Tubs of Fun

So saw this on the local news last night, the poor newscasters could barely keep composure on how "persistent" he was. Yeah, that's it.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/04/henry-gribbohm-loses-life-savings-on-new-hampshire-carnival-game-88165.html

A New Hampshire man dropped his life savings - $2,600, to be exact - on a carnival game last week. All he has to show for it is a giant stuffed banana with dreadlocks.

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Now, Henry Gribbohm, the man who lost it all trying to win an an Xbox Kinect, is claiming the game was rigged.

Gribbohm tells WBZ-TV in Boston that he attended a carnival in Manchester, N.H., put on by a company called Fiesta Shows, and tried his luck at a game called Tubs of Fun. It involves players trying to toss balls into a tub, and Gribbohm thought it seemed easy when he practiced.

Then the balls started popping out of the tub while he was playing, so he kept trying. In fact, he kept going double-or-nothing to try and win his money back. He quickly lost $300 on Tubs of Fun.

Gribbohm then went home, retrieved $2,300 more, and promptly lost that as well.

"You're expecting the kids to win a few things, let the kids have a good time, it just didn't turn out that way," he said. "It's not possible that it wasn't rigged."

John Flynn, the vice president of Fiesta Shows, told WBZ that the game is run by an independent contractor and the company is investigating the game. He adds, though, that many of their game operators have been with the company for years and none of them contain any scams. Authorities say they're investigating any possible fraud after Gribbohm filed a report with Manchester Police.

"I know it's a difficult game," Flynn said of Tubs of Fun. "I've tried it myself. I've done it once, missed probably 20 times."

That's no solace for Henry, despite going back the next day to complain. When he voiced his displeasure, the man running the game gave him $600 back and the aforementioned giant banana with dreadlocks. He also says he's considering a lawsuit.

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/04/henry-gribbohm-loses-life-savings-on-new-hampshire-carnival-game-88165.html#ixzz2RyPQBLmL

How old is he? $2,600 isn't much to have saved up over an entire lifetime, though with this kind of behavior I can understand why....

"For once in my life I'm not gonna be that sucker"

Umm.... uh.... shouldn't this be in the "Idiocracy" thread?

Tom Suddard wrote: How old is he? $2,600 isn't much to have saved up over an entire lifetime, though with this kind of behavior I can understand why....

That is what I was thinking... Even living on minimum wage, I think I could probably save that much in a year or less. (This does not account for any alimony or child support or court fees)

It depends on your definition of 'rigged,' I suppose. From what it sounds like, he was playing the game where you have something like a softball and have to toss it into what looks like an apple basket or the likes (about 1.5 to 2 feet or so in diameter) and have the ball stay in the basket. Simple enough, right?

Well, it would be if the bottom of the baskets/buckets were flat and weren't shaped such that if you hit the bottom of the basket with any amount of force it will bounce the ball back out- which is what it sounds like Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius here did to the tune of losing $2k.

Is it as easy as it looks (and they often make it out to be by showing you how 'easy' it is)? No, of course not. Is it rigged so it is impossible to win? No. It's just 'rigged' to make it a lot harder to win at than it looks like (just like the basketball throws using slightly larger basketballs or smaller hoops...).

I imagine he'd have saved even less if the gasoline tax had been raised even once since 1993.

{runs and hides}

2600$ to win an Xbox? Erm, those things are 300$. Seems we could have skipped a few steps here.

Judging from his breasts he's had ample tubs of fun. AKA butter.

This should be the sort of criteria by which one is removed from the gene pool.

Lesley wrote: This should be the sort of criteria by which one is removed from the gene pool.

Agreed. OUT! OUT of the gene pool. You've peed enough in it to ruin it for everyone.

mndsm wrote: 2600$ to win an Xbox? Erm, those things are 300$. Seems we could have skipped a few steps here.

it wasn't an xbox.. it was just the Kinect part... according to the article, and that is worth about 100 bucks.

AHHHHHHHH HE HAS A KID!

SCARR wrote:

mndsm wrote: 2600$ to win an Xbox? Erm, those things are 300$. Seems we could have skipped a few steps here.

it wasn't an xbox.. it was just the Kinect part... according to the article, and that is worth about 100 bucks.

Yup. He can add 'math' to his likely long list of things he's not that good at. Unfortunately, 'procreation' is not one of those things it seems. I definitely second the idea this belongs under the 'Idiocracy' thread...

and WTF is this "double or nothing" wager? clearly a side bet with the operator, not SOP for the carnie game.

I currently have life savings of $150 I gotta figure out what he's doing right.

Tom Suddard wrote: AHHHHHHHH HE HAS A KID!

Well, duh! Spennin mah cash on Tubz o Funn ain got no munny fo rubberz.

nicksta43 wrote: I currently have life savings of $150 I gotta figure out what he's doing right.

$150 >> one giant stuffed dreadlocked banana.

Maybe he needs the dreadlock banana more than a girlfriend/wife/baby-maker right now.

Ashyukun wrote: It depends on your definition of 'rigged,' I suppose. From what it sounds like, he was playing the game where you have something like a softball and have to toss it into what looks like an apple basket or the likes (about 1.5 to 2 feet or so in diameter) and have the ball stay in the basket. Simple enough, right? Well, it would be if the bottom of the baskets/buckets were flat and weren't shaped such that if you hit the bottom of the basket with any amount of force it will bounce the ball back out- which is what it sounds like Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius here did to the tune of losing $2k. Is it as easy as it looks (and they often make it out to be by showing you how 'easy' it is)? No, of course not. Is it rigged so it is impossible to win? No. It's just 'rigged' to make it a lot harder to win at than it looks like (just like the basketball throws using slightly larger basketballs or smaller hoops...).

Actually there are lots of rigged versions of exactly that game. I believe they rig it by having a spring-loaded weight on a mechanism under the bucket, and they step on a pedal to swing the weight up to touch the bottom of the bucket. When the ball hits the bottom of the bucket, the weight bounces and causes the ball to fly back out of the bucket.

Whether or not the particular game he was playing was rigged.. well, it doesn't sound like it needed to be for this genius to keep losing.

T.J. wrote: $150 >> one giant stuffed dreadlocked banana.

You guys are overlooking the fact that the banana in question contained 6 kg of fine Jamaican weed.

At least he invested well in tattoos.

Wow, not even Florida!

Going from the title I was hoping for a thread about big women.

I am disappoint.