Right now.
- What's your pain level? - Eight or nine.
- Oh, my God.
- Becky just left for the hospital.
Let's just try and do damage control right now.
- There's something that has been on my mind for a while.
- You have a question?
- Yes, um...
[Upbeat music]
Announcer: Our heroes of cosplay
are at Kansas City's Planet ComiCon,
the most popular pop culture event in the midwest,
drawing thousands of fans from all over the country.
Planet ComiCon is nearing the end of the first day.
The individual competition has just concluded.
Jesse and Chloe took home prizes,
while Becky and Victoria were left empty-handed.
- I would like to win,
but one of the things I love the most about
cosplaying is just seeing people who
passionately love that fandom as much as you do.
- We did it! We frickin' did it!
- I didn't win anything for the individual competition,
but I still have the group skit with Holly and Jessica,
so I really think that this is where I could shine.
Announcer: Back at the hotel,
Yaya is waiting for Riki and Monika
to arrive so they can do a final run-through on their skit.
- I'm really excited for the last stop on my convention tour,
which is Planet ComiCon in Kansas City.
I'm competing with Monika and Riki
in the group skit competition.
It's the first time for me to compete
in four years, and I'm super excited.
We've got to get a move on.
- I thought when I arrived that I could
sneak upstairs and get a nap before
we needed to start everything,
but the evil queen had to put us to work.
- Sorry!
I need to style my wig.
My crown is completely unembellished.
I need to go over it with some more paint...
- Okay. - And then weather it.
Man, I struggle with those magnets,
'cause every time I try to glue them,
they're just like "joop!" - They all stick together, yeah.
- Yeah, I was like, "damn it!"
We've decided to do Alice in Wonderland,
but a twisted, horror version of it,
based on the video game by American McGee.
I chose the Red Queen because she has an elaborate costume.
The dress is 100% handmade,
including a custom-made crown out of worbla
that attaches to my wig via magnets, so that I can
transfer it on stage to Riki's wig.
You have to actually use one hand to hold my wig,
and the other to take it off. If you just pull it off,
you're gonna pull the wig off. - Both are gonna come off.
- That is so cute!
And that bird is really gross. [Laughter]
Oh, God! - It looks so real,
but it's actually just a resin cast that I found.
Announcer: Now that Riki and Monika have arrived,
Team Atlanta is hard at work on their costumes.
- We have so much to do still.
We still have to build our sets.
We still have to finish our costumes.
We're gonna be judged on every aspect of this skit.
I'm a little stressed out.
- Let's work on our costumes, get as much done as possible
so that we feel good about it,
and then we'll go over to the con and practice our skit.
Announcer: Meanwhile, Becky is back at the hotel,
waiting for Holly and Jessica to arrive, so that
Team Los Angeles can get to work on their props and costumes
for the group skit competition tomorrow.
- I'm here to bring you room service.
I have a giant box.
- Oh, wow.
- Oh, my God! - Oh, he's bent.
- Yes, so just relax again.
- Our skit is from How to Train Your Dragon,
and the character I'm cosplaying as is Astrid.
And Holly and Jessica are doing the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut.
It's kind of cool because we've got this dragon
that's gonna be blowing smoke,
and the jaws are gonna be coming up and down.
New teammates, new concept. Bring it, Atlanta.
Announcer: While the teams are busy working on their costumes,
back at the convention center,
Jinyo decides to take Victoria to check out
one of their favorite Sci-Fi heroes.
- Victoria and I love nothing more than Star Wars,
so I thought it would be great to go
to see Peter Mayhew, Chewbacca himself.
[Cheers and applause] - [Wookie roar]
- You know, there's something that
has been on my mind for a while.
- I have an announcement to make.
- Victoria is such an important part of my life.
You know, we've been together for seven years,
and I'm really thinking this might be the time
to take it to the next level.
- My galactic friends.
- I feel incorrectly dressed here. [Laughs]
- [Laughs] Yeah. - Right.
- Don't get us wrong. She's a huge Star Wars fan.
- [Laughs] - Yeah.
I know she is, but you have a question.
- Yes, um, I was hoping you could help me out with this.
- Sure.
- Uh, as Chewbacca, you know the value
of a good sidekick on any mission.
- Yes. - And for the last seven years,
um, I've been her sidekick. - Good.
- Um, most recently, I have...
- [Laughs]
- Successfully captured the Death Star.
[Laughter]
And I would like to present this to you.
