From: thepipeline_xyz
A bonus stream was held to provide a behind-the-scenes look at Monad Games, featuring its contestants for a live recap and discussion of their experiences [00:00:09]. The show, which premiered less than a week before the stream, was an action-packed content experiment designed to be fun and engaging for the Monad community [00:01:00]. Contestants KB, Pre-Ballin, Spam, Intern, and Danny (the host) discussed their unfiltered thoughts on the production and outcomes of the games [00:07:08].
Initial Impressions and Expectations
The contestants filmed Monad Games two months prior in Denver, but did not see the final edited episode until its global premiere [00:10:35]. Their reactions varied:
- KB was pleasantly surprised, finding the final product “a lot less cringe than I was afraid it was going to be” [00:07:44]. She noted that the editing effectively portrayed the fun they had, especially since they knew each other well, unlike typical game show contestants [00:07:55].
- Pre-Ballin was nervous about the outcome, especially since he was “a little hung over” during filming [00:11:05]. However, he found it “turned out great” and wasn’t self-critical watching himself on camera [00:11:21].
- Spam initially expected a simple cut of scenes from the full day of filming [00:12:08]. He was particularly impressed by the “mememory behind it and like the actual like meme video style edits,” highlighting the disorientation zoom-in after Danny ate the chocolate [00:12:23].
- Intern was surprised by the episode’s length (almost 40 minutes) given the relatively short filming time (four to six hours) [00:13:32]. He praised the smooth clipping and editing, calling the experience a “massive W” and “so much better” than typical conferences [00:13:56]. He’s eager to “run it back anytime” [00:14:39].
Danny, the host, admitted to being “pretty stressed behind the scenes” during filming, ensuring each challenge was completed within the rented studio time [00:12:54]. He felt the final product “exceeded my expectations” [00:13:14].
The Element of Surprise: Unforeseen Challenges
A key aspect of Monad Games was that contestants were intentionally kept unaware of the challenges beforehand [00:15:00]. Jessup, the brainchild behind the games, wanted to capture “really authentic reactions” [00:15:16].
The Psychic Challenge
This particular challenge elicited strong reactions due to its unexpected nature:
- Danny was the first to face the psychic, expecting a known crypto figure [00:15:29]. He described being “quite rattled” and opting for a “play it safe” strategy by nodding and smiling [00:22:50].
- KB found it “a little freaked out” and entered with a “big shield on,” staring back at the psychic [00:18:11]. She noted that most contestants felt “defeated” after the psychic challenge [00:18:55]. KB speculated that the psychic might have struggled due to reading online personas vs. IRL identities, given their government names were used [00:21:40].
- Pre-Ballin was famously told he was “the type of guy to steal a lighter,” which was featured in the video [00:19:34]. The psychic also inaccurately told him he was “a good cook” [00:20:26].
- Spam was deemed “so nice and empathetic to every person every mother would want you as a kid,” which was humorously contrasted with a tweet about “farting on people on the public transportation” [00:19:45].
- Jessup clarified that the psychic challenge was originally planned as the third game to allow contestants to warm up [00:23:40], and he also expected it to be conversational [00:24:15].
Favorite and Least Favorite Challenges
- Danny disliked both the psychic and the chocolate challenge, finding the latter “brutally painful” and causing his brain to be “literally on fire” [00:29:36]. He struggled to pitch or hear others [00:29:43].
- Pre-Ballin’s favorite was the spice challenge [00:27:07]. He noted the dark red jelly beans (ghost pepper) were the worst [00:28:33]. Danny observed Pre-Ballin chewed his jelly bean for the entire pitch, intensifying the spice [00:27:36].
- Spam strategically swallowed both the jelly bean and chocolate in the spicy challenge to maximize points without prolonged exposure [00:30:03]. He confirmed the chocolate was both sweet and spicy [00:30:47].
- Sophie enjoyed the ice challenge because she liked “seeing people like throw things on the floor and I like watching things break” [00:37:53]. She expressed disappointment that KB didn’t win the “egg games” (likely referring to the overall game) [00:38:40].
- KB’s least favorite was the pitch/spicy challenge [00:40:12]. Her initial strategy to eat the chocolate changed after seeing Danny’s reaction, leading her to choose the jelly bean [00:39:18]. She admitted to fumbling the pitch due to nerves and an inability to multitask [00:39:49]. She started strong by being named “most influential” by the psychic and scoring first points, but then “didn’t win any other one” [00:38:51].
- Intern found his jelly bean “very manageable” and joked he should have eaten 20 to gain more points [00:41:26]. A debate arose over the ice challenge, with Intern arguing for a level playing field [00:42:10]. Danny, who won this challenge, explained his keyboard tool was ineffective, forcing him to use his hands, which proved to be the “best strategy” [00:43:50]. Spam also revealed he had a duplicate of Danny’s word during the ice challenge, effectively “swindling” and “saving” him by trading it back [00:47:47].
The One Chip Challenge (Bonus Content)
Sophie, a Monad Foundation team member, demonstrated remarkable bravery by taking on the One Chip Challenge, which no contestant attempted during the main Monad Games [00:32:10]. She ate a raw onion beforehand and consumed the chip without milk or the provided glove [00:35:47]. Despite the intense pain and feeling the chip move through her digestive system for 24 hours, she declared, “I would do anything for the monad community” [00:35:30].
The Cipher Challenge
A surprise onchain activation of Monad Games was a hidden cipher in the video [00:05:57]. Jessup conceived the idea, and the Monad Foundation engineering team built an app using ZK (Zero-Knowledge) technology for guesses [00:51:25].
- Contestants were unaware of the cipher [00:51:13].
- KB and Pre-Ballin were “super confused” and couldn’t figure it out [00:52:34].
- Over 30,000 onchain guesses were submitted [00:06:09], but only 43 unique guesses [00:52:14]. It was intentionally “really really hard” to prevent it from being cracked in minutes [00:45:15].
- The cipher’s design prevented off-chain simulation and bot attacks, making it a truly challenging on-chain puzzle [00:56:52].
- While a Gigabrain did crack it, their identity remains unknown [00:54:48]. Participants who submitted a guess received a testnet NFT commemorating their involvement [00:54:19].
Future Ambitions for Monad Games
The team and contestants expressed strong interest in a larger-scale return of Monad Games:
- They aim to run it again, featuring more Monad community members, contributors, and team members from the Monad Foundation [00:37:27].
- There’s a desire for a “Mr. Beast style” version with 100 players, featuring eliminations to narrow down contestants [00:59:33].
- The success of Monad Games and its potential for expansion depend on audience engagement and support [00:58:32].
The stream concluded with a “spin the wheel” segment, a staple of the “Monad in the Mornings” stream, which landed on “60-second podcast with Jessup” for a lucky community member [01:06:08]. The contestants offered their final thanks and shoutouts, emphasizing the collaborative spirit of the Monad ecosystem [01:00:37].