'Nerd concierge' Felicia Day makes embarrassment cool on 'The Flog'
The queen of quirky tries new things like fencing and escaping from a death house so we don't have to in the new season of her Geek & Sundry show. Thanks, Felicia.
Trying new things is a good way to learn about your strengths and weaknesses. After all, using a chainsaw to carve an ice sculpture for the first time or driving a bulldozer without any previous training are fast ways to build character -- and raise your life insurance premiums.
Luckily for those of us who'd rather avoid such adventures, Felicia Day, "Supernatural" actress and founder of the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel, does all that and more in her addictive show "The Flog," which kicked off a new season July 17. That's Felicia plus vlog equals flog, by the way, not the dungeon kind of flogging.
"I like to describe the Flog as a vlog on steroids," Felicia Day told CNET's Crave blog. "I curate interesting things and try something for the first time. It's foremost supposed to be a helpful show, to introduce people to new things. I'm a nerd concierge if you will."
Full disclosure: I'm very good friends with Felicia. I've known her for some years and I'm even a co-host on her weird romance book club show, which started on Geek & Sundry, called "Vaginal Fantasy." No really, that's the name of our YouTube show. I think Felicia called it that just to confuse pervs and make us blush when we say the name aloud, but hey, we're in our third season of the show so we must be doing something right.
So yeah, I'm biased when I say Felicia Day makes doing embarrassing things look cool. On her show, "The Flog" she's done everything from learning how to be a blacksmith to mastering the art of archery.
Personally, my favorite episodes of "The Flog" are when Felicia fails at something but still has a blast doing it. Watching Felicia scream like a madwoman when she learns how to fly on a trapeze is delightful. I mean, I know she's a afraid of heights, but so am I. Now, thanks to Felicia, I know how much I would probably panic if I trained to be on a trapeze.
"I had a panic attack on a trapeze episode that scarred me for life," Felicia told Crave. "Seriously, I get anxiety driving over bridges I'm so afraid of heights now. That is one I would never do again."
My favorite episodes include Felicia attempting Parkour and free running because it looks easy but barely making it over the tiny walls. And there's something downright hilarious watching her struggle to put together IKEA furniture with her co-star from "The Guild," Jeff Lewis.
In this new season of "The Flog," we see Felicia learn to fence, make neon signs and attempt to escape from a serial killer in an immersive horror film game with fellow actors Zachary Levi, Seth Green and Clare Grant. Upcoming episodes have Felicia learning how to pole dance and playing Quidditch just like Harry Potter.
In addition to Felicia doing new things, she lists her three new favorite things, which she calls Trio Mio, at the start of each episode. "Being able to support indie creators, like Etsy dealers or indie game makers, is a big side benefit," she said. "Everyone wins."
But in the end, it's watching Felicia be game for anything that makes watching "The Flog" so much fun. It's a great reminder for all of us to try to get out of our comfort zone more often.
"I definitely think that as adults we don't expand our worlds enough," Felicia said. "If we have a whim to explore, at whatever age, we should feel free enough to explore it. You never know what could turn into a life-long passion if you just try something."