The season 8 finale of Dropout’s Game Changer took a wholly different turn than anyone expected, and the title, “Last Talent Standing,” said as much. Instead of a standard talent show competition, the episode morphed into something closer to Squid Game, with each contestant eliminated adding prize money to a hovering piggy bank. Sam Reich hosted the event, welcoming 23 contestants into the competition alongside three celebrity judges: stand-up comedians Gianmarco Soresi, Kumail Nanjiani, and Maria Bamford. The episode was a mix of chaos, humor, and stress, as contestants performed magic tricks, improvised Disney musical numbers, tested feats of strength, impersonated celebrities, and took some big swings.
The closing episode came with a host who was also a Mashable 101 honoree. Yet the true tale is what happened out of sight. Reich spoke with Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko in a video call, and now the hidden truths are known. Here’s what we took from it.
Soresi Got Upgraded
Reich notes that Soresi, who has previously crushed on “Crowd Control,” was put in the “Simon Cowell seat”, a reference to the American Idol judge’s reputation for being hard on contestants. The comedian was not told that when he was cast.
Reich explained to Puchko that “[Soresi] was going to be a contestant in the episode and had no idea what the creative was. After we had booked Kumail and Maria, I realized that they were both very nice, and that I had almost like a creative problem I needed to solve for. Insofar as I needed someone there with a little bit more edge. And I knew that Gianmarco had what it took. So, he got upgraded from player to judge.”
The Cut Mini-Games
Because of the extended runtime of the finale, several concepts were left out of the show. Reich said that the original blueprint for the game included small contests between each round, with all players going head to head in the same activity.
“We had like a jazz scat off. We had best Scottish accent,” Reich told Mashable. “So, producers were doing math in the days leading up to the shoot, and everyone was telling me this episode was going to be too long.”
Two of the 25 intended contestants dropped out. Rather than replace them, the show killed the mini-games. The episode already took a lot of time to shoot, and the producers were doing the math. Everyone was telling Reich the episode would be too long. The decision was made to cut the mini-games and drop the contestants who fell short.
The Broken Boxes
The closing episodes called for contestants to open boxes that were there ready for them. The show was entirely prepared for a contestant to break one of those boxes. But some of the players did not hold back until the announcement.
“We were fully prepared for that to happen,” Reich stated. “In fact, had it been a natural discovery, we’d have simply permitted them to start pulling things out of boxes earlier. Our cast, despite their chaotic tendencies, are so rooting for the show to be successful that many of them broke that paper in advance, not realizing they were supposed to. They were sidebar-ing with our production designer Chloe Badner, in between takes, asking questions like ‘I’m so sorry, I hate to say this. Like, I I tore the paper. Is that okay?’,’ and Chloe had to be like, ‘Fine! It’s fine.'”
Reich confirmed that the judges’ podiums, which looked like boxes but were torn open, were meant as a clue to the contestants. “That was like a little visual clue I was putting there for the cast in case they would take it as a clue,” he said.
The Beach Towel Tease
The finale hinted at a Sam Reich beach towel, leaving viewers to question whether it would actually be released. The answer came from Kaylin Mahoney, who said she had worked as Sam’s assistant and had been assigned the duty of making beach towels of the Dropout CEO.
Reich explained that the towels showed Puchko, “full head to toe, me and my suit,” while also saying, “This is so important, and I’m so glad you bring this up. I did not have beach towels made with my image on them. Elaine [Caroll, Reich’s wife and Game Changer writer/producer] had beach towels made with my image on them for my birthday. And I was not aware of this [in advance].”
Reich’s answer to whether the birthday joke will lead to official Dropout merchandise was “I think if demand as a result of this episode and this conversation is enough, you can rest assured.”.
The Verdict on the Finale
The finale brought constant joy and constant worry at the same time. The contestants put on shows of skill and daring, performing magic tricks and improvising a Disney musical number as they took big, unpredictable swings, and pulling off feats of strength and celebrity impersonations along the way.
The judges, including Soresi in the “Simon Cowell seat,” provided the edge the show needed. Reich admitted he tricked a comedian into becoming a judge by telling him nothing about the show’s concept. He admitted to cutting mini-games because the episode was going to be too long. He admitted his wife had the beach towels made, not him.
Despite their chaotic tendencies, the contestants were rooting for the show to be successful.
The secrets are now public, and they have made the show more enjoyable to follow. The finale is currently available on Dropout, and viewers can judge for themselves whether the beach towels are worth the wait.
Key Facts
- 23 contestants competed on stage
- Three celebrity judges: Gianmarco Soresi, Kumail Nanjiani, Maria Bamford
- 25 intended contestants before two dropped out
- Original mini-games included a jazz scat off and best Scottish accent
- Kaylin Mahoney worked as Sam’s assistant and made beach towels of the Dropout CEO
- Sam Reich is a Mashable 101 honoree
The final episode is currently streaming on Dropout. Viewers who want to learn more can watch it themselves, and they should keep checking the Dropout store for that beach towel.
Source material: “Dropouts Game Changer finale: Sam Reich reveals the secrets of Last Talent Standing,” Mashable.
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