Adam Ruins Gambling
Weddings. Cars. Food drives. Sex. Dogs. Yes, if it’s a thing you like, Adam Conover has likely ruined it.
- Adam Ruins Gaming
- Adam Ruins Everything Gambling Episode
- Adam Ruins Everything Gambling
- Adam Ruins Everything Gambling
The comedian’s now signature approach of 'take a commonly regarded good thing or popular truth ... and entertainingly and informatively pummel it into the dirt with facts and reality' originally grew up on the popular comedy site CollegeHumor with a funny series of smartly crafted, smartly dressed and smartly researched video vignettes. And in a pleasantly surprising turn, people loved the awful truth so much, Conover’s videos grew into their own television show (appropriately titled 'Adam Ruins Everything' on TruTV) and now a stand-up comedy tour, bringing endearing ruin to cities across the nation – including Milwaukee’s Turner Hall on Sunday, Oct. 2.
First, on the Adam Ruins Everything TV show, Adam Conover broke down widespread misconceptions about everything we take for granted. Now, join Adam as he sits down with the experts and stars from the show to go into even more detail. – Kuuntele Adam Ruins Everything -podcastia heti tabletilla, puhelimella ja selaimella. Ei tarvetta latailuun. Adam Ruins Everything podcast on demand - First, on the Adam Ruins Everything TV show, Adam Conover broke down widespread misconceptions about everything we take for granted. Now, join Adam as he sits down with the experts and stars from the show to go into even more detail.
But is Conover really ruining anything? We chatted with the comedian and television star before Sunday’s show, and during our (gratefully not sabotaged) conversation, he talked about why his approach is more appreciation than destruction, if there’s any topic off-limits and his delightfully ruinous plans for Milwaukee.
OnMilwaukee: As one who grew up through high school watching it religiously, I must ask: What was it like working at CollegeHumor? Judging by the videos, it seemed like the coolest place on Earth. Was that how it was in reality?
Adam Conover: (laughs) CollegeHumor definitely, especially in the early days, had this image of the coolest, chillest place to work. It really was a dream job as a comedy writer, because I could do whatever I wanted. As a comedy writer, I was really encouraged just to follow what you found funny. Not everything gets made, but you don’t have to sort of make schlock. It really was decided by what the six people in the writers room found the funniest. But we got to be in them, and it was really a wonderful place to do comedy and find your voice. And after a couple of years working there, we moved out to L.A. to try and make TV shows – and we got lucky and made one. I couldn’t be happier about it.
Where did the idea for 'Adam Ruins Everything' come from?
Well, I’ve always been an information sponge in my regular life. The kind of stuff I talk about in my show is the kind of stuff that I like to know in my real life. It’s just sort of been my hobby to read magazine articles and listen to podcasts – in my car, instead of listening to music, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts and things like that – that’s just always been how I am. So I started trying to put that together with the comedy that I did.
I first did it as a stand-up comic. I did the diamond rings bit in stand-up, and I noticed that it not only made people laugh, it made people perk up and think and come up to me afterwards and go, 'Oh my god; is that actually true? That’s crazy!'
So then we did it as a CollegeHumor sketch, and what I did for the sketch was I was worried about – look, I’ve always gotten this reaction when I talk about this stuff in person of 'Oh my god, shut up; you’re annoying.' So I was worried about the writers having that reaction, so I just wrote them into the script having that reaction in order to get ahead of them. They couldn’t make fun of me in the writers room because I had just written it into the script for our read-through of them having the same reaction. And that ended up being the comedy engine of the whole series.
What’s the topic that’s gotten you the most outrage, between the CollegeHumor videos and the TV show?
So far it’s only a web video, but we’re doing it again on the TV show this year: the one about purebred dog breeding. You’d be surprised at about how many people got so angry based on that, because people who are in the dog-breeding world or dog world are so committed to their breeds, they’re pretty fanatical about it. So that was the one I got the most people tweeting at me, 'You don’t know what you’re talking about,' and 'Any reputable breeder wouldn’t allow these kind of genetic defects to happen.'
But the fact is – and we talk about it in the episode – that purebred dog breeding, because it restricts the gene pool, it necessarily leads to genetic disease. There’s no whittling out genetic disease; it’s always going to pop up again. So those people, when they do that, they’re mitigating the problem they caused by pure-breeding the dogs in the first place.
But people really don’t want to see that. They really don’t want to confront it, because they love breeds and the variety of dogs so much. And that’s a really hard one to get away from. I think even in my daily life, it’s hard not to think of dogs in terms of dog breeds, even though I know from my research that dog breeds are things that people made up that don’t really correspond to anything in nature and that the definitions have shifted over time and the existence of the concept at all is harmful to dogs.
