‘Ultimate Road Trip' takes the corn maze challenge

Warwick — Christa Robinson of Manhattan said that once she heard about the casting call for the YES Network's ‘Ultimate Road Trip," she just had to audition. "It's for die-hard Yankee fans who go to every single Yankee game and then different points of interest throughout each city we visit," she said. "The whole premise is that we go to every single Yankee game, but today is an off day. We'll do different fun things like this, sometimes baseball-related, sometimes not baseball-related, like when we were in Chicago, we visited the Sears Tower." There was no Sears Tower on this day; nor was there a city to tour. This was Warwick, less than 60 miles from Yankee Stadium. The non baseball-related activity turned out to be the Warwick Corn Maze. The Ultimate Road Trip is one of the highest-rated programs on the YES Network and is very popular in New York City, said cameraman Will Taylor. The show follows four contestants for six months. In addition to Robinson, the other contestants for this season include Dave and Ray from New Jersey and Vinny from Queens. Aerial camera work on the show should allow viewers to get the real feel of the magnificent 10-acre maze. Cameramen followed contestants through the maze. Cindy and Brad Morrison of Chester run the maze. Cindy said Orange County Tourism contacted her after the YES Network had asked about including a corn maze in its program. The filming, which took place on Monday, even had an audience n an eight-year-old Yankee fan from Pine Bush named Rose Felice and her mother, Maureen. Mother and daughter had heard the shooting at the corn maze teased on the Ultimate Road Trip program the night before, so they came out to watch the shoot. Maureen Felice said the Ultimate Road Trip is the only television program she allows her daughter to watch — other than Yankee games, that is. "She watches movies, that's it," said Maureen. "Even the commercials are terrible." Rose Felice is home-schooled and has been going to Yankee games since she was three. She said she likes the Yankees so much "because my mom does." Cindy Morrison said her husband plants the corn, dries it out, and cuts the maze himself. Brad said this was second-driest summer on record, which made the corn harder to cut. He had to go out into the maze this year wielding a machete. With a few false starts, the producer called contestants back to begin again. "It's only partially reality, I'm discovering," Brad quipped. Finishing times range. "Some people finish in about 15 minutes," he said. "Most people who put their mind to it, maybe a half hour. Some people an hour. Some people spend two hours and come back out the entrance." And as far as who won, YES would prefer people tune into the show, which will air on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. During their visit to Orange County, the crew and contestants stayed at the historic Cromwell Manor Inn in Cornwall and visited Painter's Tavern and Jones Farm. The group sampled local cuisine at The Quaker Creek Store then moved onto Masker Orchards in Warwick for a second round of competition in apple picking, according to the Orange County Tourism Office. The Warwick Corn Maze also offers a pumpkin patch and a refreshments stand. It is planning a week of paintball the week after Halloween. On the weekend of Oct. 15 to 16, special hours will accommodate the full moon — the maze will stay open for two nights until 10:30 p.m. Bring flashlights. The maze is located on Big Island Road in Warwick. For more information, visit www.nymaze.com or call 469-3176.