Could You Binge-Watch for 94 Straight Hours? Take Our Poll!
Long ago, when I was a child, my mother would regularly remind me not to spend so much time in front of the TV (“You’ll ruin your eyes!” “It’s such a nice day, go play outside!”).
Back then, given the nature of the technology and programming, it was watching TV in general, not one specific show, that kept me enraptured for a few hours after school. Obviously, though, over the ensuing decades, it has become more common and desired to “binge-watch” programs, either through episodic marathons aired on a network or, more commonly, through streaming programming on services such as Netflix and Hulu.
I’ve certainly curtailed my desire to watch too much TV all in one sitting. While I do often have the TV on in the background while I do other things around the house, and will watch a few hours of sports or shows in one sitting, in terms of plunking myself down in front of a TV, or my laptop, to stare at an entire season of a show—well, I simply can’t do it. No matter how engaged I am in a program—something like Netflix’s Daredevil is one of my favorites that I tend to binge-watch—after three, maybe four episodes if I’m pushing it, my body and mind simply say “No more.”
RELATED: What to Binge Watch: Person of Interest
That’s why I read with amazement—and I’m sure even my former self, who was more inclined to watch several hours of TV at once would have done the same—the story this week about Alejandro “AJ” Fragoso. The Brooklynite set the Guinness World Record for the longest TV binge-watching marathon at 94 hours (!).
Alejandro Fragoso of Brooklyn set the Guinness World Record for longest binge-watching marathon at 94 hours
94 hours. That’s four days, people! And this wasn’t just a matter of Fragoso having his TV on. In an event sponsored by CyberLink, he was closely monitored and could not even look away from the screen slightly without being disqualified. Fragoso, who started out his marathon with two friends, was allowed a five-minute break every hour. The group watched shows like Battlestar Galactica, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Game of Thrones and more, and at this point, I would guess they are sick of all of those titles. Eventually, the other two dropped out, leaving Fragoso standing (or probably sitting) alone.
“Around the second day we started having minor hallucinations we started seeing writing on the screen that wasn’t there,” said Fragoso, according to WPIX. Yikes. At least a doctor was on hand, a luxury most other binge-watchers don’t enjoy.
RELATED: Trapped Indoors? Binge on These 8 TV Shows to Get You Through the Blizzard
The previous official binge-watching record, 92 hours, had just been set a month before, so maybe Fragoso’s feat isn’t long for the books, either. If it is broken, it sounds like it certainly won’t be by Fragoso topping himself. According to the young man, “I would not do it again. I would not recommend it.”
I wouldn’t have needed Fragoso’s warning to know that I wouldn’t want to try this, so I know I won’t be breaking the binge-watching record.
But what about all of you? Think you would be able to handle four days or more of binge-watching? Have you already done that, unofficially?
Take this handy poll to let us know what sort of binger you are!
And let us know in the comments section about your longest binge-watching stretch, or what you think you could pull off. Who knows—somebody from the Guinness organization might just be waiting to enlist you!