Is there a topic that you refuse to do, that you don’t want to ruin for yourself?
No, not at all. There definitely isn’t. One of the things that’s most dear to me is video games. I love video games so much – especially when I’m working really hard on a show; that’s the main way I retreat and wind down. But we did an episode on video games. There’s nothing that’s off limits.
The pleasure of learning this stuff is my greatest pleasure in life, so I would never hold back from anything. And frankly, the thesis of the show is that it’s always better to know more, that whatever the topic is, your pleasure in it is deepened by knowing more. Any sports fan knows this: The more you know about your sport, the more fun it is – even if you know the unsavory stuff. It’s true of everything in life. Even though, superficially, it’s presented on the show as 'ruining' and puncturing people’s bubble and upsetting them, at the end, we try to show why you’re always better off for knowing.
What are your plans for the show in Milwaukee? Are there any specific local things you’ll 'ruin'?
What I’m really excited about is that I am a stand-up comic, so, for me, when you’re making a TV show, you’re kind of like, 'This means I get to tour, right?' It’s almost like touring is the prize at the end of making the show. That’s why you do it: so you can go do some awesome tour shows.
What we’re going to do is bring the flavor of 'Adam Ruins Everything' to the live stage. I’m going to be touring with this giant video screen, and I’m going to be projecting stats, facts, images, punchlines, original video. So it’s going to be like a really fast-moving, entertaining comedy TED Talk all about our nation’s election history: the history of our democracy, brief presidential facts, stuff like that. So I hope people leave with a 180-degree different view of what our nation’s democracy is.
As for Milwaukee specifically, I’ve never been to Milwaukee before, so I’m really excited to just check out the city. I’ve heard amazing things about it. It seems like the unsung hero among American cities.
Think the only things to do in Macau are gambling? WRONG! Don’t worry there are tons of things to do in Macau that don’t involve putting money on the table.
Trust us, we spent 3 days in Macau and never spent a dime gambling. Here are our favorite things to do in Macau that aren’t gambling.
1. Visit Senado Square
Also known as Senate Square, it’s a paved town square with gorgeous pastel colored classic buildings on all sides. There are a bunch of shops and restaurants in the square or even get lost wandering around the side streets, you never know what you’ll find.
Start and end your day exploring all the things to do in Macau at Senado Square. The below 3 things to do in Macau are all in walking distance to Senado Square.
2. Take a photo of the St. Paul Church ruins
The St. Paul Church ruins is one of Macau’s best-known landmarks and officially listed as part of the Historic Centre of Macau which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins date all the way back to the 16th-century complex that once was St.Paul’s College and the Church of St. Paul. We say take a photo of it because that’s about all there is to it. All that is left is just the facade, the back of the church is in ruins.
3. Eat a Macanese Egg Tart
If you tell someone you’re going to Macau they will most likely tell you the #1 thing to do in Macau is eat an egg tart. The Macau version of an egg tart is basically a hybrid of an English and Portuguese egg custard tart.
The best egg tart in Macau is at Lord Stow’s Bakery, they sell 13,500+ tarts a day.
- Original Bakery Address: 1 Rua do Tassara, Coloane, Macau Open Daily 7am-10pm
There are additional Lord Stow’s Bakery locations throughout Macau and even 2 located in the Venetian Hotel.
4. Visit the Iconic Grand Lisboa Hotel
Probably the most iconic building in the Macau skyline, the Grand Lisboa hotel is 846ft high and the tallest building in Macau. I personally think it’s quite ugly but makes for a great picture!
Address: 2-4 Av. de Lisboa, Macau
Adam Ruins Gaming
5. Go Shopping in Macau
Instead of spending your money gambling in Macau go shopping! You will never be too far from a Gucci, Coach, Burberry OR if you more affordable stores like H&M, Gap, Forever 21, etc.
Related Article: Perfect 3 Days in Hong Kong Itinerary
6. Eat
The restaurants in Macau are amazing, so many international restaurants. During our stay at the Sheraton Grand Macao we never had to leave the hotel for amazing food we had: Italian at Bene, Portuguese BBQ poolside at SALA, and Asian hotpot at XIN.
7. Grab a Drink
Although Macau is much tame when it comes to alcohol consumption, it’s still not a bad place to grab a drink. However, don’t expect to be served while you’re playing, apparently, that’s not a thing in Macau yet. So casinos are rumored to do it, but this wasn’t our experience in Macau.
