacket on the stage.
Yeah, no pants.
This contest is better without pants.
It's the day of the costume competition at MegaCon
and the convention center is already filling
with excited con-goers eager to see the cosplay creations.
- Turn, turn, turn. - Ah! It's a door!
God, it's got a bum wheel. [Grunts]
Jessica and I are arriving the day of the competition
at MegaCon.
We have to arrive on a red-eye flight
six hours before the costume contest starts.
And this is the first time
we've ever competed against each other,
let alone competing solo.
I am frazzled.
But for Holly and Jessica
who cosplay for fun and to raise the profile of their company,
the competition has turned into a massive source of stress
and is putting their friendship and business partnership
in jeopardy.
Oh, yeah, it looks good.
Sharing a room when you're competing against each other
is obviously a bad idea.
This started out as a joke,
a fun idea to compete against each other.
And now there's a huge cloud over our head.
I feel like a Charlie Brown right now.
Your bald cap looks good.
I would just be a huge jerk
if I didn't help Jessica
with things that she literally could not reach with her arms.
All I have is that I'm bald.
And, like, probably no one'll even care.
They'll be like, oh, my God, she's a giant alien.
Oh, my God, look at that bald chick.
Whatever.
Oh, my God, stop it.
The thing about Jessica and I
is that we have very low self-esteem.
We need each other, more or less,
to say, "you can do this, you'll be all right."
Like, how are we going to help each other along
when we're competing against each other?
I'm sorry that I'm not you and not good at everything.
Oh, my God. Don't start this.
That's so ridiculous.
This is one of those things that could break us apart,
and we'll never make costumes together again.
This is not pity party of one, Jessica Merizan.
I can't believe Jessica's bringing this stuff up,
because honestly, I have to get out there
and figure out my own stuff and get my costume onstage
and make it all done.
And I just, like, can't even handle it.
I just have to get-- I just have to leave.
Good luck with that.
Having given up on her car prop the night before,
Becky has no choice but to rely on her skills as an actress
to impress the judges with her performance as Taffyta.
While I may be giving up on the car,
I am absolutely not giving up on this competition.
Like, oh, hell no, you can't tell me I can't act.
And I think that with my skill in putting skits together
and the entertaining side of me,
I think that I can make it work.
So maybe there's a chance for me after all.
Bring it, girl.
At least get me some kind of recognition.
Creme de la creme right here, baby.
[Cheers and applause]
As Chris helps her get dressed,
Riki tries to memorize everything she did
to make her costume in order to impress the judges
with her elaborate craftsmanship and fabrication skills.
- "Don't [Bleep] up." - Oh, family motto.
[Laughing]
What's gonna happen is people are gonna look at it
and be like, oh, she just bought the helmet,
she just bought the jacket,
you know, she just bought the rocket pack.
And they're just gonna assume, like,
oh, she's just slutting up the Rocketeer.
Chris is very adamant about the fact
that I get a chance to talk about the whole costume,
that everything is thought-out and everything is custom.
You're basically wearing a jacket onstage.
Yeah, no pants.
This contest is better without pants.
- What's the family motto? - "Don't [Bleep] up."
Having to strike out on my own
without any help has really shown me
how much I depend on Holly.
For me, it's about proving to myself
that I'm not just her sidekick.
All right, ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to MegaCon 2013 costume contest.
[Cheers and applause]
First, let's introduce our judges.
Over here at the end of the table,
we have Ellen Dubin.
Hi, everybody.
- Gigi Edgley. - Hi.
Orlando Pagan.
And we'll round out the costume judges
with Brian Riga.
Brian Riga is in the 501st.
The 501st is a top-notch costuming group for Star Wars
with really high standards.
So I take comfort in the fact
that one of them is gonna be a judge
because I know they'll appreciate the craftsmanship
that went into my costume.
All right, everybody, we excited to be here?
[Cheers and applause]
You ready?
Let 'em know backstage. Let 'em know!
It's minutes before the competition
and backstage, our heroes of cosplay
are finishing their judges forms
that will tell everyone
exactly how much work went into their costumes.
They did not give you much room to write [Bleep].
No, I don't understand.
I ended up just using the back of the page.
- Oh, no, she wrote a lot. - Oh, you wrote a ton?
Well, yeah. A ton went into it.
Riki's, like, writing War and Peace
of, like, cosplay on here.
She's like, "and then I went to the store
and purchased a cup of soup."
