InsideUSA Review: A Wasteful, but weirdly promising experiment in competitive reality TV

 

In the world of reality TV, there are some shows you hesitate to recommend to your friends. You know the type — the ones that sound so ridiculous in theory that you have to preface your pitch with “I swear, it’s actually good.” Big Brother is one of those for me. It’s campy, goofy and has enough fart sounds to turn casual fans away. Beneath all that, though, is social strategy, which is what keeps the superfans engaged despite the corny moments.

Netflix’s InsideUSA, also, lands in that same “hard-to-recommend” territory — not because it’s completely bad, but because it hasn’t worked out its growing pains. Produced by The Sidemen — YouTube megastar KSI’s collective of British creators — InsideUSA is the latest entry in YouTuber-turned-TV experiments. It’s the group’s first American installment after two UK seasons (which I haven’t seen), and it’s clear that KSI and his crew have ambition. But it lacks the teeth that competitive reality TV staples have. 

What makes shows like Survivor and Big Brother work is the psychological warfare: people needing to win. InsideUSA’s biggest problem is that its players don’t.

These are influencers competing for a cash prize, but they’re also people who won’t feel it if they lose. They’ll go home to sponsorships, brand deals and million-follower audiences. The lack of desperation drains the tension — no one here is “fighting for their life,” and the result is a game that often feels like a vacation in a jail cell with unlimited commissary options.

Still, I had low expectations going in, and I kinda liked it. There’s potential here.

Game explained

At its core, InsideUSA revolves around one central idea — a shared prize pot that starts large and steadily shrinks as players spend, fail challenges or give in to temptation. Each contestant competes for a portion of the $1 million prize, but unlike Big Brother or Survivor, the pot isn’t fixed — it’s fluid.

Every decision becomes a test of self-control and social awareness: how much are you willing to sacrifice for comfort or survival? But because the players are influencers with comfortable lifestyles, they often treat the pot recklessly, tossing away thousands for momentary pleasure.

Chaos begins

Episode one opens with a bang — or rather, a phone call. Sketch (one of the show’s few bright spots in terms of casting) answers a ringing phone and instantly earns the power to eliminate someone. It’s a wild twist for a premiere — unpredictable and a little nonsensical. Sketch chooses to eliminate Fannita, a loud, funny, outspoken contestant who already made waves. It’s entertaining, but in hindsight, game-ruining.

At the start of episode two, Fannita gets the option to buy herself back into the game for $50,000 out of the prize pot — and accepts. For Sketch, it’s the beginning of the end. His one big move instantly backfires. The person he eliminated returns with a vengeance, rallying the other women and putting a massive target on his back. He actually handles the aftermath with surprising composure, but the damage is irreversible.

The tension simmers for several episodes until one of the show’s most frustrating twists drops out of nowhere. It reveals to Ekin-Su and Aisha that Fannita bought her way back in — production interference at its worst. It doesn’t add strategy, just drama, reigniting chaos even after Sketch had been eliminated.

The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous

Sketch quickly becomes the beating heart of the show — messy, unpredictable, but always trying to play. His attempts to strategize (even when it blows up in his face) gives InsideUSA some much-needed game energy.

Fannita emerges as the main character — charismatic, chaotic and occasionally villainous. She’s eliminated twice, buys herself back in once and becomes the closest thing this show has to a power player. Her clashes with Max and her overconfidence makes her magnetic — until her downfall at the hands of Ekin-Su.

Ekin quietly plays one of the best games of the season. She lays low early, then takes control once the bigger personalities implode. Her using the information that Fannita bought her way back in to eliminate her in episode seven was poetic — especially since Fannita was growing suspicious of her and Aisha.

Unfortunately, for every strong episode, there’s one that drags.

Still, even in its slower stretches, InsideUSA stumbles into moments of accidental comedy — none better than when Dwight Howard, yes, that Dwight Howard, finds out he’s being inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. It’s a surreal image: a former All-Star center learning he’s reached basketball immortality while surrounded by influencers arguing over who spent too much on snacks. The juxtaposition is hysterical — you’ve got someone achieving a real-world milestone while the rest of the cast buys $500 Pringles.

The Final Stretch (and the Final Facepalm)

By the finale, the prize pot has dwindled to just over $300,000 — though the math doesn’t always add up. The final two, Aisha and Zach, make for the least exciting outcome possible.

The last challenge — a lever-pulling duel — is tense and symbolic, but Zach completely throws the game away for Aisha, literally telling her which lever to pull. After everything, he just folds. You spend a week eating rice and beans, only to hand over the win? Brutal.

What makes it worse is that Zach had played one of the cleanest financial games all season. He barely spent a dime while others burned through cash upgrading meals and paying to live comfortably, like the money wasn’t real. He made it to the end through discipline and restraint — and then, when it mattered most, he just gave up. For a guy who managed his money better than anyone, it’s a baffling way to go out.

Final Thoughts: Potential Buried Under Privilege

My biggest gripe remains the lack of genuine hunger. These contestants don’t need the money, and it shows. They throw away tens of thousands for snacks, coffee and luxury items. They play like it’s all a bit of fun because, for them, it is. Give me a cast fighting for rent, not sponsorship deals, and suddenly this show could rival the heavyweights.

Until then, InsideUSA feels like a social experiment without the sociology — fun in bursts, occasionally insightful, but often just influencers spending someone else’s money.