When Amelia Johnson decided to go to a “spill the tea” event in Austin, she wasn’t planning on sharing her own gossip. Then she found herself on stage, telling a story about poop.
It happened at a “very popular grocery store chain” where she worked, she told the audience.
“Some guy comes through, and he kind of just starts s- – – -ing his pants, kind of like in the cosmetic section,” she said as the crowd groaned. “And the thing is, he doesn’t stop. So he keeps s- – – -ing and walking until he gets to the bathroom.”
He leaves a similar mess inside for maintenance to clean up — “all over the toilet, all over the sink, all over the walls.” Then he vanishes, she said, never to be seen again.
“Unfortunately, that cleanup just wasn’t good enough,” Johnson said. “So the floor is repaved in a trail of his s- – -, and to this day, it is still there.”
Johnson’s story was one of many pieces of gossip shared at a Spill It show last month at East End Ballroom. The event invites anyone with a juicy story to sign up to share it on stage, no experience needed.
Founder Beverlyn González said she thinks people are drawn to Spill It because it features real people and stories.
Beverlyn González was inspired to start Spill It earlier this year when she attended a storytelling event at South by Southwest. She wanted to keep the stories short — around 3 minutes — and make it fun and approachable, with a focus on gossip.
“We all have those stories that we tell our friends, that we’ll repeat a lot or that all of our friends know, and it’s crazy, and then no one else knows,” González said. “I feel like some of these stories are worth people knowing, but because you’re not a comedian … or you’re not a public speaker, then you don’t get to share it. And I was like, no, I want to do that.”
She also wanted her culture to be part of Spill It. In between stories, González gets the audience to chant “chisme,” or “gossip” in Spanish.
“I’m Latina. ‘El chisme’ runs in our blood,” she said, laughing. “I was like wait, I need to make my ancestors proud. The novelas, you know, all of that is in our culture, and we love it.”
Spill It had its first event in April at Lefty’s Day & Night. Since then, it’s moved around to different venues with different themes, ranging from family drama to travel stories to workplace tea — the last being the subject of the September show.
Amelia Johnson’s story, titled “The S- – -cident,” was far from the raunchiest. Other performers at the adults-only event traded tales of pervy bosses, cheating coworkers and spectacularly disastrous firings. Some were polished stories from start to finish, while others were simply interesting, seemingly unrehearsed bits of gossip. All were greeted with shouts of disbelief, laughs or chants of “chisme!” that rippled through the audience.
It was Johnson’s first time at the show. She said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to get on stage, and she was glad she did. At the end of the night, audience members voted for their favorite stories in different categories, and Johnson ended up winning “funniest spill,” which came with a trophy and $25 prize.
“[Spill It] is like, let’s just have normal people hang out and talk about what’s been going on because we can all relate to it in some way or another,” she said.
González gives Amelia Johnson the “funniest spill” award at the end of the night.
That sense of relatability — the feeling that you’re hearing real, certified gossip from someone’s life — has attracted a growing audience over the months. The workplace drama show was sold out at 650 tickets.
“I love the stories that it stirs up in myself,” audience member Caitlin McOsker said. “It feels like you’re very connected to all these random strangers in a room. We’re all just getting together to listen to the same fun stuff.”
Spill It is currently on the road, hosting events in cities including Los Angeles, San Diego and Houston over the next few weeks. Ticket prices vary depending on the location. González is planning for Spill It to return to Austin in December. Check the event’s Instagram for updates, and, if you’re feeling brave, learn how to sign up to spill your own tea.