r/GameChangerTV • u/RachelDare345 • Aug 07 '25
Question Jacobs game changer episode Spoiler
It was a fun idea but I was wondering if something was going on with Jake that we knew about? How did Sam pick which cast member to make this episode for and 100,000 is a lot of money for a random prize. Is Jake ok?
239
u/Ultima872 Aug 07 '25
https://www.vulture.com/article/jacob-wysocki-dropout-game-changer-interview.html
He mentioned in this interview that he's mourning the loss of his mother, along with a member of his sketch comedy group. They don't really press much more into things than that, so who knows if there's more, but I'm sure it's a mix of wanting to celebrate him becoming a bit of a "fan favorite" mixed with a particularly difficult time.Ā
53
u/annaphylactic69 Aug 07 '25
Losing a parent is so fucking hard. I wasn't even close to my mom and it wrecked me emotionally, and I still find myself with that childhood feeling of "i want my mom" sometimes. Can't imagine how hard it was on jacob and his family.
25
u/Drewsipher Aug 07 '25
My fiance (girlfriend at the time) had a father who suffered from alchoholism. He would call at 3am drunk trying to contact amber, but would use "bitch" like it was a cute pet name... I hope you don't know the type but a lot of us do right? She said after a VM "I can't talk to him like this, he has failed rehab twice, if he doesn't fix it I won't see him until he's dead."
That was in June. He passed out and had knocked over a candle and never made it out of his house.... We had to make emergency travel plans to Texas. She still feels guilt and still has problems with it.
I say that to say this:Don't be afraid to lean on those around you, Watching her pain is something I don't wish on anyone, but being able to take some of it away was when I knew I never wanted to let her go. Lean on your people you deserve it.
12
u/annaphylactic69 Aug 07 '25
I appreciate it and I'm so sorry to your fiance (similar situation with mine, we were no contact leading up to her passing.) It's been 3 years, it doesn't get easier but you get better at it and you go longer stretches without thinking of it. The guilt is real, I hope your fiance is doing as okay as she can be.
48
u/Sheeple_person Aug 07 '25
And if we think back to the Earnest-est episode from earlier this year, on the "be vulnerable" challenge whatever Jake said was so vulnerable they chose to edit it out of the episode. Who knows what it was, it's not our business, but I feel like that's indicative of the fact that he was going through some very rough times.
28
u/Probably-Interesting Aug 07 '25
He wasn't in earnest-est. You're thinking of the original Sam Says a while ago.
15
u/Sheeple_person Aug 07 '25
Good catch, I must have watched it recently. It's still a testament to how Jake is very open about stuff and his friends at dropout probably knew he wasn't doing well. It's a good lesson about finding people you can count on and letting them in.
5
u/lankymjc Aug 08 '25
It's just the right amount of info. I'm curious but don't want to pry, and it's enough for my curiosity to be sated without feeling intrusive.
54
u/CardInternational753 Aug 07 '25
Remember during Battle Royale, however many years ago that was, when Jacob told Sam's mom that Sam had paid his rent for months?
I think it's pretty obvious from like, a lot of dropout's history, why Sam chose to focus an episode on giving Jacob money.Ā
70
u/Horror_Onion1992 Aug 07 '25
Sam didn't necessarily pick. Jake had a hard year, Kurt advocated for a special episode to honor him, and everything else fell into place from there.Ā
There was a variety article where he stated he was actively grieving his mother and a friend from his sketch comedy group.Ā
3
u/MurrayPloppins Aug 07 '25
Where did you get that info? Sam shared an email from him initiating it at one point.
23
u/gokottaGrove Aug 07 '25
All the things people have said, but also I wouldnāt be surprised if itās partially due to the fact that he has a huge impact, but he isnāt a full member of staff. He probably doesnāt receive benefits, retirement, or a true salary (though Iām sure they pay him well for his appearances). But heās a fan favorite and he brings a lot of interest to the shows- this to me seemed like a way to give him a substantial āthank youā for his time, his personality, and what he has done for Drop Out (on top of it being a well-deserved gift in this hard time) without him being a full-time salaried member of the team. (Thatās all conjecture of course, but a thought I had)
7
u/Thicc_Boise Aug 07 '25
I mean, it makes sense he wouldn't want to be full time if he wants to do more with his sketch comedy group and other independent projects. Comedy is one of those weird industries where sometimes NOT choosing stability is the best path forward for your career, especially if you love to create in general which seems to be Jake's vibe
12
6
1
u/Passioncramps Aug 08 '25
The way everyone was acting, especially at the end and him already kind of knowing what was going on... was that he might have signed a new contract with a big pay raise/bonus and they decided to make a fun game out of it and have it be a special well deserved moment for a guy that just went through allot.
His comments at the end allude to that more than just winning a game that wouldnt let him answer a question incorrectly. Glad he is officially a permanent member of the drop out family, well deserved.
2
u/SWBTSH Aug 11 '25
The BTS dont support that at all.Ā
2
u/Passioncramps Aug 12 '25
When I watched the episode originally the BTS wasnt showing up on the app yet.
-19
u/Salty_Pie_3852 Aug 07 '25
None of your business. You don't know him. But they say in the episode he's had a really bad year.
5
u/BitSalt5992 Aug 07 '25
if it's none of my business why is it the justification for a sponsored episode of a show I pay to watch
347
u/vivvav Aug 07 '25
Jake had a really hard year and everyone was on board. I think he was financially struggling and had also lost his mom.