Prank Encounters: Difference between revisions

| image =

| caption =

| genre = [[Reality television#Hidden cameras|Prank show]]

| creator =

| based_on =

| starring =

| voices = Peter Giles

| music =

| presenter = [[Gaten Matarazzo]]

| narrated =

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons = 2

| num_episodes = 15

| list_episodes = #Episodes

| executive_producer = {{Unbulleted list|Kevin Healey|[[Howard T. Owens]]|[[Ben Silverman]]|Rob Hyde|Gaten Matarazzo}}

| producer = {{Unbulleted list|Hilary Frimond|Tony Poon}}

| writer = {{Unbulleted list|Doug Perkins|David Storrs}}

| director = Anthony Gonzales

| location =

| cinematography =

| editor = Akın Özçelik {{Unbulleted list|Adam Varney|Ryan Wise|Matt Silfen}}

| camera =

| runtime = 19–27 minutes

| company = Propagate

| first_aired = {{Start date|2019|10|25}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2021|04|01}}

| related =

| channel = [[Netflix]]

'''''Prank Encounters''''' is an American [[horror fiction|horror]]-themed [[Reality television#Hidden cameras|hidden camera]] television series. It is a [[Reality television#Hidden cameras|prank show]] recorded with hidden cameras. Each episode pairs two members of the public, strangers to one another, who are unwittingly introduced to each other by show actors, under the ruse of a tryout for a new job. Subsequently, a sequence of scares orchestrated by [[Gaten Matarazzo]] occur in order to scare the participants for comedic value, with Matarazzo adapting the prank via headsets fed to the actors on the fly.<ref name="IMDb">{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10487072|title=Prank Encounters|website=[[IMDb]]|date=October 25, 2019|language=en|access-date=October 30, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/prank-encounters-netflix|title=Dustin From 'Stranger Things' Is Coming to Prank You in Netflix's 'Prank Encounters'|last=GUALTIERI|first=JACQUELINE|date=October 21, 2019|publisher= distractify.com|access-date=October 30, 2019|language=en}}</ref>

The first 8-episode season debuted on October 25, 2019, on the [[Streaming media|streaming service]] Netflix.<ref name="Netflix">{{Cite web|url=https://www.netflix.com/title/81017316|title=Netflix Series Prank Encounters|website=[[Netflix]]|access-date=October 30, 2019|language=en}}</ref> A second season was released on April 1, 2021, and consisted of 7 episodes.<ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7WccGNxKuU|title=Prank Encounters (Season 2) <nowiki>|</nowiki> Official Trailer <nowiki>|</nowiki> Netflix|author=Netflix|publisher=[[YouTube]]|date=March 4, 2021|access-date=March 4, 2021}}</ref>

* [[Mary Gallagher]]

* [[Peter Giles (actor)|Peter Giles]]

| caption = Series overview

| released = y

| allreleased = y

| color1 = #0000FF

| color2 = #191970

{{Episode table |background=#0000FF |overall=|season= |title= |airdate= |airdateR=|released=y |country=US |episodes=

|ShortSummary = One worker has a babysitting gig, while another stops by to collect toys for charity. But a certain evil teddy bear doesn't want to be collected.

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|ShortSummary = Temps hired to investigate frequent accidents on an isolated stretch of road find themselves in an angry mama monster’s unhappy hunting ground.

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|ShortSummary = One temp assists a patient in post-op recovery as another helps a sleuth find a missing woman. Cue a shocking reveal and an emergency call to nowhere.

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|ShortSummary = When an ailing ex-astronaut checks into a night clinic, two women find themselves locked in a cosmic battle with a gruesome souvenir from space.

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|ShortSummary = Two unsuspecting strangers try to rebrand a shuttered summer camp. But a crazed custodian and a homicidal scarecrow crash their brainstorming session.

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|ShortSummary = An electrical outage in a top-secret government warehouse triggers a shutdown and releases a hostile alien on the terrified staff. Don't zap him!

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|ShortSummary = An Egyptian sarcophagus arrives at the Gaten Museum. When an assistant decodes its hieroglyphics, an ancient curse activates -- and yikes, snakes!

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|ShortSummary = Gaten and his hired hands attend a young fan’s birthday party. But the good times go south when the host serves up his killer cake.

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Due to the ongoing [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States]], this series was recorded with limited social distancing and was filmed during late 2020 and early 2021. The participants and actors were tested for COVID-19 before recording. The series was released on [[April Fool's Day]], in respect of the show's theme of [[prank]]ing.