[Crowd awws] [Cheers and applause]
- [Laughs]
[Cheers and applause]
- Yes. - Yes?
Go ahead. [Cheers and applause]
- This is absolutely
the kind of proposal I've always dreamed of.
I would not want it any other way.
- Yay! [Cheers and applause]
- I mean, this is definitely how geeks propose.
It's got to be at a con, and if you can,
it's got to be in costume.
Mm. [Cheers and applause]
- We were surrounded by the things that we love.
I couldn't imagine a more perfect moment.
[Cheers and applause]
Announcer: It's night time in Kansas City,
and Team Atlanta is finally starting to rehearse their skit
for tomorrow's group competition.
- Our timing is not right! Oh!
- Our skit for Kansas City ComiCon
is from the video game American McGee's Alice.
Um, I am the Cheshire Cat,
Yaya is the Red Queen,
and Riki is Alice.
Alice. Alice.
- I really want to get that right.
- I'm not feeling so hot.
I'm getting, like, a little concerned.
I don't know if it's convention plague, or what it is,
but I've just got to suck it up.
- What do we have here,
a dirty little mouse?
Have you come to be my pet?
Or have you come to die?
- No, I've come to kill you!
- Ha! [Audio track] Ha!
Damn it! It's one, two...
Both: Three.
- If our skit is sloppy,
or our timing is off,
the judges will forget all about
our amazing costumes, and focus only on our mistakes.
- Pick it up at... - Or have you come to die?
- No, I've come to kill you!
- Ha! [Audio track] Ha!
- [Bleep] Damn it!
This is Yaya's first competition in years,
and I don't want to be the one that blows it for her.
I feel like crap. I just--
I gotta push through this.
Announcer: Meanwhile, Team Los Angeles
is coming to grips with how much work is still to be done.
- I feel like you're doing a magic trick right now.
[Laughter]
- We still have to make quite a bit of our viking costumes.
We have to age our helmets,
we have to paint everything.
Basically, we've got everything to do except for
the dragon boat and Becky's costume.
- We're on track!
- Do you need help with that?
- If you've got time. - Yeah.
Oh, my God, you make a sexy outfit.
- We could turn this into a burlesque show.
- Right? - No matter what,
we're gonna make this fun.
Announcer: Despite still having a lot to do, the cosplayers
decide they want to spend some time together with their friends
before tomorrow's tough competition.
- So, tonight we're all getting together for drinks.
I still haven't talked to Monika after Anime Matsuri,
so I just hope that everything is gonna be cool,
and it won't be awkward.
- Chloe! - You're so pretty.
- I love your accessory. - Oh, hell, yeah!
[All shouting] - Oh, why, thank you.
I had to get something
to match my shoes, so... - It's so subtle, you know?
- Chloe, what did you win?
- I got "Female Video Game."
"Best Female Video Game." - Yay!
- Awesome! - Oh, my God!
I was so excited. - What did you wear?
- I was Gaige, from Borderlands 2.
- An awesome Gaige.
She did cell shading.
- So, everyone's talking, and I'm actually a little upset.
Monika said some messed up things to Becky.
I just want to do a little bit of real talk.
- Mm-hmm? - I know that Monika
said a couple things to Becky.
You said a few things that kind of
struck a chord with me, personally, with like,
telling someone that they're not on your level, and saying that
you are the last person I would think of is, like, kind of rude.
- To be honest, when I said "the last person,"
it's more because when I think of groups,
I think of people I'm really close with.
- Wait, wait, wait. I was-- I wasn't there
at that conversation, so what happened?
- Basically, I asked Monika,
"would you be interested in grouping up?"
She said that I would have been the last person
she would have thought of, and that I wasn't on the same level.
- Cosplay isn't about levels, or alienating people,
or being big jerks.
It's about going out there with your friends,
having a good time, showcasing your skills
as a fabricator, or a seamstress, or whatever you are,
and just having fun and getting better at your craft.
- I mean, externally, everyone is scrutinizing everything
that-- that we do, as a community.
To tear each other down internally,
it just absolutely breaks my heart.
- I do not condone elitism in any way.
Anybody should be able to cosplay,
because we all come from different walks of life.
We're doing this for fun.
Cosplay is, no matter what, for fun.
- We don't do the [Bleep] talking,
we don't do that stuff, 'cause we're here to have fun.
We used to be super elitist.
We used to do that [Bleep].
It's a lot easier to burn a bridge...
