Dope Zebra: The Full Story

Our dope zebra has been popping up in a. lot of places lately. Now it's time to. come clean about the backstory. I'm Jolo. Marata from the Philippines. Let's talk. about that. Good morning. This episode is brought to. you by Smule, makers of amazing musical. apps for the iPad, iPhone, and now. Android, including Songify, which is. available on Android. Download it for.

free. Do it. You won't regret. it. Songify, which is available on. Android. Download it for free. Do it. You won't regret it. Download it for. free. So, I'm scared by new technology. Oh. yeah, it's frighteningly awesome. Okay, a lot of you have been asking on the. Twitter, on the Facebook, on our. website, just in person. I've been. seeing the Dope Zebra. everywhere. Guys, did somebody steal the.

Dope Zebra from you guys? Is that you. and the Dope Zebra on this and that? Yeah. LMFAO Billboard Awards. I got a, you know, got a text over the weekend. Billboard Awards. Did they take your. Dope Zebra? This is a friend of ours. A. friend, huh? So now friend, a a friend. of mine. Oh, but anyway, I so much has. accumulated in terms of dope zebra. stories and you know, we we haven't. talked about it just because it's just. been it's just been happening so quickly. and we've been working on other things,

but we thought we would at least since. you guys have been asking put it all. together in a chronological explanative. format. Well, it could be explanatory. I'm going to go explanatory. The first thing that happened is we were. asked by the guys at Small HD, our. friends back in North Carolina own the. company Small HD. They've they've won. the Crash the Super Bowl Doritos. commercial contest a couple of times. So, they were making another commercial. They wanted us to be in it. They said, "We have a zebra costume and we'd love. for you guys to come to North Carolina,

be in the in the commercial in the zebra. costume." Great friends of ours. They do. amazing work. We were like, "Yes, we're. coming to North Carolina. Let's get in. the zebra costume." Part of the process. is you vote if you're selected as a. finalist in in the Crash of Super Bowl. Doritos contest. It's dependent on. votes. So, you know, we can help get you. guys to vote if we're if we're uh if we. contributed to the commercial. So, we. went back to North Carolina, went to the. Ashboro Zoo, got in the zebra suit. We. were actually in the zebra suit for the.

commercial. That commercial. Oh, you want some Doritos, bud? Yeah. Here you go. Thanks. So after they completed the commercial, there was this waiting period to figure. out if they were going to be a finalist. and if we were going to have to help. them get votes once they became a. finalist. So we had an idea. Let's take. the Zebra suit, bring it to California. We'll make a video that hopefully will. get a lot of views. And then when you. guys get selected as finalist, we'll be.

able to put this video out there and. say, "Hey, go vote for this particular. commercial at Crash the Super Bowl." We. knew we wanted to make just a dance. video with the zebra locked off shot. It's all about the zebra doing these. moves and we could we said, you know, we. could come up with some moves. Let's. Google trendy dance moves. Let's figure. out how to do them because yeah, just. like in the commercial, we were going to. be in the zebra suit. So, we put on the. zebra suit and we start trying to do the. running man and and the running man and.

the running man and then we, you know, all of a sudden I'm, you know, I'm down. here like my head is in Rhett's butt and. Rhett's head is up here in the zebra. head and we're both just sucking air. like it's just it's suffocating. We. started realizing how, first of all, out. of shape we were. Second of all, how few. dances we actually knew and third of. all, how we could make a much better. video if we got some guys who could. actually dance and we got behind the. camera and told them what to do if we. directed the video. So, so we met Flitz. and Steve, uh, dancers who have their.

own channel on YouTube, Comedy Sketch. channel, uh, Shotg Glass Films, I. believe is what it's called. Yeah, we'll. link to that. And, um, so we had them. over and, you know, they're dancers. They knew the trendy dance moves and. they not only knew how to do them, but. they knew how to not die while trying to. do them in a zebra suit, right? So, we. started we choreographed the whole thing. uh based on okay, they could do this. move, this move, this move. Let's put. them together in this order. Let's put. them in the suit. But we also wanted. them to be able to stand up on the zebra.

on its back legs and kind of walk around. and dance. And for that, we got a stunt. couple, Rick and Stacy. They're a. married couple and they're both stunt. people in Hollywood and friends of ours. Friends of ours. Uh we got them to show. up and that's where all the really crazy. moves and you start thinking how is. Rhett how are Rhett and Link in that. suit? If I take the zebra suit, it gets. a little awkward. Well, it's a married. couple inside the suit doing all that. stuff. And then we got Chuck to come get. in the suit at the end and we took the u. the head off and of course Chuck.

delivers his his line. You probably. thought this zebra was alive. No, Chuck Ta. So, we upload it to our. channel. It gets a lot of views in a. very short period of time. And within 3. days after the video has gone up, I. remember Saturday morning, we got an. email from the producer of LMFAO's next. music video, and she said, "Hey, we love. your dancing zebra. We love zebras. We. want to put the zebra in our next music.

video. We're shooting on the Universal. lot this coming Wednesday. can you guys. bring the zebra and be in the video? We. were like, uh, yes. So, so we get Flitz and Steve to get in. the zebra suit. But we said, listen, here's the deal. Can we also be in the. video? I mean, we're not in the zebra. suit, but can we like show up and just. make a cameo and be in the actual video, too, cuz we want to be in your video. And they said, sure. I mean, they were. they were they were great about not. wanting to commandeer the idea of.

saying, "Hey, you guys made this a a. viral video. This is your dope zebra.". They use a lot of zebra stuff in their. videos. Yeah, they do. So, we show up. and the wardrobe person comes up up to. us and they're like, "You guys need to. put on some Party Rock clothes." We're. like, "What are Party Rock clothes?" So, we go into a trailer and there's a guy. and there's just racks of all these loud. zebra print. fluorescent party rock shuffling anthem. type clothes. And um she she asked us a. question. I remember she turned to us. and said well we were joking when we.

said now we we want to be we want to to. be eye-catching in this video. We want. people to be able to see us, you know, for us to like pop a little bit. And I. was kind of joking when I said it and. she she was like, "Okay." And she she. was thinking and then she said, "I have. just the thing." And she held up two. pairs of underwear with smiley faces on. them. And I was like, "Oh, yeah. you. want us to like wear those on the. outside of our jeans or something? She's. like, "No, I want you to just wear these. just two guys in underwear in briefs,

boxer briefs." And I said, "Yes, immediately." And you said, "No." No. We. actually said, "Uh, I don't." We turned. pale as a sheet. I don't really think. that's our style. So, we were able to. find I mean, I do have on briefs if I'm. going to be honest, but yeah, but I have. stuff over it. So, anyway, we got. outfitted in normal Party Rock clothes. We We shoot the video. We're there until. 500 a.m. We get there at 11:00 p.m. and. we shoot this thing. It lasts all night. long. It is what you would imagine it. would be shooting an LMFAO video in the.

Universal Live. I just remember dancing. in the back and and thinking I am way. too old for this. Like I don't even know. how to look like I'm having a good time. I don't know. It occurs me I don't know. how to party. And then I knew that when. the zebra danced I was going to look. right into the camera the whole time and. nod my head. So I did that. And I got a. little bit of that in there at the end. of the uh at the end of that particular. moment. So we make a cameo. The zebra. makes a cameo. Well, a little bit of. time passes and all of a sudden we get a. call from America's Got Talent and they.

say, "Hey, we saw your video. We'd love. for you guys to come audition for the. show." And that was in downtown LA. So. it was pretty convenient. So again, we. get Flitz and Steve to get in the suit. And of course, we wanted to be on stage, too. I'm not going to lie. We wanted to. work ourselves in there again somehow. without having to get into that uh you. know death trap of a suit and but we. thought okay what can we do how can we. make this a bit that would work on. America's Got Talent. We were not. expecting to get past the first round. We didn't honestly didn't even want to. get past the first round, right? We knew. it was we're just going to do it for the.

fun funny novelty of it. That became. very apparent when we got our three. strikes from the three judges within. like 30 seconds of coming on stage. But. you didn't say that we were dressed. We. dressed up like zookeepers and acted. like we had a wild animal that was going. to come out and then instead of a wild. animal, it's the zebra. And then he. starts dancing and the crowd went wild. at the audition. The crowd went wild. But the the ex's came very quick from. the judges and we kind of just stood on. stage and Link actually made the cut of. a montage on America's Got Talent.

