On April 7, the streaming service Dropout released a new season of its flagship show, “Game Changer.” As a show where the game infamously changes every episode, will the show’s praised blend of humor, challenges, insanity and plot twists continue to change the game show?
Ben Lassy, Life Editor
Dropout has literally changed the gameshow game with each episode of “Game Changer.” After each of the first six seasons, I found myself wondering when the seemingly endless pool of good ideas would dry up. I’m ecstatic to say that the opener of Season seven is overflowing with good ideas from start to finish.
Behind the podiums are contestants Jacob Wysocki, Vic Michaelis and Lou Wilson. Each has previously given standout performance on seasons of “Game Changer” and also featured on several other Dropout shows. This cast brings boundless energy to the show, and — more than any other “Game Changer” season — they were going to need it.
“One Year Later” may just give away the twist for the first episode of Season seven. During the filming of Season six, the three contestants were given a pamphlet containing all of the challenges for this episode: they had one year to complete the challenges.
This is a grand idea, but the clever challenges and quality production give viewers a glimpse into the successes and failures each contestant had during the year. From Michaelis’ stealing Reich’s personal belongings and dressing like a squid, to Wilson somehow getting two free jet skis on Craigslist, this hour-long episode captures the joys and struggles of an entire year of Reich’s borderline kinky gameshow.
The blend of chaos and comedy seems to be Dropout’s specialty, and this episode sets a grand stage for Season seven. I can’t wait to see what they get up to with the “Noise Boys.”
Rating: 4.5/5
Sam Brody, Staff Writer
Dropout’s “Game Changer,” the only game show where the game changes every show, is easily the steaming service’s best offering. Sam Reich and his team are geniuses when it comes to adapting their show to the expertise of the talent at hand, and they’ve been progressively pushing themselves when it comes to each episode. Season six has been my favorite so far.
“One Year Later” immediately smashes past any expectations I had for this show. It’s a genius episode. No spoilers, but contestants and comedians Jacob Wysocki, Vic Michaelis and Lou Wilson were absolutely the perfect team of people for this premise. The trio are given a year to check off a list of tasks and to do so better than their competitors.
This premiere episode is a great sign for the future of both “Game Changer” and Dropout as a whole. “Game Changer” has acted loosely like a testing ground for new Dropout shows for years now, and the commitment-to-the-bit of “One Year Later” only opens doors for what both “Game Changer” and Dropout could become.
The episode is also just so much fun to watch. The tasks given to the contestants are clear yet open-ended, meaning each of them has taken a different approach to getting the task done. They’ve also had a year to write various jokes in their submissions, so there’s always something going on to enjoy. It’s always a good sign when the episode begins with one contestant dressed like a squid.
Dropout also recently announced that they will be charging new subscribers an extra dollar for their service, raising the price to $6.99 a month. If that money is going to be used to create content like “One Year Later,” then I’m happy with that decision.
Rating: 5/5