Sneaking Into Strength Challenges as a Grandpa

Summary

Brandon disguises himself as an 80-year-old grandpa named Gary to sneak into several strength challenges, using a $5,000 hyperrealistic mask to fool the crowd.

At the Santa Monica rotating-bar hang challenge, he outlasts the other competitors and hangs for two minutes. At one point, he jokingly pretends to take a nap, then adds pull-ups and a front lever for flair.

The plan gets riskier at the LA Fit Expo, where Brandon brings along his strong friend Ben Galper, also in disguise. Ben enters the max deadlift as “Guy,” an Olympic lifter, and steadily pulls up to five plates while acting as if the weight is a struggle. On the way to the next event, Brandon takes a shot at a punch machine and jokes that his granddaughter can hit harder.

Brandon then competes in the max push-up event against someone who reportedly did more than 100 push-ups the previous day. The disguised “grandpa” keeps pace, surprising the crowd, but his shoulder buckles and seems to pop out before he rolls it back into place. The mishap nearly exposes him, and his walkie-talkie falls out, so the pair hurry along.

Ben tackles a 175-pound, thick-handled “unliftable” dumbbell challenge hosted by his close friend Alex and manages to lift it without being recognized.

For the final event, Brandon attempts pull-ups in front of another close friend, Chris Harriet. Despite shoulder pain, he gets 18 reps and initially seems to have fooled him. But as Brandon goes to take a photo, Chris recognizes him and calls him out. Brandon considers the disguise a success anyway: they made it through nearly the entire expo without being caught.

Personalities Featured

• Brandon William — Undercover as “Gary,” an 80-year-old grandpa
• Ben Galper — Brandon’s disguised partner, competing as “Guy”
• Alex — Host of the unliftable dumbbell challenge
• Chris Harriet — Host of the pull-up challenge and the one who recognizes Brandon