During his Schmoedown career, “Slick” Nick Harley competed in the singles and teams divisions. Signed as a free agent by Roxy Striar, he was a member of The Stars during Season 8: War and Season 9: Reboot. He began in the First Class League, where as “The Spoiler”, he became the first-ever FCL Singles 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?
If I include FCL memories here, then it would have to be winning the title in a sudden death match, then immediately doing the most villainous thing possible and awarding the belt to the Flouse. So few people were aware of what the plan was and I think fans and even fellow competitors were genuinely upset, which was obviously the reaction we wanted. The Spoiler character was so much fun to play, and that was the ultimate spoiler moment to end on.
I wish I would have been able to do that kind of heel work in the MTS proper, and I think Ethan and I would have been able to get there as The Appointment if we were given more time. I had so many ideas for where to take the Slick Nick character. It’s a bummer that none of those ideas will come to fruition. I think my favorite MTS memory is this year’s Free4All. I was mostly happy with how I played, but I was more proud of the character work. It was the first time in the studio that I felt locked in on both my ability to pull answers and stay in character. I think in my first two studio matches, I underestimated how difficult it would be to focus on portraying a heel under the studio lights. I’m trying to focus on the questions and be sure no one is calling “Mr.Erwin” Ethan while my fellow competitors are just off camera reacting to every single question. It was different from playing in the comfort of my own home, and it took some adjustment. I think the Free4All is where I finally settled into the studio setting, but unfortunately, that was my last time playing. I wish I could have built off of that experience. Another memorable moment for me is my Rundown appearance this season. I gave Steph and Frank no heads up on what I was planning to do, I think it ended up being very funny.
What is the most memorable moment that you were not involved in?
It’s hard to think about anything other than Kevin Smets’ comeback at Spectacular last year. It was a perfect moment and something that transcends this game. There was so much real emotion in the building. It was beautiful and it totally captures the sports entertainment aspect of the MTS so well.
Which of your matches would you say is the best you played?
I’m going to focus on only my MTS matches, and say that my best match would be when Jacoby Bancroft and I played as Chaos Theory against Deception, even though we lost! I truly believe that MTS fans never fully saw the full scope of what I’m capable of from a gameplay standpoint. This match is probably my best foot forward. I think I outscored Adam and hung with Marisol, which I’m extremely proud of because those two are some of the best to ever play this game. Taking Deception to sudden death is a great accomplishment in my eyes. Just from an objective standpoint, it’s a great match full of lead changes and drama. The match aired the Thursday before the Brooklyn live event, which was my first time meeting everyone in person, and it was really nice getting immediate feedback from all of these people that I respected. I left Brooklyn feeling like I had established myself in the league. It’s frustrating though because I think I’ve made silly errors and dropped points that I should have had in all of my MTS matches. I wish I could have had the opportunity to show people how good I know that I am capable of being.
Which match that didn’t involve you would you say is the best you ever saw?
Being in the studio for Marisol vs Samm was wild. Has there ever been a better match? Neither competitor missed a question, it just came down to who had a better buzzer round, and the calculated risks Samm took, combined with his own startling knowledge, helped him pull ahead. All of the other competitors were sort of watching in awe. I think there was a collective feeling of “Who could beat either of these two when they’re playing like this?”
How would you describe the Schmoedown’s impact on you?
The Schmoedown came along at a time in my life when I think I was subconsciously looking for community and connection, and I found both of those things in abundance. As someone that used to play in bands and do some theater and things like that, it had been a while since I had performed for people, where I consciously put myself in the spotlight, and I didn’t realize how much I had missed it. It tapped into a different part of my creativity and now I’m finding other ways to channel that energy. Also, seeing myself on camera helped me realize that I needed to get healthier. Since my last Schmoedown taping, I’ve lost quite a bit of weight and I’m feeling much better about myself. I don’t think I would have found the motivation had it not been for the Schmoedown, so that’s pretty cool. Finally, this whole thing has really just reignited my passion for film. At Den of Geek, my focus is on television and I think during this whole Peak TV era, I really stopped watching as many movies as I had in the past. I was spending most of my free time watching TV and not being the voracious film explorer that I was in my teens or early 20s. The Schmoedown helped change that. We all got involved in this thing because first and foremost, we love movies. Luckily my involvement in the MTS has provided a lot of gifts, but if it did nothing more than motivate me to watch a brilliant film that I hadn’t seen before, that would have been enough.
What will you miss most about the Schmoedown?
I wish I had something more unique to say, but it’s truly the people. I have made incredible friendships throughout this experience and have got to meet so many wonderful, talented individuals. Just getting to work with someone as smart, interesting, and kind as Ethan Erwin was a complete privilege. Every single Stars competitor from Seasons 8 and 9 were a pleasure to work with. Jacoby has become someone that I talk to almost every day, I value his friendship so much. Without the MTS, there’s probably no way that we even meet. I got to reconnect with Taylor Cleek (Rick Raddus) who I knew prior to the MTS, and it’s been so fun getting to experience this whole wild ride with him. Chandru, Brendan, Paul, Jeannine, FCL competitors like David Campbell and Andrew Furtado; I mean, there isn’t a single person that I’ve met or interacted with through this game that I wouldn’t love to talk or hang with again. Even the people that I had fleeting interactions with; it’s all been so good. If anything, I’m sad there won’t be excuses to bring us all together more, because I know there are people that I would bond with more if we were given more time. Even beyond a friendship and personal level, getting to see Mark and Kristian work was so informative. I was lucky enough to eat lunch with Kristian during one of the shoots, and just getting to pick his brain about storylines and scenes was a highlight of my LA experiences.
I’ll miss this being the excuse to get to hang out with all of these wonderful people, but I hope we can all stay connected one way or another.
Nick Harley can be found on Twitter @Mick_Marley.
