What is Fishtank?
Fishtank.live
is a cutting-edge, live-streamed interactive reality game show where contestants from diverse backgrounds face off inside The Fishtank. Participants, often referred to as "fish", face a series of elimination challenges designed to test their limits for a chance to win The Grand Prize.
The rules are strict: contestants must stay indoors at all times with no internet, no privacy, and no weed.
In the dynamic world of Fishtank, there is no singular formula for victory. Our Fish must demonstrate a blend of determination, intelligence, skill, luck, and charisma to prevail. Throughout their time in the Fishtank, they will encounter various challenges designed to test their mettle and transform them. Ultimately, only one contestant will outlast the others to claim The Grand Prize.
As a viewer, you hold significant sway over the fate of the contestants. Whether you choose to support or impede them, your actions through interactive tools and decisions will influence each contestant's path to potential victory. Your involvement can make all the difference in the intense and unpredictable environment of the Fishtank.
It was went live for the very first time on April 18, 2023 and has since had three seasons:
- Season 1 was broadcast from April 18 to May 30 in 2023. Josie won the season and took home the prize of $35,000. Runner-up Letty won $20,000.
- Season 2 was broadcast from December 18, 2023 to January 28, 2024. TJ/Thomas won the season and took home the prize of $50,000. Runner-up Shinji won $20,000.
- Season 3 was broadcast since October 27 of 2024 to December 7, 2024. Burt won the season and was left with the prize of $0 note . Runner-up is Binx.
Fishtank.live also has had two spin-offs:
- Fishtank All-Stars Vampire Bloodgames (also known as Season 2.5), a wilderness-survival role-playing competition featuring past contestants and others. It was streamed for two weeks in 2024, from June 25 to July 8.
- The Cell and Bitchtank, which ran concurrently of each other, with the former being an adjacent addition of Season 2.5 during its final week. The overlapping shows ended with Bitchtank's finale on August 1st, 2024.
Full edited episodes can be watched on the official YouTube channel.
Fishtank.live provides examples of these tropes:
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General
- Anyone Can Be Evicted: All of the contestants are at danger of elimination throughout the six-week runtime — if they don't decide to drop out first. Elimination is stated to be based on a mixture of contest performance and audience participation.
- Audience Participation: Along with having a live chat for subscribers, viewers can spend money on "tokens", which they can spend to vote on polls, or send text-to-speech messages to various rooms in the house. They can also cash in their tokens on "fishtoys", with various effects such as sending goodies to contestants, switching on/off camera feeds, or turning up or down the temperature in the house.
- Big Brother Is Watching: One of the show's big gimmicks is that the entire house is constantly monitored, meaning any action taken by the contestants could be being watched by thousands of people at any one time.
- Broadcast Live: The show is directly inspired by Big Brother: every room is constantly under broadcast, with livestream viewers able to switch between camera and audio feeds to observe in real time to watch the contestants.
- Confession Cam: Certain contestants, such as Vance and Sylvia, have spoken directly to a camera to speak about their current thoughts, motivations, and strategies. Unlike with normal reality TV fare, the livestream format helps remove the risk of their "confessions" being selectively edited.
- In Season 1, the simplest method for this was to address the nearest camera in isolation. This practice saw a rise after the installation of a "Confessional Cam" in the broken downstairs bathroom.
- In Season 2, with no traditional confessional room available, some participants choose to strategize in front of a camera in an empty room, similar to the approach in Season 1.
- Season 3 brings back the classic confessional room, just like the ones you usually find in standard reality TV shows. The room is also used by the Production staff to conduct interviews and recaps, film scenes, assign "secret missions," and engage in discussions regarding specific circumstances with certain contestants..
- Consolation Prize: While eliminated contestants miss out on the grand prize, they're allowed to keep any "fishbucks" they've collected throughout the contest (unless they choose to quit, in which case they keep none), each of which is worth $500 in Season 1. In Season 2, fishbucks were not present and were substituted with poker chips, which Production emphasized had no monetary value and were occasionally used alongside real currency as rewards. In Season 3, fishbucks make a comeback, albeit with a reduced value of $100 each; however, there are significantly more opportunities to earn them compared to Season 1.
- Genre Deconstruction: Of the Reality Show and its contemporary tropes. Because Fishtank is streamed 24/7, there is absolutely no room for Manipulative Editing, resulting in unprecedented authenticity. Furthermore, rather than casting snobby, attractive upper middle class people from one city, the bulk of the contestants are somewhat shy, nerdy middle to lower class people from both in and outside the US.
- Large-Ham Announcer: Hyde (aka Goldstriker) plays up one such personality throughout the livestream, often shouting and playing up various contests. He behaves oddly to mess with the contestants, such as by destroying furniture and forcing them to help him practice boxing.
- Locked in a Room
- Reality TV Show Mansion: It wouldn't be much of a deconstruction if the show didn't take place in one. Each season of Fishtank.live showcases a house with a distinct design that sets it apart from previous seasons, accompanied by a specific purpose and theme to achieve.
Season 1
- Camping Episode: Day 18 saw the living room be turned into an indoor camping area, with tents, fake grass and lawn games to play.
- Convicted by Public Opinion: One contestant, Simmons, was deemed a creep by both viewers and other contestants after they discovered a collection of books he wrote containing romantic tips for summer camp counselors. He was eventually expelled from the house after a Twitter poll voted to kick him out.
