What It Took to Be a ‘Bush’ in Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show (Full Transcript)
[00:00:00] Speaker 1: 40,000 people are rumored to have applied for this Super Bowl halftime job. The gig, be a bush, but not just any bush. One in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show.
[00:00:10] Speaker 2: Like this is this is just the arm piece. Like this is just what goes on my arm here. There's another arm piece that we get. And then there's a headpiece and a backpack and a tunic and a shoulder. Like there's it's a whole whole process.
[00:00:26] Speaker 1: Atheist flew around 2,500 miles from Philadelphia to San Francisco for the job.
[00:00:31] Speaker 2: The requirements were you had to be between five, seven and six foot. No bigger, no smaller. And you had to be somewhat athletic and marching band experience, which I kind of had. And also comfortable with wearing a 45 pound costume and not claustrophobic.
[00:00:52] Speaker 1: Atheist says organizers opted to use people instead of carts with props, since there's a limit to how many can be on the field at once. But one of the hardest parts, he says, was keeping the gig a secret.
[00:01:02] Speaker 2: It was a very serious NBA. They they dropped like 40 people from this because there were people that shared stuff on TikTok.
[00:01:13] Speaker 1: While he didn't get to personally meet Bad Bunny, he says just playing a small part in the show was more than enough.
[00:01:20] Speaker 2: As a Jamaican, you know, being surrounded by, you know, people of all these different cultures and ethnicities and, you know, a Puerto Rican superstar that is, you know, on a global scale. You know, we all feel like, you know, we're Puerto Rican, you know, last night. But at the same time, we all felt human. We all felt like we were people of the same planet.
- The halftime production reportedly drew massive interest, with rumors of about 40,000 applicants for prop-performer roles.
- Performers faced precise criteria: 5'7"–6'0" height range, athletic ability, some marching band experience, and comfort in a 45‑pound costume.
- The role involved complex costume components (arm pieces, headpiece, backpack, tunic, shoulder elements) and physical endurance.
- Organizers used people as movable props to manage field limitations on carts and set pieces.
- Confidentiality was strictly enforced; some participants were removed for sharing on TikTok.
- Even without meeting the headliner, participants found meaning in contributing to a global, multicultural event.