open/close all folders
The Schmos
In General
- Always Second Best: Invoked and subverted as they are always placed second in the in-show competitionnote to see their reactions to losing but ultimately declared the winner in the real show proper.
- Two Girls and a Guy: The three Schmos in season 2/"Last Chance for Love" are Ingrid, Amanda and Tim who form this dynamic. It's no surprise they became close allies since they are the realest and only non-actors in the cast (Well, until Ingrid joined the other side).
- Two Girls to a Team: Of the six Schmos so far, Ingrid Wiese and Amanda Naughton are the only females the show is trying to fool.
Matt Kennedy Gould
The original Schmo, a former law school student turned pizza delivery man, who is competing in a Big Brother-esque reality show "Lap of Luxury".
- "Getting My Own Room" Plot: An early subplot of his in the first episode is wanting his own room since he hates sharing a bed with Dr. Pat and Earl. So much so that Matt prematurely left the "Hands on Hooker" game, rigged to win in his favour, since the first person out has to move into the broom closet. Production later upgraded Matt's room to the top floor suite to keep a better eye on him and separate him from the other actors.
- Pretty Fly for a White Guy: For the talent show, Matt chooses to beatbox and dance, wearing shiny hammer pants and a beanie to commit to the bit, and was pretty good at it.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: Matt gives this fish-eyed look as a neutral expression or whenever he's surprised which is often considering the scripted antics on the show. Kip even copies this while impersonating Matt and needless to say, it's spot-on.
Tim Walsh
- The Alcoholic: As a bartender of Irish descent who wants the $100,000 prize to open up his very own bar, Tim has a fondness for all things alcohol and is often seen with a drink in his hand if production lets him. This is prominent in the premiere where he helps himself to the bar and later proclaims wanting a malt after The Reveal in the finale.
- Bookends: Tim's first and last words on the show were his catchphrase "Jackpot".
- Character Catchphrase: He has a habit of saying Billy Madison's catchphrase "Jackpot" with the same inflection due to being a huge Adam Sandler fan. It's even his first and last lines in the show.
- Did Not Get the Girl:
- Due to "Last Chance for Love" not being an actual show, his chances with Piper are zero since the entire show is scripted without him any wiser. To twist the knife deeper, Tim reaches all the way to the finale only for Piper to choose Austin instead and get married right in front of him as one of the best men right before they reveal the ruse.
- However, this was inverted with his actual girlfriend who had dumped him shortly before coming onto the show but hooked up with him again afterwardsnote and became his wife ever since.
- Family-Friendly Stripper: During his surprise Birthday party, Tim good-naturally performs an impromptu lap dance (Fully-clothed, mind you) to Gerald as a dare. Unfortunately for Tim, this came to bite him in next episode when the host played back the footage in front of Piper's strict father as a challenge punishment.
- Freudian Trio: Of the season 2 Schmos, Tim is the boisterous, easy-going Id to Amanda's Ego and Ingrid's Superego.
- Has a Type: Tim revealed in an interview
that before officially competing in "Last Chance for Love", he was asked about his dream girl which he described as "olive-skinned, brown-haired, dark-eyes and shorter than him" (Basically his then-girlfriend-now-wife). The show deliberately inverted the trope by casting the fair-skinned, blonde, blue-eyed and statuesque Valerie Azlynn as Piper so Tim would be less inclined to fall in love with the Bachelorette seriously although that did not stop him from finding her a "smoke show". - Hypocritical Humour: He was upset at the girls for blowing the normally-suave TJ's chances with Piper thanks to their wacky suggestions yet openly laughs and even contributes to the equally-wacky suggestions for Cammy's date with Austin since she's well, Cammy.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: The Reveal had him wanting a malt and proclaiming drinks were all on him.
- Innocently Insensitive: While he's generally a nice guy and doesn't mean any harm, Tim has no filter on what he says just like Matt but his comments are way more judgemental such as Gerald's sexuality and especially Bryce's mental instability.
