Over the past few weeks, there has been one series that my Firestick has been pushing. As I scroll past a bunch of options, I find myself stopping over and over on three words that I never expected to see together. Somewhere amid the prestige dramas and Emmy-winning comedies was this Max show labeled Human vs. Hamster. Depending on your mindset, the instinct is to scroll away and find something that doesn’t sound like a desperate cash grab. However, the beauty of the Firestick is this strange persistence to stick ads for Human vs. Hamster everywhere until suddenly you’re seeing it every time you’re trying to get to Say Nothing. Maybe it’s the downtrodden nature of the I.R.A. drama, but at some point Human vs. Hamster pulls its magic on you and suddenly you’re watching out of curiosity.
The simple truth is that I have a strong soft spot for game shows. They epitomize a strong sense of optimism to watch everyday people overcome struggles to win (usually cash) prizes. It becomes the great equalizer where we’ve suddenly developed empathy for this complete stranger, imagining how we’d strategize a victory. As a creative writer, I’m also the type to admire the infrastructure of a good game show. While I tend to favor trivia based series, there is something thrilling about watching obstacle-based challenges emerge. You lean forward and hope by some chance that the human body is able to break through its limitations and do the unthinkable. While Ninja Warrior set the template for the modern read, there’s been a nice mix as of late with shows like The Cube, The Floor Is Lava, Don’t, and the quintessential Holey Moley that are pushing the boundaries of the challenge model into something fresh and new.
Human vs. Hamster fills a void in my TV diet that has needed the throwaway game show model. For as much as I like watching The Floor and trying to regurgitate information, I need that other type of show to let my brain relax and explore the potential of human ingenuity. There is comfort in watching two people race across a room to determine who is better. It’s what sports have been built on for a millennia. However, I think there needs to be a hook, something to grab the viewer and make you pick their thing to lay your peepers on. For as much as I could just give into strongman challenges or Fear Factor reruns, I need something that feels truly new and, let’s face it, peculiar.
In the grand scheme of things, I haven’t spent that many nights thinking of hamsters. To me, they’re just another animal that some kids I never met owned as pets. Given that I’m likely to mistake them for gerbils, there’s a lot of naivety that I enter Human vs. Hamster with, unsure if this will be anything more than a gimmick worthy of [adult swim]. Even then, it’s got a hook that would be hard to imitate. I can’t imagine other house pets willing to be trained into the obstacle model, let alone in a way that matches the potential of the human physique. A hamster may seem esoteric but trust me when I say that this show finds a very intelligent use for its premise.
The set-up is recognizable. Two teams of two humans are assigned with the task of winning the most challenges against their opponents. Their challengers are a rotating cast of eight hamsters with their own cutesy backstory and nicknames. Along with an animated avatar, hosts Sarah Sherman and Kyle Brandt add to the lore with humor and basic trivia on hamsters. There is affection for every party and the atmosphere tends to play well with its intended family market. The whole idea is that the show knows it’s ridiculous and the idea of humans losing to hamsters is a source of comedy that seems pathetic at first but becomes thrilling once you buy into the competition side of things.
Depending on your sense of humor, the production design is not without its charm. Hamsters have been known for running through mazes to achieve goals for a near century now, and it’s apparent based on Human vs. Hamster that they’re adaptable to obstacle courses as well. While humans run across their man-sized platforms, some of the amusement comes from seeing a miniature of the same course. Depending on your familiarity with hamsters, there will even be something impressive of watching an animal know how to navigate their environment in a nature that looks like competition. While there are those who fail to get their head in the game, there is that unpredictability where even a late start can lead a hamster to win. There must be humility to know that you’ve lost to an animal smaller than your hand, which leads to some fun post-game commentary. Of the eight episodes, everyone has remained humble and taken their losses with a smile and joke.
There’s not a lot to break down about the actual obstacles. They’re not all that different from the run of the mill options you have seen on any game show. Most of them involve navigating through tubes and climbing ladders in order to reach a finish line. In one of the more amusing set-ups, contestants must climb a makeshift building that starts with a rope before leading onto a ledge. More often than not, the humans are stuck when they’re met with an obtrusive “air vent” blocking their easy access. Meanwhile, hamsters have the dexterity to crawl underneath and zoom forward. Even with this setback, most humans tend to find their footing once on the other side and have more familiar forms of navigation like stairs and climbing into rooms. Nothing has been more intense than seeing a hamster inches from victory fail to win because they didn’t walk across a room to the finish line. In that sense, Human vs. Hamster has the intrigue of last second shake-ups at any time. While certain obstacles make this less plausible, every episode has a few moments of doubt that make you believe you’re about to see something truly unexpected.
After four challenges, including a “Questions and Hamsters” sequence that asks contestants factoids about their furry friends, one group is eliminated. At this point the hosts wave “fur-well” to the losers and wish the winners the best of luck in the piece de resistance: Escape the Cage. Short of describing every aspect of this setting, just know that it’s a mishmash of challenges that work like a hamster maze. The contestants will have to jump, dodge, climb, and crawl across various challenges and hope the hamster isn’t in step. It should be noted that a lot of luck in this challenge stems from whether hamsters are forward-thinking because humans tend to struggle with aspects that they just fly through. As a result, the tally of who wins the entire episode comes down to who spins the wheel fastest and gets through the finish line gate. The other is locked in “forever” as the hosts like to joke.
On some level, this is a very formulaic and recognizable show. A lot of the humor is safe and not pushing boundaries. The obstacles are familiar and repetitive after a few episodes if just due to their limited space. However, I think there’s a large appeal in the premise just because hamsters are unpredictable. Watching the hosts enthusiastically commentate their journey across the course brings its own amusement. In short quantities, this may be the antidote to a dreary winter season. It’s a shining tribute to human ingenuity and healthy competition in a time where everyone seems divided. There is no way to look “cool” losing to a hamster, so you might as well just laugh and have a good time. For those needing a little piece of escapism right now, I can’t think of a better show.
More than anything, this is a celebration of hamsters that leaves me curious to learn more. I’ve formed this deeper appreciation for the animal from this show and want to believe there’s even more to discover. The fact that I could spend 40 minutes in my night getting emotionally invested in a hamster pushing a car up a ramp is astounding. Human vs. Hamster may make you scoff and continue scrolling to whatever higher brow art is out there. But I promise you that if you’re into game shows that there is nothing quite like it. Almost immediately there is a comfort to pressing play and getting lost in the weirdness. You’ll come away thinking the world is even more exciting while wondering what other animals could run a course as successfully. The world feels better after something like Human vs. Hamster. Maybe it’s just that it fills a The Floor Is Lava-shaped hole in my heart, but it has made the past week of binge watching a lot more fulfilling.
As December carries on and we enter that hiatus period for TV, I am excited to see what other game shows fill up the empty space. There’s always a handful that pop up around this time and they’re rarely more than a forgettable hour (Did you know that RuPaul hosts a Wordle rip-off show? Yeah, it’s not very good.). While last January brought with it The Floor, it’s rare that we get high-caliber competition. It’s the time of year to take it easy and just appreciate the nature of camaraderie. It’s in that world that Human vs. Hamster fits best. It’s a show that I’m not sure I’ll forget anytime soon. Everyone is having a good time and I think it translates very well to the audience. In a time when I could use some cheering up, Sherman’s brightly colored outfits and bubbly personality fits the bill. I’m not sure that this show will change your life, but it may make you appreciate the little things a little more.
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