Fishtank
Fishtank, also known as fishtank.live, is an interactive gay dating show created by Sam Hyde and Jet Neptune. During its run, Fishtank is streamed online 24/7, allowing viewers to interact with contestants and the house in real time. Fishtank confines a number of contestants inside a house for 42 days (6 weeks) with only two rules: don't leave and don't smoke weed. The competition is unpredictable and humiliating challenges are conducted, while players endure constant manipulation from the staff, audience, and fellow contestants. As more fish are eliminated or choose to leave, the pressure is gradually raised until only one is left standing. This person wins the competition and takes home the prize.
The official website, www.fishtank.live, keeps all Fishtank content in a place that it is always accessible to Season Pass holders, without censorship. For more information on the Season Pass, see below.
Fishtank, the brand and series, is owned by Fishnet Inc. (formerly Bigg Topp Productionz LLC). After the live run of Season 1, they started a crowdfunding campaign through the platform WeFunder. The first round opened in October 2023 and investors raised $870,731 by its closure the following February.
In January 2025 the second round of investment opened on WeFunder alongside a roadmap for the show. Edited variants of Season 2, Vampire Bloodgames, and Season 3 were promised. Plans to launch season 4 and a "spaceship" in 2025 were also announced. The round was closed after one month with $495,861 raised by investors.
Season Chronology[edit]
| Season | Broadcast Duration (Live 24/7) |
Edited Episodes (Released Weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | April 18 - May 30, 2023 (42 days) | October 9 - December 18, 2023 |
| Season 2 | December 18, 2023 - January 28, 2024 (42 days) | October 13, 2024 - October 27, 2024 (on hiatus until 2025) |
| Season 2.5 / Vampire Bloodgames | June 25 - July 9, 2024 (14 days) | N/A |
| Season 3 | October 27, 2024 - December 7, 2024 (42 days) | TBD |
Series format[edit]
In Fishtank, contestants are placed in an isolated environment where they interact with each other in the absence of external stimuli (for example, a variation of "STAY INSIDE, NO WEED" is hung on the wall of the house). This creates an environment that is conducive to unfiltered, raw interactions between the contestants. The producers of the series, including Goldstriker (Sam's host persona), occasionally enter the house to make the contestants compete in challenges, some of which have stakes up to and including elimination.
As an interactive show, Fishtank offers viewers the opportunity to engage with the contestants through a variety of means, such as participating in polls, sending text-to-speech messages, or the use of items and "fishtoys": actions that physically interact with the tank or contestants, for example having the staff dump out a trash can in the house or the confiscation of a contestant's bed. All of these are possible through the spending of purchasable virtual tokens on the website.
Additionally, as contestants are eliminated and the numbers within the house thin, "freeloaders" are introduced to stay in the house temporarily to fill the void left by eliminated players, though they cannot win the grand prize. Some of these freeloaders are doppelgangers of other contestants, bearing close physical resemblance to them or having similar names, while others are more well-known Internet personalities, such as AirsoftFatty/Chris and comedian Alex Stein.
Seasons[edit]
Season 1 (Spring 2023)[edit]
- Main page: Season 1
The first season of Fishtank was broadcast online in real time from April 18 - May 30, 2023. It featured eight contestants who stayed inside of the house.
| Image | Name | Age | Gender | Place of origin | Placement | Elimination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
File:Josie.png 100px |
Josie Palmer |
21 | Female | Arizona, U.S. | 1st | Winner ($35,000 prize) |
File:Violetta.png 100px |
Violetta "Letty" Palmer |
23 | Female | Ontario, Canada | 2nd | Runner-up ($20,000 prize) |
File:Vance.png 100px |
Vance Latta |
25 | Male | Auburn, Washington, U.S. | 3rd | Eliminated on May 25 |
File:Sylvia.png 100px |
Sylvia Dream |
23 | Female | Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | 4th | Eliminated on May 18 |
File:Damiel.png 100px |
Damiel Bernaldo |
27 | Male | San Francisco, California, U.S. | 5th | Eliminated on May 7 |
File:Jonathan.png 100px |
Jonathan "Jon" Curtis |
24 | Male | Bend, Oregon, U.S. | 6th | Eliminated on May 3 |
File:Mauro.png 100px |
Mauro Cano |
24 | Male | New Mexico, U.S. | 7th | Quit on April 26 |
File:Simmons.png 100px |
Simmons Zhu |
29 | Male | Suzhou, China | 8th | Ejected on April 26 |
Season 2 (Winter 2023-24)[edit]
- Main page: Season 2
The second season of Fishtank was broadcast online in real time from December 18, 2023 - January 28, 2024. It featured ten contestants inside of a 70s-themed house.
