It’s unclear whether this is the greatest accomplishment of Mr. Alejandro “AJ” Fragoso’s life, or the absolute worst, but in any case, the deed is done. The twenty-something managed to get through back-to-back episodes of shows ranging from Game of Thrones to Curb Your Enthusiasm to Bob’s Burgers, and many more. After all, when you’ve got 94 hours of content to get through, there’s no discrimination allowed.
The time-consuming feat was sponsored by multimedia software company CyberLink, and Fragoso spent his four days in an apartment located in midtown Manhattan. It really is the city that never sleeps — it just binge watches television instead.
“Throughout this process I learned that binge-watching TV for abnormally long durations can actually be quite physically taxing,” said Fragoso. When the TV fanatic isn’t watching hours of Netflix on end, he’s actually an iOS developer with Brooklyn-based agency Fuzz Productions.
And while some may say that Fragoso wasted 94 hours, one could also argue that the developer made a contribution to the medical community. An on-site physician stayed alert in order to keep an eye on Fragoso, and determine the effects of prolonged television watching and sleep deprivation. While there were initially three participants in the stunt, Fragoso was the only one who managed to withstand the test of time.
So what were the physiological effects of such a binge? According to the doctor hired by CyberLink, Fragoso had an elevated heart rate as well as neurological side effects — he was suffering from involuntary open-eyed micronaps and acute hallucinations, though things certainly could’ve been much worse. Who says watching TV isn’t work?
Fragoso attributed the success of his record-setting to his Mediterranean diet and the standing desk culture of tech, both of which helped him elude sleep and maintain a reasonable blood sugar level.
Still, Fragoso says that he wouldn’t subject himself to the situation again. After all, he points out, “You forget there’s an outside world at that point you’re trapped in this tiny room.” Even if you are watching television.
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