Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show was designed to feel like the entire set was alive — and it turns out that wasn’t just metaphorical.

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While millions of viewers focused on the music, celebrity cameos and bold visuals on February 8, one of the most talked-about elements of the performance only fully clicked for fans following the final whistle. The tall grass and bushes covering the stage weren’t props or special effects. They were people.

As social media caught on to the illusion, one of those performers has now revealed what it was really like to play a “moving bush” on one of the biggest stages in the world — and how much the role actually paid.

The 14-minute halftime show was a celebration of Puerto Rican culture, with Bad Bunny performing entirely in Spanish and walking viewers through scenes inspired by everyday life, from nail salons to domino games. The stage itself was transformed into a lush green landscape, created as a visual homage to his hometown of Vega Baja.

According to reports, using real turf wasn’t viable due to stadium restrictions, which led Bad Bunny’s team to find a creative workaround. Instead of rolling in grass, they hired dancers to become it.

Among the 500 performers dressed as greenery was Andrew Athias, better known online as “The Reese’s Guy”. He flew from Philadelphia to take part and spent two weeks in San Francisco preparing for the show.

Despite how it looked on television, the role was far from simple.

Athias revealed that, in order to qualify, performers had to fall within a strict height range of 5ft7″ to 6ft, have an “athletic build”, and be capable of wearing a costume weighing around 50 pounds for more than five hours at a time. The outfits were physically demanding, and performers endured long rehearsals — including multiple 12-hour run-throughs — before ever stepping onto the field.

Andrew explained that once showtime arrived, the instructions were deceptively straightforward.

“My part was actually really easy. They just told me where to stand, and they said, ‘Don’t move. Stand here and be one with the grass,'” he said, per Business Insider.

The stillness was only part of the challenge. Secrecy was just as important.

“They made us sign an NDA to not talk about it or post anything on social media for two weeks,” he said. “So when I saw people posting about what his setlist was going to be, it was so hard to have so much knowledge and power and not be able to do anything with it.”

As fans began speculating online about how such an unusual role was compensated, Andrew confirmed the figure that surprised many.

He revealed to Business Insider that he was paid $18.70 per hour for the job, a rate that covered rehearsals, fittings and the performance itself.

For an event as globally watched as the Super Bowl, the number raised eyebrows — but Andrew was quick to stress that money wasn’t the motivation.

He admitted he would have taken part even without pay, simply for the experience of being involved in such a culturally significant performance.

Another performer, José Villanueva, echoed that sentiment when speaking about the moment the dancers finally took the field.

“Being on the field is something totally different. I wanted to cry, but I was holding in the tears,” Villanueva said, per NBC News.

Onstage, Bad Bunny opened with ‘Tití Me Preguntó’ and moved through a series of set pieces, including a rooftop wedding scene that featured Lady Gaga performing a salsa-inflected version of ‘Die With a Smile’. The show also included appearances from stars such as Cardi B, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, Karol G and Ricky Martin.

Flags from across the Americas were raised during the performance, before Bad Bunny closed by proclaiming: “God Bless America,” naming every country in the hemisphere — including his “motherland”, Puerto Rico.

One moment that briefly sparked rumours online came when Bad Bunny handed a Grammy Award to a young boy onstage. Social media speculation linked the child to a recent ICE case that hit headlines, but TMZ later confirmed the boy was Lincoln Fox Ramadan, a young actor. The publication reported the moment was intended as inspiration, and that the young boy represented Bunny himself, rather than political commentary.

As for Andrew, once the NDA expired, he finally revealed his role to followers on X, writing: “I can FINALLY let the cat out of the bag….or the grass.”

The post quickly went viral, cementing the “moving bush” as one of the most unexpected talking points from a halftime show already packed with spectacle.

Featured image credit: X/@beyoncegarden/NFL (screenshots)