One of the last things you want to happen in an interview on Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles, during 4 July celebrations, is to be splattered with projectile vomit.
In fact, being splattered with projectile vomit is probably the last thing you'd want to happen any time, anywhere.
Sadly, this was the nightmare lived by KTLA reporter Wendy Burch on Tuesday at an Ironman competition.
For context, the motto at the contest is:
Run, Paddle, Chug!
Athletes run a mile, paddle a mile, then drink a six pack of beer. It's been a tradition for 43 years. God knows why.
Anyway, this happened:
The footage was tweeted by a colleague at KTLA:
Mad props to colleague @goodnewswendy who may have to put in 4 hazard pay after wht happened on live TV🤢 #champ #HermosaBeach #IronMan #KTLA pic.twitter.com/g3A2E4Q1Om
— Christina Pascucci (@ChristinaKTLA) July 4, 2017
Wendy acknowledged the internet fame coming her way.
it will The 4th of July gift (or gif) that will just keep on giving ....... #KTLAmorningNews https://t.co/RI3j8o4H4c
— Wendy Burch (@goodnewswendy) July 4, 2017
People were, understandably, revolted:
Those in-studio reactions though 😂😂😂
— Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) July 4, 2017
Don't envy u Wendy. I had someone stick their tongue in my ear, while another spilled beer on me during 1 live shot. #ReporterProblems
— Cristy Fajardo (@fajardonews) July 4, 2017
omg i cant even with this! sorry this happened @goodnewswendy :|
— christiniebrown (@broritestweets) July 4, 2017
Others had different concerns:
Daaaam, I can't believe they drink Keystone Beer.
— El Dj (@DjDNOVA) July 4, 2017
That old guy she was interviewing looks like the late George "The Animal" Steele. pic.twitter.com/64qmePfpxm
— Anthony Bourne (@AnthonyBourne11) July 4, 2017
Now THATS a party
— Paul LeFrancois (@Paul___66) July 4, 2017
Wendy also wrote up her account of the interview on the beach, in which she revealed she continued the interview for two further minutes, not knowing she'd been cut off due to a technical glitch on the camera.
Her downfall was probably best described in her own words:
I grabbed a guy who appeared to be a spirited competitor, and from the evidence of his beer belly, had been clearly training for this event for years.
My hope was that his broad… ah, erh… shoulders, could shield our morning viewers from the ups—and from what wasn’t staying down—in this competition.
What I didn’t notice until later, is that he had a bullseye drawn on his back with the words 'puke here' written in magic marker.
Inevitable, it seems.
HT Mashable
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