The final activity for the Peloton On Tour in Los Angeles, California took place on Saturday, July 15th. Also taking place at the Santa Monica showroom (like all the other events), this activity was the “Peloton Class Tapings” – Peloton instructors recording real Peloton classes.
If you’re curious about what the other events during the weekend looked like, you can read all about the Peloton instructor experience on Thursday here, which was followed by the Outdoor Walk & Talks on Friday morning. There was also the free group workout at UCLA from Friday afternoon.
One big question we’ve seen is where these classes filmed during the Peloton Class tapings will end up. Peloton ended up adding these classes to the on-demand library on Tuesday, July 18th – you can find links to all of them here. For the members at home, these will appear just like any other pre-recorded class that is added straight to the on-demand library. However, the classes are expected to have an extended intro before the class, which will feature some video & clips of both the backstage pass ticketholders and high five crew ticketholders, so that there will be clips of them shown before the class starts.
Another big question is if members in this experience would be seen on camera. Now that the classes are out – there is a slight chance to be seen. Before the class starts, there is a minute or so special introduction. In that introduction both the high five crew outside and the backstage pass holders are briefly shown (for a second or two). Once the class starts, the crowd is never shown while class is going on. After the cool down, in the last 2 seconds before the screen goes to black, the camera pans out from the instructors and shows a quick shot of the backstage pass members and then the high five crew. So when considering how much you will be shown during the class – it’s best of think of it as a “fleeting glimpse” of someone seen in either the intro or outro.
And to clarify – no members were allowed to workout alongside the instructor. These were not a regular class like you would get attending in PSNY or PSL. The only person working out was the instructor. No matter whether you had the high five crew ticket or backstage pass ticket – you would not be working out along the instructor.
Sadly, there was no cake or other snacks & beverages provided to members to enjoy while they were watching the class take place.
Thanks to Peloton members @beautyandthebenchpress, @celestineoninsta, @SugiBear, @Joanna116, @FrenchPixie317 and others for sharing their photos & experiences from the event you see in this article.
Each of the 5 instructors taught a class – members were only able to sign up for one class. The schedule of Peloton class tapings during the Peloton on Tour in Los Angeles was:
- 9:00AM: 10-minute Row with Katie Wang
- 10:30AM: 10-minute Strength with Ben Alldis
- 12:00PM: 20-minute Tread with Adrian Williams
- 1:30PM: 15-minute Cycle with Camila Ramón (Spanish Language)
- 3:00PM: 20-minute Cycle with Kendall Toole
As an added bonus – Adrian Williams joined Ben for his strength class, so the Ben Alldis class ended up being a two for one strength class.
There were two options people could sign up for for these activities. One was the “Backstage Pass” – which cost $60. Peloton described the Backstage pass ticket for the Peloton Class Taping at Peloton On Tour As:
Your exclusive insider access for a special viewing of what it takes to make a Peloton class. Come be a part of the crew for the day with us in LA. You’ll get a behind the scenes view that includes everything from set up to breakdown alongside staff, crew, and your favorite instructor! Each time slot includes one class with one instructor and lasts 60-90 minutes. Please note: Due to space and capacity limitations, this experience does not include a workout component.
In order to increase the number of people who could participate, there was also a free ticket available for the “High Five Crew”, which took place at the same times for the Peloton Class Tapings. Peloton described the High Five Crew pass as:
Couldn’t secure a backstage pass? We got you, and bonus… this experience is free! Join us outside of the store to watch the class tapings and take part in a pep rally/viewing party, with some special instructor cameos! This is your chance to potentially appear in a class, as we’ll be taping the party to be integrated into our on-demand classes. Make a sign to cheer on your favorite instructor and bring the energy—make sure to RSVP to come by and see what we’re all about.
Reports from those who attended indicate that there were 25 backstage pass tickets sold for each class, and around 50 high five crew tickets that were available.
For those members who were able to get tickets, the process started like all the other sessions. Upon arrival at the Santa Monica showroom, Peloton staff was available to check in members who arrived. Names were checked against the list of people who bought tickets – ID checks were not done. Those members who were there for the backstage pass lined up against the wall to wait to go into the showroom. Those who were there for the High Five Crew were immediately let into the corral / barricaded area just across from the showroom entrance.
For those High Five crew members – you stayed in the roped off corral the entire time (note that we’ll talk more about the experience for the backstage pass members further later in this article). Note that there are no chairs for the high five ticket holders – it is a standing-room only experience.
The Peloton team had set up two different TVs – one on each side of the door – so that you were able to see the instructor while they were on Bike/Tread/Row while the class was being recorded. They also had it set up with speakers so you could hear the instructor, however, reports are that it could be hard to hear the coach unless you were at the very front of the corral.
