What Happens If You Live in a Circle for 100 Days?

Transcript

I laid a giant circle in the middle of nowhere, and this is a random subscriber, and if he stays in this circle for 100 days, I'll give him $500,000. Step inside the circle, and the 100 day counter will start. The timer is ticking. He has to survive in the circle for 100 days. There's nothing here. There's nothing yet. Chris! I'm about to drop off ... Read More

Key Insights

• The challenge rule is simple: Shawn wins $500,000 if he stays inside the circle for 100 days, and touching the red line around the circle ends the challenge immediately.
• Food is the central survival limit. Shawn received about 300,000 calories for 100 days, and if he eats it too fast, for example in 50 days, there is no more.
• Over a dozen cameras watch Shawn 24/7 so the crew can see right away if he steps on the red line, and Jimmy checks the cameras every day.
• Shawn made a second boundary out of wood inside the red line so he would not cross it by accident, and later dug a moat after nearly reaching the edge several times.
• Loneliness was the hardest part for Shawn. He has four kids and a wife and said this would be the most alone he had been in 18 years.
• Turning down a buyout takes a clear target. At day 50 Shawn refused $100,000 in cash and said he would only think about quitting for an offer above $400,000.
• Disruptions were part of the challenge: a tornado watch, a leaking roof, a toilet that would not flush, glass in the yard, a marching band, and fireworks.
• Shawn planned to spend the prize on solar power for his farm, which he wants to run like a giant Tesla, and on a long vacation.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are the rules of the 100 days in a circle challenge?

A subscriber named Shawn had to stay inside a giant circle for 100 days to win $500,000. A red line marks the edge, and touching or crossing it ends the challenge right away. Over a dozen cameras watched him 24/7 to catch any step on the line. A house holding all his food, clothes, and supplies was dropped inside the circle with a crane.

Q: How much food did the contestant get for 100 days in the circle?

Shawn got about 300,000 calories of food for the whole 100 days, and nothing more would be given. Jimmy warned that if he ate it all in, for example, the first 50 days, he would have nothing left. Shawn said the food looked like much more before he organized it. He later ate leftovers boiled for safety and plain canned vegetables and turkey.

Q: Why did Shawn turn down $100,000 to leave the circle?

At day 50, Jimmy put $100,000 in cash in front of Shawn and said he could keep it if he left right then. Shawn said no, because staying in the circle could get him another $400,000. When asked about a bigger offer, he said he would only start to think about it at more than $400,000. Jimmy then brought in a marching band, paid to play all night.

Q: What was the hardest part of surviving 100 days in a circle?

Shawn said being in his own head and the loneliness were the hardest parts. He has four kids and a wife and said this would be the most alone he had been in 18 years. He found small notes from his youngest daughter in his clothes and said that if anything made him leave, it would be loneliness. On Father's Day he kept waking up thinking he was home.

Q: How did Shawn avoid stepping on the red line by accident?

Shawn knew crossing the red line would end everything, so he took wood out back and made a secondary line inside the circle as a warning. Later, after the fireworks show, he said he had come too close to the edge several times, so he started digging a moat around the circle. By the time Jimmy came back after about 30 days, the moat was visible on camera.

Q: What problems did the house in the circle have?

The house was dropped by crane, and afterward the shower would not drain. During a tornado watch, water leaked from the ceiling and the toilet would not flush, which Shawn thought was because the tank outside had filled with rainwater. The second floor was hard to reach because it was so steep. When the crew visited, they made a mess and left the yard covered in glass.

Q: What surprises did Jimmy bring Shawn during the challenge?

At 25 days, a quarter of the way through, Jimmy brought a carnival with a ferris wheel installed in two hours. On Father's Day, day 39, Shawn's family came to give him a present and spent 24 hours with him. A traveler named Ryan gave him a penny. At day 50 YouTube friends came with a $100,000 buyout offer, and on July 4th, day 54, there were fireworks.

Q: What did Shawn plan to do with the $500,000 prize?

Shawn said he wanted to put his farm 100% on solar power, describing it as a giant Tesla and calling it the dream for his homestead. He also planned to take a long vacation after leaving the circle. He told Jimmy he expected to come out of the challenge ripped and $500,000 richer, and he tracked his weight every seven days to stay in shape.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Jimmy placed a subscriber named Shawn in a giant circle in an empty field and promised him $500,000 if he stayed inside for 100 days. A house was dropped in by crane, holding about 300,000 calories of food, clothes, and supplies. Stepping on the red line ends the challenge.

• Shawn built routines to cope. He organized his food, weighed himself every seven days, planted a garden, built a wooden secondary line, and later dug a moat. He dealt with a tornado watch, a leaking roof, a drain that would not work, and the crew trashing his house.

• Visits came at milestones: a carnival at day 25, a Father's Day surprise with his family on day 39, and $100,000 in cash at day 50, which Shawn refused. Then came fireworks on July 4th, and Jimmy said he would stay away for about a month.