{{Episode table |background=#191970 |overall=|season= |title= |airdate= |airdateR=|released=y |country=US |episodes=

|ShortSummary = Two unsuspecting women contend with creepy residents — both "passed" and present — while preparing a massive mansion to be sold.

|LineColor = 191970

|ShortSummary = Good thing this dangerous prehistoric entity is kept securely frozen in cold storage. If it were to thaw, well, that would be bad. And cue the heat!

|LineColor = 191970

|ShortSummary = While working at a seemingly infested home, an exterminator's helper and a personal assistant develop a completely understandable fear of spiders.

|LineColor = 191970

|ShortSummary = Did this inventor really create a device that can read people's minds? Of course not, but don't tell these wide-eyed believers.

|LineColor = 191970

|ShortSummary = A produce sorter and a PR assistant try to stay calm and survive what they think is a deadly fog from another dimension.

|LineColor = 191970

|ShortSummary = In this continuation of a Season 1 episode, an insane surgeon is on the loose as two weary temps watch with dread.

|LineColor = 191970

|ShortSummary =

A dark and ominous night. An ancient burial ground. Rumors of mysterious beings. Yep, sounds like the perfect setup for a ghoulish prank.

|LineColor = 191970

''Prank Encounters'' was released on October 25, 2019, on Netflix streaming.<ref name="IMDb"/>

The show has received negative reviews. Some viewers of the show have accused the reactions to the pranks of being entirely staged.<ref>{{cite web | last=Weston | first=Christopher | title=Netflix: Audiences blast Prank Encounters as "fake" on Twitter! | website=HITC Culture | date=October 30, 2019 | url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/10/30/prank-encounters-fake-netflix-series-twitter-gaten-matarazzo/ | access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Idika | first=Nicky | title=Is Netflix's Prank Encounters real or not? Fans think Gaten Matarazzo's new show is "fake" | website=[[PopBuzz]] | date=October 28, 2019 | url=https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/news/prank-encounters-fake-real-staged-netflix/ | access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref>

[[The Daily Dot]] had unfavorably compared the series to ''[[Punk'd]]'' and criticized the reactions, stating "Netflix's ''Prank Encounters'' is a riff on ''Punk'd'', but it doesn't do anything to set itself apart. [...] The reactions from the people getting pranked (who are not supposed to be actors) are so formal and stiff that it feels like watching bad improv."<ref>{{cite web | last=Schroeder| first=Audra | title=Netflix's 'Prank Encounters' is just 'Punk'd,' 15 years too late | website=The Daily Dot | date=October 24, 2019 | url=https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/netflix-prank-encounters-review/ | access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref>

When the series was announced back in June 2019, there was controversy regarding the premise of the show being disrespectful towards people in search of employment. A spokesperson for [[Netflix]] stated that individuals involved were financially compensated for their time and had fun being in the show.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Gajanan | first=Mahita | title=Netflix Defends Prank Show Starring Stranger Things Actor Following Backlash | magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=June 19, 2019 | url=https://time.com/5609957/netflix-prank-encounters-stranger-things/ | access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> When the series launched later in October, the executive producer of the show, Kevin Healey, reassured to ''Entertainment Weekly'' that individuals pranked were aware the job they took was only for one night, and that they were indeed paid afterward.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Rice | first=Lynette | title=Everyone who participated on Prank Encounters had fun and got paid, says exec producer | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=October 25, 2019 | url=https://time.com/5609957/netflix-prank-encounters-stranger-things/ | access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> Matarazzo also responded to the initial controversy when the show was announced on his [[Instagram]] account. Matarazzo stated, "Thank you guys for your concern for these people. It means so much to me and the rest of the producers of the show. We hope you enjoy the show, and we are very excited to show you all what we've created [...]."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/By7mI1XHXLE | title=Gaten Matarazzo on Instagram: "Thank you guys for your concern for these people. It means so much to me and the rest of the producers of the show. We hope you enjoy the show, and we are very excited to show you all what we've created❤️...}}</ref>

In March 2020, it was reported that Healey's former co-executive producer, Scott Hallock, sued him for creating a show that was similar to their series, ''[[Scare Tactics]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title='Scare Tactics' Producer Accuses Ex-Partner of Creating Copycat Show |url=https://variety.com/2020/biz/news/scare-tactics-producer-accuses-ex-partner-copycat-show-1203545089/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=5 October 2022 |date=25 March 2020}}</ref>

*{{Netflix title}}

{{Netflix original ended series (2019–present)}}

[[Category:2021 American television series endings]]

[[Category:2020s American reality television series]]

[[Category:2020s American horror comedy television series]]

[[Category:American English-language television shows]]

[[Category:Netflix original programming]]

[[Category:Television controversies in the United States]]