Before They Were Stars - Pilot
Champion Pancake Flipper

As a child, Pilot always knew he would hit it big one day. Interestingly, his road to fame took many twists and turns before arriving at Farscape. Seven years ago, Pilot was a little known cook for IHOP in Leesburg, Florida eking out a living making pancakes. Leesburg is about as far from Hollywood one can get, but Pilot knew his stint at IHOP would be his ticket to fame. Diligently practicing his pancake cooking skills to perfection, he entered the Greater Lake County Pancake Flip-off in May 1995.

Stunning the judges with not only the quality of the pancakes, but the quantity as well, Pilot won first place at the contest. Controversy arose when some contestants questioned whether Pilot's ability to flip 473 pancakes simultaneously had impressed the judges more than the taste of the food. Sour grapes aside, Pilot went on to be quite a celebrity in central Florida that year.

By 1998, Pilot --the Mr. Pancake Flipping King of the Planet winner-- was attracting the attention of talent scouts from around the world. Courted by agents representing such high profile organizations as Microsoft, Betty Crocker, and the Harlem Globetrotters, Pilot's dream finally came true with a simple phone call. Rockne S. O'Bannon, the creator of Farscape, was on the other end of the line and the rest is history.

<<John...............M'Lee>>

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From humble beginnings as a pancake cook at this International House of Pancakes Pilot rose to fame and fortune.

"I always knew Pilot would do great things one day. When he left I had to hire 14 employees just to replace him. He was the best."

-Pilot's former boss, Ralph Jennings, IHOP manager

As Mr. Pancake Flipping King of the Planet, Pilot used his influence to help people around the world. In this photo Pilot is seen visiting children of Bosnia in June 1998.