- Jerkass to One: Tim is generally an easy-going, all-around fun guy but it's a well-known fact that Bryce is his least favourite person on the show, badmouthing him during his interviews, calling him "crazy/psycho-stalker" more than once and was the most displeased upon Bryce's return. When Derrick implies that Bryce killed Montecore the Falcon for eating Everett the Frog, Tim immediately becomes enraged and outright accusing him of what everyone is thinking as well as expressing his desire to punch him after unexpectedly showing up at the wedding finale uninvited.
- Keet: Is the most excited and openly expressive of the second season Schmos.
- Last-Second Word Swap: His reaction in the finale upon everyone revealing themselves as actors and the show being fake the entire time:[Cue the production crew bursting out laughing behind-the-scenes]
- Oh, Crap!: As his punishment for failing to complete the challenge, Derek exposed the clip of his drunken lap dance to Gerald from the previous episode right in front of Piper's parents, especially her Boy Friend Blocking Dad, leaving Tim with this reaction as he flusteredly trying to explain himself.Tim: [Interview] As soon as the tape was shown, I had to get damage control and Mr. Davidson didn't find that too amusing. I explain it to him but uh, I don't think he's pleased...
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Gender-inverted. Tim is outspoken and confrontational while Ingrid and Amanda are more reserved and down-to-earth, especially with the former figuring out the ruse all by herself.
Ingrid Wiese (The Schmo Turned Actress)
The first female Schmo who is a political science grad student turned psychologist. However, her strong-willed, intuitive nature proved she was way too smart to be on "Last Chance For Love" and immediately suspects something was amiss.
- Aborted Arc: Ingrid was initially supposed to have a back-and-forth rivalry with Ambrosia and keep Cammy's big secret but her growing suspicions of the show halt all those plans. In fear of her breaking the illusion in front of the more gullible Tim, the producers reveal the truth to Ingrid and offer her to join the actors. This meant Ingrid's place was taken up by replacement Jane Schmo Amanda, substantially reducing the former's screentime, as well as her existing story arcs being rewritten with Ambrosia eliminated and Ingrid spilling the pork and beans to Tim and Amanda to tie up loose ends.
- And Starring: From episode 5 onwards, Ingrid's spot in the intro is replaced by Amanda and she is now introduced at the very end as "The Schmo Turned Actress" after the regular actors.
- Constantly Curious: Ingrid is a very inquisitive person by nature and therefore a lot harder to manipulate. During the first three episodes, the show had several close calls from her breaking the illusion such as comparing the show to the The Truman Show when everyone somehow managed to perfectly recite their lines again for the elimination ceremony's reshoot, becoming suspicious of Cammy stopping midway through her embarrassing story while the cameraman is replacing film and even subtler details like Ernie knowing the exact number of orphans to adopt for everyone as presents after the surprise mass elimination.
- Demoted to Extra: As a consequence of figuring out the truth early, Amanda had to be brought on to replace her as the next Jane Schmo as shown by Ingrid now having an "And Starring" spot in the intro. This led to her not being prominently focused upon as much since the producers didn't account for this situation happening and thus didn't give her many storylines afterwards. She doesn't even make it to the finale like Amanda and Tim did, finishing third place unlike every other Schmo who had taken second.
- Freudian Trio: Out of the season 2 Schmos, Ingrid is the intuitive, Genre Savvy Superego to Tim's Id and Amanda's Ego.
- Fun with Subtitles: Normally during interviews with the Schmoes, the chyron would have the subtitle "Thinks it's all real" under their name but as Ingrid expresses her doubts about the show's realness, her subtitle becomes a meter of suspended belief to reflect the change.As Listed
- Odd Name Out: Ingrid is the only Schmo to have a label with her name ("The Schmo Turned Actress") like the actors since she joined in on the act upon figuring out the truth.
- Pair the Spares: In-story, Ingrid begins dating TJ after they both were eliminated as semi-finalists with them jokingly hugging after Tim and Amanda left.
