Seasons 3 and 4 are essentially the same as each other, just done at different times and with a few changes. I’ll just describe them as one show here.
I’m assuming that you have read about Season 1 (and behind the scenes of Season 1) and Season 2 (and behind the scenes of Season 2), so I won’t go into great detail on the parts that were re-used.
The Invitation
You receive an email from me saying:
Hi there!
You are invited to our limited-seating “Dinner and Curious Entertainment #3”.When:ONE WEEK from this weekend!
What is it: The less you know ahead of time the better.
Hosted by:Mike, Vianca, Matt, Kate, Dan, Emily, Rebecca, Kevin, and IainHere’s the details
Please do not share this. We have sold out the limited seating in our past dinners and want our friends to be able to attend. If you have friends you’d like to add, contact one of us hosts directly.Thanks!
Mike, Vianca, Matt, Kate, Dan, Emily, Rebecca, Kevin and Iain
(Note: you can still click on that link to see the actual invite now in 2021).
You see this video in the invite:
Arriving at Curious Dinner
The robot was replaced for these dinners. Instead you are met mid-driveway by a stoic, mute, and mostly unresponsive silverware person. When all the guests have arrived, the front door opens and a woman in a gypy costume exits. She lights some sage and walks out to greet the guests.
The gypsy does some a ritual and entertains. (I honestly don’t think I ever saw this part of the show or the script for it since I was hustling inside. I heard it was great.) People in the neighborhood walk by and have no idea what is happening.
When finished, the gypsy sends people in the house one at a time.
Entering The Curious Dinner
You enter the house and a ghost wearing a homemade UPS hat quickly forces a box into your arms and then pushes you in front of a mountain scene where your picture is taken by a silverware person. The box starts shaking and screaming. This is your first five seconds in the house.
You are shown to your seat and the box is taken from you. You notice a nametag in front of you with your name on it. It turns out your name is written on the back of the nametag. You flip it over to reveal a name tag sticker saying “Astronaut Parts” or some other curious name. Other people just have a photo of Nyan Cat or New Kids on the Block.
You put the sticker on as the next person enters and receives the box from the UPS ghost.
While this is all happening, drink orders are taken and someone wearing a labcoat and carrying a clipboard comes in and sits in the corner on a stool. He looks at the guests and writes notes. After a while, he leaves.
Two hosts come out and indentify themselves and Lena Baron and Jules Wayne Bates. They announce to everyone this is actually a Multi-Level Marketing campaign pitch. The way you participate in the MLM is that you murder your friends and then get them to murder other people. You are intrigued.
Before people can ask questions, it segues into a much more refined version of the small talk cards from previous seasons.
The service bell comes out with two waitstaff. One of the waitstaff notes on the typewriter. The other just dusts the typewriter.
The guests are then given a few minutes to talk amongst themselves as the background sounds from the bridge of the USS Enterprise are piped into the room.
The first course is served. The scientist comes out and adjusts the antennae on the television (which are made of tin foil and coathanger). As he does so a video comes on the screen:
The table is cleared and guests are left to mingle some more.
After a while, the “Lettuce Pray” skit from Season 2 begins.
The second course (salad) is served.
The scientist comes out and takes more note as another video comes on the TV:
The table is cleared and with some intro music an actor comes out announcing herself as “The Great Splendini”. She does a couple of magic tricks that fail. Then, unexpectedly, she does a couple that fool everyone.
She then announces she will need a silverware person to do her final greatest trick. A very reluctant and scared silverware girl comes out. Meanwhile two people carry out a table covered in a shiny cloth with a box on top of it.
She announces that she will saw the silverware girl in half. The box is lowered to reveal the table, which has a large red stain across the middle of it. Silverware girl looks more reluctant than before.
Silverware girl gets into the box and is covered with another shiny cloth. The lights dim and a giant handsaw covered in sequins appears. Dramatic music and the sound of sawing wood fills the room.
The magician begins to saw silverware girl in half, but then panics. The lights go out. When they come back on there are two ghosts still trying to fit a ghost sheet over silverware girl. She’s dead.
All the ghosts include silverware ghost leave the room. The magician moves on to her holding her breath underwater trick. She accidentally drowns herself and falls to the floor. The lights go out and back on and she is now a ghost.
One of the MLM hosts comes out and awards the magician ribbons for managing to murder people. The lights go off. Then back on and all the actors are gone.
The guests have a lot more to talk about now.
The entree is served. The scientist comes out to adjust the TV again and another video comes on:
The guests may or may not have surmised that they are the hostages. Guests finish their entrees as the lights dim, disco lights come on and gameshow music begins to blare.
An actor comes out with a prize wheel and announces that everyone will have a chance to win or be sent to the “desert dungeon”. She calls out her assistant, “Moisty the Clown”. Moisty is a very sketchy looking shirtless clown who honks a colored horn. Then some ghosts come out and grab him and pull him into what is presumed to be the desert dungeon. You hear the furious honking of moisty’s horn. Then nothing.
The gameshow host calls individuals up to spin the wheel. As they spin the wheel, the TV pops on and plays this:
All the possibilities on the wheel say “desert dungeon” but the game show host tries her best to remain optimistic for contestants.
Guests enter the desert dungeon which is a dark maze of black plastic covered in pictures of deserts cut from 1970’s cookbooks. They are frightening. Eventually guests frind their way to a barely open window also covered in black plastic. A mysterious hand pushes out a small plate holding a desert. One by one, guests find the exit and return to the table.
While guests are finding their way out of the dungeon, the gameshow host is asking contestants trivia questions like “What’s your social security number?” and “Where do you like to bank?”
When all guests are back in the dining room, the MLM hosts come out and sing the duet that was sung in Season #2, the saxplayer comes in on cue, and things go as they did before.
But this time, at the end of the song a new video comes on the TV:
During the video, the MLM hosts are panicking. One of them peeks through the blinds to look outside as the reporter says “there’s someone looking out right now”.
The music grows louder and louder. At the climax, the SWAT team bursts through the front door and yells for everyone to get out right away. The house lights have gone out and only the flashing disco lights are on. The MLM hosts run to the kitchen while the SWAT team shuffles all the guests out the front door, slamming it shut.
Only the guests are outside. The lights in the house go off and the sounds and music go silent. It’s over. No bows, no encore, no further appearances from the hosts or cast. Everyone must go home now.
Coda
That night you receive an email with a photo of yourself that looks like this, but perhaps more blurry:
