Hi,
My name is James MacIntyre. When I was younger, it was discovered that I had a congenital abnormality
in my heart valve, which at the time wasn’t significant enough to be a problem. But in 2027,
at age thirty-six, I was diagnosed with mild-to-moderate aortic valve disease as
a consequence of this abnormality. Around this same time, I was also laid off from my job as a
graphic designer. My career, which I dedicated most of my life to has been largely automated
out of existence. I come from a low-income family, raised by a single mother. My father
died when I was five years old. I have no health insurance or way of affording to pay out of pocket
for the surgery I need in order to repair or replace my heart valve. Without treatment,
my condition will likely get much worse and could lead to heart failure.
Please consider me for The Goliath Show. It could save my life.
Thank you.
James clicked submit on the website form. Every month, hundreds of thousands of people
like James applied to compete in the largest gameshow in history. The Goliath Show. It was
the most significant entertainment phenomena of the 21st century. An average of 600 million
viewers across the world consumed each episode, which were distributed monthly
on several major streaming platforms. The show was hosted by the content creator
turned business mogul turned producer and TV host Danny Howard—one of if not the most famous
person in the word. On the show, contestants competed in a variety of simple but absurd,
large-scale challenges like who can find the needle in the largest haystack ever
made? Who can win the most consecutive games of rock-paper-scissors? Who can stand in a
giant circle the longest? Who can win the world’s largest game of hide-and-seek? Who can stay the
longest in a massive freezer? Stuff like that. On the surface, The Goliath Show was fun and
games. But for many of its contestants, it was life or death. At the time, around
27% of the nation’s population was completely without health insurance. 63% were considered
inadequately insured with coverage that didn't provide affordable access to essential medical
treatments. 250 million people total—some of whom desperately needed certain medical care. And the
grand prizes of The Goliath Show challenges were fully paid lifesaving medical treatments.
Every month, multiple times a month, James went onto The Goliath Show’s Casting website,
filled out the submission form, providing the required personal information, photos,
a brief description regarding his current medical situation, and a short video clip.
After over a year of trying, James had not heard anything.
Participants on the show were selected through strict criteria primarily based on the viewership
demand for particular demographics, the individual’s on-camera abilities,
and most importantly, their story—the more emotional and higher stakes the better.
The show was not a charity. It was a business. It could afford a certain amount of its costs
going toward contestant winnings but only by ensuring viewership was high. When the
contestant’s stories were more dire and sometimes tragic, they made for greater,
more engaging episodes with higher stakes and large spectacles of emotion and joy, which brought
in more viewers and more money. But there were lots of people in dire need of medical treatments,
so it was almost impossible to get on the show. As timed continued on for James, his condition
worsened as the calcium buildup on his aortic valve increased. Without treatment,
his valve continued to narrow and restrict blood flow. He actively sought alternative
options for treatment like charity care and discounts but didn’t qualify. He began
to occasionally experience things like chest pains, dizziness, and fatigue. It
was becoming increasingly difficult and serious. Throughout this time, James continued to regularly
submit audition applications. Still with no luck. On each new application, James updated his wording
to reflect his increasingly dire situation and improve his chances of being selected.
Eventually, after many months of doing this, one day, James received an email from the show’s
casting department. When he realized he had, his body and hands began to shake as he immediately
opened the email on his phone. It read: Dear James Macintyre,
Thank you for applying to be on The Goliath Show! We have reviewed your submission,
and we absolutely love your story. We think you could potentially be a fantastic fit for
the show. If you’re still interested and able, we invite you to the next step in
our screening process. An in-person audition! You might even get a chance to meet Danny!
You will find all the scheduling and location details in a subsequent email.
We look forward to seeing you. You’re one step closer to a Goliath Prize!
James looked down at his phone, completely overwhelmed with excitement and hope. Amidst
the vast, choppy sea of hopelessness in which he had been aimlessly floating,
he was now, finally, being thrown a lifebuoy.
Several weeks later, James took two different buses to a large convention
center where The Goliath Show’s in-person auditions were being held. When he arrived,
he sat waiting in a large open hall for several hours surrounded by other auditioners. A large
portion of them had visibly obvious signs of poor health. Some people had missing limbs.
Others appeared blind with someone else there to help them navigate. Others just looked exhausted.
Eventually, James’ number was called. He got up and was directed to a small, sectioned-off
booth. Inside, he sat down across from two female members of the casting department and a camera.
“Hi. How are we doing?” one of the women asked. “Good, yeah. How about you guys?” James responded.
“Oh, you know, real busy. These days are always crazy.”
“Yeah,” James responded. “Yeah, so why don’t you
tell us a bit about yourself?” “Sure. Well, my name is James
MacIntyre. I’m thirty-eight years old. I have severe aortic valve disease. I haven’t been
able to afford the surgery I need for almost over two years now. I used to work in graphic design,
but I was laid off around the same time I was diagnosed. Now, I’m working as a grocery clerk,
but my condition is getting increasingly bad, and it can be pretty hard being on my feet all
the time since the condition can make me tired and out-of-breath sometimes. I don’t really have
anyone in my life who can help. At this point, I don’t really have anywhere else I can turn.