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: Goldstriker threatened the 6 remaining contestants when he believed they weren't being entertaining enough, saying he would introduce a "homeless black guy" to the cast unless they remedied this. He eventually followed through on this promise on Day 15 by bringing Teddy, an (allegedly) homeless black man to the house, who was paid to play "hide and seek" with the contestants.
- Eating Contest: Day 12 featured a hotdog eating contest, which Letty allegedly won despite allegations of cheating.
- Egg Sitting: On Day 8, the contestant pairs were given eggs, which they had to carry around collectively while keeping them from cracking. Later in the night, all of them were given infant simulator babies which they had to take care of under threat of elimination.
- Elmuh Fudd Syndwome: Jon has a Speech Impediment that keeps him from pronouncing R's correctly, which is a common source of mockery for viewers.
- Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Josie became known for her loved of stuffed animals, to the point where one of the more expensive "fishtoys" was for having staff members give her additional plushies.
- Girls vs. Boys Plot: The Day 11 "battle royale" began with the remaining six men and women dividing up into teams, hoping to take out the other before turning on themselves. The former group barricaded themselves on the lower floor, while the latter decided to wait their opponents out upstairs. While the men took out two of the women, they quickly turned on themselves afterward, ultimately handing Josie the win.
- Men Can't Keep House: The male contestants will routinely cause huge amounts of mess, usually for no reason. On day 15 Jon casually gathered all the loose trash and toilet paper on the upper floor and moved it all into the lower floor, simply moving the mess instead of cleaning it up.
- My Greatest Failure: A challenge on Day 17 was for the remaining 5 fish to talk about their lowest moments. During Damiels turn, the audience played a laugh track during the moment he mentioned he'd broken his foot.
- Obfuscating Disability: Played for Laughs starting on Day 14, when all of the contestants were given fake "disabilities" which they would need to act out throughout the week. Anyone who failed to fake their disability would be given "infractions" by viewers, with the person given the most infractions at the end of the week being eliminated.
- Locked in a Room: On Day 10, the remaining six contestants were confined to one of the bedrooms, with a $1500 prize being promised to the one who stayed the longest. While stuck there, they had to deal with issues such as boredom and the lack of a bathroom. Vance eventually won, and shared part of his winnings with Josie and Letty.
- Reality TV Show Mansion: The entire contest takes place in a large suburban house, complete with four bedrooms, a sizeable kitchen/dining area, and a garage. Aside from the other contestants, there isn't any entertainment besides some books, board games, and a copy of Stuart Little 2. Apart from the light brown of the high-gloss wood flooring, the stark white walls and ceilings evoke the atmosphere of a solitary room in a mental asylum, which had a psychological impact on the fish and freeloaders. This effect was largely unintentional on the part of Production.
- Sixth Ranger: Day 18 saw one in Simon, who was introduced to take the total number of fish to 9. While he couldn't earn the $30,000 cash prize for winning like the other 5 remaining fish could, he can earn as many Fishbucks as he wants.
- Another sixth ranger joined when Lance entered as a freeloader, a contestent who looks, acts, dresses and even speaks just like Vance.
- Things That Go "Bump" in the Night: Goldstriker warns the fish of The Entity toward the end of Day 1, a creature he claims is completely harmless unless directly interacted with (like making eye contact or trying to talk to it) and will remain wandering the halls as they sleep, unable to "cross the threshold" into their bedrooms. It will not appear while any of the fish are awake.
Season 2
- The '70s: Season 2 is characterized by a 1970s cult theme and is intended to take place in the year 1972. "Canonically" this season marks the "first" Fishtank competition, which is hosted by Judge Jedediah Goldstriker, the father of Jason Goldstriker. The design elements of the house and the clothing supplied to the contestants are heavily influenced by 1970s aesthetics, and the show's existing rule prohibiting technology aligns seamlessly with this thematic setting.
- Aborted Arc: Throughout the early parts of the season, numerous gaslights and events suggested a connection to "The Initiation Group," reminiscent of the real-life Synanon cult. The attic featured a large symbol painted on the floor and served as a one-on-one gaslighting space where the Judge brought select contestants for a chance to join "The Initiation Group." At times, members of Production appeared donning lab coats emblazoned with the same symbol. Ultimately, however, this plotline did not develop further, and the cult theme along with the entire Initiation Group gaslight was abandoned for reasons that remain unclear.
- The Mole: At the onset of the season, the contestants, appearing to be unacquainted with Fishtank.live and Season 1, were assigned the task of identifying the "infiltrator." This individual possessed an advantage over the others due to their prior knowledge of the show's dynamics. By Day 4, Jimmy deduced that the infiltrator was, in fact, all of them except for JC, who was the only participant without any prior exposure to the show.note .
- Reality TV Show Mansion: Sticking to the 70s vibe of the season, the house is designed in a way that fits right in with the era. It features quirky artwork, eye-catching wallpaper, cozy carpeted floors, and lively, hippie-style decor that totally nails that retro feel. This time, there are additional cameras and more rooms to cover, including three bedrooms, a bunk room located in the third bedroom, a kitchen, a bar, a dog house, a lounge, hallways on both the upper and lower levels, and an attic. As the season progressed, two bathroom cameras were turned on, equipped with large sensors to ensure privacy and prevent any nudity from being visible.
Season 2.5/All-Stars Vampire Bloodgames
The Cell/Bitchtank
Season 3
Season 4
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Cut Short: Due to various legal issues regarding permits and disorderly conduct in the houses, the season had to end early and each of the remaining contestants got $8k for their troubles.
Season 5