General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20266 min read

Guts & Glory

Guts & Glory is a 2025 American unscripted horror competition series created, hosted, and executive produced by special effects artist Greg Nicotero, in which real contestants are placed inside immersive horror scenarios and must survive the night or be eliminated.¹ The six-episode first season aired on Shudder and AMC+ in the United States and Canada, premiering with two episodes on October 14, 2025 after an originally scheduled September 9 debut was moved.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Format	Unscripted horror competition; contestants face challenges testing fear, skill, and intellect in immersive horror scenarios¹
Creator and host	Greg Nicotero, special effects artist and executive producer of The Walking Dead and Creepshow¹
Season 1	Six episodes, premiered October 14, 2025 on Shudder and AMC+; concluded November 4, 2025²
Production	AMC Studios production; executive producers Nicotero, Brian Witten (Monster Agency Productions), Chris Wagner (White Label), and Andrew Molina (Salaryman); co-executive producer Jeffrey F. January¹
Rating and runtime	TV-MA; episodes run roughly 29 to 35 minutes³
Filming method	Shot live with no second takes, with cameras instructed to concentrate on the contestants' reactions⁴
Setting	Filmed around the Alabama woods, with later episodes set in a hospital, a junkyard, a graveyard, and a barn⁵

Spoilers

Premise and format

The series begins like a typical reality competition show, but the players are essentially dropped into a horror movie.⁶ Contestants are confronted with their fears while completing survival-type tasks, and eliminations happen in unusual ways; the stated rule is that players must survive the night or be eliminated in ways they never saw coming.¹^•⁶ Nicotero described the concept as "if Survivor and The Blair Witch Project had a baby."²

The contestants did not know exactly what they were signing up for: people from across the country read and signed contracts and waivers to appear on a competition show without being told the full horror premise.⁷ In the premiere, ten individuals were sequestered in an Alabama hotel, told only that they would be on a spooky competition series; their phones were confiscated before they were moved into the woods to begin.⁸

Live-shot production. Nicotero said the central production trick was that everything had to be done live, because he wanted to capture the experience the contestants were having: "You don't get take two. You don't reset it. The cameras were always instructed to concentrate on the reactions of the contestants."⁴ He also stated that the show would include special effects that happen in real time to capture honest reactions, and that he brought several crew members from The Walking Dead universe onto the project.⁹

Episodes

The first season's six episodes aired weekly on Tuesdays, with the season closing out on a double-episode night on November 4, 2025.²

"The Deep Dark Woods" (October 14, 2025): A twisted competition begins deep in the Alabama woods; after one contestant vanishes, paranoia spreads and the players realize something sinister may be stalking them.²^•¹⁰
"Hospital of Horror" (October 14, 2025): After a shocking discovery at camp, players are rushed to a remote hospital, only to learn it is part of the game.⁵
"The Hitcher" (October 21, 2025): In a junkyard stalked by a ravenous creature, players must cross a narrow beam while rolling a tire as the beast lunges from below; the two slowest are eliminated, and a prize is revealed for the first time.¹⁰
"Rest in Pieces" (October 28, 2025): In a fog-shrouded graveyard, three teams of two are split, one locked in a chained coffin and the other racing to recover scattered remains and complete a ritual; one team runs out of time while assembling a skeleton.¹⁰
"Demons Among Us" (November 4, 2025): In a decaying barn, the final four attempt a ritual to contain an ancient evil; it fails, the dead rise, and the remaining three flee to an old farmhouse for the final challenge, where the winner is crowned.¹⁰
"Back From the Dead" (November 4, 2025): A behind-the-scenes finale in which Nicotero reveals how the series was made, including creature effects and psychological traps.⁵

Cast and crew

Greg Nicotero serves as host and showrunner, directing all six episodes.²^•¹¹ The contestant cast included Makayla Cotton, Kolbie Foster, Brian Frank, Juliene Joyner, Julia Linger, Frank Nicotero, Mingus Reedus, Alexis Scott, DuJuan Thomas, Josh Warren, and Brandi Zimmer.⁵ One contestant, DuJuan Thomas, is a Paducah, Kentucky city commissioner; his local newspaper covered his appearance ahead of the debut.⁶

The series was produced by AMC Studios with an integrated sponsorship by Hyundai, and it debuted during Shudder's 10-year anniversary.¹

Release and reception

Shudder announced the series in July 2025 with a September 9, 2025 premiere date, but the debut was shifted; the season ultimately premiered with two episodes on October 14, 2025.¹^•² The show streams on Shudder and AMC+ and is also available through services including Philo, Spectrum On Demand, and digital purchase on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.³ On IMDb it held a rating of 4.4 out of 10 from 184 votes as of late 2025.³ A CNET review by Aaron Pruner gave the season 3.5 out of 5, writing that once the possibility that anyone can die is introduced, the show takes on an unpredictable nature that draws contestants deeper into the experience.¹²

Other uses of the name

The title has been used for unrelated programs and events. A five-episode rodeo competition series, Guts and Glory, aired on INSP beginning January 30 (year not stated in the source), following 12 rodeo athletes competing in saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, and barrel racing for a chance to run at The American; it was hosted and judged by rodeo figures J.B. Mauney and Tammy Fischer.¹³ Covenant House in Toronto has run an annual charity Guts & Glory competition for the business community; its 10th edition, held March 6, 2025, drew 28 teams and has raised $4.5 million since inception for youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking.¹⁴ The Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival in British Columbia also names its 1500-meter challenge races the Guts & Glory challenges.¹⁵

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Celebrity, family, lifestyle, and court reality series › Lifestyle, dating, and docusoaps › Wealth, real estate, and lifestyle series

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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