- Yeah. - Than it is to rebuild it.
- Are you serious? You're really gonna call me out
in front of Yaya with something I said to Becky?
I didn't mean to make Becky feel upset,
and I'm sorry that she did.
I just-- I wish that she had come to me
so we can talk it out.
- I think it's better to talk about it,
because I think that too many times,
we feel things and we don't say them,
and then they just kind of, like, sit.
I completely forgive Monika.
Maybe this entire thing is making her rethink how
she says things to other people.
- You know, I realize that this will help teach me next time
to stop and think before speaking.
- I'm really not going to put too much thought on tonight.
I'm just gonna keep focusing on what's really important,
which is the contest tomorrow.
On that note-- - And on that note, bedtime.
- You, bedtime. Us, work time.
Announcer: Coming up...
- This is the first time I've been prejudged in years,
and I'm really nervous.
- I slept with my contacts
in my eyes last night. - Oh, my God.
- Let's just try and do damage control.
- We are literally down to the wire.
We're just gonna have to go without Becky.
- I'm gonna be sick. - Freaking out.
- [Coughing]
- Riki's in the bathroom, puking.
- I don't think it's gonna happen.
- Are you guys ready to see some amazing cosplay?
[Cheers and applause]
- They did definitely turn it up a level.
- It was no contest for me.
[Cheers and applause]
Announcer: It's the morning of Kansas City's Planet ComiCon
group skit competition, and in just a few hours,
the all-important prejudging will take place.
Back at the hotel, Yaya is getting an early start,
putting on her makeup for her Red Queen Alice costume.
- Let me see the eyes.
Wow, that's crazy looking.
- Gross, scary, yeah? - Yeah.
- It's the morning of the competition.
This is the first time I've been prejudged in years,
and I'm really nervous.
Oh, goodness!
Because I'm so established in the community
as a judge, as an expert,
and now I've put myself back in the ring.
So I'm risking my reputation,
I'm risking my status,
I'm risking my brand and everything.
You know, what if I lose?
Where's my lucky picture?
And this is not just me, but I have
Monika and Riki being judged with me also.
I'm gonna have crazy, pale green contacts,
and it's gonna offset the dark.
I'm going all-in, baby.
All-in. - You all look good.
Announcer: Across the hotel, Team Los Angeles
is just waking up.
- Ugh. Ouch.
Oh, crap. - What?
- I slept with my contacts in my eyes last night.
- Oh, my God.
- There's, like, something in,
like, the top of my eyes.
I fell asleep with my prop contacts in.
I can't open my eyes.
I feel like there's gravel in both of them.
Um-- - Like, you didn't have,
like, the expensive contacts,
did you? - No.
They were the ones that you just wear for being on stage.
This is the last thing that I need to happen to me right now.
This is a big show.
Holly and Jessica are counting on me.
This hurts so [Bleep] bad.
- What's your pain level,
from one to ten? - [Laughs]
Eight or nine. - Oh, my God, um--
- Well, you should go to the doctor's.
- When Becky told me her pain scale was on
an eight or a nine, I knew it was really serious.
Not only is her place in the costume contest jeopardized,
but her eyes could go blind.
Honestly, your health is the most important thing.
Announcer: Meanwhile, Team Atlanta is trying to get
their day started... - [Coughs]
But they're beginning to realize Riki's illness
from the night before is not getting any better.
- Hey, how are you feeling? - I still feel sick.
This morning I threw up,
so I'm just like, I--
- Oh, for real? - Yeah.
- Is there anything I can do?
Like, do you-- - No, I'm okay.
- I just-- I feel bad. - [Groans]
We just worked so hard, and I don't want to, like,
[bleep] it up, 'cause I'm sick.
So, I have a fever, I'm nauseous.
I don't know if I can make it
all the way to the end of the day.
But then again, I don't want to let my team down,
but most of all, I don't want to let myself down,
because I worked really hard. You're looking a little pale.
[Laughter]
- She's been throwing up. - Yeah.
- You know when your joints get sore,
and you get the chills, and you're like,
"oh, this is going downhill." - Oh, yeah.
- "This is going downhill fast," so...
- Do you think it's the dress that's made you sick,
or do you think it's the flu or what?
- I think it's the flu.
I think I'm just, like, pushing myself.
- I need you to tell us if you can't do it.
- Ugh, we just worked so hard. I don't want to, like--
I don't want to not do it.
