During his Schmoedown career, Greg “Idris” Alba competed in the teams and Innergeekdom divisions. Drafted by Coy Jandreau in the 2020 Schmoedown draft, he was a member of the Quirky Mercs during Season 7: The New Era and Season 8: War. Here are his reflections on the show that we all love, in his own words.
Looking back on the Schmoedown, what is the most memorable moment that you were personally involved in?
The most memorable moment for me was when I dressed up like Bradley Cooper and did the whole peeing bit on stage. [Free For All 3 Part 1, Part 2] I remember a few people, including Jenn, thought I was really drunk before I went on but I acted that way just to make it easier to do this weird bit. IMMERSED MYSELF!!!!!!!!!!!! When I thought of it, I knew it’d be funny, so was happy with how it turned out.
However, I’m gonna bring up John’s Free 4 All match. [Part 1, Part 2] It’s funny to me because for the longest time, Kristian couldn’t remember who John was and I kept pushing for John to be in Schmoedown with me. I remember the first time I was going to play, Kristian wanted me to play on a team with someone else but I refused to. John had recently officially partnered up on camera with me for Reel Rejects by this point, so at the time in certain circles he was kind of looked at as “Greg’s buddy.” When it came to that Free 4 All John won MVP for, Kristian called me asking if John could do it cause someone dropped out. Then John killed it. And he will always be remembered for that…I’ll always be remembered for being the guy who peed on stage.
What is the most memorable moment that you were not involved in?
I’ll be honest. It was when I just popped by the studio to watch a back-to-back taping. I forget what specific match it was, but towards the end, Rocha thought the ruling was extremely unfair and lost his shit. Refused to do an interview. I remember making a couple of jokes ‘cause to me I was like “it’s just a game show, guys.” But I saw that NO ONE took light of this situation and everyone – probably 50 to 60 people in the studio, most just watching – were all intensely debating about it. That’s when I realized…everyone takes this shit real seriously. But hey, passion begets passion, and it’s reasons like this why Schmoedown often had a passionate fan base. They cared about the game a lot. Even the ones who would act like “This isn’t my career,” they took it seriously. And if I’m being real, plenty of times before taping or leading up to, I would too. So that moment always stood out to me…a moment that never went on air.
Which of your matches would you say is the best you played?
The best match I ever played was one I lost. The Innergeekdom match against Mike Kalinowski. I felt like just ’cause of what the Reel Rejects often covers, that doing great in that category was important to me – really just to prove to myself. I did get a KO in a match before, but Kalinowski is… Ya know, Friggin’ Kalinowski. I was legitimately nervous and really really studied. A lot of things got put on hold just so I could study for that match. I ended up learning a lot and felt I did a great job… I admittedly found that I preferred just having fun when I went to play. I had a lot of other things going on too so I didn’t really study for any other matches I played in after that. But was just happy to do a good job in that match.
Which match that didn’t involve you would you say is the best you ever saw?
The best match I ever saw….I honestly don’t have an answer. My favorite match I think I saw was when JTE did the live show and fumbled the Arnold category. Son of a bitch should’ve known better. JTE if you’re reading this, shame on you. I’ll remind you in person.
How would you describe the Schmoedown’s impact on you?
The Schmoedown’s impact on me I’d say was a roller coaster – like many people. I know I’m looked at as one of the guys whose main goal when he’s participating is just to have fun, but it was really up & down as it was for many people there. I’ve heard alllllllllll kinds of stories firsthand of how people felt and there’s a lot of anxiety but also a lot of love. For many, myself included, it was kind of a ping pong effect of “this is a blast” to “I just gotta leave this.” ‘Cause the environment evoked so much care that when you came to play, even if you’re one of the performers aiming for some laughs, you still ended up giving a shit. I had never really seen something like it. A game that players could grow obsessed with to the point they’d wanna just quit the whole thing but then dedicate so much of their life to ’cause at the end of the day, if it’s going good for you there, you end up loving it. Many took losses to heart, even the ones who acted like they didn’t give a shit. Many people I discovered from there. I’ve made plenty of friends just from being in this circle. Again, the word that comes to mind is there was an ether of passion in a variety of ways, even from plenty who tried shrugging it off. My first couple of years I kind of viewed it like a high school – felt status based depending on how good you were in the game would determine how much people would take the time to get to know you. Then I realized, I’m kind of just in my own head about a lot of this, and that really everyone there is just an aspiring movie nerd in some fashion, and just wants to prove themselves. It was actually a very welcoming environment with a lot of competition (obviously) but really a lot of love & support too. I think in the end there’s something incredibly unique and beautiful about the whole experience.
What will you miss most about the Schmoedown?
What I’ll miss most about the Schmoedown really is not the actual competition IE points, ranking, etc. But just playing along with the matches. Just being a fan and getting to play along was always the best. And my last year or so, kicking it with people before or in between matches was a lot of fun. I had a great time and so many people developed a following out of this, many I know didn’t really have a strong circle of friends but developed true friendships. I didn’t really keep up with rankings and all that jazz. But the game itself was always fun to watch. And I hope that for those who felt a lot of their internet careers depended on the Schmoedown, do your best to not worry. You developed a following through this because of YOU, Schmoedown was a fantastic vehicle that people got to see you in. So many wonderful on-camera personalities, and talented, knowledgeable people who really felt like “this is where I get a chance to shine” well keep shining on cause you deserve it.
Greg Alba can be found on Twitter @TheGregAlba.
