Kristian Harloff is the Chairman and one of the co-creators of the Schmoedown. He is also a former singles and teams champion. 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?
Well, that’s a tough one for me because there are so many of them. I mean, the creation of it, in general, was pretty spectacular (no pun intended), and watching the audience respond to both Season 1 and Season 2 ’cause those were actually done live was the first indication of what live events would be, strangely enough, because the audience was watching at home during Phase 5 of the Schmoes Know show. And watching that happen, both the singles where Reilly won the tournament and then teams the following year, was an indication that this could work outside of just a yearly thing. So that was a pretty memorable moment in general.
The Horseman reveal with Dan Murrell coming back was pretty special because I’m just such a massive fan of Dan as a human being in general and he and I were talking about him coming back, so many different ways and the fact that he wanted to be part of the theatrical part of it. And John Rocha, being the showman that he is, having this idea and this rivalry that they had had for so long and now them joining up to be friends with Dan coming back. And to do that at a live event in front of so many people.
Another memorable moment for me was a thousand people strong in Chicago and listening to how big that audience was. I mean there are so many. The Free For All, Marc Andreyko, the Shirewolves. I wasn’t even in town when the Shirewolves won their championship. I was unfortunately in Florida, it was when my brother passed away. But I was paying attention to what was going on and Clarke Wolfe and I were talking about, just in general, her journey and just the fact that she had made it there and done that, and what she and Rachel had done together was pretty special.
What is the most memorable moment that you were not involved in?
I’d probably say that Shirewolves one. I mean I was involved as far as setting up the match and watching the journey itself, but I wasn’t on the desk. I was supposed to be on the desk and I obviously wasn’t there. And Clarke’s famous speech obviously at the end, “we are the league” and all that, it was pretty memorable. And I wasn’t there for it but I was certainly watching it and I felt part of it.
Which of your matches would you say is the best you played?
Probably the Jeff Sneider match. I didn’t want to win that match. Jeff was up and coming and just doing his thing as teams champion, crushing it, and I thought he would have been a great opponent, it was a number one contender match, and he would have been a great opponent for Dan. It would have been a fantastic match and I was bummed that I won that match, but I knew it was Jerry Goldsmith when they brought that question up. And I was just kinda on a run at that moment, so I’d say that one.
Which match that didn’t involve you would you say is the best you ever saw?
Well, that’s most of them. But I would say… there are so many great ones. Right off the top of my head, a lot of them involve either Kalinowski or Rachel Cushing in one way or another. But I would say the Shirewolves vs Who’s The Boss, Kalinowski vs Rachel when she won the title from him, Smets vs Kalinowski I, there’s just so many. Damon vs Dimalanta I was an incredible match, obviously. Dan Murrell vs Ben Bateman at Atlanta was a great match overall. Kalinowski vs Chandru was to me exactly what a Schmoedown match is. Same with Patriots and Top 10. Not the prettiest match but just so much behind it. Dan Murrell vs John Rocha. There’s just a lot that goes into it.
How would you describe the Schmoedown’s impact on you?
Well, it changed my life overall because it was a game show idea that we had at a pizza place and I took it forward to try to make it more than that, and I think we succeeded in that. And to watch what it did not only for the people involved but the community in general, and watched what it became, it became my career. My career went from being different things to being focused solely on the Schmoedown, getting it out to more people, and understanding where it was going to go. So it had a major impact on me. I mean the Schmoedown to me is even more successful than even most dating apps. Look at all the relationships that have come out of it. And we’re just waiting for the first Schmoedown baby.
What will you miss most about the Schmoedown?
Definitely the community. I think it’s a little cliché maybe to say at this point but watching the audience and how invested they got and the aftershows and the things that, the love that people got behind it. The live events. When that went away even this season, that took a little bit away from me. The feeling of each taping. The feeling of each live event, of watching everybody kinda get together and gather together and have these hangouts at least once or twice a month was pretty special.
Kristian Harloff can be found on Twitter @KristianHarloff.