Instead, head over to the St. Regis hotel for their signature Macanese Bloody Mary. Each St.Regis hotel around the world has their own spin on the original. In Macau, it’s a deconstructed Bloody Mary served with a lobster egg tart!
8. Go Casino Hopping in Macau
You don’t have to be gambling to be in the casinos. There are 33 casinos in Macau go take a stroll thru them. Several of the casinos on the Taipa side are connected by walkways you could go exploring for hours and never have to go outside.
Take a stroll by the high roller tables and see how much money is spent gambling a day in Macau. We have been to Vegas many times, typically we will play $5-10 hands of Blackjack for several hours NOT in Macau…the cheapest Blackjack table we could find was $50 hand in most casinos. So when looking for cheap things to do in Macau don’t plan on gambling…
9. Relax By The Pool
After a busy day doing all the things to do in Macau nothing beats relaxing by the pool. I loved the pool at the Sheraton Grand Hotel not only because there were 4 to choose from but if you stay til dark you can see the “Eiffel Tower” at the Parisian Hotel light up!
10. Watch the sunset over the Macau Strip
Take in the views from one of the best places to see the sunset in Macau, the walking bridges over the strip. Head up to one of the many crossovers a little before sunset to catch the colors of the sun behind the electric of the neon lights. This view was from the metal round shaped crossover at the end of the strip near the Venetian lagoon.
Macau Travel Tips
- You’ll need your passport to travel to Macau from Hong Kong, you’ll pass through immigration.
- As Americans no special visa is needed, we were given a visa on arrival at the Macau ferry. Check to see visa rules for your nationality.
- Macau currency is different than Hong Kong so if you plan on gambling in Macau you should exchange money or use an ATM.
- Uber in Macau was super easy and efficient, there is public transportation but has several stops and takes a long time to get from the Taipa side to some of the best things to do in Macau. We only used Uber as it helped with the language barrier and we didn’t have any cash our entire trip to Macau.
Related Article: Hong Kong Travel Tips
Hong Kong To Macau Ferry / Macau to Hong Kong Ferry
- There are 2 ferry terminals in Macau: Macau Taipa ferry terminal and Macau outer harbour ferry terminal. Make sure to purchase your ferry ticket to the harbour closest to your Macau hotel. We stayed at the Sheraton Grand Macao which was on the Taipa side, they offer free shuttles from the Taipa ferry terminal to the hotel. We took the Hong Kong to Macau ferry with Cotai Water Jet both ways.
- There are two ferry terminals in Hong Kong: Hong Kong Sheung Wan and Kowloon China Ferry terminal. If you are staying at a hotel on Hong Kong island you would take the ferry from Hong Kong to Macau from Sheung Wan terminal. If you are staying on the Kowloon side you’d take the ferry from Hong Kong to Macau from the Kowloon China ferry terminal. Both run several times throughout the day.
- We noticed we were the only people to check luggage on the Hong Kong to Macau ferry, and it costs us 75 Hong Kong dollars ($10USD). On the way back from Macau to Hong Kong, we decided not to check any luggage and no one said anything to us. Save some extra money and only check luggage if asked to.
Related Article: Things To Do In Kowloon
Adam Ruins Everything Gambling Episode
Where To Stay In Macau
The first thing to decide before traveling to Macau is where to stay. There are 95 hotels in Macau on Agoda.com alone, so picking a hotel can be a task in itself. We stayed at the largest hotel in Macau, The Sheraton Grand Macao which has not 4,000 rooms but 4,001 rooms! A 5-star hotel for only $115 in October was a steal, especially coming from Hong Kong.
Check Prices Agoda Booking.com TripAdvisor Reviews
There are over 200 Airbnb listing in Macau. Considering renting an apartment in Macau for a fraction of the price than a hotel.
Airbnb first-timers, if you sign up through my referral link you get $40 credit when you book your first trip! –>> sign up here!
Best Places To Stay In Hong Kong
We spent half our time in Kowloon hotels and the other half in Hong Kong Island hotels. We recommend the following hotels as we personally stayed there:
- Budget Prices: Central Mini Hotel Agoda Booking.com TripAdvisor Reviews
- Midrange Prices Hotel Jen Agoda Booking.com TripAdvisor Reviews
- Luxury Hotel: Hotel Pottinger Agoda Booking.com TripAdvisor Reviews
- Boutique Hotel: The Luxe Manor Agoda Booking.com TripAdvisor Reviews
Related Article: Hotel Jen Hong Kong
Adam Ruins Everything Gambling
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*Thanks to the Sheraton Grand Macao for hosting us. As always all opinions are our own. *
Adam Ruins Everything Gambling
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