In one of the more amusing sidequests that Shaquille O’Neal has embarked on in his life, the former NBA All-Star is set to appear in a game show where players try to conceal him from view in a hilarious twist on hide-and-seek.
Can You Hide… Shaq? Is the name of this upcoming game show, which will premiere with two episodes at 9 PM on Thursday, December 3, on ABC and the ESPN app. Episodes will be available to stream on Hulu starting December 4.
The show pits two teams of contestants against each other, challenging them to hide Shaq in plain sight in public areas around Dallas, Texas. This is no small feat, given that Shaq is a massive former athlete and one of the world’s most recognizable celebrities.
“I’m 7-foot-1. I’m not exactly easy to miss,” Shaquille O’Neal said, per Variety. “I love meeting people wherever I go, but for years I’ve always wondered, could somebody actually make me disappear? Well, we finally decided to put it to the test. We turned it into a real competition, and I can’t wait for you to see the creative, ridiculous ways they tried to hide me in plain sight. The stakes are high, and so is the prize. But you know me, we’re gonna have some fun along the way.”
Comedian Nicole Byer will host the program, which promises to be a competition full of “fast, funny, and unpredictable challenges.”
The show’s logline lays out the rules: “Contestants first split into two teams, each with a set mission and time clock. The team that completes its mission with the fewest spottings earns immunity for one team member in the next round, who then becomes team captain. The teams must work together toward one greater mission: earning prize money to add to the ‘Shaq-pot’ that will ultimately be claimed by one winner.”
As of yet, the amount in the ‘Shaq-pot’ is unknown, but it had better be worth it, given how undoubtedly difficult it is to disguise one of the NBA’s most famous players. Can you hide… Shaq? Is produced by Jersey Legends Productions and Fulwell Entertainment in partnership with ESPN. Executive producers listed are Shaquille O’Neal, Colin Smeeton, Jeremy Castro, Charlie Van Vleet, Adam Cooper, Ben Winston, Mike Paris, and Emma Conway.
Shaq has undertaken no small amount of passion projects in his career; aside from his legacy as a sports legend, he’s also a dubstep artist (under the name DJ Diesel), rapper, actor, and has even appeared in a few video games, including Fortnite and of course, Shaq Fu.
I personally can’t wait to see how contestants manage to hide Shaq in this show. Let us know what your strategy would be in the comments, and whether or not you’ll be watching come December 3.
Image Credit: First We Feast – YouTube
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