Unless I faint, I'm going on stage.
[Laughter]
Announcer: While Riki has decided
to soldier on for the sake of the competition,
the decision has been made
that Becky must seek medical attention,
but doing so jeopardizes
her team's chances in the competition.
- Just, don't worry about this.
Like, if you can't compete, you can't compete.
- Feel better, Becky. - Thank you, guys.
- Text us.
- I've got my phone, so... - Okay.
- I just hope right now that Becky gets back,
because we can't do it without her.
- No, like-- - We'll just have to do
something totally different.
- We are totally screwed
if she does not come back.
Becky just left for the hospital.
I literally have no idea if we're even competing.
- Let's just try and do damage control right now.
So, here's what we'll do.
We'll get Becky's costume together, all her little pieces,
you know? - Okay.
- Just in case, um--
- well, of course we'll finish the dragon, like--
if we want to compete at all, we need to get to prejudging,
so now we have to glue it all together,
finish it up, and basically make our entire costumes.
Maybe we can show off what we have so far,
and hope that Becky makes it in time for the competition.
'Cause our dragon needs to be seen by the world.
- Yes, I agree.
We'll make it work. We always make it work.
You'll probably fit in her Astrid costume
better than I would.
- You think so? - Yeah.
In a last-case scenario. - I think, like, we sh--
- Right, 'cause then at least her costume
gets shown, you know?
At this point, we're just kind of thinking
that maybe Ross could be Tuffnut, and then
I could dress as Astrid and take Becky's place.
- Are you serious? - I'm sorry.
- Are you serious? - I'm sorry!
But I don't really feel like that's right,
and that's the absolute last possibility.
- Thank you, Ross.
We won't make you the girl viking.
- Oh, damn. - [Laughs]
Announcer: As Jessica and Holly continue to work
on their plan to possibly compete without Becky,
Yaya and Monika continue to get ready for prejudging,
still planning on competing with a still-ailing Riki.
- Monika? - Mm?
- I need you to get out of the bathroom.
I'm gonna be sick.
[Retching, coughing] - Holy [Bleep].
Holy [Bleep], Brian. Holy [Bleep].
- Can you shut the door? [Coughs] Please.
- Are you okay?
- [Retching, coughing]
- Oh, my God.
- I'm freaking out because Riki's in the bathroom puking,
and it's just-- I- I don't think it's gonna happen.
- [Retching]
[Coughing]
- I don't want to make her do this.
I don't want to make her do this.
- [Coughing] - I appreciate Riki wanting
to go forward with the competition,
but [Bleep] my reputation. If Riki is sick,
we're not going to enter this competition.
It is not worth it.
- I just feel like all the odds are against us right now.
- I feel like we should stop. We-- Feel like we should just
pull out of the contest and just stop.
I don't want to do this anymore.
- [Sighs] - [Retching]
Announcer: It's the day of the group skit competition
at Kansas City's Planet ComiCon,
and it's almost time for the prejudging to begin.
Unfortunately for Team Atlanta,
Riki is still in the bathroom, sick.
- [Retching] - Oh, my God.
I feel like we should just
pull out of the contest and just stop.
It is time for prejudging,
and Riki is in the bathroom, throwing up,
and I just see all of that hard work
and effort go down the drain,
because without Alice, we don't have a skit.
We can't ask her to do it.
Riki, we're not gonna do it.
No, we're-- We're not gonna do it!
Riki! Stop.
You're throwing up when
we're about to go to the con. No.
Cosplay can be uncomfortable and painful at times,
but it should never be harmful to your health.
She's gonna be in that meat dress all day,
and I wish she would just take care of her health.
- I'm getting it out of my system now, so...
- Are you sure? - Yeah.
I'd rather go on and do, like,
a so-so job than go-- than not do something at all.
I can't remember the last time I've been this sick,
but I don't want to let my team down,
but most of all, I don't want to let myself down,
because I've worked really hard,
and I would be very disappointed in myself if I quit.
I'll make sure I have Gatorade.
Announcer: Meanwhile, things are not going much better
for Team Los Angeles, as Holly and Jessica continue working,
not knowing if Becky will be back from the hospital
in time for the competition.
- This skit's not till late, but our prejudging is, like,
in like an hour.
We have prejudging to get to.
Becky isn't here yet, but we haven't heard anything.
We are literally down to the wire.
We're just gonna have to go without Becky.
- Hey, guys. - Hey, you're back.
