Today, I become a Merman. – Let’s talk about that. ♪ (theme music) ♪ – Good Mythical Morning. – When you’re an internetainer, you gotta prepare for the day when no one cares enough to click on you anymore, it’s what you do. And as you know, we’ve been goin’ out into the world to search for what else we might be good at, with a little help from our friends over at: Geico! – It’s time to take another field trip. – This time around we turn to the deep blue sea, and experience working at an aquarium. – It’s time for: Together – The Backup Plan! ♪ (fun beach music) ♪ – This week we headed down to the aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California to see if there were any job openings. – As a guy who can hold his breath for a really long time, I’m definitely cut out for any job that’s underwater. – And…I’m his friend. Check that out. – Oh, they got a coffee shop. – Hey! I’m talking about the whale. – (laughs) Oh, is that real? – First job on our list was Mammalogist. – Our mission, to make a connection with a sea lion. – Welcome to the Aquarium of the Pacific, and our wonderful seal and sea lion exhibit! – Thanks for having us. – Yeah. Where are the sea lions and seals? – Megan’s going to bring Harpo in who is one of our eight year old male California Sea Lions. – He sounds big. – Well, actually he’s one of our smaller animals. Parker is our largest, weighing in at about 800 pounds. – Whoa. – So when we’re working with animals that are nice and large like that, you develop a trust relationship with them. – Should I be afraid? – No. Don’t be afraid. – What if I’m already afraid? (laughs) – Then, hold it deep inside. – Just look like you don’t care. Just don’t even look, don’t make eye contact. – Be aloof. That’s your aloof face? – Pfffft. – Let’s meet some people! – Oh my goodness. – Hi! Come on in! Harpo, can you wave Hi? – Well hello, Harpo. – Hey! – So we have different behaviors, like the lift… – Whoa. – …which is a sea lion push-up. – I can’t do that. – Whoa, he just…whoa! – Now, does he think that’s funny? – Have you ever had a sea lion kiss before? – I’ve been on some interesting dates but… – I’m actually gonna switch spots with you, I’m gonna have you kneel down, ’cause you need to be on his level. – And tongue or no tongue? – No tongue. This is the first time you’re meeting him. – Okay. Alright. – So you’re gonna look forward… – And then pucker? – Look forward. – Am I kissing you or him? – (laughter) No you are not kissing me. – (talking to Harpo) Kiss! Kiss! – Oh my goodness, wow. He’s really holdin’ it in there! – Kiss! – He said no. – You got it buddy. Kiss! – He doesn’t wanna kiss him. – He doesn’t like the beard. He thinks I’m a threat. – I think it’s more than the beard. It’s the total package. Purse your lips more. Yeah. Close your eyes. – Target, target target! Go on, kiss! – Close your eyes. – Harpo, kiss! – I’m feeling so rejected right now. – Target! Harpo, kiss! You got it! Good boy, you got it! Kiss! Gettin’ close but not really. Target! – Lean in, Rhett. Come on, help him out. – (laughs) – He doesn’t wanna do it. He’s like, I’m gonna fake kiss that dude with the beard. – This is like Junior Prom and Stephanie man, all over again. – Well I think we’re going to say goodbye to Harpo. – Harpo’s bored with us. – Sorry Harpo, thanks for dissing me. – He waved. – Next time, we’ll kiss. Now, do you guys have any animals that won’t be scared of us, and will kiss me? – I think we do have some nice stuffed animals in the gift shop if you wanna… – Oooh! – …kiss one of those. (laughter) – Maybe that will be good practice for you. – Okay, I’ll practice kissing. This won’t be the first time I’ve practiced kissing on a stuffed animal. (laughter) ♪ (sea shanty music) ♪ For our next potential job we had to get suited up. – To be an Aquarist, you not only have to be comfortable with immersing yourself in water, but also in mortal danger. Hey, I’m Link! – Hi Link, I’m Rachel. – Hi, Rachel. – Nice to meet you. – I’m Rhett. – Hi, Rhett. Nice to meet you. – Alright! So I am an Aquarist here, I