Stats (from RCDB)
Height: 142 ft.
Drop Height: 132 ft.
Speed: 61 mph
Duration: 2:20
Manufacturer: B&M
Type: Floorless Coaster (World's first)
Former Names: Medusa (1999-2009)
Year Built: 1999
Inversions: Vertical Loop, Dive Loop, Zero-G-Roll, Cobra Roll, Interlocking Corkscrews
Height: 142 ft.
Drop Height: 132 ft.
Speed: 61 mph
Duration: 2:20
Manufacturer: B&M
Type: Floorless Coaster (World's first)
Former Names: Medusa (1999-2009)
Year Built: 1999
Inversions: Vertical Loop, Dive Loop, Zero-G-Roll, Cobra Roll, Interlocking Corkscrews
Before Ride Thoughts
Ok, first of all this coaster is VERY underrated mainly due to its location in the park. Its very hard to find, but once you find it, its hard to turn back. Bizarro draws you in with its huge portal entrance and menacing cobra roll looming over everything in the surrounding area. Although it is hard to find, Bizarro looks like a really cool ride, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. I was pretty new to roller coasters when I first rode Bizarro, and it was very unique compared to the coasters I had previously ridden. The line is never long, and its almost always a walk on. This combined with how surprisingly good the coaster is makes it the perfect ride to marathon. Bizarro is the kind of ride that gives a completely different experience depending on where you sit. The middle rows are about average, but the first three rows provide a great sense of speed and freedom. Front row is an absolute blast with nothing beneath you except for the track. However, my personal favorite is the back row. Bizarro's back row provides a ride filled with incredible amounts of hang time and some extremely strong floater air time. Although many say the back is rough, I personally have never found Bizarro to be rough at all. In fact, I think its the smoothest coaster in the park. I would recommend hitting Bizarro in the morning, at night, and especially during a good rain. The rain makes the ride feel out of control. The ride also has some of the nicest/most interactive ride ops in the park, making the whole experience a blast.
The Ride
When you're all buckled up and ready to go, the floor beneath you drops leaving nothing beneath you but track as you make a quick turn and start your ascent up the lift hill. When I first rode Bizarro, it had a soundtrack filled with movie quotes and although many people found it annoying, I personally loved it and found it very entertaining. Once cresting the lift hill, the train takes a pre drop before turning and the speakers used to play Gandalf's "You Shall Not Pass" quote from Lord of the Rings (my friends and I still shout it every time we ride the coaster). Bizarro takes a twisted drop and plunges through several superman shields that light up at night or sometimes spray mist. Even without these effects, the shields provide a great head chopper and make you feel as if you're going super fast, especially with your feet hanging over the track as it speeds by beneath you. As the train speeds through the first loop, the riders in the front speed through while the back provides an amazing sensation of hang time (hang time is when the coaster seems to lose momentum at the top of an inversion and you begin to hang against the restraints). After this, Bizarro takes you through a dive loop, containing two large flame jets on either side. The heat provided from the flame jets combined with the hang time you get in the back/speed you get in the front. Up next is my personal favorite element of the ride, the zero-g-roll. This element spins you around 360 degrees, giving you insane amounts of hang time and throwing you (in a fun way) around in your seat. Its probably my favorite inversion. Bizarro then takes you through a cobra roll, which isn't that bad when compared to other cobra rolls. After the mid course break run, Bizarro changes its focus from hang time to air time, as it gives you a pop of air when coming off of the breaks. After speeding through two extremely fun helixes that take you through building facades (they're amazing in the far left seat), the train crests a hill, providing another pop of fun floater air time. Bizarro then takes you through two interlocking corkscrews, which are surprisingly fun and disorienting and have mist effects that are usually on. Finally, Bizarro takes you over a small hill, which provides some borderline ejector air before taking you into the break run.
Overall Thoughts
Bizarro is my personal favorite roller coaster along with my most ridden coaster. It is an absolute blast and perfectly mixes inversions with "out of your seat" moments. It makes my top three favorite (as in best) coasters I have ridden and in my opinion is the second best at Great Adventure behind El Toro. I find Bizarro to actually have more enjoyable airtime and smoothness than Nitro, the B&M Hyper of the park. Bizarro is one of the best coasters I have ridden to date and I don't think it will be taken out of my top 5 anytime soon. If you ever visit Great Adventure, just remember to hit up the back of the park and ride Bizarro, it definitely will be a walk on. Unfortunately, this ride's days are numbered at the park with little traffic from one time visitors. I hope that it will stay for many years to come.
My Rankings
For my overall ranking for Bizarro, I'm giving it a 9 or 9.5 out of 10 (Amazing). This coaster is one of the most well rounded coasters in the area. It is truly a blast.
For my intensity ranking, Bizarro gets a 4 for the lower parts of the ride and its intense vertical loop.
For theming, Bizarro gets a three. It has the entrance portal, it has the comics in the queue, it has the flames, lights, mist, and facades. It just doesn't have the story line now that the soundtrack is gone.
Mitch Hawker Coaster Poll Rankings:
Current Ranking: 98
Highest Ranking: 17
For my intensity ranking, Bizarro gets a 4 for the lower parts of the ride and its intense vertical loop.
For theming, Bizarro gets a three. It has the entrance portal, it has the comics in the queue, it has the flames, lights, mist, and facades. It just doesn't have the story line now that the soundtrack is gone.
Mitch Hawker Coaster Poll Rankings:
Current Ranking: 98
Highest Ranking: 17