- I'd love to see your form,
if you don't mind demonstrating.
- Set up,
slowly draw my anchor.
Boom. Drop.
- Jesus Christ.
- That's pretty serious.
- Pretty serious.
(laughs softly)
- I'm a gold medalist.
- [Narrator] ^ Four are posers, one is the real deal.
In a room full of liars,
can these teams find the real deal?
- [Host] How do y'all feel today?
- Let's do it. - Good.
- Fantastic. - Ready.
- Any words to your opponents before we begin?
- Good luck.
- They ain't winnin.
- You're gonna need it.
- You're gonna get cooked. - Oh, my.
You sound like a hater.
- Nah, man.
- They are not winnin.
- ^ Okay. Can we just have numbers one through five
tell us what sport you play?
- ^ Volleyball.
- ^ Archery.
- Wrestling.
- ^ Tennis.
- ^ Track and field.
- ^ Team member one, what position do you play?
- ^ I am a setter.
- How long have you been playing?
- ^ Since I was about seven years old.
- Team member five, what do you eat before a game?
- I eat pretty light to avoid using the bathroom.
I may do a few power bars,
some bananas, apples, things like that.
Fruit mostly.
- ^ Can we have each of you guys tell us a timeline
from when you first started till now?
- ^ I started playing volleyball in middle school
through high school.
Then I started playing club ball and that led
to the junior Olympics
and I stopped playing when I became a fireman.
- ^ I started when I was 11 and then I started competing
around 13 years old and then I was able to get
to Joe Ag team and then go to nationals.
- ^ I started actually when I was about eight.
I was a overweight kid,
so it was something I did to kind of help me lose weight
and then I just been doing it ever since.
- ^ I actually started competing when I was 10, swimming,
and then when I was 12 I started playing tennis.
- ^ Can you repeat the question for?
- What was--
- ^ The timeline of your athletic career?
- Oh yeah. So I started running
at about nine or so up to junior high and high school,
college, and until I was able to compete.
Yeah.
- Compete where?
(heartbeat monitor beeping)
- Well, compete...
I've always competed.
- Okay.
- But as far as my medal was concerned.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
- Can you tell us, team members one through five,
how many years ago you won your medal?
- ^ I have to do the math on that one.
(team members laughing)
It's been a while.
Probably about 12 years, I was 17.
- Okay.
- ^ July.
- ^ 2022 minus 2013 (laughs) whatever that is.
- Okay.
- ^ For me, it's been seven years.
- ^ I feel old as hell.
(team members laugh)
Alright, it's been 24 years (laughs softly).
- Okay.
- How do you guys deal with nerves the day before a game?
- Meditation, lots of water.
- ^ Music.
- I say a chant.
So usually I do a lot of affirmations
and just kind of reaffirm myself.
- What chant do you say?
- You can do it. You got it.
Just kinda like I said, affirmations.
So just power things, things like that.
- Okay.
- I do a lot of visualization.
So I try to visualize everything
that I have to do for the next day.
- For me, it's just really being
kind of zeroed in on what I'm doing.
I don't really do a lot of chanting
because it just just throws me off.
- ^ It's cool.
We're ready to eliminate.
- [Narrator] Each team will try to find the real deal
by eliminating the imposters.
If both teams eliminate the same person
they will be removed from the game.
- ^ We eliminated number three
because she didn't really seem too enthusiastic.
She didn't seem like the type
of person that went and won a gold medal.
Just those red flags from there
we decided to take her out first.
- ^ Alright, we're gonna start off a little light here.
One through five,
what type of day do you guys typically work out at?
- When I was active, I woke up around 6:00 a.m.
- I usually compete and like train in the afternoon.
- I wake up at 5:00 a.m.
- Usually work out at the gym, I do around 8:00 a.m.
And then in the courts I do late at like 6:00 p.m. usually.
- About 5:00 a.m. get up, track by six.
- So obviously being an Olympic medalist
y'all gone go through some hard workouts.
So let me hear the hardest workout
all you ever been through, it was just awful.
- Well, the hardest workout actually went through
was in the fire academy.
(flames crackling)
They beat us up for hours on end.
- ^ I train with my TRX Bands, I do pushups,
I do poles, and then I do a shot trainer.
- ^ My strength mostly resides in my lower body, so
in any upper body workout.
So from my pushups, from dumbbells, things like that.
- ^ It's tough to say because I would almost consider it,
like during competitions one of the hardest times.
Because I have to practice,
I have to work out, I have to play.
But if you're looking
for any specific workout type?
I tried CrossFit once, I almost died (laughs loudly).
- We would call it death because that's what you felt like.
While you run around the track coach will blow a whistle
and you run as fast as you can till he blows it again.