It’s pretty embarrassing to be here, actually.” “Embarrassing?” one of the women interjected.
“Most people are pretty excited to have a chance to be on The Goliath Show.”
“No, I mean, I am excited. It’s just under these circumstances,
it’s a little weird, I guess.” “Hmm. Okay,” the woman said.
She looked down and marked an X on James’ application on the tablet in front of her.
“Why do you think we should choose you?” the other woman asked.
“Uhm. Well because I believe I deserve a shot as much as anyone else. And … my
mother’s also been dealing with some health issues recently. If I don’t get treatment,
I could … I could … I could die. I don’t know who would even take care of my mother if I did.
My doctor said I could have as little as a couple years left if I don’t figure something out.
It’s just been really hard. It’s–"James eyes began to water,
and his voice became shaky. He looked down. “Sorry,” he continued, looking back up.
“That’s okay,” the woman said. She deleted the X on her tablet
and added a green check mark in a separate box on the form that read, Strong emotion.
“Okay. That should be all we need here. If you can just go back and wait in the waiting area,
they’ll call you when it’s your group’s turn for the mock scene.”
“Okay. Sure,” James said. James got up and returned to the
waiting area. He waited for several more hours until eventually he was directed to a separate
area where he acted out a test scene in which he participated in a small rock-paper-scissors
tournament with a stand-in host and other auditioners. Then, he returned home.
Several weeks went by. James hadn’t heard anything. He reached out several times
to the same email address he received the invite from but didn’t receive anything back.
Then, as James was about to give up on the whole thing, he received another email from the casting
department. It read: Dear James,
Congratulations! We are thrilled to inform you that you have officially been selected to appear
on The Goliath Show! We hope you’re as excited as we are! You will be receiving further details in a
subsequent email about date, time, and location. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you and good luck!
James’ entire body went numb. He was so exhausted and overwhelmed,
he could barely process the information. This was it. Possibly his only chance to survive. Alone in
his apartment, he began to break down in tears. Two months later, James was flown out to the main
studio and headquarters of The Goliath Show. He sat on the plane, looking out the window,
imagining his future if he won. In his head, he saw himself in old age with good health. He
saw his normal life back and a sense of peace that had now become entirely foreign to him.
On the day of the taping, James promptly arrived at the studio at 7:30 a.m. It was a giant
warehouse with large, ornate indoor and outdoor sets. He waited in the portion of the warehouse
that still looked like a warehouse—metal framed walls, fluorescent lighting, and cement floors.
Other contestants began showing up and waited alongside him. The call-time was for 8 a.m.,
but it wasn’t until around 10:30 a.m. that James and the rest of his group
were finally directed into one of the sets. The group of two hundred people were herded
into a section made of giant wooden walls that were brightly painted on one side. On the floor,
there were bright lights and vibrantly painted lines and shapes. The group waited
there for another forty-five minutes or so. James looked around at the people he would
presumably be competing against, still not even sure what they would be doing.
Then, several contestants gasped. James looked in the direction they had turned. It was Danny
Howard. The entire group began to applaud, cheer, and shout his name as he walked onto the set.
James looked around and joined in on the clapping. Danny gestured at the group to stop
the applause but did so in a way that seemed to almost subversively welcome more of it.
As the group finally began to calm down, somewhat awkwardly, Danny said, “So,
are we ready to have a great show?!” “Yes!” the crowd yelled.
“Good, good. That’s the kind of energy we’re looking for. Just keep that up,
and this will be a great show.” Danny turned around toward the
production crew. “Are we all set?” he asked. “Yup. Good to go,” a voice echoed back.
Danny walked over and stood in a spot marked by tape on the ground. Nine camera operators
finalized their position. Several crew members made some final adjustments to
some of the contestants’ positions. A male crew member physically moved James
to a spot slightly further in the back. After a moment, someone yelled from behind
the cameras, “Five, four, three, two…” Then, suddenly, Danny began yelling at
the cameras, “In this challenge, the two hundred people behind me will be going head-to-head in a
goliath-sized cup game! Whoever’s left at the end and gets all the right cups will receive
a life-changing, potentially life-saving grand prize! If you pick the wrong cup, you’re out!
But! There’s a catch. Every round, another cup will be added! And these are no ordinary cups.”
“Cut!” the same distant voice from before yelled out. “Let’s get a couple more of those.”
The intro was so abrupt and loud, it completely startled James.
Again, Danny yelled more or less the same thing at the cameras. Then again. And again.
The cameras cut, and each contestant was given a tablet along with a breakdown of the rules. Then,
the cameras cut back on, and the challenge began. “Without further ado, bring in the giant cups!”
