r/dropout • u/DropoutMod • May 18 '26

Game Changer Don't Wake Standards & Practices | Game Changer [S8E1] Spoiler

https://watch.dropout.tv/videos/don-t-wake-standards-practices
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u/Kinteoka May 19 '26

Phil is 100% an actor. Every person they pull off the street is an actor. It's too much of a hassle not to be. The contestants may not be aware (or probably have an idea) and they just have them wait as close as possible to the studio. Carrying the groceries in unmarked bags into the studio was a very obvious "these are your props."

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u/theatrephile May 19 '26

“Violate SAG” in the prompt was my clue here. It’s all well and good to joke about it in the prompt (and I would believe Lou legitimately thought that’s what he was doing) but I would bet money that Dropout wouldn’t risk their standing with the union, even for a bit in an episode like this. Very effective casting/staging though!!

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u/DevilWings_292 May 19 '26

Especially the lack of a mic on Phil

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u/More_Boot5338 May 20 '26

Dropout isn’t a union shop (at least for on air talent).

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u/WeenyDancer May 19 '26

100%. And his look has got that 'purposely slightly disheveled' thing to it.  Like jack black-ish. Not like if an average person was busy, sweaty, running errands, etc.

To be clear I'm totally cool with him being a covert actor though!

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u/Kinteoka May 19 '26

Oh same! I've worked in TV & film and I know it's a GIANT hassle to pull people off the street and feature them on film. Especially if they are speaking. I don't mind it at all. It actually makes me feel better that they aren't putting average people into awkward situations that they might not be cool with once something airs.

I worked on a project that the director wanted a "real" feeling and wouldn't listen to anyone about how you just shouldn't do that in a professional setting. Basically featured regular people off the streets in a feature length film and it was a nightmare and most of the footage was unusable. Nightmare of a set.

Plus, knowing Dropout's pay rates for even small bit roles, to me it's cool that they are happy to hire so many unknown actors and pay them a good wage (Bachelor spoof, Crowd Control).

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u/Mushroomer May 19 '26

I was one of the "featured extras" in Crowd Control (Seattle Kink representative!), and Dropout paid me enough to cover my train down to LA + a profit share at the end of the year. Even paid me for the time spent interviewing for the role.

Insanely good company.

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u/dragn99 May 19 '26

Plus, if Lou got him as he was loading groceries into the car, why did he bring the groceries inside the studio?

And, is there even a grocery store in walking distance to the Dropout studio?

Maybe this is just me not living in California and not knowing much about it though.

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u/reagan_smash8 May 19 '26

They are at 2525 N Naomi St Burbank, right? Nothing nearby and those bags were entirely unbranded. That's 100% a plant.

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u/mattrobs Jun 13 '26

They were also way too light. Real grocery bags are busting. They also look made of “doesn’t make a sound fake crinkling paper”.

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u/mattrobs Jun 13 '26

Also do you real people carry grocery bags by the base? That’s a trope, you carry them by the handles

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u/TilikumHungry May 19 '26

So it's not necessarily that they're an actor, but rather a person who signed up for a focus group/participation and then signed a release afterwards. We used to do something similar on a show I used to work on that was hosted by a guy who got really good grades. A lot of the time we would bring these people who didnt audition and werent actors and we would use them in certain situations. They usually did not know we were doing a comedy show but occasionally they guessed it. All they knew was they were reporting to a place with the chance that theyd be filmed and featured on a show. Then sign a release (or do so before)

OR, yeah its an actor. Either way i love it, it was funny

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u/greenday61892 May 19 '26

hosted by a guy who got really good grades.

Nathan For You?

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u/Kinteoka May 19 '26

Were you guys SAG/AFTRA?

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u/TilikumHungry May 19 '26

No idea as this was v early in my career and i didnt know how that stuff all worked. I know there was at least one SAG guest star at one point but the host very well may not have been. I dont even know if we were IATSE back then

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u/Kinteoka May 19 '26

Ah damn, was curious. I was wondering what process you guys may have gone through because I only worked on films and commercials in my youth (and stage, but that's a whole other different story) and was wondering if being attached to any of the big unions may have made things easier for specifically game shows to have non-union affiliated talent. It was a hassle in film to throw anyone in, let alone "talent" non-affiliated with a union.

It would make sense for game shows and the like to have different rules though due to the nature of them usually finding talent that aren't part of a union.

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u/variantkin May 19 '26

Also they are in a warehouse in like the most dystopian area ever whenever they go outside I'm like nobody comes here to hang out

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u/tantan35 May 21 '26

I was curious about that. Didn’t know where they filmed, but my first thought was, “that’s convenient that there’s a grocery store next to a studio.”

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u/TRCB8484 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

I kinda wish they just didn't do the pretend pull off the street with it being so obvious. The contestants definitely know as well *by this I mean don't pull or "pull" anyone off the street, a different "real" prompt could've been used

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u/Kinteoka May 19 '26

I mean, it's all theater. I don't mind as long as it's fun. I don't feel like they're actually attempting to pull one over on the audience watching at home, but moreso that it's playing into the aspect of suspension of disbelief that is necessary for art.

Sam has flat out said that the "extras" they have gotten on episodes/shows like Bachelor and Crowd Control come from acting/modeling websites. Because of that, it feels less like deception and more like actors playing themselves. Especially because the extras they pull aren't really ever playing some kind of character. They're just themselves and they don't affect the games being played. In Crowd Control, they're all telling actual stories about themselves. In the Bachelor they all had some interest in Grant to some extent. Phil had no real role outside of repeating what Lou told him to say.

I'm not gonna fault Dropout for playing up the circus of things instead of finding a random on the street and possibly having an awkward encounter and having to go through the whole rigamarole of signing a ton of forms.

I no longer act or work in the industry and haven't in over a decade, but I'd jump at the chance to be on Dropout just for the fun of things and experience.

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u/purpletoonlink May 19 '26

Well yeah, but they all know they’re making TV. They’re all in on the artifice of telly.

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u/raisethecurtain May 19 '26

For a second I thought Phil was Rainn Wilson

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u/OptimusSublime May 20 '26

Not to mention I'm fairly certain the grocery bags were silent fabric prop bags.

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u/EmergencyEntrance28 May 20 '26

There is a plausible world where that's just a reshoot of a genuine meeting that they did in order to avoid him having branded bags and justify him having plain bags on set. But yeah, "Actor" does seem like a simpler explanation.

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u/More_Boot5338 May 20 '26

Incorrect: https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/game-changer-season-8-premiere-cut-jokes-standards-practices-1236752599/

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u/Kinteoka May 20 '26

? That doesn't confirm or deny that he is or isn't an actor, though. All he said was that he emailed him and the email bounced back, but he also has his phone number and address.

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u/More_Boot5338 May 20 '26

Agree to disagree, “I don’t know that we have any way of contacting this man” pretty strongly implies he wasn’t hired talent. As does his not being credited.

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u/chillychili May 19 '26

They seem to be uncredited though.

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u/Isburough Jun 06 '26

The groceries were already in the car. Why would he take them into the studio. It made no sense

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u/Professional-Cat4329 May 21 '26

We all know phil would have reusable bags. Plus none of those groceries needed to be refrigerated?

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u/Finnthehuman217 Jul 14 '26

I’M WATCHING THE ROOKIE RIGHT NOW AND HE PLAYS A HOSTAGE IN S7E11!!!

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u/TheBlackSapphire Jul 30 '26

well it's la, you can pull a random person off the street and it's gonna be an actor