And doing that repetitively over and over again
it feels like you want to threw up.
Okay, you're done? Get back out there.
So that's probably one of the hardest moments.
- Number five.
- Yes.
- We happen to be track and field athletes.
So, I want to ask you, what event did you compete in
during your Olympic time and any time before then?
- ^ 800 meters.
- 800 meters?
- Ooh.
- Do you mind if I ask you, what was your time in the 800?
- ^ Olympic was 1:43:58.
- ^ That's a fire time, I'm not gonna lie.
That's a good time.
- Hey.
- That sounds like an Olympic time right there,
that's fast.
- Alright. Okay.
So, going back to the years you guys competed in
can we hear those years again, please?
- ^ 2009.
- ^ 2022.
- ^ 2013.
- ^ 2015.
- ^ 96.
- ^ Okay, so for numbers one and three,
I noticed you guys had...
They're odd number years.
Is there a reason to that?
- ^ I was in the junior Olympics for volleyball.
- ^ I was in high school.
- Yeah.
- ^ We're ready to eliminate.
- ^ [Narrator] As a reminder,
if both teams eliminate the same person
that person will be removed from the game.
- ^ For the first red flag
that I kind of saw from contestant one,
the volleyball players I see are typically extremely tall,
like 6'7", 6'8", very very big people.
And he seemed a little more smaller in stature for me.
So that kind of just threw me for a loop.
- ^ Can I have numbers three and five
tell us little trivia question?
Why do some winners bite their medals?
- ^ Why do some winners bite their medals?
Show how hard their teeth are.
- ^ Winners bite their medals because that was a sign
when medals used to be all gold.
They're not all gold anymore.
So it was a sign of,
if you could bend the medal that means it wasn't real.
- And can we also have numbers two and four
tell us your answers as well.
- Make sure it's real.
- ^ Honestly, I do it,
because it's just like the taste of winning.
You just...
It's what everybody used to do.
- Number one,
you say the championship game was pretty memorable, right?
Yeah?
Could you walk me through who some of your teammates were
and the positions they played?
- ^ Yeah, Bo was our outside hitter.
Storm was our setter, Jake was our defensive specialist
and I was a setter as well.
- Okay. Did you play six two or were you a backup setter?
- I was backup.
- Okay.
- Yeah, unfortunately.
- ^ We're ready to eliminate.
(techno music)
- ^ [Host] We do have an elimination this round.
Gold medalist number one.
(sullen music)
- ^ Alright, athlete number two.
If you're an archerist, I'd love to see your form,
if you don't mind demonstrating.
- I have my bow with me, I can show you.
- Yeah. Sure.
(tense music)
- My finger sling cuz I let the bow go.
My finger tab, set, set up,
slowly draw my anchor, get to anchor, usually.
Boom. Drop.
- Jesus Christ.
- It's pretty serious.
(laughs softly)
- It's intense.
- All right everybody,
obviously the night, you got the medal is very important
to everybody at the big celebration.
So numbers two through five,
I'd like to hear what you did to celebrate.
- ^ I love sushi, so I got sushi
and I was pretty excited about that.
- Sushi.
- ^ I had a great family, kind of reunion.
Had some family that was in town
and I was young so I couldn't really toast or anything.
So it was like that Welcher's bubbly-juice, or whatever.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Know exactly what you mean.
- That was how I celebrated.
- Bomb.
- ^ It was very special because right after I got my medal
my country chose me to be the flag bearer and that was
(classical music) like the closing ceremony,
with the carry, my country flag,
the celebration for that day for me.
But then once I got home, everybody was
at the airport with my family, friends, and everything.
It was super cool.
- That actually sounds amazing.
- Yeah, it was.
- Probably one of the best nights
anyone could possibly have.
- Yes.
- ^ I'll be honest with you,
I went to McDonald's and got some cheeseburgers,
went back and hung out.
- Did you guys happen to get your rings tattooed
following your victory?
- No, I did not.
But I did get this tattoo that says, "blessed".
- I didn't because I told my mother
for religious reasons why I wouldn't do this, so--
- Yeah, always gotta side with moms, always.
- As a athlete, obviously you know diet is different
in season compared to outside of season,
so let me hear an outside season meal
y'all would typically go for?
- Well I'm a chef so like chicken piccata.
Cuz I'm fancy so I make all this pasta.
- ^ Back in the day I actually ate meat and dairy
and things like that.
So if I wanted to cheat,
I would definitely eat some home cooked meals.
- Well tennis is a little bit different.
There's not really season time.
You have to play all year round.
But whenever I have some time
that I don't have many tournaments or anything,
it's pizza, pizza, pizza (laughs).
- My coach is a little stricter.
But I knew...
Like I said, I promised myself,
"Yo, when I win, getting that cheeseburger man."
(laughs loudly)
- You gotta treat yourself always.
- We're ready to eliminate.
(techno music)
- ^ [Host] We have a second elimination in the game.
Gold medalist number three.
Unfortunately, our teams does not believe
that you are the real deal and we will have you exit please.
- ^ Number five,
can you tell me what your lane preference is?
And what lane you ran in?
And how did it affect your performance?
- Preference is, middle, like five, six lanes.
Unfortunately I was in lane one, which is not that
good to be in, but that made me run even harder
cuz I was angry because I was in a bad lane.
- Number four, have you ever heard of the Angel City games?
- ^ Yes I have.
- Do you remember any of the names of the kids you met?
- Yes, I remember a couple, I'm trying to remember
now some of their names.
I know also some of the people that work in there.
So can I mention their names?
- Yeah, can you mention--
- I know Mackenzie, Camille, Clayton, Ezra, Josh,
everybody pretty much.
- Okay.
- We're ready to lock in our real deal.
(techno music)
- Also going right back to you.
- Yeah.
- So, you're a tennis player obviously.
Can I see your form of a serve or--
- Sure. I have my racket here.
Do you guys wanna see it?
- Of course, yeah, sure.
- So on Paralympic Tennis
the backhand is a little bit different, is inverted.
Basically the racket comes to the back here
shoulder facing forward, the face of the racket falls down
hit the ball in the front.
So the point of contact is right here.
And then you brush the ball and finish pointing up.
This is a back hand,
so if the ball goes on my left,
if it goes on my right,
it's kind of like just mirrored the other side.
So my left shoulder points towards the court.
This is the preparation,
the racket falls, goes forward,
hits the ball, brush the ball,
which is the top spin, brush the ball,
and then finish behind your back.
Anything else?
- Yeah. Cool.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Taught me a whole lot in 30 seconds.
Yeah.
- ^ Wanna lock in?
- ^ Oh, we're ready to lock in.
(techno music)
- ^ We think the real deal is number four.
- Her story just backs up,
super toned arms in great shape.
It's just obvious (laughs)
she is our Olympic gold medalist.
(laughs loudly)
- ^ We think the real deal is athlete number four.
She's got it all.
She's got the backstory, she's got the form.
We just think that she's the one
who demonstrates the knowledge of the Olympics,
and for us, she's the Olympic gold medalist.
- ^ [Host] Which means two and five,
thank you so much for playing,
but we will have you exit the stage now.
Thank you.
- Bye guys.
- [Narrator] If both teams guess the same person
and it is later revealed that they are the real deal,
the team that locked them in first wins.
- ^ [Host] If the lights on the floor turn green, that means
that you have chosen the real deal.
Your answer will be revealed to you in 3, 2, 1.
- Schooled.
- Yeah!
- No!
(laughs loudly) (cheers loudly)
- Let's go.
- Okay.
- Gotta be quick than that man.
- ^ [Host] Congratulations teams.
You have both been able to find the real deal.
But unfortunately,
because of our high school team,
because they were able to lock it in first
they are true winners of the game.
- ^ Yeah!
- [Host] So let's give 'em a round of applause.
(team member applaud)
- ^ Hi, I'm Natalia and I am the real gold medalist.
I started playing tennis when I was 12 years old
and I fell in love with it
because I loved all the mental components to it.
I loved how every game, every match, every practice was
different and it was a new challenge
for me to take on the day.
Early on in my career, I started playing,
and it started basically showing a lot of result.
And my coach started telling me from very early,
"You have potential to play the Paralympic games".
Since I was 12 years old,
my whole goal with playing tennis
was to be a Paralympian.
- It was pretty surprising.
I'm not gonna lie, I watched some videos.
- I didn't think we'd get it.
- I watched some videos in the past
and y'all threw some curve balls at us.
- You know, I will say it was harder than I thought.
- Yeah.
- I thought it was gonna be like,
you could kind of clearly tell
who was an athlete, who wasn't.
And I think everybody had
at least some kind of athletic history.
- Yeah.
- And And it made it tough.
So, it was fun though.
- Yeah.
- It was fun for sure.
- I wish I had somebody
to show me that that was a possibility
way earlier than when I started.
And I really love doing things like this because I hope that
if I can get one person to see that this is a possibility,
that you can be an athlete, that you can chase your dreams
that your life didn't stop there, you can keep pushing.
And you can still fight for everything that you
wanna find your own way to do everything.
Then my life is, it's worth it, you know?
Then everything I've been through is worth it.
So just go for it. Don't give up.
You're the only person that can put something in your way.
So keep pushing.