A 2020 ABC Game Show produced by Ryan Reynolds and hosted by Adam Scott, wherein the object of the game was for a team of contestants to perform inadequately in a series of five physical challenges. Failure to do so awarded up to $20,000 for each stunt, with opportunities to play for double the money, or earn a $5,000 bonus by taking a side challenge.
Don't was not renewed after its lone season. No relation to Grindhouse fake trailer directed by Edgar Wright.
This series does not not include examples of
- The Announcer: Ryan Reynolds.
- Bait-and-Switch: "Let's hear more about the 'Don't Push' Button"... followed by a recount of the "Don't Push" Button's personal life, and then an actual explanation on what pushing it does.
- Bonus Space: The "Don't You Dare" is offered on some rounds, which adds a side challenge to the stunt or otherwise makes it more difficult for a $5,000 bonus.
- Companion Cube: The "Don't Push" Button, which seemed to have a surprisingly elaborate life.
- Don't Try This at Home: A lot of the challenges seemed to have this as a common thread (i.e. being based on activities one would usually be told not to do). Doing it in their studio appeared to be okay.
- Double the Dollars: Beginning in the second round, the "Don't Push" button is available. If the team doesn't press it, they lose a chance to win $40,000 if they beat the stunt perfectly, but lose half of their bank if they don't.
- Foregone Victory: It was guaranteed for the team to leave with a significant amount of money by the end, since they kept what they won in each round, no matter how well they performed or what penalties they got.
- Intentionally Awkward Title: When promos were insinuated as asking you not to watch this show...
- Masochist's Meal: One stunt involved a contestant eating progressively spicier foods (including habereno peppers and wasabi) while walking on a treadmill under a heat lamp, and having to ignore refreshing beverages offered to them by the host. Side bets involved challenging the other contestants to try some of what they were missing out on.
- Minigame Game: Essentially.
- MST: The Announcer/Ryan did this in regards to the events occurring onscreen, Adam and the contestants' thoughts and actions, and he tended to make things up outright.
- Parody Commercial: Brief segments before commercial breaks were dedicated to fake commercials for the props used in the show, or fictional products related to it.
- Schmuck Bait: Zigzagged with the "Don't Push" button. Pushing it awarded the team with $40,000 at the end of the round, but failure to do the challenge perfectly cut any money earnings from it in half.
- Stop Hitting Yourself: "Don't Beat Yourself Up" invoked this; one of the contestants had to wear gigantic boxing gloves, with the others pulling a lever to choose one answer for a set of trivia questions. If one mistake was made, the contestant was beaten up repeatedly, and the game was lost when this happened three times.
- Theme Naming: The title of the show was invoked primarily through the names of the stunts, with such names as "Don't Play With Matches", "Don't Leave Me Hanging", and "Don't Get Clocked". Having to avoid doing something was not the central aspect of all of the stunts, but it was in a few (such as "Don't Blink", where you must do just that for 60 seconds, losing $500 every time you blink).
