Ball State University students strained their necks and crowded the floor, balcony and stairway at Dill Street Bar & Grill Friday night to catch a glimpse of reality TV in the making.
A camera crew from the CBS reality show, "Armed & Famous," filmed MTV "Jackass" star Jason "Wee Man" Acu+â-¦a riding a mechanical bull and interacting with bar patrons at Dill Street for more than an hour.
Dill Street staff sold more than 200 wristbands before doors opened at 6:30 p.m., which is a half-hour earlier than Dill Street's normal opening time, Dill Street bouncer Adam Brookbank said. More wristbands were distributed throughout the night.
"This rivals Finals Week, Homecoming and all the other biggest nights we have here," Brookbank said.
Dill Street manager Thomas Jobe said Thursday that former WWE wrestler Trish Stratus would be at the bar, but she never arrived. It was unclear why Stratus didn't make the event.
Wee Man rode the bull with Ball State students Anna Howse and Mary Turner. Before they rode the bull, Howse said, Wee Man bought shots for about 15 people.
"One of the photographers came up to me and my two friends and asked if we'd like to drink with Wee Man and hang out with him," Howse said. One of the camera crew members told Howse and Turner to kiss the celebrity on the cheek, Howse said.
Wee Man, who also hosts the NESN skateboarding show, "54321," said the crowd at Dill Street was one of his favorites.
IPFW student Kristian Brown said seeing Wee Man was well-worth the hour-and-a-half drive he made.
"You only see him on TV and in the movies," Brown said. "It's not like he's gonna be here again."
After riding and operating the mechanical bull for about half-an-hour, Wee Man told the Dill Street crowd it was time for him to leave, but not before giving Dill Street patrons a warning.
"Don't drink and drive, because I might pull you over," he said.
After leaving Dill Street, Wee Man visited The Chug, where he played air hockey with Ball State students Cassie Mallery and Annie Pierson.
"I thought I was good until I played Wee Man, but now I realize I'm not so good anymore," Mallery said.
Trying to get the perfect take, the "Armed & Famous" crew filmed numerous takes of Wee Man telling the women he beat them in air hockey, and then filmed Wee Man running down the steps of the Chug and greeting bar patrons.
Before leaving The Chug, Wee Man told people gathered around the air hockey table he'd had a good time.
"It was fun, and it was real. It was real fun," he said.
Caryn Giznik, who was at Dill Street to see the filming, didn't believe Wee Man's claim that the Muncie crowd was one of his favorites, she said.
"He said he had the best time of his life," Giznik said. "It got kinda boring after five minutes, and I was like, 'Hey, we need to get a beer.'"
The women who played air hockey with Wee Man and the women who rode the bull with him all said he was friendly and laid-back.
"When we fell off [the bull], he made sure we were OK and everything," Howse said.
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