SANDUSKY, Ohio — For less time it takes to ride a rollercoaster at Cedar Point, I’m going to tell you how one couple used an amusement park to save their marriage.
Three years ago, Brady Wertz and his wife Caitlin Ackley were going through a rough patch in their marriage.
“We just became stagnant, and we had a talk and said I don't want our life to be work, come home, do nothing. So, let’s shake it up,” said Wertz.
And they realized they both loved Cedar Point.
“We loved what it had to offer outside of just the rides. I had always felt like I could win those games if I really tried,” said Wertz.
And eventually their new hobby of playing games at Cedar Point and other arcades in the area became a passion they wanted to share on social media.
“It turned into a passion of mine working to figure out how to win these games and then teaching other people how to play. And then from there, it expanded to arcades, Legos, cooking and video games,” said Wertz.
Taking a chance, the couple quit their full-time jobs as an engineer and dental assistant.
“It was we either need to jump in and give this a full go, or we need to back up because we need time for us. And we jumped in, and it was the best thing that has ever happened to us,” said Wertz.
Since jumping in, they became known as the Cedar Couple, posting videos daily for their 1.4 million fans and winning the best variety stream on TikTok for three years.
“We've been on billboards in London and Los Angeles, and it truly has made all of our wildest dreams come true,” said Wertz.
In their home they have multiple awards on a trophy case, from YouTube, TikTok, and their favorite “Ticket of a lifetime” from Cedar Point.
In addition to posting their popular arcade videos on social media, the couple says their bread and butter are their live streams.
“I knew that we had something the moment we did our our very first live stream. We went live November 30, 2021, at Dave and Buster and we had no idea what we were doing on the way there. We were just going to wing it. That night we had 1.2 million people come through our stream,” said Wertz.
Wertz says on average they are hitting 300,000 views each stream.
“We will walk whole park every time we stream at Cedar Point, we don't just stay in the games,” said Ackley.
Eventually the couple caught the attention of officials at Cedar Point and were invited to try out new rides before they opened to the public.
“Them playing the games and showing their followers what the experience is like really helps us, because we don't have the opportunity to talk about every single game,” said Cedar Point Spokesperson Tony Clark.
And their influence has had a noticeable impact on the park.
“We do have guests that come to the park and they'll tell one of our associates, I saw Cedar Couple playing this game, and I wanted to try it out too,” said Clark.
Now with the possibility of a TikTok ban still looming, the Cedar Couple has some concerns.
It's scary that three years of work can go into something and just go away,” said Wertz.
Luckily for the couple, their impact extends to other social platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
“I think we will be OK, but there's a lot of people that rely solely on TikTok, and it’s a very scary time period,” said Ackley.
In the meantime, they hope to continue inspiring followers and leaving them with a new tip on how to win game prizes.
“Wherever you're at, whatever you're doing, if you're feeling down and you feel like you don't have a place where you belong, come and watch us,” said Wertz.
Wertz says in the future they would love to have a plaque at the park that showcases their journey and success.
“How cool would it be if some time down the road there was a Cedar Couple plaque in the park that said they started their social media here at the park and they've grown their stuff to over 5 million followers,” said Wertz.