And it's kind of like this weird intimidation thing.
Apparently I did not do this correctly.
Riki's costume's amazing.
To me, that looks like
a professional movie costume.
Anyone who's, like, worked intensively on a costume
needs, like, that much room.
You have to keep it concise. That's a hard problem.
Riki's costume is super polished.
But I think our costumes can compete against that.
Coming up...
Can you tell me what pieces did you make?
All right, rik, come on.
I completely blank out.
Holly, come up onstage.
- I'm shaking. - Holly.
I just don't know if it's gonna work out.
The MegaCon competition is about to begin.
And after weeks and months of hard work,
it all comes down to the competitors' moment onstage
to strut their stuff.
[Cheers and applause]
The prize for first place tonight is $1,000,
as well as a first runner-up, a second runner-up
with cash prizes as well.
The cosplay contest at MegaCon
is really high-profile.
So if I could win and be recognized for my quality,
that would be pretty amazing.
Like, every time I see you guys compete,
I'm always like, wow, your props are so good.
Aww, thank you.
We didn't, like, work on our props together this time.
It was a nightmare.
Holly and I are being polite to each other backstage,
but something's definitely going on.
I'm not even thinking about competing with the other people.
It's honestly just Jessica and I going up there
not at the same time that's bothering me the most.
You ready? [Cheers and applause]
Well, let's get started.
Commander Shepard from Mass Effect.
Red Sonja and Conan.
Isaac Clarke from Dead Space 2.
Nine months to construct.
What'd you do for your lighting?
Very nice, very nice.
Christmas lights? Merry Christmas.
Excellent.
From the sentai series from Japan,
and handmade resin plastic, steel, brass, and vinyl.
Took one year to make.
[Cheers and applause]
Doctor Doom.
When you're cosplaying,
you're putting yourself out there to be judged.
Everybody's taking your photo, it's going up online.
I just feel confident that I can go out there
and look perfect.
I'm on my own now.
All I can do is be the best Taffyta that I can be,
full of sass and personality.
Becky young as Taffyta Muttonfudge
from wreck-it Ralph.
Custom-sewn dress, jacket, and leggings, hat,
and multiple layers of resene mondo paint and glitter.
I like the jacket.
Did you make the jacket?
Yes, the jacket is all handmade from scratch,
as is the helmet and the dress--everything.
How does it feel to be covered in so much glitter?
It's very glitterific,
and it's all over my four cats as well.
Thank you, guys.
Being onstage without my car was not what I had in mind
when I planned this competition,
but looking out at the audience
and seeing people's faces light up and the cheers,
I love it.
Stay sweet!
[Cheers and applause]
Careful, guys.
Next, we have Holly Conrad.
I'm walking onstage for the first time alone,
and I'm actually shaking.
Holly, come up onstage.
Holly.
I just don't know if it's gonna work out,
I don't know if I'm gonna be funny.
I don't know what's gonna happen.
[Applause]
Holly is Laliari from Galaxy Quest.
[Laughing] With a little friend.
Yeah!
Hand-sewn body suit.
[Screeching noises]
Handmade alien prop sculpted from foam.
Oh, man, she did a deep cut.
And that's a costume that only a movie buff
or true fan would recognize.
So hat's off to her.
Holly, I love your character.
Could you please tell me a little bit
about the making of that fabulous alien?
And I don't mean yourself.
[Screeching noises]
[Cheers and applause]
Very nice.
Actually, this guy, he was made out of foam,
like you would get on couch cushions,
and he's sprayed with balloon latex.
How long did it take you to make it?
I actually made this guy in three days.
Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
I didn't sleep for two of 'em.
Did you sew the body suit yourself?
I did sew the body suit actually, yes.
Great. Thank you very much.
Awesome job.
I got a huge reaction from the audience.
I would like to think that the crowd going crazy
would have an impact on the judges,
but I think after I made the noise in the microphone,
that lady totally hated me.
No matter which way this plays out,
Holly and I clearly are way more co-dependent.
We have, like-- we have a yin-yang thing going on.
And it was a delicate balance,
and we have just messed it up.
The one thing that I have going for me
is my dedication to the performance.
I have to bring it.
This is my world.
Next, we have Jessica S. Merizano.
It's Merizan!
Tank Girl.
Post-apocalyptic Australian.
Tank Girl, anti-hero.
