Comedian, actor and filmmaker Seth Rogen name-dropped Tsawwassen while being interviewed on the YouTube talk-show series “Hot Ones” this past month while struggling his way through several rounds of spicy wings.
During the final round, the show’s host Sean Evans gave the interviewing reins over to Rogen’s long-time friend and collaborator Evan Goldberg, who then prompted him to reflect back into their shared childhood.
“Seth has done many brave things on-camera, off-camera. You’ve been a brave partner in our business endeavours, but there was a time in the 10th grade when you did one of the least brave things I’ve ever seen someone do,” started Goldberg. “It was in Tsawwassen.”
While trying to suppress the building heat of the final chicken wing with a glass of milk, Rogen agreed that it was, indeed, a “cowardly manoeuvre” and began retelling the story.
It happened at the old paintball arena, he said.
“[Tsawwassen] had a giant, outdoor paintball facility and we all went paintballing there, and these guys showed up that were like professional paintball guys, and we’re, like, 15-years-old. They’re loaded with paintball bullets and have automatic paintball guns, and we have the pump-action, cheap paintball guns,” said Rogen.
“And they, right away, from my memory, just unload a torrent of bullets ... And I run off into the woods as, literally, all my friends get annihilated ... I ran, and I was like, ‘We did it, guys! We got away’ and then I looked back and I was all alone.”
Goldberg emphasized how he, himself, took about 25 hits to the back and was covered in welts.
When the young Rogen eventually returned to the scene of the crime, everyone was infuriated with him for bailing on the entire group to defend themselves against the pros, the pair recalled.
The paintball facility that the two referred to in the Jan. 20 episode of Hot Ones no longer exists much to Rogen’s dismay, who replied “Noooooo” on Twitter to somebody sharing the news.
