Watch Make My Day

Make My Day was a hidden camera reality TV show that aired on TV Land from 2009-2010. Hosted by Saturday Night Live alum Kenan Thompson, the show follows a unique concept where ordinary people are put through humorous situations to help them win fabulous prizes. During the show, unsuspecting people are put in bizarre and humorous situations such as volunteering to participate in a bizarre photo shoot, a fake computer virus, or even an interview for a non-existent job. The situations are carefully scripted and planned to evoke maximum laughs, but the participants are kept in the dark about the true nature of the show. After each challenge or scenario, Kenan Thompson reveals himself from a hidden location and shares the true nature of the situation with the participant, explaining the whole thing was scripted, which leads to good-natured amusement instead of being embarrassed. They are then given a chance to win a prize by completing the rest of the challenges, which are designed to be easier and more fun. The challenges are based on a “Make My Day” plan that the participant has filled in before the show. This plan outlines a list of favorite activities, things they would like to do, or experiences they would like to have. The producers use this plan as a blueprint and incorporate elements of it into the challenges, such as spending the day with a celebrity, learning how to fly, or getting a makeover. Participants are given a prize at the end of each challenge they successfully complete, with the overall prize being the culmination of all the challenges plus a grand prize. The prizes range from extravagant vacations, to money to purses for the women, to career mentoring for the men. Adding to the competitive element of the show, each challenge has a time limit, and the participant must race against the clock to accomplish the goals. If the time runs out, the participant loses that round, but can still keep any prizes he or she has won. A unique aspect of Make My Day is its use of celebrity cameos. Throughout the show, various celebrities make appearances, frequently pretending to be someone else, such as a store employee, a taxi driver, or a personal assistant. Celebrities included Bill Hader pretending to be a delivery man and Molly Sims as a hairstylist. The show's format is similar to the idea of the “candid camera,” but with a more modern and sophisticated approach. Its elevator pitch was to create a show that helped ordinary people live their dreams by putting them in situations that were out of their comfort zone. Through the show, the audience gets to witness the pure joy that the participants experience when their dreams become a reality. The show has been described as clean-humor, where there was no mistreatment of the participants, which kept the humor lighthearted and enjoyable. It was an upbeat and refreshing departure from the usual prank shows which at that time relied on making people feel awkward or embarrassed. The show received good reviews during its brief run, and audiences enjoyed the wholesome fun brought by Make My Day. However, it only lasted one season, airing from February to July 2009. Despite being an interesting concept that many viewers enjoyed, the show failed to secure the numbers needed to warrant continuing the show. In conclusion, Make My Day was a hidden-camera reality TV show hosted by Kenan Thompson that offered a unique and fun spin on the prank-show genre. Unlike its counterparts, the humor relied more on positivity and making people happy rather than on ridiculing or embarrassing them. Although it only ran for one season, it will be remembered as a fun TV show that showed ordinary people that dreams can be achieved with some good-natured humor, and a little help from TV Land.