General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Prank Encounters

Prank Encounters is an American hidden-camera prank television series hosted by Gaten Matarazzo, in which two strangers who believe they are starting a one-day job are drawn into an elaborate, horror-themed prank staged by actors. It was produced by Propagate for Netflix, which ordered eight episodes in June 2019, and ran for two seasons and 15 episodes between October 25, 2019 and April 1, 2021.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Format	Hidden-camera prank show; two strangers on one-day job assignments whose paths collide into supernatural surprises³
Host	Gaten Matarazzo, known for playing Dustin on Stranger Things; also an executive producer¹
Run	Season 1 (8 episodes) premiered October 25, 2019; Season 2 (7 episodes) aired April 1, 2021; 15 episodes total²
Production	Propagate; director Anthony Gonzalez; executive producers Matarazzo, Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Kevin Healey, and Rob Hyde¹
Rating and runtime	TV-MA; approximately 23 minutes per episode⁴
Reception	40% Tomatometer (5 reviews) and 54% Popcornmeter (100+ ratings) on Rotten Tomatoes; 5.3/10 on IMDb from about 3.4K users⁵^•⁶
Status	Ended after two seasons; no Season 3⁷

Spoilers

Premise and format

Each episode follows a fixed structure. Two people, each told they are starting a first day at a new job, are placed at separate locations where actors and sets stage frightening, supernatural events. As the day proceeds, the two strangers' paths collide, and they face the escalating scenario together. Matarazzo follows events from a remote location and reveals himself at the height of the fray, at which point the prank is disclosed.³^•⁸

Netflix's own synopsis calls it "the most elaborate hidden camera prank show ever devised," and the platform categorizes the series under horror, reality programming, variety entertainment, and comedies.³ Rotten Tomatoes lists its genres as reality, comedy, and horror, with Peter Giles as narrator and Doug Perkins and David Storrs as screenwriters.⁵

Content and audience guidance. Common Sense Media, which reviews media for age appropriateness, rates the series suitable for ages 14 and up and describes pranks ranging from spooks by Bigfoot-like beings to murderers, surgeries gone wrong, and other bloody events, with visible blood and gore, strong cursing, and some gags involving the simulated administration of narcotics. Its review notes that most of the people pranked are good sports once the shock wears off, and that the host and actors share a laugh with the victims afterward.⁸

Episodes and run

Season 1's eight episodes all premiered on October 25, 2019, under titles including "Teddy Scare," "End of the Road," "Face Fears," "Urgent Scare," "Camp Scarecrow," "Storage War of the Worlds," "Fright at the Museum," and "Split Party." Season 2's seven episodes, including "These Walls Can Talk," "Spider Mansion," and "Graveyard Shift," all aired on April 1, 2021, with the season's trailer describing pranks involving haunted mansions and ancient burial grounds.²^•¹² One Season 2 episode, "Re-Face Fears," continued a Season 1 storyline about an insane surgeon on the loose.¹³ The series ended after these two seasons, and no third season has been produced.⁷

Production and ordering

Netflix announced the order on June 15, 2019, commissioning eight episodes from Propagate, the independent studio founded in 2015 by Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens. Anthony Gonzalez, whose credits include Dance Moms and Undercover Boss, directed; the executive producers were Matarazzo alongside Silverman, Owens, and Kevin Healey for Propagate, and Rob Hyde.¹ At the time of the announcement Matarazzo was 16 years old and serving as both host and executive producer.¹

Backlash and Netflix's response

Criticism before broadcast. The initial press description, saying the strangers' part-time jobs would "turn into full-time nightmares," drew criticism before any episode aired, on the ground that the show mocked people looking for work. The A.V. Club characterized it as "screwing with people trying to find work," and commenters on Twitter objected to pranking people who need jobs.⁹^•¹⁰

A Netflix spokesperson responded that the people who took part were not under the impression they were starting full-time jobs: "The pranks in Prank Encounters are spooky, supernatural, and over the top, and everyone had a great time. All participants came in with the expectation this was a one-day, hourly gig and everyone got paid for their time."¹¹ Netflix also updated its press release, replacing the criticized language with a description of the series as "an epic hidden-camera prank show."¹¹

Reception

Professional reviews were mixed to negative. Season 1 holds a 40% Tomatometer based on 5 critics' reviews, with an audience Popcornmeter score of 46% from more than 100 ratings on the season page and 54% for the series overall.⁵^•¹⁴ Brad Newsome of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that prank shows always seem cruel when they set out to terrify their subjects, and that this one is crueler because it makes Matarazzo the face of the cruelty. Andy Dehnart of Reality Blurred called Netflix's attempt to create its own Scare Tactics "mostly embarrassing" and "a dull, unconvincing mess." Audra Schroeder of The Daily Dot, rating it 2/5, saw it as a riff on Punk'd that does little to set itself apart, while Joel Keller of Decider found that Matarazzo's enthusiasm makes the show more fun. Melissa Camacho of Common Sense Media gave 3/5, calling it uneven but fun.¹⁴ On IMDb the series holds a 5.3/10 rating weighted from about 3.4K user votes, with individual episode scores ranging from 6.3 to 7.6.⁶

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 › Celebrity and family docusoaps › Premiered 2019 to 2026

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

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