| Image | Name | Age | Gender | Place of origin | Placement | Elimination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
File:TJ.png 100px |
TJ | 23 | Male | Coldwater, Michigan, U.S. | 1st | Winner ($50,000 prize) |
File:Shinji.png 100px |
Shinji Kawasaki |
23 | Male | Japan | 2nd | Runner-up ($20,000 prize) |
File:Tayleigh.png 100px |
Tayleigh | 22 | Female | Stephenville, Texas, U.S. | 3rd | Eliminated on January 27 |
File:Trisha.png 100px |
Trisha Brielle |
23 | Female | Ridgecrest, California, U.S. | 4th | Eliminated on January 22 |
File:Jimmy.png 100px |
Jimmy Downey |
27 | Male | Guilford, Vermont, U.S. | 5th | Ejected on January 9 |
File:Brian-2.png 100px |
Brian Maloney |
27 | Male | Mount Pleasant, Michigan, U.S. | 6th | Eliminated on January 4 |
File:Cole.png 100px |
Cole Dennis |
22 | Male | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | 7th | Ejected on December 27 |
File:Megan.png 100px |
Megan | 23 | Female | Sandusky, Ohio, U.S. | 8th | Quit on December 25 |
File:JC.png 100px |
JC Chiang |
18 | Female | Oregon, U.S. | 9th | Quit on December 22 |
File:Summer.png 100px |
Summer Pelkey |
21 | Female | Kansas, U.S. | 10th | Ejected on December 22 |
Season 3 (Fall 2024)[edit]
- Main page: Season 3
The third season of Fishtank was broadcast online in real-time from October 27 - December 7, 2024, and featured four major "acts". It featured twelve contestants in the upscale "Famous House". Fifteen new cast members were briefly brought on for the short-lived third act, detailed here.
| Image | Name | Age
(During broadcast) |
Gender | Place of origin | Placement | Elimination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
File:BURT-1730057226916.webp 100x100px |
Burt Appouh |
35-36 | Male | New Jersey, U.S. | 1st | Winner |
File:BIANCE-1730074003911.webp 99x99px |
Bianca "Binx" Garcia |
32 | Female | Miami, Florida, U.S. | 2nd | Runner-up |
File:PAYTON-1730092422030.webp 99x99px |
Payton Bickerstaff |
19-20 | Female | Tyler, Texas, U.S. | 3rd | Eliminated on December 1 |
File:SIMBAL-1730066978925.webp 98x98px |
Simbal Karma |
31 | Male | New York, U.S. | 4th | Eliminated on November 24 |
File:MIZZY-1730057253544.webp 100x100px |
Marissa "Mizzy" Gill |
29 | Female | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | 5th | Eliminated on November 22 |
File:ALEX B-1730066966146.webp 99x99px |
Alexander "Alex B" Bernard |
38 | Male | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | 6th | Quit on November 17 |
File:LA'RON-1730057472182.webp 100x100px |
La'Ron Sneed |
27 | Male | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | 7th | Quit on November 9 |
File:ALEXIS-1730057266325.webp 100x100px |
Alexis Young |
28 | Female | Saxton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | 8th | Quit on November 9 |
File:SMAACK-1730073993761.webp 99x99px |
Stephanie "Smaack" Maack |
32 | Female | Santa Cruz, California, U.S. | 9th | Quit on November 8 |
File:TED-1730061102439.webp 99x99px |
Ted | 29 | Male | Pennsylvania, U.S. | 10th | Ejected on November 4 |
File:IAN-1730092412398.webp 99x99px |
Ian | 28 | Male | Hamlet, California, U.S. | 11th | Eliminated on November 2 |
File:LUKE-1730092435398.webp 99x99px |
Luke Valentine |
31 | Male | Weston, Florida, U.S. | 12th | Eliminated on October 31 |
Spinoffs[edit]
Vampire Bloodgames (Season 2.5, Summer 2024)[edit]
Running in between the second and third seasons, All-Stars Vampire Bloodgames features six returning contestants surviving outdoors. Unlike prior seasons Bloodgames featured heavy role-playing and game mechanics. It premiered on June 25, 2024 and ran for two weeks.
