Freaky Falcon Friday

Kinkaid Video brings new plot-twists, surprising cameos and an epic Buccee’s run

Nicholas Laskaris, Staff Writer • November 4, 2025

On Friday, Oct. 30, students packed the VST for the much-anticipated annual Kinkaid video premiere during the Upper School Pep Rally. Produced and directed by seniors Caroline Thompson and Georgia Pulliam, the 25-minute video showcased the football captains, prefects and cameos from former faculty members.

The duo began writing the script in January. At the end of the nine months, Thompson and Pulliam began calling the video their “stupid baby.”

Unlike many Kinkaid videos, which feature the football captains getting kidnapped, Thompson and Pulliam wanted this year to be different.

The film opens with a comedic standoff between beloved Maverick mascot Chidsey and the Kinkaid Falcon. After a brief scuffle, the two icons unexpectedly switch bodies—and uniforms—just like in the Freaky Friday movies. After that, The Falcon, disguised as Chidsey, is free to wreak havoc on campus.

Meanwhile, senior football captains Owen Almy, Shea Quinn, Winston Silsby, and Nick Verducci are shown waking up the morning before the long-awaited game. Verducci bursts into the house full of energy (and Red Bull) ushering his teammates out the door.

Kinkaid Video

Faux Chidsey vandalizes Mewbourne with purple ribbons. (Georgia Pulliam)

Campus Under Siege

Back on campus, Evil Chidsey begins vandalizing school grounds in purple and gold. After being spotted by Mr. Alig, he sprints across campus, drawing the attention of the Prefects. After reviewing camera footage, they enlist the help of Spirit Captains, but the senior girls are too busy being pampered by freshmen to assist in Chidsey’s capture. In one of the best sight-gags in the film, offensive lineman Will Lane menacingly enters the interrogation room, only to step aside and reveal Quentin Nicholson.

Football Captain Shea Quinn struggles to open the trunk of the car, one of the blooper reels at the end of the video. (Georgia Pulliam)

Behind the Scenes

One of the biggest challenges facing directors is the lack of acting experience of the cast.

“It’s sometimes hard to get people to act,” Thompson said. “They try to act nonchalant during the video but it ruins the fun of it, so we try and encourage everyone to be as lively as possible.”

Nicholson personally reported trouble being filmed, as he was not familiar with being on camera.

“I sometimes didn’t know how to improvise,” Nicholson said. “And since I had a lot of parts in this video I sort of had to learn what to do along the way.”

Senior Quentin Nicholson delivers a speech to the Mavericks about the campus lockdown and lockout. (Georgia Pulliam)

The Escape

After Nicholson and the prefects interrogate Faux Chidsey, he narrowly escapes.

A dramatic montage follows, featuring other sports captains and former faculty responding to the plea for help.

In the VST, students cheered and smiled at the sight of their favorite teachers who are no longer at SJS. Thompson and Pulliam always planned to bring back these familiar faces.

After the montage, Nicholson declares a full campus lockdown: no one in, no one out.

The real Chidsey stops the football captains to let him hitchhike a ride back to school.

Road Trip Interruption

Meanwhile, the football captains make a pit stop at Buc-ee’s, a scene requiring additional production support due to the long drive to Pearland.

“We had a few production assistants come help us,” Pulliam said. “It was very helpful since Buc-ee’s was super far away. We had a lot of people going to a lot of different places throughout this whole video.”

During the stop, Nicholson calls with the alarming news, urging them to be vigilant. As they leave the parking lot, they encounter the real Chidsey, hitchhiking in a desperate attempt to get back to campus. Silsby then realizes that Chidsey and the Falcon have swapped bodies, prompting the captains to race home.

Chidsey and the Kinkaid Falcon fight it out on stage in the VST. (Georgia Pulliam)

The Final Showdown

The climax took place live on the VST stage during a pause in the film. The real and Fake Chidsey face off in a dramatic battle, with the true Maverick triumphing, restoring school pride just in time for the rivalry matchup.

After almost a year of writing, editing and filming, the filmmakers admitted that the hardest part came when they weren’t on the set.

“That was the hardest part,” Thompson said. “I didn’t know there would be so much planning.”

Despite the challenges, the aspiring filmmakers expressed their gratitude for the opportunity and the pleasures of releasing the ‘stupid baby’ to the world.

“This video was super fun to make,” Pulliam said. “I loved being part of the tradition.”

About the Contributors

Nicholas Laskaris, Staff Writer

Nicholas Laskaris (‘28) joined The Review as a freshman. He has a toy poodle named Olympia and a Scholastic gold key in writing.

Georgia Pulliam, Photography Editor

Georgia Pulliam (‘26) joined The Review in 2024 as a junior. She’s a self-taught harmonica player and is addicted to Mentos sugar-free gum.