The domino theory

Start out as a bellhop. Then become part of a team to help break the world domino record, a feat recorded live on TV. Next, stardom? It could happen.

By LANE DeGREGORY
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 28, 2001

Tonight at 9, ABC: See 90 teammates set up 3.75-million dominoes. And one person attempt to topple them all.

Joshua Pittman was one of five Americans working to break the world record. He's 19. A hotel bellhop at a golf resort in Prattville, Ala. Part-time college student. Wanna-be singer. He volunteered 10 hours a day, for six weeks, lining up dominoes in a Dutch auditorium.

The first question is obvious.

Question: Why did you want to set up all those dominoes?

Answer: Actually, I didn't. I always wanted to go to Europe. Travel. Get out of Alabama for a bit. I'd never even been on a plane by myself. And ABC was going to pay my way, put me up in a hostel. That was really important. That's why I signed up. I'd never hardly touched a domino in my life. I had no idea what I was getting into. Really. I thought it would be easy. How hard could it be? I had no clue.

Question: What is the most creative thing you've ever done?

Answer: In school, I made a full-scale model of myself. It's awesome. First, I molded chicken wire. Then added some papier-mache. Plaster on the outside. It has a T-shirt, jeans, boots. Everything. It's me. I won first place at the student art expo at Alabama State U. That was a proud moment. Biggest thing I ever did before this domino thing.

Question: The application asked you to list three intellectual traits that make you "uniquely qualified for Domino Day." What did you list?

Answer: Actually, I have ADD (attention deficit disorder) to the Nth degree. So that wasn't a trait I told them about. That was my own, my ultimate test, really. So instead, I talked about how I'm a very curious person. I pride myself on trying to learn new things. And I adapt easily to situations. Okay, that's really only two.

Question: Here's another application question: List three physical abilities that make you uniquely qualified for Domino Day.

Answer: Well, if you see the show, you'll see I'm not exactly a model of physical health. But I wrote about how I have very good stamina. As a bellman, I have to stand on my feet and carry luggage all day. You use a lot of weird muscles lifting luggage. It was very easy for me to adapt to being on my knees, building dominoes, all day.

Question: What was the best part about the domino building experience?

Answer: Meeting new people. The women were awesome. The food was so-so. And I loved the whole TV thing. I'd go with the producers on their castle shots, see the land, follow them everywhere I could. They'd pay for everything. And I got to learn how TV cameras work, see the country. One day, when we were out filming castles, I heard Sweet Home Alabama on the radio -- in rural Holland! That was a great moment.

Question: What was the worst part?

Answer: Sleeping on the top bunk and sharing a room with three French guys. They were nice and all that. We got along great. But, see, I still live at home in Alabama. Commute to college. So I have my own room. It was pretty awful, all of us in such a small space, living out of a suitcase at this hostel. But I learned a lot of French swear words. And I guess that was another worse part. The frustration. The adrenaline. I mean, it's great and all that. But you're on edge all the time. I spent a couple days setting up this one field of flowers, telling myself, the whole time, "Don't mess up. Don't mess up. Don't mess up." One wrong move, and you're sweeping the floor. All your work -- all your teammates' work -- it's really, really intense.

Question: If you hadn't been knee-deep in dominoes, what would you have been doing for those six weeks?

Answer: Oh, going to school, leading a normal life. But I can't have a normal life. I have to be doing something different all the time. I get bored. I go to Auburn University in Montgomery now. I'll be taking communications, theater and music classes next semester. I guess if I hadn't gotten picked for Domino Day, I would've just enrolled in school. But it's going to be hard to go back, now. Even my mom, she's giving me a hard time. The first day I came back from Holland, she says, "I know you're a big celebrity and all, now. But go clean your room." "Yes, ma'am," I say. "But would you do me a favor, Mom?" I ask her. "Make me a real meal. The food over there was real bad." So I cleaned my room and she made me Swiss steak, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes. That felt wonderful. I was home.

Question: Are you a celebrity, now, in Prattville?

Answer: Well, the mayor gave me the key to the city. His brother works at the golf resort, where I'm a bellman. So he introduced me to the mayor. And we're having a big party at the resort to watch the show. About 100 people are supposed to show up. Including the mayor. I guess I'm not the most famous person in Prattville. Not yet. But after Friday night, a lot of people are going to hear my name.

Question: Are you going to list Domino Day on your resume?

Answer: Of course! It can mean so much, all that experience, especially if I go into communications. Someone could see you on TV. Discover me. It could happen. The possibilities are not too good, I know. I mean, it's a show about dominoes. But I do hope people watch the show.

Question: Not to knock it, but isn't this whole domino thing a little futile, setting them up just to knock them down? Where's the suspense? Why should we watch the show?

Answer: It does look like a waste of time. I know. But it's so much bigger than dominoes. These stupid little blocks have brought all these people from all these countries together. There's all this incredible engineering, all this construction. It's not the pieces of plastic. It's how much they do. Like basketball. Really, basketballs are just rubber filled with air. But think of what basketball does, what it means. Dominoes are a sport, just like basketball. Really.

Plus, it's not all over in a second or anything. It takes more than an hour and a half for the dominoes to fall. So in the show, you don't even get to see it all in real time. Plus, you're with us from the beginning. You see us as we build. You're fully focused. You share our hardships, our pain. By the end, you're hoping we'll get the record, too.

At a Glance: Domino Day, 9 tonight, WFTS-Ch. 28.

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