work in shark lagoon. – Are those all your real fingers? – They are all my real fingers. No prosthetic fingers. – Can I pull ’em? – You may pull them. – Not like my grand-dad. – Real? – These are all real on this hand. – I’ve never been bit by any of the sharks raised in this exhibit. We will be getting into this little husbandry pool here with this zebra shark, her name is Verne. – So, you’re gonna get us to feed the shark? – Exactly. You’re gonna get in. – I don’t wanna get into the lagoon with the shark. – Are you afraid of sharks? – Well, no, I’m just human. – What does that have to do with sharks? -There is a feather floating there. Did you just feed it a chicken? Is that what we’re about to do? A live chicken. – No, I did not feed it a chicken. – Okay well, that feather got in there somehow. – She does not eat chickens, it’s not part of their natural diet. – And, there she is stepping nonchalantly into a tank with a shark. – Alright, if you guys are ready you’re more than welcome to come on in. – Does she have teeth? – She has very, very small teeth. – How big is the mouth? – Probably like, that big. – Okay, Link, you got any part of your body that’s burger-sized? – Yeah, yeah. A foot, a hand, chin. – I’m going for it. ♪ (scary music) ♪ – Okay, it’s suckin’ on my foot. – You’re kidding me. It’s sucking on your foot? – Yeah, I can’t get a sea lion to kiss my face but I can get a shark to kiss my foot. – Okay. – Since she’s being a really good girl, we’re gonna reward her with some fish. (Link making scared noises) I’m freakin’ out. – I’m just happy that I’m making a friend. – Oh my gosh. – Would you like to give a shot at feeding? – It’s, it’s, what? Ohhh! The crotch! – Now I wanna point something out, Rachel. – Mhmm? – You’re calling it a zebra shark but, it has spots. – Yeah, that’s a great question. – Who screwed that up? – Well actually, when zebra sharks are first born they have really dark, black bands and they look very similar to a zebra stripe pattern. – Oh. – It’s only as they grow and mature that those stripes will fade and are replaced by spots. – Hold on, it really likes Link’s crotch. What does that mean? (laughter) – Um, I cannot say. – Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Rachel! Rachel! You got the shark upside down! – I do! You wanna give her that piece of food? (shark makes biting noise) – Whoa!! (laughter) – You, look at you man! You’re halfway out of the tank. – Can you assess our potential to be Aquarists? – Ahh… – Based on this. – Well, you demonstrated a interest in trying to handle her… – (laughing) An interest in trying. – (laughter) – That’s a very sweet way of saying we suck. – You’re a little bit afraid of her but, I am impressed by your ability to conquer that fear and… – I wouldn’t say that it’s conquered. – It seems like the whole idea here is, of course, is to educate, teach people about these animals… – Yes. – …but it’s also to kind of “wow” them a little bit, right? – Mhm! – We’ve got a particular idea that we’d like to unleash at the aquarium today. It’s gonna require me having some time alone. – Mhm. – And while I’m doing that, Link can do something awesome. – What else awesome do you have that I can do? – Yeah. I definitely have an idea for you. – Okay. If it involves getting out of this tank, I’m ready to do it right now. ♪ (fun beach music) ♪ – What awesome thing was I gonna do next? Octopus pilates? High-fiving a manta ray? Nope. It was being a shark’s personal chef. – This is called a squid. Does that look delicious? – No. Just weighin’ some stinky fish. – Mhmm. – So this is like a multi-vitamin? – Just put that in. – Is that what that slot in the squid is for? – Exactly! – It’s for a vitamin. – It is. – Eugh. Gross. Let’s move on to something else. I want to be helpful. – Okay, sounds good. – Preferably in another environment that doesn’t smell like this. – Okay, that’s fine. Let’s find something else for you to do then. ♪ (epic music) ♪ – So apparently running an aquarium requires a lot of cleaning. – I’m really sorry I missed out on that