Huntington Beach resident Tiffany Gil to compete on ‘The Great Grass Race’
Some people may have to think twice before putting their life on hold to be cast in a show.
Even the coronavirus pandemic cannot keep Huntington Beach resident Tiffany Gil from finding new ways to satisfy her wanderlust.
Gil, 21, will be one of 12 contestants on “The Great Grass Race,” a show that will feature six teams attempting to travel from California to New York by Oct. 10. They will be racing on Craftsman T110 lawnmowers at a speed of 5.5 mph.
The teams will chart their own course, with the competitors beginning their journey from Moorpark on Friday at 9 a.m. Gil likened the unknown of the adventure to living through the pandemic.
“I guess it’s kind of just like COVID times,” she said. “I mean, it’s very uncertain and very like, ‘Well, I guess we’re just going to have to go with it.’ What’s thrown at me is thrown at me, and I’ll just have to persevere.”
A 2016 graduate of Huntington Beach High School, Gil is a world traveler who has been to 27 countries, but only 12 states in her home country so far. Most of the states she has been to have been along the coasts, but she is doing all she can to prepare.
“I went to AAA, and I literally got 40 maps, so I think I’m definitely aware of the challenges of finding out my route and kind of prepared,” Gil said. “I got a one-person tent and a sleeping mat, so we have a trailer on the back of our lawnmower. It’s a six [feet]-by-four [feet], so I’m going to attach a one-person tent on the back, and hopefully me and my partner will switch off taking naps and driving.”
Gil, who is a senior business major at San Diego State, indicated that her initial strategy will be to travel across flatter terrain, although she figures that they will have to deal with sweltering heat in doing so.
The lawnmowers are not registered vehicles. Unable to travel on public roads, teams must find alternative routes like side roads and open fields to travel across the country.
Teams will earn points when riding the lawnmower, and they will lose points if someone is towing them. The first team to arrive at the final destination in New York will have its points multiplied by 10, the second by five, and the third by three.
People skills and an ability to wheel-and-deal for resources will be vital. The teams will not be given food, gas or money, so they must rely on the kindness of strangers to acquire those essentials.
Denis Oliver, the producer of the show, said that the teams are competing for a $100,000 cash prize.
Should she win prize money, Gil said that she would like to donate a portion of her winnings to fight hunger for children abroad.
Gil said she was a big fan of shows like “Survivor,” “The Amazing Race,” and “Fear Factor” growing up. She would watch the shows with her father, Fred, who made a point of teaching his daughter to fend for herself.
Fred said he taught her how to drive a stick shift when she had just gotten her driving permit at 15. She has also learned how to scuba dive, snowboard, and surf.
Fred called Tiffany his “hero,” and he has little doubt that she will find a way to succeed.
“She’s very adventurous,” Fred said of Tiffany, describing her as a leader who will not give up. “She’s sharp. She’s smart. I’m not concerned with her journey.”
Oliver got the idea for the three-month-long race while watching a drama about a World War II veteran traveling by lawnmower across Iowa and Wisconsin to visit his dying, estranged brother.
“I was looking for a simple concept that could relate to anyone, that could bring people together, that could show the generosity of people in a world that usually shows negativity,” Oliver said. “Everyone has mowed a lawn in their life. Everyone can afford a lawnmower.
“I was starting to watch the movie “The Straight Story” from [director] David Lynch, and after the first 15 minutes, I got the concept of what we shall do. I didn’t even finish the movie actually, started to work on the concept right away. We worked on this idea for the past year and a half.”
Those looking to track the progress of Gil and the other contestants can find content on the streaming platform Menace Vision for free on smartphones and computers. The show is also available on the Menace Vision app on Amazon with a subscription. Oliver added that the show will be available on Roku next week. Daily episodes will be produced for 90 days.
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