Key Takeaways
- Shaquille O’Neal stars in ABC’s “Can You Hide... Shaq?”, hosted by Nicole Byer, as eight contestants try to hide the 7-foot-1 NBA legend in plain sight.
- Two teams tackle timed missions to limit Shaq sightings, earn immunity and build a shared “Shaq-pot” that one winner takes home.
- The series premieres with two episodes Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. on ABC and the ESPN app, with Hulu streaming them the next day.
Shaquille O'Neal is starring in a new ABC competition show, and the contestants' job is to make the 7-foot-1 NBA legend vanish into thin air.
According to Variety, the network has ordered Can You Hide... Shaq? to air, with comedian Nicole Byer as host. Eight contestants will try to keep Shaq hidden in plain sight for a chance at grand prize money.
In a statement, O'Neal explained the premise.
"I'm 7-foot-1. I'm not exactly easy to miss. I love meeting people wherever I go, but for years I've always wondered: could somebody actually make me disappear? Well, we finally decided to put it to the test,” he said. “We turned it into a real competition, and I can't wait for you to see the creative, ridiculous ways they tried to hide me in plain sight. The stakes are high, and so is the prize. But you know me, we're gonna have some fun along the way."
Contestants will be split into two teams, and each team gets a mission and a clock. The team that finishes its task with the fewest people finding Shaq wins immunity for one player in the next round, and that player becomes captain.
Every round also feeds a shared goal: building up prize money in the "Shaq-pot," which one winner takes home at the end.
Fulwell Entertainment and Jersey Legends Productions produce the series in partnership with ESPN. O'Neal and Byer are executive producers alongside Ben Winston, Colin Smeeton, Mike Parris, Jeremy Castro, Emma Conway, Charlie Van Vleet, Shyam Balse and Adam Cooper.
The concept of Shaq’s new show fits into his hilarious history of failed disguises. In a viral Toronto clip, he walked downtown in sunglasses and an oversized hoodie, saying, "Let's see who will notice me." A passerby recognized him in about four seconds, and the video catches a quick "Come on, dog."
"Alright, I didn't have my disguise right now," O'Neal admitted. He tried again in London wearing only sunglasses, and he has posted more incognito street attempts on TikTok.
Can You Hide... Shaq? premieres with two episodes on Dec. 3, at 9 p.m. on ABC and the ESPN app, with the episodes streaming on Hulu the next day.