part. – Mhmm. Three hours later…it was time to reveal the aquarium’s newest and coolest exhibit. You guys are in for a treat because whether you’ve been here before or this is your first time, this is a brand new exhibit that no one has ever seen before! No flash photography and no petting of the um, of the animal. Come on around here, follow me to the exhibit! ♪ (exciting music) ♪ – Welcome to my exhibit! Well actually, welcome to the trout exhibit! They stuck me next to the trout again! Ignore the trout! Trout are boring! We all know trouts are boring! But Mermen are exciting! – Ladies and Gentlemen, kids of all ages, I present to you, Mericus Manicus. More commonly known as a Mer-Man. And he is here on loan to us from a wealthy former NBA player. (laughter) – Do you have any questions, human children? I speak your language. – What’s your name? – My name is (silly sounds) but translated into English that’s Trevor. Yes, you, sir. – Do you shave your chest? – Oh, well, no. I don’t. There’s just natural fish skin. It’s weird. – Do you have a girlfriend? – Well yes I do. Her name is (silly sounds) but loosely translated in English, that’s Misty. – This is ridiculous. – The more that you spend time studying the Mermen and Mer-Ladies, the more you can begin to tell the differences between them. This one is prone to fits of rage. – (angrily) Why do you have to bring that up? Rachel, can you replace this nincompoop? – And that’s how we know… – (angrily) I don’t have anger issues! I’m sorry children, I see that you’re running. I’m sorry. – Who are your natural predators? – You would not believe what a school of shrimp would do to you. They look so innocent. Misty from time to time gives me some problems, but we’re working through some things. We’re seeing a counselor. – There’s nothing wrong with seeing a counselor. – No, listen. If you have a problem with your leg – I mean not that I have got legs or anything – but if I had a problem with my leg I would go to the doctor. I mean just because I have a problem with my heart and me and Misty’s relationship doesn’t mean I can’t go to a counselor, right, kids? – Right. There. You just call it what it is, it’s a therapist. – It’s a licensed therapist. – Right, and you shouldn’t be ashamed of that. – The top half of me is just as human as you. We have problems, we deal with them, right? ♪ (fantasy music) ♪ – What’s the verdict, are we in? – I think it was very cute. Very good job. – So we’re hired? – Ahhhh… – You wouldn’t pay me to do this? – I think I’m hired as a custodian and you’re pretty much gonna get a tan. ♪ (ending music) ♪ – It doesn’t look like the aquarium will be offering us jobs anytime soon. – Take my trident. Whoaaa, you’re gonna pull me off! We said our goodbyes, and then there was one last thing I had to do. – Yeah, you didn’t have to shove pills in a squid and clean up after everybody. – Look what I got. – I see that. (kisses the stuffed seahorse) – I’ve been practicing. – Okay, so we’re not gonna be working at the aquarium, but I will be making appearances all throughout the local state fairs at the Merman exhibit. A dollar a viewing! – Step right up! Thanks to Geico for sponsoring this episode. Go to Geico.com where 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on your car insurance. – And thanks to you for liking, commenting and subscribing. – You know what time it is. – “Hi, I’m Charlotte from San Francisco, California and it’s time to spin the Wheel of Mythicality!” ♪ (plays Wheel of Mythicality song) ♪ – Go to RhettandLink.com/store and pick up your very own set of Rhett and Link bobbleheads. Thanks to everybody who’s been taking pictures with these guys all around the world, #GMMBobble! – The box turns into the set! Click through to Good Mythical More where we’re gonna give you some of the Merman underbelly facts. -Unisong about Lawn Chairs! Together ♪ I love to sit in my lawn chair ’cause there’s nowhere else my mom allows me to sit. I love to sit in my lawn chair ’cause my daddy sat in it and it broke ’cause he weighed more than meeeee ♪ Yeah!