Several crew members slid three giant red cups that looked to be at least six feet
tall into the center of the set. They were numbered one, two, and three. Danny rolled
a giant ping pong ball underneath one of the cups as they lifted it up. The crew members
then began to quickly shift the cups around as they ran around each other and alternated cups.
James intensely followed the cup with the ball in it. Then, the cups stopped moving.
“Alright!” Danny yelled. “Select your cup!” James selected number two on his tablet.
After a brief moment, Danny yelled, “Okay. 33% of you selected cup number one! Let’s see if
it’s cup number one! Lift cup number one!” Two crew members lifted up cup number one.
There was no ball. Red X’s appeared on 33% of the contestants tablets.
They were then directed off the set by several crew members.
“Anyone who picked cup number one is officially out! But don’t worry,
you won’t be going home empty handed! Everyone will be going home with a goliath-sized goodie bag
filled with Goliath Show merch and other prizes. And for you at home, brand-new Goliath Show merch
is available at Golitathshow.com! We have some great new drops over there, so check that out,
but act fast because they will sell out! Alright, so. Who said cup number three?” Danny continued.
A small portion of the contestants raised their hand.
Danny walked over to one woman whose hand was raised.
“You think it’s three?” “Yeah … I hope so,” she said hesitantly.
“And what would winning today’s grand prize mean for you?” Danny said.
“Well, I have Sarcoma, which is soft tissue cancer, and I currently can’t
afford chemo. So, winning today would guarantee that treatment,” she said.
“Wow. Well good luck. I’m rooting for you!” Danny said.
Cup number three was lifted up. No ball. “Cup number two! If you picked number two,
congratulations, you officially made it past the first round! But remember, it only gets harder
from here! Bring in the extra cup!” Danny yelled. An extra cup was slid in, and again,
the ball was rolled under one before the cups were quickly shifted around.
For three more rounds, James picked the right cups. Each time was more and more difficult,
filled with increasing pressure and disorientation. James had never been
more stressed and uncomfortable in his life. With each round, though, more and more people
were eliminated. Starting at two hundred, it was now down to thirty-five people, including James.
On the fifth round, while James was tracking the cups, suddenly, a pair of hands briefly
appeared over his eyes. It was a crew member who was laughing. James moved his head away and
continued to follow the cup. After the cups stopped,
James turned toward the crew member and angrily yelled, “Hey, what the hell?”
“Whoa, whoa. You can’t get mad. This is part of the show. We do that to everyone. If you react
like that, we can’t even use your shot.” James looked confused. “Okay. My
bad. I didn’t realize,” he said. James looked back down and selected cup number
seven on his tablet. After each cup was slowly and dramatically raised, again, he selected right.
Another four rounds went by, and James continued to pick correctly. There were
now eleven cups and eight people. Danny walked over toward James.
All the cameras pointed at him. “Over here we still have James
left! How are you feeling, James?!” Danny said. “Nervous. But good. I’m going to win,” James said.
“Love the confidence. What would winning today mean for you, James?”
“I mean, it would save my life.” One of the camera operators zoomed
in tighter on James’ face. “I have a pretty bad heart
condition that’s getting really serious. My valve doesn’t allow enough blood to get through and a
pretty basic surgery would save my life. I need to win. I’m going to win,” James
concluded. His eyes were glassy, covered in a sheath of tears he was holding back.
“Wow. Okay, James. Well good luck! You know I’m rooting for you. Let’s
move those cups then!” Danny concluded. The eleven cups were shifted around rapidly
by dozens of crew members. With all his energy, all his focus, the most he’s ever exhibited in
his life, James followed the cup he believed had the ball. Then, the cups stopped. James
selected cup number eight on his tablet. The crew members began lifting up the cups. Cup one;
nothing. Cup ten; nothing. Cup four; nothing. Cup eleven; nothing. Cup eight, James’ cup; nothing.
A red X appeared on James’ tablet. He watched in horror and disbelief as the
cups continued lifting up until finally cup three was revealed to have the ball.
“Congratulations to our two finalists, Julia and Donald! The only two who picked the right cup!
Everyone else has officially been eliminated,” Danny said in the same voice tone.
Two crew members approached James and directed him off of the set
and back out toward the waiting area. “I’m confused,” James said in shock, his voice
trembling. “What … what happens next?” he asked. “Is that the only group number you were
assigned?” the crew member responded. “I … I think so,” James said, confused.
“Okay, then that’s it. The exit is the same way you came in. Just down through the middle
here and then to the right. Your goodie bag is on the way out too. Your travel arrangements
and everything else are all in the initial email that we sent you. Have a good one.”
The crew member quickly walked away, mumbling something into his earpiece.
James slowly walked back down through the warehouse and out the door he came in.
Sixteen months later, James was at home cleaning his apartment. After experiencing
an extreme case of shortness of breath, he took a break and lay on his couch.
He put on The Goliath Show. He breathed heavily as Danny Howard’s voice echoed through his apartment.
He lay back, holding his chest, his face clenched in discomfort. Then, his eyes closed.