Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp

Shmoobliher đŸŽ©

@shmoobliher

323 Following
1550 Followers
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
The prostitute contest was over and we were trying to figure out what to do with the time left. At that moment, one of the players approached us. He was an Asian guy in his 60s, very nice and talkative. He said that he didn’t really like all these “beauty contests” and that most of the players were pretty stupid, they came to drink and hang out with the “models”, so he was bored. He asked if we would mind chatting about what life is like in the Dominican Republic. We were all in. He suggested going to a bar to talk. All-inclusive hotels have bars, but there are also pay bars with good expensive alcohol - and that’s where he headed. We tried to stop him and explained that we couldn’t afford those bars, but he said that money was no problem and he would pay for everything. It was one of only two times in my life that strangers bought me a drink at a bar, although the first time... I'll tell you about it later, hahaha. So we went and sat at the bar...
0 reply
0 recast
5 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
0 reply
0 recast
2 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
Then there was the awards ceremony, after which I had a rather long and interesting conversation with one of the players, but more on that later. The main thing he told me that I didn't know was what this "beauty contest" actually was and why I use quotation marks when writing about it and the "models". What I learned I will illustrate (instead of a photo) with a still from the movie "Borat", which I think perfectly captures what it was really like. So you're filming a "beauty contest", everyone gets a place ribbon, the winner gets a big flashy check, the other "models" get trophies... and then a few minutes later someone tells you that all these "models" are actually prostitutes who were brought in under the guise of participating in a beauty contest for poker tournament attendees. I was filming a prostitute contest, hahaha. But hey, no big deal - I have no preconceptions about it. I just didn't expect it and thought it was exactly as advertised.
1 reply
1 recast
9 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
1 reply
0 recast
7 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
During this show I managed to talk to a couple of players and learn some details about the poker tournament. The entry fee was $150,000, there were 20 players, and not all of them were there for the “beauty contest” that was organized especially for the participants. Some came with their families and were not interested - they were relaxing somewhere. After the show there was supposed to be an award ceremony, where we still had to pretend to work, and after that we were free to relax, especially since our room was booked for two more nights. Nothing particularly interesting happened at the show itself. What intrigued me most was why they needed such huge rooms, it was at least the size of a hockey field - you can get tired walking from the door to the bedroom, or even get lost, hahaha.
0 reply
1 recast
10 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
1 reply
0 recast
4 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
Preparations were in full swing, some "models" were getting their makeup done, and there were errands to run to stores for swimsuits. I was sent out too, though I had no idea why—after all, all the models were from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela, and I didn’t speak Spanish or Portuguese. Besides, what do I know about swimsuits, hahahaha... When everything was ready, it was time for the show. I expected a large hall, judges, or something like how beauty pageants are shown in movies (that’s the only place I’ve seen them). But everything took place in a very large hotel room—a presidential suite or something like that. There were no judges, just the "models," the staff, Johnny, me, and about 15 men of various ages, most of whom looked like your typical gambling addicts from a casino. And I had already seen most of these men—they had been coming into the room where the "models" were getting ready.
0 reply
1 recast
9 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
1 reply
0 recast
11 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
So Johnny was living his best life, the girls were doing the models’ makeup, and I was “taking photos.” Some people were coming and going, and most of the conversations were in Spanish. But I still had no idea what exactly was going on — what kind of beauty pageant this was, or how it was supposed to work. Not that it bothered me much, since we were just extras anyway. As I learned, the “beauty pageant” was somehow connected to a big poker tournament. Although I was told that I wasn’t obligated to take photos, the “models” saw me with a camera and started asking if I could take their photos. However, none of them asked how they were going to get the photos afterwards. Which, frankly, is a good thing they didn’t — because the treacherous Dominican rum and the scorching sun had already done their job, making it nearly impossible to get any decent photos, hahaha 😅
1 reply
1 recast
12 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
1 reply
0 recast
4 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
4 replies
0 recast
15 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
That’s how the work started that day – we were just drinking rum in a room of a rather expensive hotel and weren’t going to do anything. Some of us literally weren’t doing anything, because when we all went “to work”, Johnny didn’t even pick up a camera to take a video. He was talking to the “models” and drinking champagne. One of the “models” turned out to be from the same city in Venezuela as Johnny. The two girls we were working with were actually working – they were doing makeup and choosing clothes for this “contest” (why I put some words in quotes – you’ll find out as the story goes on; at first I also thought that everything I saw was what it seemed, hahaha). It was quite fun. I tried to take pictures, but I was already a little drunk – and the day had just begun. The photo shows Johnny in the process of working that day 😂 😂
0 reply
1 recast
10 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
0 reply
0 recast
4 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
It turned out that we were given a huge room with a jacuzzi to work in. Johnny had already been there for three days, and there were still two more to go, because he and two other girls who were “working” on this project convinced the organizers that they needed to prepare in advance. Even though the event itself lasted two days, they were given two rooms for five days. As far as I know, such a room cost at least $600 per night. I took out one of the cameras, put my backpack in the closet, and Johnny climbed into the jacuzzi. He said that the minibar was at our disposal, and although it was still morning... well, that didn’t stop us, hahaha. We just drank and waited for someone to call us so that we could pretend to work. After a while, those two girls joined us - it turned out that they were my friends - and we all happily continued drinking rum together :)
1 reply
1 recast
7 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
0 reply
0 recast
3 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
1 reply
1 recast
6 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
0 reply
0 recast
4 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
Yesterday I forgot to tag the channel again and posted the beginning of the story only on my page... Monday, right? But this post has a link to the beginning. Anyway, my friend booked two shoots for one day and asked me to do one of them for him. He quickly explained to me where I needed to go, what time, and said that someone would meet me there. I just had a few days off, so of course I agreed. I took it seriously, packed all my gear just in case, since I had no idea what I was going to be filming, and set off. Waiting for me at the location was Johnny - I already mentioned him - a surf instructor from Venezuela, with whom I lived for a while. I had no idea that he was a videographer. Then we headed to the Hard Rock Hotel, where we were supposed to film a beauty contest - or at least that's how it was advertised, hahaha.
4 replies
1 recast
10 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
0 reply
0 recast
6 reactions
Shmoobliher đŸŽ© pfp
I have only one big story left, which I will start telling today. There were probably others, but probably not as memorable - maybe I will remember more later :) This story, again, is connected with alcohol, sex, corruption and maybe drugs... I am sure they were present to some extent, but I was not particularly interested in this aspect. Although now that I think about it, I remember one story in which I was actually involved (besides the "ayahuasca ritual") - haha, I will tell it later! I should remind you that our company strictly forbade us to work as photographers anywhere else. For this you could be fired. But this did not stop everyone - some completely ignored it, others partially. I was in the "partial" group :) I did not refuse work that paid well or that I found interesting. This particular job was interesting, in an interesting location, and it only came to me because a friend of mine - a frivolous person - booked two shoots for the same day.
0 reply
0 recast
7 reactions