- Hey, Becky! - Yeah.
- Oh, my God, you look like a starlet.
- I think we should change the costume idea.
Um, I can be a sexy raccoon. Both: Oh, my God.
[Laughter] - How are you feeling?
- Uh, it's-- It's starting to--
They put numbing stuff in my eyes.
- Oh, my God.
- It's starting to wear off on this side,
so it's starting to hurt again.
I'm back from the hospital.
The doctor gave me medicine for my eyes.
They're getting a little bit better,
but I still have really, really bad problems with light.
They said that the chemicals in the contact,
kind of caused chemical conjunctivitis, so that's--
- Whoa, that's a big deal. - What is that?
- But more so than that, I have not had an opportunity
to rehearse anything with Holly and Jessica.
We're cutting this so close.
Basically, we have to get into our costumes,
grab the dragon boat, go to the convention,
and figure out what we're gonna do once we get on stage.
I need your help getting into costume.
- Yeah, yes, absolutely. - Okay.
Announcer: Moments away from prejudging,
Team Atlanta is putting the finishing touches
on their costumes before heading over to the convention.
- How tight do you want this?
- Right here. Just wait.
- Let's go!
[Thrilling music]
♪
- At Planet ComiCon, the contests involve a prejudging.
Our judges for the group competition are
Tommy Castillo. He's done art for the comics,
Green Arrow, Detective Comics.
He's also a storyboard artist.
One of our other judges is Holly Messinger.
She's a Kansas-based costume designer.
And our third judge is Chris Adams, a prop maker.
- Hi, welcome. - Oh!
- Hi. - [Laughs]
- The judges get to look
at the contestants up close, flip their seams,
look at their costumes, you know, really in detail,
and ask them questions about how they made them.
It's hugely important.
- Which parts did you make, and which parts did you find?
- I made the mask, I made my legging parts,
and I burnt the edges of the coat,
to kind of make it look all creepy and disgusting.
- This costume took me about eight days, and this is--
- Eight days, huh? [Laughs]
- Heavily modified pattern.
All the gold was attached using a new technique
that I found in Europe.
You're welcome to flip my seams, if you'd like.
- That's all right. We trust you. [Laughs]
- So, the-- The thing with Alice is,
it goes like--
- So it rips off for the skit. - Yikes.
- I had a body cast.
Hand-sculpted the teeth, painted everything.
And then I also made this complete from scratch.
You will see me in all clean seams.
- Yeah, I mean, like I said,
you're welcome to flip all of my seams.
- Please feel free to ask any questions.
- Everything is finished and lined.
- Yeah.
- I designed and made the Red Queen costume
so that it would withstand prejudging,
but I am crushed that none of the judges
looked us up close, and I have no idea what that means.
Are they not impressed?
I'm just a wreck right now.
- Thank you very much. - If you have any more
questions, feel free to ask. - Okay.
- Thank you. - Good luck.
- Thanks for coming out. - Thank you.
Announcer: Prejudging is underway, and Team Los Angeles
has precious little time left
to finish getting into their costumes.
- Should I just take my bra off, or what?
- Duct tape or gaffer's? - Duct tape.
- Are you guys all ready?
- Yep, we're ready. - Okay.
[Thrilling music]
- Come on, let's go.
- You guys ready to line up? - [Grunts]
I can barely breathe right now.
My chest is actually bound because I'm cosplaying as a boy,
and I wanted it to look legit,
but little did I know that I didn't need to bind it so tight.
- Yes, we do. Get the scissors.
She's gonna pass out.
- [Grunts]
Honestly, if this is what Yaya feels like in her corsets,
then [Bleep], like, I-- Girl, you got it.
I'm helping you first.
- No, like, you will faint.
- If we miss prejudging, that means we're disqualified,
which means all of this has been for nothing.
We don't even get to go on stage
and show off our work to the audience.
- She needs to take it off, 'cause she's gonna pass out.
- I can't breathe. - Here, get out.
- What? - Just get the scissors.
- There's scissors somewhere in here.
- Just cut it off of her.
- I know. We need to find scissors.
- Cool, all right. - Just cut-- Cut it off of me.
- Yep, I got it. I got it.
[Snip] There we go.
- Do you feel better? - Yes.
- You feel better? Whatever, this, uh, this...
It's fine. - [Laughs]
- All right, you guys ready? - Yeah.
- We're gonna do this. - Go Team L.A.!
- Whoo! - Whoo, L.A.!