That's the only thing they showed. Half. of my body, all of the zebra and then. half of my body is on television and I'm. off screen. You have to get an extra. wide television to see me in that. particular shot. Actually, that's not. true. But America's Got Talent. I That. was tough. I mean, you just had to sit. around in a room for one day to just be. interviewed and then sit around all half. the day the next day to wait to go on. stage. All to be in a montage for. literally one second. And it's only half. of you and I'm not even in it. It.

totally wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth. it. It was wasn't I wouldn't recommend. going on Americans Got Talent just just. to be the butt of a joke. Yeah. A few. weeks pass and we get called by uh LMFAO. again and they say, "Hey, we're going to. be performing live on American Idol. Can. you bring the zebra?" We're like, "Yeah, we can bring the zebra. Can we get. tickets for us and our wives to American. Idol?" So, we got to go to American Idol. and we got to see Dope Zebra Flitz and. Steve dance around up there during a. live performance on American Idol. That. was very cool. Then a couple of more.

weeks pass and they said, "You know. what? can we just take the dope zebra. with us on tour? I mean, because we're. having such a good time with him, he's. great. And and two days later, they were. leaving on tour. So, it's like, uh, okay. So, we So, we've sent this zebra. off to be on tour. And then even this. past Sunday on the Billboard Music. Awards, he I our zebra was the star of. the opening performance, which was. LMFO's medley performance on the.

Billboard Awards. It felt good. Felt. good. And now we've sent him out across. the world. The zebra gets to see the. world. Doesn't that make you feel good, right? It makes me wish that we were. still in the suit. I hope he doesn't. pick up any bad habits. Well, he's. already got sequined underwear that. they're making him wear, which I I don't. know how I feel about that. So, it's. it's been quite a journey. Um I don't. know what kind of conclusion to draw. from this, but uh that I will say that. there's there's potential for a dope. zebra sequel. There is potential. I.

think all hope in that is not lost. The. conclusion that I'm drawing is. that I would have never in a million. years guessed that that much could. happen from a twoperson zebra suit. dancing in my backyard. I guessed it. I. knew it was going to happen. I would. never have done it. I didn't think it. was going to be that awesome. All right, let's spin the wheel and see how to end. this episode. Ah, good old Zebra. I. wonder where he is right now. He He's.

probably curled up in a box in the. bottom of a tour bus. Uh you're in. headed to Germany. You're in my plane. seat. Speaking of going on tour, this is. when you're on you you're going to a. plane and then you come to a. row. Uh. 34. 35 36. Uh excuse me, sir. Um what what I think. that's 36. That's 36B. I think that's my. seat. Uh, no. 30. Uh, B. That's B is my.

seat. Let me see your ticket. Yes, he's. 36. D. Your D. Your D. No, no, that's a. B. That's a B, sir. B as in boy. The B. has two humps. The D has one. It's like. two D's on top of each other. Yeah, that's a B. Okay. Well, let me look. Let. me look over here. Yeah. See, look. 36. Yeah, that's that's B. B. See, D. It's. okay. I think you're over there. F. Sir, I know it's a little embarrassing, but. you're going to have this. I just can't. No, I I' I'd rather. There is a very.

large woman in next to your seat over. there. I don't want to sit next to her. No, that's that's Give me your ticket. right quick. Let me take a look at it. Can you hold just hold my ticket, sir? Just go. Just hold my just hold my. ticket for a second. Let me hold flight. attendant. I'm having issues with this. jerk. Link. Still not it. Yeah, I'm. here. Yeah, he says it's still not it. Where? Where's Red?