Shadowing Practice: I Met 9 People You Won't Believe Exist! - Learn English Speaking with Video
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601 sentences
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Today, we're meeting people so rare you won't believe they exist.
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We'll be swimming with a man born with no limbs, training with a real Shaolin monk, and even fighting the world's strongest man.
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These people have either pushed their bodies beyond human limits or were born with abilities so rare that they don't seem real.
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And even though life can be challenging for them, many have turned what makes them unique into their greatest strength.
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Starting with this guy.
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What's so special about him?
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Oh!
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This is Chicle.
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He was born with a rare genetic disorder that makes his skin and limbs stretch far beyond what's humanly possible.
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I like that!
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I like that!
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Only about 10 people on Earth have Chicle's condition.
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So, he's built a career performing around the world.
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But before we meet the next rare person, Chicle was saving his best trick for last.
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Oh!
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What the hell?
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Thank you.
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How'd you do that?
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Yeah, you're welcome.
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And this is just the beginning.
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We still have eight more extraordinarily rare people who have even crazier abilities coming up.
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Next up we have the real life T-Rex.
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Huh?
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Not this guy.
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This guy.
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Meet Colby Van.
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He was born with hands and feet, but no arms or legs.
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A condition so rare that only affects one in every 100 million people.
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Nice to meet you, what's your name?
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Oh, that is amazing!
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I have so many questions asking.
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I have an answer to that, and I'll show you.
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So to better understand the challenges Colby faces with a limbless body, we've prepared five activities to experience with him.
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Starting with his morning routine.
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Whoa!
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Wait, he can brush his own teeth?
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Most people assume everyday tasks would be impossible for Colby, but he's learned to handle them all on his own.
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Do you line everything up yourself?
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No. Oh my gosh.
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I'm just doing it when I'm done shaving and brushing my teeth.
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And the toilet.
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Are we supposed to watch?
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Guys, this is okay.
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I'll watch with my eyes closed.
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Okay, we'll clear the room.
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Do you need help reaching down there?
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One of my favorite things to do is I'm playing video games.
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How do you even play video games?
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You wanna see?
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Yeah, how?
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Let me show you.
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He's gonna use it to play.
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What?
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Wait, he's actually playing video games, look.
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And if you think this is crazy, just wait, because Colby can actually swim.
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And later today, we're challenging him to a race to see if he can keep up can keep up.
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But first, there was one thing we were dying to learn about Colby.
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How much does he weigh?
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83 pounds.
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Well it's been a while since we've seen your weight, why don't you stand alone?
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271!
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Now he's 200!
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I'm not 200.
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Yes he is.
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I'm on the scale!
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No no no, let's check this.
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Oh that's even heavier.
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I'm on the spot now.
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I've just been eating I need good protein.
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Protein.
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You guys wanna make some food?
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You know how to cook?
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Yeah, I can cook.
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So for our next activity, we're heading to the kitchen.
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Because even without arms, Colby still makes his own meals every day.
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That is amazing how you can cook.
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He's fully independent.
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I'm about to put on even more weight after this.
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No, no. Weep.
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Alright.
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This is for me guys.
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What are you guys talking about?
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I'm very curious to see how he eats.
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Just like anyone else with the forks.
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You mean how you eat?
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Well, I mean, I skip the fork.
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I might whiff it down.
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Let me have a bite.
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You want a bite?
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Yeah.
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I like a big one.
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Big bite.
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Ooh, yum.
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Yeah.
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Now that we know Colby is more than capable with his hands, it was time for him to show off his hidden talent.
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Ready?
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All right.
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Let's go.
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Somehow, Colby figured out a throwing technique that shouldn't even be possible without arms.
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Oh, I got it.
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Wait, so how can I catch your frisbee?
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Just aim my feet.
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I'll stop it.
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Yeah, I'll stop it.
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Perfect.
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Can't get much better than that.
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Here we go, chest bump.
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Here we go.
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One, two, three.
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Now it's time for Colby's final challenge, swimming.
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Oh my god, he's crazy!
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Alright Colby, are you ready?
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Wait, he can actually swim?
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Whoa!
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Guys, come on, I can swim faster than that.
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Alright, we're gonna see who can swim faster.
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Colby or Tanner?
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The thing is Tanner, you can't use your arms.
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I gotcha.
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3, 2, 1, GO!
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Let's go, Colby!