- So, we're at prejudging, and I'm super nervous.
My eyes are killing me.
Any light is just like daggers.
This prejudging is gonna be 50% of our score.
I mean, that's half of what this competition is.
- Oh, boy.
Okay, so tell me a little bit about this.
- Uh, well, we are from How to Train Your Dragon.
We have Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Astrid,
and, of course, our Gronckle in the background.
- Who has done what costume work?
- This I did myself.
I cast all of the little birds, all of the little metal pieces.
Um, this is a sheet of worbla.
- These are all hand-sewn.
They're all hand-sculpted little pieces.
Hand-carved foam helmets and everything.
Jessica and myself, and at least three or four of our friends,
helped finishing this guy.
We patterned it out from a little model that we made,
and then fabricated it out of L200 foam,
and then we did the hand-dremeling
of all the wood grain.
- Um, how long did it take you to build these?
- It took us about five days to make all of this,
including the dragon.
- So, from concept to completion?
All: Five days. - Five days?
Impressive. - Thanks very much.
You guys did an excellent job. - Thank you.
- Thank you so much.
I thought the prejudging went really well.
Between eyes falling out, my chest,
and having to make things last-minute,
I'm actually really impressed with us.
- Team Viking. - Okay.
Both: Team Viking.
All: Whoo!
Announcer: The time is now for Planet ComiCon's
group skit competition. [Cheers and applause]
With a full arena, and big prizes for the winners,
this is the crown jewel of Planet ComiCon.
- Welcome to the Planet ComiCon costume contest!
[Cheers and applause]
Announcer: In the group competition,
the judges are looking for cohesiveness,
storytelling, and a connection with the audience.
Backstage, awaiting their performance,
Team Atlanta discusses concerns about the prejudging.
- It wasn't as thorough as I would have liked.
- I wish they had come up close and, like, inspected or--
- Yeah, they just sat there.
- Yeah, when I judge a contest,
I never sit behind the desk,
and I said, twice, please feel free to flip my seams.
They're all finished, they're all serged,
and they still didn't--
- They refused. - Didn't care.
As a judge, I think prejudging is incredibly important.
It really means a lot to be able to look at
what the costume is made of.
It's a way for judges to make
a real, informed decision on the winners.
There are other groups that may be flashier than us,
but if you don't inspect the work up close
of costumes like these, you'll miss how much
work went into them.
- The bigger props and the bigger stuff
always seems to win.
I can't believe that we'd come all the way here just to fail.
The only way we're gonna win anything
is if our performance is perfect.
- Well, I guess, hopefully, they would like our skit.
Announcer: Meanwhile, also waiting in the wings,
Team Los Angeles has some serious concerns of their own,
not having had time to rehearse their skit.
- Okay, what's our cue to go on stage, Riki?
- You'll hear the first growl-- like, roar...
[Cheers and applause] And then go up.
I'm super nervous right now. With everything going on,
we just honestly have not had a chance to practice
any kind of choreography for the competition.
- All right, are you guys ready to see some amazing cosplay?
[Cheers and applause]
Our first group is "The Iron Brothers."
[Cheers and applause]
"The female Dr. Who."
[Cheers and applause]
- I'm a huge Doctor Who fan, so to see people re-imagine
the whole cast of the doctors as women is really, really cool.
All: Doctor! [Cheers and applause]
- The "Predators."
[Whoosh] [Metal clanging]
[Cheers and applause]
- [Roars]
- "Steamworks and Shadows."
[Cheers and applause]
- Seeing the other teams' costumes,
I was actually really impressed,
and they could be serious competitors.
- "The Fae of the Wildwood."
[Cheers and applause]
How awesome was that, you guys?
Announcer: It's time for Team Atlanta to take the stage.
But as Brian and his assistant set up the backdrops
for Yaya's elaborate skit,
it seems that some people in the audience
aren't excited to have such high profile cosplayers
at their competition.
[Cheers and applause]
- So, we're watching our friends on stage,
and somebody in the audience
screams something about, "out-of-towners,"
so the group of people behind us
starts getting into this beef with us
about the fact that we shouldn't be there.
That's not what cosplay is about.
- We made these in four days.
No, but we go to tons of conventions.
- Conventions are a non-judgmental place.
If you're a furry, if you're Homestuck,
it's like, "yep, they're doing that, that's fine.
Yep, that person's dressed as an owl."
Like, everyone is here to have a safe place to go,
and be themselves, and have a good time.