- The Smart Girl: Ingrid is the only Schmo who was so close to figuring out the ruse on her own that the producers had to bring her on board so she wouldn't spoil it for Tim. On the actors' side, she wasn't given many notes and had to make up her own character which showcases her knack for improv after a few lessons such as finding a good workaround for saying her dirty word in three sentences incredibly quickly at the Parents' Dinner challenge compared to Tim who immensely struggled with his and failed to do so in the end. Even her background was impressive since she was a graduate student with a bachelor's degree in political science and later delved into psychology as a therapist.
Amanda Naughton
- Freudian Trio: Out of the season 2 Schmos, Amanda is the wide-eyed yet down-to-earth Ego to Ingrid's Superego and Tim's Id.
- Fun with Subtitles: Her first subtitle for the interviews humorously reads "Thank God she thinks it's all real" like the chyron was expressing relief Amanda is more naive and gullible than Ingrid.
- The Heart: Amanda fills this role of the three schmoes since she's not as suspicious as Ingrid and not as judgemental as Tim, instead being more bubbly and friendly.
- Naïve Newcomer: She was introduced halfway into the show in episode 4 because Ingrid's suspicions made the producers have to find a more susceptible replacement on such short notice. As a result, she had to be filled in on what she missed and was not acquainted with Rita, Ernie and Ambrosia, the first three contestants who got eliminated, until the finale which was incredibly lucky since Amanda recognized Rita (Natasha Leggero) outside of the show.
Chase Rogan
The Schmo of the action-packed third season aka "The Full Bounty", cementing himself as the most competitive Schmo of the bunch since he always wanted to be a bounty hunter in spite of owning a successful business.
- Animal Motif: He was given a llama as his spirit animal and while this was intended to be a funny choice on the producers' part, it does suit Chase's character as the animal represents adaptability, perseverance, responsibility and endurance. All traits describe his determination and strength in becoming a bounty hunter and how he's carrying the show as the main Schmo.
- Meaningful Name: Coincidentally, Chase lives up to his name by chasing down fugitives and how he chases his dream of becoming a bounty hunter on the show.
- Pursue the Dream Job: Chase already owned a successful business but nevertheless went on the show believing he was competing to work as the understudy of a world-famous bounty hunter. Luckily, he didn't shut down his business since the prize was an elaborate hoax as the bounty hunter in question was an actor.
- Recognition Failure: Despite production taking the extra effort to cast Lorenzo Lamas as the celebrity contestant and Chico hyping him up since he played a bounty hunter before, Chase has absolutely no idea who this guy is and couldn't care less since he's more annoyed by his exaggerated personality and constant Product Placement, treating him no different than any other contestant.
- Seduction-Proof Marriage: Unlike the other Schmos, Chase is Happily Married to his wife Taylor as shown in his audition tape so he isn't interested in romance on the show. This helped him remain unfazed and Not Distracted by the Sexy when the female suspect he was holding at gunpoint offered him sex and also in front of a topless prostitute doing jumping jacks during the Heart Rate challenge, the latter of which had Randy accused him of being Asexual.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Chase listed snakes as his Primal Fear in the pre-interview which the producers then incorporated into a couple of challenges such as the giant python while hooked up to a heart rate monitor and retrieving tasers in a snake tank which he lampshades as to why a bounty hunter would ever be in such an oddly-specific situation.
Ben
- Blue Is Heroic: His embroided tracksuit is blue which emphasises Ben's role as the Schmo and therefore the main protagonist of the reboot.
The Hosts
Derek Newcastle
Played By: Ralph Garman
- British Stuffiness: Ralph puts on a British accent to sound more posh but also pretentious as Derek Newcastle who makes it no secret that he's fed up with the contestants, especially Ernie.
- Cordon Bleugh Chef: To celebrate Amanda's debut, the host caters a special buffet primarily consisting of traditional British cuisine that's also stereotypically bland, one of which included crumpets which he insisted on going with his mother's homemade marmitenote that Tim likens to "Meat soaked in urine". Unsurprisingly, the cast all agreed to order pizza instead much to Derek's displeasure when he found out.