Before the class, Peloton staff walked around the corral explaining the process, and what members could expect. Some of the instructors popped out in between classes and said hello to those outside and took a few selfies.
Prior to each class starting, the instructor who was leading the class would typically come out for a minute to say hello to the high five crew, and asked for a few questions since the session started with a short Q&A.
Peloton was also recording some video segments of the high five crew. It sounds like the cameras were not rolling the entire time the class was taking place; rather, the video team gave the high five crew a heads-up to cheer and get them hyped up – and it was these moments that were taped (presumably for use in the intro before class). One Peloton team member explained it as they were going for “College Game Day” vibes with the high five crew. The Peloton team had signs & banners available for people to hold while they were cheering and watching the class outside as well.
After the class, the instructor typically came back outside to the high five crew and said thank you for being there – and then went back inside to take photos with those who had the backstage pass tickets. At this point, your session for the high five crew was over. However, a few instructors, after finishing their photos inside with the backstage pass ticketholders, had a few moments to come back outside again afterwards for a few selfies.
It sounds like the instructor who teaches the first session might have less time for interactions with the outside high five crew, while as those teaching later in the day had more time to pop outside and say hello to the crowd in the high five corral.
For those who had purchased the backstage pass tickets, the session was slightly more involved. After lining up along the wall, you were eventually let into the showroom. The main camera was set up in the middle of the showroom, directly in front of the backdrop with the mat/bike/tread/row. There were chairs set up on both side of the camera, so you could grab a seat and sit and wait for the class to start.
Prior to class starting, the instructor came out and did a short Q&A session. They took questions both from those sitting inside, as well as a few from the high five crew outside. The instructor also gave a few shoutouts for members who were there attending the session.
The Peloton team explained a little about the setup to those sitting inside, and went into details about how they grabbed the screenshot for the class before it took place and let the members see this process. The members were also present as the recording crew did an audio / microphone check.
After that, the coach started teaching the class, and treated it like a normal class. Unlike for those members outside for the high five crew, it sounds like Peloton had extra cameras recording the backstage pass members the entire time. Those inside the showroom were encouraged to cheer and shoutout whenever they felt appropriate during the class.
Similar to those outside, reports are that the video clips of the backstage pass members would be used for an extended preshow intro; though there is always a small chance you could see those shots mid-class as well.
After class ended, the instructor thanked members for attending (and briefly went outside to do the same with the high five crew).
The backstage pass members were taken up to the “stage” area, and as a group along with the instructor, had a video taken of them saying “What’s Up Peloton”, presumably for use as part of the intro when the class makes it on-demand. Then everyone who had bought the backstage pass ticket was able to get an individual photo with the instructor.
At this point, the showroom was emptied and the crew began setting up for the next class, and the next group of backstage pass members.
Although Peloton has sold out of tickets for both the backstage pass and the high five crew, it sounded like not everyone showed up. In particular, for the high five crew, even if you only had a ticket for the first class, Peloton was letting members get in a standby line to be in the high five section for another class as space allowed – and it sounded like the majority of people who wanted to be in the area again were allowed to. There were also some people who hadn’t been able to pre-reserve the free high five crew tickets who were still let into the area
Like other events of the weekend, members left with some free items. Those who did the free high five crew tickets were given a Peloton branded hat. Those who had the $60 backstage pass tickets were given the same hat, a Peloton sticker, a postcard, and a Santa Monica Peloton license plate cover for your vehicle (some people were given a keychain holder instead of the license plate cover, and others a patch).
Like all the others days, Peloton had the custom Peloton on Tour Los Angeles merchandise available for sale for anyone who wanted to purchase the custom items to take home with them.
Reviews for this experience seemed to be a little more mixed than some of the events of the weekend. Some members felt like since you were only getting a passing moment with the instructor, you might not want to bother with the backstage pass ticket, and to just do the free high five crew outside instead (however, you are guaranteed a photo as part of the backstage pass, and not guaranteed one with the high five crew ticket).
Others felt like the backstage pass session was actually their favorite event of the weekend, as it was the most interactive and you got to learn a bit about the class recording. Your opinion on how interesting this experience is might vary based on whether you’ve been able to visit PSNY & PSL and take part in a studio recording there – as much as what you learned during the backstage pass at Peloton on Tour would be the same you are included in as part of the pre-show in person at either studio in New York or London.
Note that Peloton has said they will take feedback from each stop in the Peloton on Tour and incorporate it into improvements for each future stop. You can see the dates & locations for the rest of the Peloton On Tour locations here – and decide if you want to try to get tickets. We also have a guide on tips & tricks to be aware of when trying to get tickets here.
Would you try to see a Peloton class taping in your city?
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