2 IU students survive 48 hours in Wal-Mart without going insane or getting arrested

How long did it take Indiana University students Christian Perry and Noah Maxwell to grow tired of the Wal-Mart atmosphere as they embarked on a journey to spend two consecutive days in the ubiquitous big-box store?

"About 35 minutes in because I was already getting sick of it," laughed Perry. "I started really listening to the music and realized that it's just nonstop. And then the lighting and everything. ... I was starting to lose my mind. After a little bit, you get into this state where you just feel out of it."

But still, the two Southport High School graduates soldiered on. And they did so in the name of YouTube comedy.

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Together, Perry, an IU junior studying liberal studies, and Maxwell, a senior studying media, produce "The Christian and Noah Show" on YouTube.

They upload shows on Mondays and Thursdays, and in their two months of posting clips online, the pair has attracted 333 subscribers. Previous videos include clips like "Two Dumb Millennials Catch a Giant Fish," "Don't Ever Rob a Canadian" and "Visit to Abandoned Warehouse Goes Wrong."

So far, their visit to Wal-Mart is their biggest hit to date, bringing in more than 6,100 views in five days. It's also a spiritual sequel of a video Maxwell uploaded in May 2016 when he spent 24 hours in Wal-Mart by himself. That 13-minute clip has generated more than 370,000 views.

As far as why they decided to give it a go, Perry said it was a combination of curiosity and frustration with others who take the challenge.

"You'll see other challenges and stuff, and some people have done it with the 24 hours, but they don't show proof with like a timer or anything ... we decided on 48 hours and to make it legit," he said. "I would say it was a blast, but it really wasn't."

From there, they did what they could to make their time inside Wal-Mart enjoyable. They played every game in the electronics section and arcade. They read books and product labels. They listened to podcasts and attracted dirty looks from security.

"We quickly realized if we buy stuff like every three hours, they can't really say anything to us because we're customers. So we spent a lot of money in there," Perry said. "I bought a bunch of gum and Noah kept buying food. ... We ate at the Subway in the store. We even got haircuts at the salon."

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For rest, they made a fort in the toilet paper section and tried to get some sleep. But Perry said the highlight for him was some alone time in the Wal-Mart bathroom.

"At one point I just went in there and sat down on the toilet for like an hour. It was the only place that was quiet and away from the lights," he said. "It was probably the best time I had."

At the end of their adventure, the only Wal-Mart staff member they told about their two-day stay was the greeter working when they left. The man at the front door didn't really react to the news as he shook Perry's hand.

Instead, the greeter began singing the folk song "Man of Constant Sorrow," made popular to the current generation because of the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou." Perry joined him, making the performance a duet.

Perry said most people who see the clip still can't wrap their minds around the idea of spending that much time in a Wal-Mart, and he says he doesn't plan on stepping foot inside one of the stores again in a very long time.

But in the end, Perry, a former star running back at Southport, said it was all about bringing a few laughs to whoever sees it. They plan to move to Los Angeles when school is over to continue writing, performing and sharing comedy with the world.

"I actually just stopped with football because this is my passion," he said. "Making people laugh is something we both love to do. It just takes people away from their problems."

Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.