The Cell / Bitchtank (Summer 2024)[edit]
Two Fishtank spin-offs, The Cell and Bitchtank, premiered in July 2024, adjacent to Vampire Bloodgames.
Fishtank Streaming (Summer/Fall 2024)[edit]
A streamer hosting program on the Fishtank website that ran from August 26 - October 7, 2024, inviting associates of the show to host their own personal livestreams with access to Fishtank features and its audience.
The Fishtank (December 2024)[edit]
A livestream of a literal fish tank that ran from December 12, 2024 to December 17, 2024, adjacent to Season 3.
Virtual Cell (Winter 2024)[edit]
A livestream of virtual reaction of Bedroom 2 in Seasons 2.5-3 House, where users can fill it with virtual balls, premiered on December 17, 2024, adjacent to The Fishtank.
Stream Stars Championships (February 2025)[edit]
Season pass holders were allowed to stream directly to the site and compete for audience support/attention. It was an open call audition for season 4.
Season Pass[edit]
The Season Pass is how Fishtank is monetized. Although it is not needed to watch the cameras, the bi-annual 60 or 200 dollar subscription unlocks bonus cameras, the edited seasons, and access to the chat. During season 1, a season pass was needed to access the archival footage. [This section needs an update on the Season Pass and the archives system as of season 3.]
| Free | Season Pass | Season Pass XL |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Aesthetic, Features, and Interface[edit]
Season 1[edit]
The site's first iteration was marked by its simplistic and minimal appearance. Aesthetically it takes influence from surveillance art, web 2.0, and the deep web. Even the show's original concept can be traced back to "red rooms". An online urban legend, described as hidden websites that livestream the creation of snuff footage and allow users to pay a fee to spectate and/or participate.
The site layout holds three columns. The chat on the right, camera-grid in the center, and on the left a split section with settings/links above and the rooms listed below. The dreary red-green-yellow color pallet and a MS-DOS/Terminal style font, with analog sound effects (clicks, switches, static) were uniform elements, the same sitewide.
Selecting a one of the cameras from the grid expanded the feed to occupy the full middle section. Users could switch through cameras using the arrow keys, in-site arrow buttons, or by exiting full-screen and selecting the room name from navigation section. Any unavailable camera feeds were replaced with static noise until brought back on. Across the bottom of the page was a rolling ticker which was updated by production constantly. Sometimes it showed the current challenge/activity, the day count, or important announcements. It was also used to troll or joke with the audience.
Users profiles were basic and customization was limited to display name, profile bio, and a name color flair. There was no option for custom profile pictures but a small gallery available, some free and some costing tokens. There were no social features other than the chat.
Season 2[edit]
70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s 70s (repeated for spacing)
Season 3[edit]
The site continues Season 1's surveillance art, web 2.0, and the deep web influence, but expands on its simplistic and minimalist appearance.
The site layout consists of three columns: the chat on the right, the camera grid in the center, and a split section on the left that includes the inventory, missions, poll, and cameras above. There's an ad space near the bottom and links at the bottom of the left column. The site primarily uses a red-black-yellow palette but also incorporates other colors. Sound effects are limited to when you hover over the camera grid and when you close a window, producing static and an analog switch sound, respectively.
Selecting one of the cameras from the grid expands the feed to occupy the full middle section. Users can switch between cameras using the arrow keys, on-site arrow buttons, by exiting full-screen and selecting the room name from the camera grid, or by clicking on red zones leading to adjacent rooms. Any unavailable camera feeds are replaced with static noise until they are restored. Across the bottom of the page is a rolling ticker, reminiscent of a DOT-LED display, used by production to display site information.
Users profiles customization is limited to display name, profile bio, and a name color flair. There was no option for custom profile pictures but a small gallery available, some free and some costing tokens. Social features include chat and boards.fishnet.gg, a xitter-like site.
Gallery[edit]
- 24-7 live CHAOS - fishtank EXPLAINED