Completely self-made, including sculpting,
foam fabrication, bald cap, blood effects,
and did that in four days.
First of all, we love that you're such
an aggressive, ballsy chick.
Jessica, can you explain how you made the gun?
The gun is made out of L200 foam.
I made it in one evening,
and it's all hand-detailed and aged.
Explain to us how you approached
such an iconic character.
I've seen a lot of different Tank Girls,
and no one has actually tried to do, um,
bald Tank Girl.
You didn't really shave your head, did you?
Nope, it's a bald cap.
Good job.
[Cheers and applause]
I get a lot of cheers.
Obviously a lot of Tank Girl fans.
This is why I cosplay.
We're being judged on showmanship, craftsmanship,
presentation.
So I know when I go up onstage, I can't just be like,
[timid speaking] "This is my costume."
I have to leave an impression, and I have to tell them
all the work that I've put into this costume.
Next, we have Rocketeer.
[Cheers and applause]
Wow, you look hot!
Can you tell me what prop pieces did you make?
I actually made all the pieces, so.
I completely blank out.
Like, I forget what I wanna say,
I forget my marks, I forget everything.
So you made the jacket?
Yeah.
All right, Rik, come on.
Remember the family motto. "Don't [Bleep] up."
Um...
Uh, yeah, I made the jacket,
and it's all lined, and it's done with leather.
And then even the helmet has a custom lining.
The judges asked me another question,
and I feel like it might be the only chance
to say everything that I've done.
Uh, even going so far as to custom cast the buttons.
They were door pulls.
And I info-dump everything that I've been practicing,
and I don't let go of that mic till I finish.
So it's all actually metal. It's not painted at all.
Wow.
From sculpting the helmet on a head cast of myself
to the rocket pack,
and even going-- sorry.
There. Hoo!
- Ow! - Oh, my.
And then I bought vintage, um, underwear.
Well, that sounds gross, but...
[Laughter]
I bought vintage-inspired underwear.
So it's like a bullet bra from the 1930s.
I sort of wanted that same shape,
with the garters.
That's amazing.
So I'll give you more rocket pack.
[Cheers and applause]
Everybody's laughing.
And I look down in the front
and I see that Chris is laughing,
and I can see him smiling from up onstage.
So I know I did a good job.
Thank you very much, Riddle.
Now please pause for a moment
while the judges deliberate
with the hard task of picking a winner
for today's contest.
[Indistinct chatter]
If the judges really look at the detail and aren't...
Totally overwhelmed by the size of Holly's prop,
I think I'm gonna win.
I'll beat her.
Okay, we're good.
All right, they've come to the decision.
With the contest over,
it's up to MegaCon's esteemed panel of judges
to decide which costume will take home best in show.
I totally appreciate that Holly sees
this costume contest at MegaCon
as not just one but two opportunities
to have CrabCat Industries in the spotlight.
But I mean, for me, it's more than that.
I need to be able to stand on my own two feet.
These are the top three winners of the night.
What's most important is I want them to see
the work that I put into that rocket pack.
If I don't get some kind of judges award,
I will be very surprised.
All right, we will start of course
at the second runner-up.
Jessica as Tank Girl.
[Cheers and applause]
I placed.
Are you sure?
This wasn't easy.
I did this by myself, and I'm really proud of myself.
[Cheers and applause]
Our second runner-up...
Riki the Rocketeer.
Whoo! All right, Riki!
Yes, my rocket pack got recognized.
I mean, it's great for my portfolio.
I can say it's an award-winning costume.
It sets you apart from everybody else.
I'll go ahead and announce the judges favorite
grand prize of $1,000.
And our judges chose...
Dave Rainey, as Isaac from Dead Space.
Great job, Dave.
$1,000.
I'm in bizarro world,
where I win a costume contest and Holly doesn't.
It's literally insane.
It took me to an alternate reality,
where the student became the master.
I won something!
Jessica, you're gonna leave me now
because you won awards without me.
Oh, my God.
I feel like if Tank Girl actually won,
this is what she'd do.
Guess you'll have to keep cosplaying with me
out of mediocrity.
Yeah. No, not out of mediocrity.
Jessica and I were bickering about stupid things.
It's just too stressful for Jessica and I
to compete separately.
We just came to it.
We learned our lesson at MegaCon,
Anime Matsuri Houston is two weeks from now.
We're not gonna compete separately again.
We have to be together,
and you know, we might have a chance
at getting first one of these days.