Those girls were doing exactly opposite of that.
They just decided to just completely alienate us.
That's really rude of you guys. We work [Bleep] hard.
We really do, and you do, too.
If you're at a costume contest to not have fun
and to make people feel bad about themselves,
then you are in the wrong place,
especially if you're a Doctor Who fan.
That show has the biggest warm fuzzies
of any show I've ever watched, and that is not okay.
When this is about having fun,
and how dare you make it about not having fun.
I cannot believe you.
It's okay, Becky. It's okay. It's okay.
Don't worry.
We work really [Bleep] hard, okay?
- It just really pisses me off that [Bleep]--
- I know, I know, I know.
I know. I know.
- Thank you so much for bearing with us.
How have you enjoyed everyone so far?
[Cheers and applause]
- We are getting ready to go on stage,
and I'm actually, like, really nervous.
I can't remember the last time I've been this sick,
but I don't want to let Yaya down.
I don't want her to regret asking me
to be part of this skit.
- Everything depends on this performance.
We have to nail our marks, we have to get it right.
This is my reputation on the line.
I haven't competed in years,
and a lot of people would love to see me fail.
- These girls are amazing.
We have Yaya Han, as the Red Queen of Hearts.
"Riddle" as Alice... - Yay!
- And Monika Lee as Cheshire Cat.
It's the Atlanta Cosplay Fusion in Madness Returns.
Let 'em hear it!
[Cheers and applause]
[Light music]
- Wonderland, swept up in darkness and despair.
All its creatures are at her mercy.
Only one girl carries hope with her.
Alice!
Alice.
- Oh, you again, Cat. - Oh.
Tired of me already, are you?
I'm your only ally here.
- This place is horrible, wretched!
Wonderland has gone mad.
- You're here to end the madness, remember?
It is your destiny to kill the Red Queen.
Or, is it destiny to die?
- I'm not afraid to die.
At times, I've welcomed death.
Let's go see this queen, then.
- One last item of help.
Drink this... If you dare.
[Music punctuates]
[Cheers and applause]
- Oh, my God.
[Voice reverbs] - Well, what do we have here?
A dirty little mouse?
Have you come to be my pet?
Or have you come to die?
- No, I've come to kill you!
- Ha! Insolence!
You can't kill me! I am Wonderland,
and Wonderland is mine!
You all belong to me!
No one can escape my reaches.
Submit to my power!
Holy [Bleep]. My crown just fell off my head.
- You all belong to me! No one can escape my reaches!
Submit to my power!
- Did her crown just fall off?
[Heart beating] [Crowd muttering]
- It's embarrassing.
In one dramatic head whip,
the magnet disconnected from the wig.
If I don't get this crown back on my head,
the rest of the skit will be ruined.
This is not how I wanted to make
my comeback to competitive cosplay.
- Alice! The bottle.
Drink it.
[Cheers and applause
- oh, whoa. - What just happened here?
- Impossible!
Oh!
No! [Whooshing]
[Cheers and applause]
[Light music]
- [Laughs wickedly]
[Cheers and applause]
- We just finish our skit,
and I still can't believe the crown fell off my head.
But other than that, we nailed every single one of our cues.
- One, two, three... Thank you!
- Their stuff looks really amazing,
but sometimes it just takes one little slip-up
to roll down the mountain.
Announcer: Next up is Team Los Angeles.
Having no time to rehearse their skit
with Becky having been in the hospital,
the pressure is on for them to execute perfectly.
- Funny enough, this is the first time
we've gotten all these pieces together
and actually practice how they work.
- And with Becky's eye how it is,
she could literally lead us offstage
in the midst of all the smoke and all the lights
and all the screaming of the audience.
We have no idea what it's going to look like.
- What can possibly go wrong?
- You are going to see Jessica Merizan as Ruffnut,
Holly Conrad as Tuffnut,
and Becky Young as Astrid.
The group is CrabCat Industries paired with Becky Young.
"The Tale of the Gronckle."
Give it up for 'em. [Cheers and applause]
- Hiccup!
[Sighs] Where is he?
I know he came by here somewhere.
[Deep growl]
Wha-- What was that?
[Ominous music]
- Oh, my God.
- Whoo! - Whoa, that is so cool.
- What the--
- That is so cool.
- A gronckle!
[Gronckle roars]
[Cheers and applause]
[Gronckle roars]
- It's so cool how they open it and it, like,
pours it all out.
