Matt Rife’s new crowd work special, Lucid, has returned to Netflix and is gaining popularity. However, some viewers are questioning whether it is “staged”after a particularly explicit bit.
As mentioned, the ratings for the show have been positive. Like his previous 2023 stand-up special Natural Selection, which faced controversy off-stage, Lucid has quickly risen in the Netflix rankings and is currently in second place.
This marks the first time that the streaming service has dedicated a release solely to crowd work, where Rife improvises and engages with the audience’s contributions instead of relying on pre-written jokes.
This becomes apparent during the beginning of the session, as the comedian interacts with a woman who coincidentally works for ‘You Blow Me’, a company specializing in blow job tutorials.
Crowd work is a team effort🎤 Matt Rife: Lucid – A Crowd Work Special is now playing only on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/Fp8TS4zWMY
— Netflix Is A Joke (@NetflixIsAJoke) August 13, 2024
Additionally, the company is owned by the woman’s mother, who is also present in the audience but seated at a different part of the room.
Rife undoubtedly struck comedy gold with his Netflix special, promising a full hour of unpredictable humor. Despite this, some viewers have been left with a sense of suspicion.
Taking to Reddit, someone inquired, “Is the Matt Rife ‘crowd work special’ clearly staged?”
“I agree,”responded a second person, as a third chimed in, “For sure. His previous material was too personal. It seems like now it’s all about ‘What will make me more popular?’ ‘Really?’ Well, let’s turn it into a joke and then say sorry.”
This audience member revealed she works for her mother’s BJ tutorial company
In a different Reddit discussion, a different viewer commented, “My initial reaction was that the audience members were staged. The shoes of the first guy were right in the front row… it seemed a bit suspicious.”
“However, the next person to participate in the crowd work is a daughter who co-manages a blow dry company with her mother. Despite her mother being in the audience, she is seated separately on the other side of the room. I couldn’t help but think these individuals were intentionally placed in the audience.”
On X/Twitter, a user by the name of RandyHolbrook stated, “I’ve only watched five minutes of the new Matt Rife Netflix special and it’s clear to me that it’s not doing well. While his short clips are amusing, this special is mostly staged crowd work.”RandyHolbrook also brought up a moment in the special where a woman talks about her mother being a BJ coach.
Despite some skepticism, there are still those who have a positive outlook, such as the person who commented, “I thought it was excellent. I briefly considered the possibility of it being scripted, but the natural flow of the conversations proved otherwise. The crowd interaction was superb.”
One individual proposed a different hypothesis: “My first impression was that individuals were being screened upon their arrival (a common practice), and they all had prepared a story because they were aware they were attending a performance that involved interacting with the audience.”
“Upon seeing the man with the shoes, they immediately motioned for him to come to the front. Matt understood the situation and stepped forward to get things started. Alternatively, they may have given the shoes to the man, but in any case, he appeared visibly uncomfortable.”
“They admitted, “I must say, the mother-daughter BJ situation was questionable.”
Lucid, which is starring Matt Rife, can now be streamed on Netflix.
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