If Ryan Seacrest Were A Flexible Coupling, What Type Would He Be?

Ryan Seacrest (Born Christmas Eve 1974)

Given its Christmas Eve and Ryan Seacrest's 40th birthday (congratulations on going over the hill), the team at Lovejoy thought it would be fun to sit down and rationalize what flexible coupling type most suited Ryan Seacrest.

We started by creating a list of what we knew about him (and what we could find out about him on Wikipedia).

1. To start, he is surprisingly short (approximately 5'8").

2. We also know he wears a lot of different hats in the entertainment world (from co-hosting American Idol, to hosting several radio shows including America's Top 40, to being a producer on several shows including Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 

3. We also know he is certainly wildly popular/influential. Forbes Magazine, also highlighting a clothing line he has with Macy's and an iPhone device he created, pegs him as the world's #31 most powerful celebrity. (We also tried to see his current "Star Rank" on IMDB, but they force you to subscribe to see it... so we passed.)

So how does a small, multi-functional, and powerful celebrity translate to couplings? 

If you thought Lovejoy would nominate its flagship jaw coupling, well, you'd be wrong for one primary reason: maintenance. Jaw couplings are low maintenance (given they are not a lubricated design that needs to be re-lubricated), and it is our humble opinion that there is nothing low maintenance about Ryan Seacrest. He is a high powered Hollywood type after all. Dealing with the paparazzi alone would drive him out of the low maintenance category. 

Given a 4th attribute of requiring "some regular maintenance required", jaw couplings are out.

So what does a "power dense, some regular maintenance required" coupling look like?

Well, we quickly narrowed our options to lubricated coupling (gear couplings and grid couplings), as they seemed best to fit the description. Both are very power dense. Both are lubricated metallic designs that require grease to be inspected and added occasionally. 

Where they differ is in applications. While grid couplings have a unique metallic coupling ability to absorb peak loads and absorb vibration, they are not designed to handle significant misalignment. 

HercuFlex Gear Coupling (Flange Sleeve Style)

Gear couplings, while not designed to absorb vibration, can handle more misalignment and are thus the workhorse of countless industries and applications. From overhead cranes to steel mills to underground mining, gear couplings are found near and wide.

Based on the ubiquitous force that is Ryan Seacrest, we thus feel and conclude that should Ryan Seacrest be a coupling... he would be a multi-functional "occasional maintenance" gear coupling... but not just any gear coupling. 

Rather, Ryan would be the latest and greatest Hercuflex gear coupling. When Ryan took over Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve as Executive Producer, he didn't rest on the laurels of history. Rather he updated and continued to reinvent the show. 

The Hercuflex is a the optimized gear coupling that modern technology has enabled, and we see no more fitting a coupling association for Ryan. 

Do you see any other coupling types matching up well with other celebrities? Please share your thoughts and comments below. If you really wow us, it may even inspire another post (where we will naturally cite your contribution)! 

Happy 40th Ryan, and Happy Christmas Eve to all!