S08E43 Humans Vs Hamsters

·42 min·4 clips

Chris and Noah dissect the bizarre reality competition where humans race hamsters for cash prizes.

In this episode, Chris Lorenz, Noah Singer, and Max review the premiere of Humans vs. Hamsters, a reality competition series on Max. The show features humans and hamsters competing in obstacle courses like 'Locked Out' and 'Fast and Furious' for $1,000 prizes. The hosts immediately question the authenticity of the hamster footage, noting that humans and hamsters are never shown racing side-by-side. Noah mentions a Reddit thread where a vegan contestant claims the hamsters were filmed separately in a calmer environment, edited to appear competitive. Chris argues the show has an odd tone, criticizing host Sarah Sherman for breaking the reality by acknowledging it's about hamsters. Max expresses skepticism about how hamsters can complete complex courses without visible treats or training. The hosts discuss specific challenges, such as the 'Bottle Royale' and 'Roll with It,' analyzing inconsistencies. They also cover production elements, including CGI hamster avatars and host Kyle Brandt's performance. Noah reveals that resident hamster enthusiast Brian Balthazar is a former corporate executive at AOL. The episode includes tangents about hamster domestication history and a brief discussion of AOL's digital prophet Shingy. Towards the end, the hosts give their ratings: Noah places the show in the top third, while Chris and Max rate it middle third. They conclude with shout-outs to other media like The Jackal on Peacock and the Stormlight Archive book series.

As heard by us

A sharp, loose reality-format breakdown of scaled obstacle courses, production oddities, and committed hamsters.

Who Put This On? treats Humans vs. Hamsters as a strangely elaborate competition format with a cash prize at its center. The episode tracks the show's obstacle-course setup, with humans and hamsters taking on scaled versions of the same basic challenge, then moves through…

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want to know whether humans racing hamsters through matching obstacle courses can carry a whole TV premise.

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