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Tanner, come on!
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Are you kidding me, Tanner?
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Come on!
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I'm not using my hands!
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I have that on my hands!
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I know that's possible.
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For our next rare person, we had to climb all the way to the top of a mountain
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because We're gonna be training with a real Shaolin monk to
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become a Shaolin warrior your body must be strong like steel Oh
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Our monk has been training since he was a kid which means his body is basically a weapon
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So today we're gonna see if we can survive his training
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and at the end of the day We'll find out
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if a Shaolin monk who's trained his entire life can take down a world champion fighter five times his size Next, we'll test the toughness of your body.
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Shaolin monk must be sturdy in the mind, body, and spirit.
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DE there!
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DE there!
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Hey, I can't!
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I can't!
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Owww!
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Owww!
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I'm okay.
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You!
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No!
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Don't shake it!
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My pants are too tight!
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My pants!
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Don't pee on your pants!
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No, I'm good!
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I got it!
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Come on!
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It's pretty good!
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I got it!
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I got it!
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Owww!
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That's it!
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Oh!
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Oh!
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Hey man, get up!
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Time for your next training!
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Time for your next training!
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We barely survived carrying logs, but now comes the next test.
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One-handed push-ups.
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Hey, lower!
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Let's go!
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Come on, lie down your knee!
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Shake!
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You can't?
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You can't?
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You sure?
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I can't!
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Okay, go, go!
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Alright, Sean, let's see what you got!
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Alright Sean, let's see what you got!
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Yeah, Shawn!
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Yeah!
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Whoa!
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Whoa!
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Whoa!
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After failing the one-handed push-ups, the monk decided to show us his secret training technique.
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Oh!
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You got some strong fingers!
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The ladies must love you!
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Actually, all Shaolinmen are celibate.
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We must detach ourselves from our worldly lusts.
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What?
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Oh, hell no!
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I can't give up all that!
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I'm outta here!
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Hey, hey, hey, hey!
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Shawn!
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Now that we've done the Shaolin monk's training, it's time to see how strong he really is.
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Now, let me show you the true power of Shaolin.
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Everybody stand back.
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There's no way he can break all 35 bricks.
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But before we move on to the biggest challenge of his life, the Shaolin monk was about to reveal the most important part of his training.
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Now, let me show you the ancient secret technique of the Shaolin, The Iron Quash.
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Kick me as hard as you could!
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Okay.
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Next!
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Who's next?
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Wait, wait, not me.
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Not me.
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Alan, you don't have to do this.
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You do have to do this!
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No!
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Let's go!
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My balls!
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Tanner, are you good?
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Here, Tanner, I can fix it.
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Lamar.
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Now that we passed our test, it's time to put our master through his ultimate test.
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He'll be attempting to take down someone five times his size.
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The world's heaviest sumo wrestler.
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That's right.
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Say your prayer.
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Prayer for you.
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Fighters, are you ready?
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In three, two, one, go!
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And for context, all seven of us have fought him before and still lost.
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Come on, the symbol!
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Come on, the symbol!
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Come on!
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Hang on!
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Huh?
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Hang on!
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AHHHHH!
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Come on Sifu!
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Don't let him grab you!
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Get up!
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Make your first move!
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Woo!
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Woo!
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Car wheel!
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Yes!
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Yes!
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Yes!
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Yes!
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Hold that for nothing?
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Come on Sifu!
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Come on Sifu!
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Come on Sifu!
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Sifu get out Sifu!
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No!
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No!
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No!
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No!
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No!
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No!
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No!
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No!
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No!
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No!
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Huh?
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He's coming back!
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Sufu, let me attend to your rules.
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Up next, we have the world's fastest shooter.
258
Damn!
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Meet Cisco, a world champion gunfighter who holds the record for the fastest quickdraw on the planet.
260
Here we go!
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So to see if he's really the fastest shooter alive, we're putting him through a series of tests.
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We're gonna see how many targets he can hit in one second.
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Level 1, two balloons.
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No way!
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I'm just getting warmed up.
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Now, level 2, four targets.
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This guy's insane!
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Shane!
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Now, level impossible.
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Six targets in three, two, one.
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But now, we're raising the stakes because this next challenge is a matter of life or death.
272
We're gonna simulate an attack from a bear that's charging at them.
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And to put in perspective how hard this is, I'm gonna be going first.
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Go!