The Contestants
Season 1
Ashleigh Rivera (The Rich Bitch)
Played By: Melissa Yvonne Lewis
Placement: 4th
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: To get new television sets and prevent Matt from eating dog shit, Ashleigh and Molly had to passionately kiss on the lips in agreement with a "producer" who wants to invoke the trope. At least it was better than the alternate idea of taking their tops off (Executive meddling/Spike TV at its finest).
Brian (The Buddy)
Played By: Brian Keith Etheridge
Placement: 3rd
- Best Friend: Brian was tailored to be Matt's closest confidant by having a kind, goofy personality, similar builds and nerdy interests and even being labeled as "The Buddy". But while they are on good terms, Matt tends to be frustrated sometimes and doesn't really hang out with Brian that much, preferring the company of Dr. Pat and Earl, until the two reach the final four with Ashleigh and Hutch.
- Odd Name Out: He's the only contestant actor across three seasons to use their actual name as their stage name (Barring Lorenzo Lamas).
Carlos "Kip" Calderas (The Gay Guy)
Played By: Lance Krall
Placement: 5th/6th
- Alliterative Name: Kip's "real" name and label is Carlos Calderas as "The Gay Guy".
- Interchangeable Asian Cultures: Why they cast an Asian-American man to pretend to be a European is beyond anyone's guess other than the producers deliberately invoking the trope.
- Twofer Token Minority: Kip is both the only gay and non-American (Cuban) on the "Lap of Luxury". However, this gets subverted twice because not only Lance Krall, Kip's actor, is straight but isn't of Cuban descent since he's actually half-Vietnamese from Dallas, Texas doing an accent.
Patricia "Dr. Pat" Lane (The Quack Marriage Counselor)
Played By: Kristen Wiig
Placement: 7th
- What Does She See in Him?: The producers quickly concorted a plotline where Dr. Pat slept with The Hutch to distract a distraught Matt from Earl's untimely elimination. However, this backfired as it made Matt feel even worse given he was astounded and clearly disappointed by her decision, stating she could do better than Hutch. Not only that, this one-night stand significantly influences Dr. Pat in the finale where she becomes the deciding vote and seals Hutch's victory.
Season 2
Ambrosia (The Bitch)
Played By: Gretchen Palmer
Placement: 9th
- Aborted Arc: Ambrosia was supposed to stir up trouble in the manor as "The Bitch" and have an ongoing rivalry with Ingrid starting episode 3. However, the Schmo was already catching on and dangerously close to finding out the truth so the producers have no choice but to eliminate Ambrosia in the same episode and bring Ingrid to their side.
- Foil: To Ashleigh as they are both seemingly nice people before they show their true colours and live up to their title as "The [Rich] Bitch". However, while Ashleigh lasted all the way to the penultimate episode, Ambrosia prematurely lasted three episodes as Ingrid, her intended rival, figured out the ruse a lot sooner than expected.
- Sassy Black Woman: The only woman of colour in "Lap of Luxury" who brings a lot of drama to the table with her spicy yet bitchy attitude, badmouthing and picking fights with the other girls for no reason.
Bryce (The Stalker)
Played By: Kevin Kirkpatrick
Placement: 6thnote
- Leitmotif: Bryce is accompanied by an Ominous Music Box Tune with overlapping violin strings whenever he does something stalkery or creepy in general.
- Ominous Music Box Tune: Appears during Bryce's interviews and whenever he's onscreen as his Leitmotif as befitting for a creepy Stalker with a Crush.
- Skyward Scream: His idea of serenading Piper in the "Romeo and Juliet" challenge is to scream at the top of his lungs complete with reverb and the camera cutting to various outdoor scenes.
Gerald (The Gotta-Be-Gay Guy)
Played By: Jonathan Torrens
Placement: 4th/5th
- Pronouncing My Name for You: Gerald is pronounced with a hard "G" instead of a soft "J". The first time it was prominently brought up was when Tim forgot the pronunciation during his interview and the production crew had to correct it for him.
