One of Dropout TV’s biggest shows, Game Changer, has just come back for its seventh season, and the shenanigans are already at an all-time high.
The contestants wasted no time in giving Sam Reich a taste of his own medicine – the reveal that they had all previously broken into his house and scheduled a kink therapy session for him feels like proper payback for all the torture Sam has inflicted on players in past episodes.
It’s true that Sam’s more sadistic side makes for some incredible television, especially when he turns it on everyone’s favorite Dungeon Master. But for all the wacky loop-de-loops and unhinged monologues, there are also plenty of moments where Sam brings some joy and warmth to his guests’ day or lets them showcase some impressive talents.
So, if you’ve only seen the more popular Game Changer episodes, here are a few wholesome episodes that may have passed you by.
ChangerCon
(Season 3, Episode 3)
Game Changer’s third season was a difficult one for the Dropout crew, as it took place at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. How do you run a game show when everyone is stuck in their homes? Mail your contestants an assortment of junk and ask them to play dress-up, of course!
The simplicity of the premise shows just how far the show has escalated in later seasons. There are no elaborate escape rooms, no devious nested “Sam Says” commands, just some friends on a Zoom call doing impromptu cosplay.
The dubiously helpful bag of props that the contestants received may be a bit mischievous, but the overall feeling of the episode is playful. It reminds me of the silly things we all did to keep ourselves entertained during the pandemic lockdown.
The Official Cast Recording
(Season 4, Episode 5)
Sam may look like the mayor of a town where everybody sings, but thankfully he leaves the singing to the professionals in this completely improvised Broadway musical.
This episode follows one of the more underrated formats for a Game Changer episode, where Sam simply brings in some incredibly talented improvisers and lets them do their thing. The game show format is almost completely abandoned – Sam gets so caught up in the narrative his contestants create that he almost forgets to award points.
This format has now mostly been relegated to the spinoff show Make Some Noise, but the extra challenge of weaving all the prompts into a continuous narrative while also making up songs on the fly elevates this from a fun improv game into something magical.
Don’t Cry
(Season 4, Episode 7)
This episode is one of the sweetest and most heartfelt in all of Game Changer. It starts out as a fairly standard episode, with our impish host trying his best to make his contestants cry. But as the episode progresses, it’s gradually revealed that the whole episode was an attempt to cheer up contestant Jess Ross, who had had a very difficult year.
Despite this premise, the episode still manages to squeeze out some funny moments, like the dramatic zoom whenever Sam demands a cut to the “Cry Cams,” or the unorthodox wedding vows recited by Bob the Drag Queen. However, the overall tone of the episode is a bit more sober than other Game Changer episodes – your enjoyment will largely depend on how much you like hearing people read letters of kindness to each other.
Karaoke Night
(Season 5, Episode 2)
The talent on display in this episode is once again unbelievable, as contestants improvise songs across a wide range of artistic styles from Aretha Franklin to Macklemore to *NSYNC. My personal favorite is Ross Bryant’s spot-on Tom Waits impression for “Story of Sisyphus.”
Admittedly, this is basically a Make Some Noise episode in all but name, complete with contestant collaboration and inter-round minigames. But that doesn’t make it any less fun to watch.
Sam himself is clearly having the time of his life, dancing along to every catchy chorus and breathlessly awarding uncommonly high scores for every performance. His joy is infectious, making it hard not to clap and cheer along with him every time a contestant knocks another song right out of the park.
A Game Most Changed (Season 5, Episode 5)
Yes, it’s another episode that is essentially a long-form improv game, but this one is perhaps the most impressive of all. This time around, not only do the contestants need to improvise an entire stage play while fielding curveballs from Sam, they need to do it in Shakesperean English.
This sort of task would be impossible for most contestants, but luckily Sam brought in members of the Improvised Shakespeare Company. The result is a hilarious yet surprisingly believable play filled with classic Shakespeare tropes – star-crossed lovers, mistaken identities, and rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter.
Even when Sam tries to throw them off their game by asking them to include breakfast cereals and ‘90s songs in their dialogue, the contestants don’t miss a beat. The tightrope that they walk between genuine Shakesperean drama and self-aware humor is simply awe-inspiring and endlessly entertaining.
Pencils Down
(Season 6, Episode 4)
Out of all the episodes on this list, this one plays out the most like a standard game show. The contestants are given increasingly bizarre artistic challenges, and Sam awards points based on whichever result he likes the best.
Like most other Game Changer episodes, it’s a competition, but the contestants’ friendly, laid-back attitudes make it feel more casual. These players aren’t necessarily here to win – they just want to make each other laugh. The result is a really enjoyable episode that is equal parts cozy and hilarious.
And there you have it, six episodes of Game Changer where the host, contestants, and audience all have a good time together without anyone resorting to devilry.
What do you think? Do you enjoy these more wholesome episodes, or do you prefer when Sam goes full Batman villain? Head on over to our Discord and tell us your thoughts!
Featured Image: Dropout
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