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You would have still died.
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Oh, you're right.
277
The bear would have latched onto him.
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Alec, go!
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Alec!
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My turn.
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Run!
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What the f- At least I got one shot in.
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And now we're gonna see how long it takes the world's fastest shooter to stop the bear.
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In three, two, one, go!
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One shot!
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Honestly, that was almost as good as me.
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Almost as good as you.
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Now let's see if he can hit multiple moving targets.
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But Alex is going first to see how many he can hit.
290
Now we're gonna see if Cisco can hit all five moving targets.
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This is gonna be hard because I wasn't able to do all five.
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We'll see how this goes.
293
Ready?
294
In three, two, one, go! That was easy.
295
Now it's time for Cisco's ultimate test.
296
You'll have one minute to hit all three of these targets while standing 20 feet back.
297
And each of these animals will get harder and harder to hit.
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Your one minute starts in three, two, one, go!
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That was way too easy!
300
That wasn't that hard.
301
50 seconds, come on!
302
Oh!
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Oh God!
304
What?
305
This wasn't even a challenge!
306
Dude, I hold up!
307
He did this in 15 seconds?
308
In a minute, I could have gone to the bathroom and come back and finish this.
309
And now, we're about to meet the real life Spider-Man.
310
This is Tarzan.
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A parkour God
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and one of the few people on Earth who can free climb entire buildings without safety entire buildings without safety equipment.
313
Check this out guys.
314
So to prove if he's the real life Spider-Man, we're challenging Tarzan to climb three of the tallest structures on this beach, starting with this lamppost.
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All right, this one might be a little tricky.
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Wait, how is he doing that?
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And this may look easy for Tarzan, but climbing the smooth metal pole takes ridiculous strength and control.
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Dude, this is insane.
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He's about to reach the top already.
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And look, everyone's recording.
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Hold on guys, I'm not done yet.
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Whoa!
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Hey everybody.
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Whoa, that's crazy!
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You should climb my boat next.
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But now we're taking it way higher.
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Level two is this 60-foot sculpture.
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He's actually about to climb to the top of this thing right here.
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Yeah, no problem.
330
Here, just get on my back.
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I'll tear you up.
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All right, Tarzan.
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Let's see what you got.
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Oh, the Spider-Man.
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Oh, my God!
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This is making me nervous, bro.
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He's so high up!
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Hey, be careful up there, Tarzan!
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Okay, here we go!
340
Whoa!
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Sean, I can't believe he did it!
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Yeah...
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Now it's time for Tarzan's final challenge, climbing the tallest building in Venice Beach.
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Alright, you got this, buddy!
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If I can do this, everyone watching has to subscribe.
346
This building is 100 feet tall, so one wrong move from this height and...
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Oh my god, this is actually insane.
348
This is straight out of a movie.
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Look how high that is!
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You're almost there Tarzan, you got this!
351
Just gotta get to the ladder.
352
Almost, don't get hurt!
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Come on Tarzan!
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Let's go!
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He did it!
356
Woo, yeah!
357
Dude, this guy's actually Spider-Man and subscribe!
358
Next up, we have someone who literally can't be contained.
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Meet Michael Griffin, the man that can escape out of literally anything.
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And right now, he's locked up in Houdini's actual handcuffs.
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And the only way out is with this hand-cut key made by Houdini himself.
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Go ahead and light it.
363
What?
364
How did he do that?
365
No way!
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Oh, he's not done
367
So he can't be arrested
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Since Michael is a master escape artist we're putting him through
369
three impossible to escape traps starting with level one escaping from a rope Wait is he choking himself
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For level two, we're gonna kick it up a notch
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and see if he can escape out of this straight jacket He is strapped in.
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The straight jacket is designed to be inescapable It completely locks the arms removing all leverage and mobility.
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There is literally no room to escape Alright, well hey, we'll just leave him here alone I mean, you get out of here Oh Guys,
374
if he can't escape out of the straight jacket inside an insane asylum, he'll actually go insane Whoa Oh my gosh, oh my gosh So you dancing?
375
Yeah, come and dance over here!
376
He's biting it!
377
Dude, he's literally biting the leather!
378
Wait, wait, wait, I think his neck is thump!
379
What?!
380
Oh!
381
Oh!
382
Oh!
383
Oh my gosh, I just can't believe he got out of a straight jacket.
384
I could never be in a straight jacket.
385
Isn't that a straight?
386
Now it's time for Michael to escape the world's deadliest trap Houdini's water chamber.
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All right This is his only form of escape these keys for the final level We're gonna see
388
if Michael Griffin can escape underwater while he's tied up with chains
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and handcuffs There's not a level four for a reason In three, two, one!
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Oh!
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He's so straight to the bottom!
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Both of Michael's hands are locked in steel handcuffs.
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Then his arms are wrapped in heavy chains, and finally, a 50-pound cinder block is tied to his feet.
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Wait, guys!
395
I think he's struggling!
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Only 10 people have ever successfully completed this stunt.
397
When Houdini attempted it, he almost died.
398
Wait, is he stuck?
399
Oh, his handcuffs are already off?
400
Out of all those chains, he's already out.
401
Wait, that was it?
402
How?
403
He was tied up everywhere.
404
I present nightly evidence of my misspent youth.
405
I don't know if that answers the question.
406
But if you thought Michael was impressive, our next rare person is going to blow your mind.
407
Next up we have the world's strongest man.
408
Yo, what the hell?
409
I'm sorry.
410
Just getting my work again.
411
This is the mountain from Game of Thrones.
412
Also known as Thor.
413
He's the strongest human to ever live.
414
And he holds over 129 world records.
415
A number that no one will ever match.
416
So today, we're going to find out how strong he really is.
417
And at the end of the day, we're challenging them to a fight to the death to see how many people it takes to defeat the world's strongest man.
418
To prove you're actually the strongest man in the world, we'll be comparing your strength to the average person with three impossible strength tests.
419
Starting with level one.
420
They say it's impossible to fold an iron frying pan in half.
421
I think my leg was bending.
422
If I can't do it, he sure as hell can't.
423
HEA-HAHAHAHA Wait no way.
424
NO WAY!
425
Oh my god.
426
Oh my god.
427
To be fair, like I I did most of the work for him.
428
Yeah, sure.
429
Now let's move on to level two, the unliftable dumbbell.
430
There's not a single person alive who can lift this.
431
The rule is you have to pick this up using one N.
432
Come on Alan, come on.
433
Oh, oh, oh, he's got it, it's kind of rotating a little bit.
434
Allen, come on!
435
Hey, I swear to God, it's because I hurt my thumb.
436
I can't leverage my thumb.
437
Shall I try it?
438
All right, here we go.
439
Shut up!
440
No way!
441
Shut up!
442
Was the hell?
443
Is that supposed to be heavy?
444
Level 3.
445
The Unbendable Bar.
446
Every single one of the strongest men in the world have tried this and failed.
447
Oh my gosh!
448
No way!
449
I'm literally about to pass out.
450
I'm actually stressed right now.
451
Like I'm actually nervous.
452
Oh no. Uh oh.
453
What the hell?
454
No!
455
Since Thor conquered every test we threw at him, we wanted to measure exactly how much power he can generate.
456
But it was impossible because he literally broke the machine.
457
No!
458
No!
459
No!
460
It's a problem!
461
So we set up a series of physical challenges that will test Thor's strength against all of us at once, beginning with a tug of war.
462
Starting with one, go!
463
Oh!
464
He's too strong.
465
Now two, go!
466
Now three, go!
467
Oh my god!
468
I don't know where the arms are, so I have to do that.
469
Now, one, go!
470
Oh my god, get the bullet!
471
Oh Now we're adding two more to make seven.
472
There's no way we can do this now, especially with Alex in the back.
473
In three, two, one, go!
474
We're getting one!
475
Look, he's flipping!
476
GG guys, GG.
477
Now we're gonna see if the world's strongest man can flip a car.
478
But first, we're gonna see how many regular guys it takes to do that.
479
Go!
480
Come on, Alex!
481
Come on!
482
Come on, Alex!
483
Dang, I definitely pulled something.
484
Now, two people.
485
Go!
486
Come on!
487
Come on!
488
Come on!
489
Are you even picking it up?
490
Now let's see if three people can flip a car.
491
Three, two, one, go!
492
Go!
493
Ahhhhh!
494
Ahhhhh!
495
Ahhhhh!
496
Ahhhhh!
497
Ahhhhhhh!
498
Ahhhhh!
499
Oh, dear.
500
Theater, were you even trying?
501
Now it's time to see if the world's strongest man can flip a car by himself.
502
Alright, go on!
503
Go on!
504
Three!
505
Two!
506
One!
507
Go!
508
Oh!
509
Oh!
510
Oh!
511
Oh!
512
Oh!
513
Oh!
514
Oh!
515
Oh!
516
Oh!
517
Oh!
518
Oh!
519
No way!
520
Now it was finally time for the ultimate showdown.
521
And if Thor wins, he gets to keep our Lamborghini.
522
Let's go!
523
You don't have to go first.
524
We all gotta go first.
525
Guys, none of this movie stuff where we're just going in one by one.
526
All seven of us have to jump on it.
527
Where are you getting watermelon?
528
Is that gonna be in our head?
529
Yes!
530
Oh no!
531
Come on guys!
532
We all need a toy gun!
533
Go!
534
Oh Who
535
put that there?
536
No!
537
Come on, Shawn!
538
Wait!
539
Shawn!
540
Wait!
541
Shawn!
542
I have an idea!
543
Bring your leg!
544
Huh?
545
No!
546
No!
547
No!
548
No!
549
What's that?
550
Oh no!
551
No!
552
No!
553
No!
554
No!
555
No!
556
No!
557
No!
558
No!
559
No!
560
No!
561
No!
562
Oh my god!
563
My god!
564
My god!
565
Oh...
566
Mark, go!
567
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
568
Run!
569
Run!
570
Run!
571
Run!
572
Run!
573
Run!
574
No!
575
Fuck!
576
Help!
577
Help me!
578
Help me!
579
No!
580
No!
581
No!
582
No, no, no, no!
583
No!
584
No!
585
No!
586
No!
587
No!
588
Alright.
589
Yep, yep.
590
Ah!
591
Ah!
592
Too small.
593
Damn it.
594
And finally, it's time to meet the rarest person in the world.
595
Well, the two rarest people.
596
Hi.
597
Oh, shoot, where's the other one?
598
Meet Sona and Mona.
599
They're identical twins whose bodies are conjoined at the hip, meaning they each have their own set of arms, but share the same legs, feet, and quite literally everything.
600
Dang, they look good together.
601
Click here to watch us spend 24 hours with conjoined twins.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 600 sentences and 3262 words to shadow. The speech runs for 24:45. The speaker talks at a steady 132 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| climb verb | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending). |
| monk noun | /mʌŋk/ | A male member of a monastic order who has devoted his life for religious service. |
| swim verb | /swɪm/ | To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means. |
| insane adjective | /ɪnˈseɪn/ | Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad. |
| jacket noun | /ˈd͡ʒæk.ɪt/ | A piece of clothing worn on the upper body outside a shirt or blouse, often waist length to thigh length. |
| bite verb | /baɪt/ | To cut into something by clamping the teeth. |
| gosh | /ɡɑːʃ/ | A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm. |
| flip verb | /flɪp/ | To throw so as to turn over. |
| pants noun | /pænts/ | An outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards, covering each leg separately, usually as far as the ankles; trousers. |
| technique noun | /tɛkˈniːk/ | The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements. |
| shooter noun | /ˈʃuːtəː/ | Someone who shoots something; a gunner, archer, etc. |
| prayer noun | /pɹɛɚ/ | A practice of communicating with one's God, or with some spiritual entity. |
| twin noun | /twɪn/ | Either of two people (or, less commonly, animals) who shared the same uterus at the same time; one who was born at the same birth as a sibling. |
| shake verb | /ˈʃeɪk/ | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. |
| trap noun | /tɹæp/ | A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| keep up verb | To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating or falling. | |
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
| take down verb | To remove something from a wall or similar vertical surface to which it is fixed. | |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've just been eating · has been training |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were born · was born · can't be contained |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have turned · we've prepared · it's been |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who have · kid which means · someone who literally |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 121 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, I'm, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thumb /ˈθʌm/, smooth /smuːð/, leather /ˈlɛðɚ/, theater /ˈθi(ə)tɚ/, thump /θʌmp/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, shooter /ˈʃuːtəː/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, brush /bɹʌʃ/, shave /ˈʃeɪ̯v/
- Long words — get the stress right: ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, successfully /səkˈsɛs.fə.li/, mobility /mə(ʊ)ˈbɪlɪti/, underwater /ʌndɚˈwɔtəɹ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like climb, monk, swim.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.