Rita (The Drunk)
Played By: Natasha Leggero
Placement: 11th (Last)
- Dramatic Irony: While the producers racked their heads preventing Ingrid from finding out the ruse in the early episodes, they should be glad they didn't cast Amanda first since she instantly recognized Rita as a well-known comedian from the open mic nights she frequented and therefore could blow the entire show's cover at the premiere. However, since Rita got eliminated in the first episode and Amanda debuted long after, the two never formally met until the finale's wedding where Amanda had other things on her mind, namely Austin's final decision.
- Flat Character: Rita is the least developed character of the season 2 cast with the sole gimmick of being an alcoholic party girl. This is invoked as she was supposed to be the first eliminated from "Last Chance for Love" for this one-dimensional trait.
T.J. (The Playah)
Played By: Jon Huertas
Placement: 3rd (Joint with Ingrid)
- Pair the Spares: In-story, TJ begins dating Ingrid after they both were eliminated as semi-finalists with them jokingly hugging after Tim and Amanda left.
Season 3
Allen (The Buddy)
Played By: Robert Belushi
Placement: 3rd
- Best Friend: Like his predecessor, Allen is specifically cast to be Chase's closest ally with similar builds and interests but most importantly being the sanest cast member beside him. Allen's spirit animal being a golden retriever further emphasizes this fact as he's very trustworthy and easy to talk to.
- Expy: To Brian from season 1 with his role as "The Buddy" but does a better job than his predecessor since Chase finds Allen very easy to be friends with.
- Only Sane Man: Allan was scripted to have no outstanding quirks or stereotypes unlike his castmates other than his enthusiasm. It was for this reason that Chase found him the most relatable and approachable ally which was the intention his character was going for.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. Allen shares the same label as Brian from the first season.
Chloe (The Model)
Played By: Chelsey Crisp
Placement: 10th (Last)
- Expy: Of Cammy "The Moron" from season 2 to fill the reality tv archetype as a Dumb Blonde, Ms. Fanservice with a similar two-syllable name beginning with "C". However, Chloe was eliminated way early on and finished last as these traits that would perfectly fit a dating show don't mesh well with a bounty hunter show.
- It's Not Porn, It's Art: In the first episode, Chloe shows the other contestants her "modeling portfolio" which is actually hardcore porn that's rightfully shown off-camera. Chelsey ensures the audience in her interview immediately after that it isn't really her in the photos.
Karlee (The Deaf Girl)
Played By: Jo Newman
Placement: 6th
- Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Savagely parodied as Chase notes how ridiculous the idea of a deaf bounty hunter is given multiple setbacks of being unable to hear sneak attacks and needing a translator at all times. However, Karlee isn't lacking in the physical and intellect department in the slightest which gives her an arguable reason why she was cast and made it this far on the show.
Lorenzo Lamas (The Celebrity)
Played By: Himself
Placement: 1stnote
- Actor Allusion: As Chico pointed out, Lorenzo Lamas' most famous role is the bounty hunter Reno Raines of the once hit TV series Renegade and also played another in the direct-to-video Bounty Tracker (1993). Here, he gets to do it for "real" by competing for a chance to be trained under famous bounty hunter Jake Montrose.
- Adam Westing: Lorenzo plays an exaggerated version of himself as a Small Name, Big Ego wash-out television star who only joined the show to reclaim his fame and sell his speedo.
Randy (The Asshole)
Played By: Michael Weaver
Placement: 5th
- Expy: Of The Hutch in season 1 as the resident Jerkass who bullies the minorities of the cast and even shares the same Plot Armor and label of "The Asshole". Randy was intended to be the "winner" of "The Full Bounty" just like Hutch was but Chase won a challenge he wasn't meant to and eliminated him way before that.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted as Randy shares his label with the original asshole Hutch from the first season.
Stan (The Interpretor)
Played By: Fred Cross
Karlee's sign language interpreter who is not actually a contestant but came as a package deal with her.
- Satellite Character: He's seen around Karlee almost all the time due to being her sign language interpreter and the fact he isn't an official contestant makes his interaction with others and screen time very limited.