[Axe blow thuds]
[Wood creaks]
- A wooden dragon?
[Laughter]
Ruffnut, Tuffnut!
I know that's you.
[Both scream]
Next time, you'll be a real dragon.
[Cheers and applause]
- We were so worried.
I just kept thinking of a million things
that could go wrong.
It was great.
I'm-- We did great.
- Okay, I can't see the stairs. Whew.
- Let's just give one more huge round of applause
to every cosplayer that was up on this stage.
I'm sure this is gonna be a really tough decision
for the judges, you guys.
- I have to give them props for having prerecorded dialogue
and prerecorded music because that really projects
out to the audience.
- They did definitely turn it up a level.
- They had a pretty complex skit if you think about it.
- How did you guys get the little crown to stick so well?
- Oh, it's on a magnet. It's a magnet.
- Her crown did fall off the head.
- That's true, but-- - She did drop the crown.
- I was impressed with the fact
she was able to pick it up with those monster hands.
- With those creepy hands. - I'm really nervous.
There's always this weird fear 'cause it's always subjective.
I thought we did well, but I don't know if we won.
- The character design, I feel, was great.
It looked fantastic.
- The Atlanta cosplayers have very different skills,
and it's just like apples and oranges.
We just do different things.
- How do you judge a ball gown to a giant dragon boat?
- That dragon looks freakin' awesome.
It was perfect.
- She did a fairly good job
wielding that big axe around.
- On stage, the material came across dead-on.
- Right, right. - Came across very well.
- Dead-on. I'm pretty set on what I think.
- I know what I think.
I mean, it was no contest for me.
- It is time to find out who our winners are.
Are you excited?
[Cheers and applause]
First prize we are giving away is $500
for the best craftsmanship.
- I'm waiting for the results and all I can think of is,
"if I lose, will that undermine my credibility as a judge
and as an expert in the community?"
- And this award is going to...
- It is time to find out who our winners are.
Are you excited? [Cheers and applause]
First prize we are giving away is $500
for the best craftsmanship.
And this award is going to...
Doctor Who.
[Cheers and applause] - Oh, my God.
- Our next award:
Best individual in a group performance.
Rosie Posie of "The Fae of the Wildwood."
[Cheers and applause]
And our grand prize. - Oh, God.
- The judges deliberated for a long time about two groups.
- Oh, God.
Hold my meaty sausages.
I led Riki and Monika to believe in this skit,
to raise their craftsmanship, and create a better performance.
And if we don't win first place, I would be letting them down.
Good luck, everybody.
- First, I would like to bring up...
Atlanta Cosplay Fusion, Madness Returns.
- I don't want to jinx ourselves,
but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be us and Atlanta.
[Cheers and applause]
- And the second group that made this decision very difficult...
"The Fae of the Wildwood."
[Cheers and applause]
- Well, that was unexpected.
Losing is always hard.
It always makes you feel like,
"what could I have done better?
Could I have tried harder if I stayed up later?"
CrabCat isn't going anywhere.
We are going to keep doing awesome stuff no matter what.
- The winner of the best in show
$1,500 prize goes to...
- This skit represents the direction
I want to take with cosplay.
And if I lose after coming back to competing after four years,
that can be really damaging to me.
- Atlanta Cosplay Fusion.
[Cheers and applause]
- Oh, my God! Come here, baby!
Oh, my God! [Overlapping chatter]
- Atlanta won. I think they deserved to win.
We gave it our all, but Yaya--
You don't see Yaya compete very often,
so that was really cool to see her.
- This win definitely validates my beliefs
in craftsmanship, in performance,
and going the extra mile.
I really hope that the community
will look at our Alice: Madness Returns skit
and see that we've elevated cosplay to an art form.
This tells me that it's all been worth it.
- Hey, guys. - You deserved it.
- Thank you so much. - You guys deserved everything.
It was fantastic.
No matter how competitive we get
in this industry, it's important to remember
that after the competition is over, we're all friends.
This is all about community. This is all about fun.
And that's what cosplay actually stands for.
- Let's go get drinks. - Yes.
- Yes, let's go get drinks, please.
- Let's go get drinks and dessert.
- Throughout this entire competition season,
I've learned that even though for some people it's a business,
and for some people competition is everything,
at the end of the day, we're all cosplayers.
It's a hobby, it's a passion,
and we all share that passion.
And so that kind of bonds us together no matter what.