Puzzle, performance, or prank? TV’s best game show isn’t a game show at all

polygon.com:

Here at Polygon, you could say that we have a soft spot for the intersection between games and entertainment. And if that soft spot has a sweet spot, Game Changer is there. Nominally a game show hosted by CollegeHumor CEO Sam Reich on the Dropout streaming service, the series combines improv comedy, puzzle solving, fierce competition, and a prankster ethos.

But check your preconceptions at the door: Game Changer, the only game show where the game changes every show, is one of the funniest, nicest, cleverest pieces of TV you can put your eyeballs on right now.

You could say it’s like Whose Line Is It Anyway? if the points weren’t made up and they definitely did matter. Or you could say it’s like Saw, but instead of people captured by a serial killer, it’s improv comics captured by video producers within the trap of their own performing instincts.

In (most) episodes, contestants must decipher the game as they play, the play usually involves performance, and once they figure out the rules, the real fun begins. Game Changer’s recently concluded fifth season included scenarios like: a comedy writer inventing the dirtiest pickup lines he can while his mother stands right next to him; a performer known for his competitive streak asked to keep his heart rate low while he plays a game he knows is rigged against him; and the playground pastime of Simon Says heightened to continent-spanning stakes.

And since we happen to be thinking about competition this week anyway, we reached out to Game Changer’s host and creator, Sam Reich, to pick his brain about comedy, competition, and pushing boundaries as far as they’ll go while making sure that everyone involved — contestants and audience — is having a good-ass time.

Polygon: