The money-making prisoner

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  • Опубліковано 4 лют 2023
  • 'Karen Puzzles' Kavett, Rebecca 'Dr Becky' Smethurst and Stuart 'Ashens' Ashen face question about a criminally good racket.
    LATERAL is a weekly podcast about interesting questions and even more interesting answers, hosted by Tom Scott. For business enquiries, contestant appearances or question submissions, visit www.lateralcast.com
    GUESTS:
    Karen Kavett: ‪@KarenPuzzles‬, / karenpuzzles
    Becky Smethurst: ‪@DrBecky‬, / drbecky_
    Stuart Ashen: ‪@ashens‬, / ashens
    HOST: Tom Scott.
    QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe.
    EDITED BY: Julie Hassett at The Podcast Studios, Dublin.
    GRAPHICS: Chris Hanel at Support Class. Assistant: Dillon Pentz.
    MUSIC: Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes', courtesy of epidemicsound.com).
    FORMAT: Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd.
    EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Bodycombe and Tom Scott.
    © Pad 26 Limited (www.pad26.com) / Labyrinth Games Ltd. 2023.
  • Розваги

КОМЕНТАРІ • 137

  • @lordrosemount
    @lordrosemount Рік тому +266

    I was wondering how, exactly, staying in jail could be a winning strategy in Monopoly. Presumably this must have occurred late in the game after he'd already bought a good amount of property, hotels, etc. and the idea was to stay in jail, avoid the risk of landing on his opponents' properties and wait for them to land on his, so they had to keep forking money over to him but he was at less risk of having to pay it out?

    • @alveolate
      @alveolate Рік тому +16

      yea i was wondering how staying in prison was a strategy too... why didn't anyone ask to clarify that...

    • @qazior
      @qazior Рік тому +70

      I love getting into jail at the later parts of the monopoly game where players start having discomforting amount of built property. It is as you said: you still get all the benefits of others going to your places with minimal negatives when unclaimed property is sparse and the payout for going a lap around the board is getting smaller compared to the amount flowing around the visiting costs.

    • @thecommexokid
      @thecommexokid Рік тому +49

      Keep in mind that any time a player lands on an unowned property and declines to purchase it at its list price, it goes to auction. So there’s plenty of opportunity to obtain new property from in jail unless everyone is paying full price for everything they ever land on.

    • @simonro9168
      @simonro9168 Рік тому +29

      That's why I always advocate for not paying rent to people in jail.

    • @MeesterTweester
      @MeesterTweester Рік тому +16

      Yes, once most of the properties are gone you'll be collecting rent in jail without the risk of paying rent.

  • @martinc7873
    @martinc7873 Рік тому +147

    my guess was that he had broken into a prison as some sort of security challenge and lasted 47 minutes until being found...

    • @prakash_77
      @prakash_77 Рік тому +3

      But that doesn't explain the, "as long as possible" part.

    • @mrroboshadow
      @mrroboshadow Рік тому +2

      @@prakash_77 also why would they pay someone to break INTO a prison?
      if anything ya'd think they'd pay them to try and escape

    • @ChlorideCull
      @ChlorideCull Рік тому +13

      @@mrroboshadow If you can break into prison, you can bring things into prison that they don't want in there.

    • @mihailmilev9909
      @mihailmilev9909 Рік тому

      @@prakash_77 hmmmmm

    • @WhiskyOctober
      @WhiskyOctober 8 місяців тому +1

      ​@@mrroboshadowJoaquin "El Chapo" Guzman escaped prison when his associates dug a tunnel into his prison cell. They broke into prison to break him out.

  • @thegingerdude6773
    @thegingerdude6773 Рік тому +207

    the incident of someone dying might actually be the “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” incident.
    A radio show in the USA held a competition to see who could drink the most water and hold it for the longest amount of time, with the prize being a Nintendo Wii (which was highly sought after due to a supply shortage at the time).
    One of the contestants, Jennifer Strange, passed away in her home after participating in the competition as a result of water intoxication.

    • @ihathtelekinesis
      @ihathtelekinesis Рік тому +45

      If I remember correctly from Fascinating Horror's video about it, a nurse rang up the radio show and told them live on air it was a Very Bad Idea, but they brushed her off.

    • @mrroboshadow
      @mrroboshadow Рік тому +13

      @@ihathtelekinesis i havent even heard of the story before and im sure they got sued to hell

    • @ann_onn
      @ann_onn Рік тому +20

      @@mrroboshadow $16.5 million compensation

    • @beckymunro2071
      @beckymunro2071 Рік тому +2

      Yes, that's the one that I thought of too. I remember that.

    • @MASTER0o
      @MASTER0o 11 місяців тому +2

      There is a Video from chubbyemu about exactly this.
      The title is "A Mom Drank 3 Gallons Water In 2 Hours. This is What Happened to Her Brain.", for anyone interested.

  • @Greg_Rock
    @Greg_Rock Рік тому +4

    They had touch the truck games in the 60's and 70's and was in fact in "That '70's show"

  • @RFC-3514
    @RFC-3514 Рік тому +18

    Gambling? In Macau? Surely not!

    • @sirBrouwer
      @sirBrouwer Рік тому +5

      They would never.

    • @Aoderic
      @Aoderic Рік тому +3

      Such slander, Chinese people playing games for money?, no way.

  • @mertaksac9718
    @mertaksac9718 Рік тому +12

    When you hear jail or prison mentioned in a riddle, your go to question has to be 'are we playing Monopoly?'

  • @KjeldSchmidt
    @KjeldSchmidt Рік тому +22

    Whoo, secret double episode today

  • @arcanics1971
    @arcanics1971 Рік тому +6

    The Pierce Morgan gag was gold. Touch the truck was actually the 00s, rather than the 90s. Though it was early on in the 00s so nearly 90s. I never saw it because even then not everyone could get Channel 5.

  • @TheInternetHelpdeskPlays
    @TheInternetHelpdeskPlays Рік тому +6

    The instant the question appeared, my mind went to monopoly.

  • @joeyhemlock
    @joeyhemlock Рік тому +9

    I recommend the documentary "Hands on a Hardbody" (1997) about one of those competitions where the last person standing wins the truck. It's one of the best documentaries about competition in part because you have no idea who's going to win. There are people of all walks of life, young and old, male and female, and even a former winner of the competition trying for a second win.

    • @whatdoyousuppose
      @whatdoyousuppose Місяць тому

      It’s also a pretty good musical! There was a local production of it in my area that was staged at a car dealer 🛻

  • @njits23
    @njits23 Рік тому +7

    You can't hide the moon bishop from us! We know the truth now.

  • @bilalrasool2318
    @bilalrasool2318 Рік тому +19

    For me all the hints and clues pointed toward him being a fire fighter. The prission was on fire and he would go in for short periods of time to rescue people and come back out. It's dangerous, he can't stay for too long, and it's posible he got paid for doing that heroic act.

  • @Chaotic_Pixie
    @Chaotic_Pixie Рік тому +24

    I’ve been waiting for Karen to show up! I knew she had to eventually make an appearance. The draw of good hearted competition plus puzzles of any sort is too strong!
    Good gravy I need to see you two and Matt from StandupMaths all plus I dunno who else. Like, grand championship level here or something.
    Also, not sure who I envy more. Karen for getting to hang out with you or you for getting to hang out with Karen. Gosh I love it when my favorite brains hang out together.
    And yes. I listened to the podcast Friday and waiting for a snippet just to share admiration.

  • @croco049
    @croco049 Рік тому +2

    Ohhh yeah what a great surprise to see Dr Becky here!

  • @carolynedwards2290
    @carolynedwards2290 Рік тому +19

    How does Tom end up collaborating with so many other you tubers that I follow? Adam Newley, Karen Puzzles, Mary Spender. I’m waiting for Josh Turner Guitar to complete the set.

    • @sorrynotsorry8224
      @sorrynotsorry8224 Рік тому +6

      He's just collaborating with big creators across the platform regardless of what content they make so he's bound to work with a creator that you watch. For me it was Simone Giertz, Legal Eagle, and Wren.

    • @Chaotic_Pixie
      @Chaotic_Pixie Рік тому +4

      Well, he’s genuinely friends with Karen as well as Matt from StandupMaths. And I imagine you get to know ppl at events and such held by YT or just by working in YT London maker space.

    • @beth12svist
      @beth12svist 11 місяців тому

      ​@@sorrynotsorry8224 I don't know, I have yet to see him collaborating with a crafting-related UA-camr, I'm guessing there's enough geeky crossover for my brain to find both interesting but not enough for Tom Scott to cross over into that scene...

  • @bosstowndynamics5488
    @bosstowndynamics5488 11 місяців тому

    I don't know where it exactly came from but "touch the thing" is old enough that it turned up in the original Get Smart TV series

  • @naplockblubba5369
    @naplockblubba5369 6 місяців тому +1

    My immediate thought after the answer was "But wouldn't that be risky? Because if he rolls a 1... Oh wait, no, that's the Soviet Union parody version of Monopoly I'm thinking of"

  • @bandana_girl6507
    @bandana_girl6507 Рік тому +3

    The "hand's on a truck" was specifically with hardbody trucks and were called hands on a hardbody competitions. There's even a musical about one called "Hands on a Hardbody" with mediocre songs, but figuring out a way to have people dance with an F150 is interesting to watch

  • @FrostMonolith
    @FrostMonolith Рік тому +1

    I laughed the hardest when Piers Morgan was mentioned.

  • @tekvax01
    @tekvax01 Рік тому +2

    Wasn't there a "touch the truck" episode for happy days? There was one for, "The Blacklist" a few years ago!
    I think "touch the thing", and dance "until you drop" contests have been around since the 40s!

  • @PixelatedPenfold
    @PixelatedPenfold Рік тому +4

    Fantastic - my 2 most favourite UA-camrs (Tom and Dr Becky) in one show. My life is now complete!

  • @chrissmith6028
    @chrissmith6028 Рік тому +1

    There is an episode of "Mad About You" (1992) (S07 E10) that does the 'last person touching wins a free car' bit.

  • @arsteel2388
    @arsteel2388 Рік тому +1

    I'm surprised, I actually guessed this right off the bat. Winning money for staying in jail sounded exactly like monopoly.

  • @Carhill
    @Carhill Рік тому +3

    I thought it was going to be some challenge involving an anechoic chamber.

  • @CplAnguadaEarth
    @CplAnguadaEarth Рік тому +3

    Ah! I already had heard of Dale Winton and touch the truck, even though I’m from the USA. I only heard of it through QI, though.

  • @AllExistence
    @AllExistence Рік тому +3

    That's funny, i fust saw a video where AI learns to play monopoly, and eventually it settled on that exact strategy.

  • @tsunamininja
    @tsunamininja Рік тому +1

    My first thought was that it was something to do with testing how long someone could stay in solitary confinement, but there have definitely been people forced to stay there longer.

  • @colchris
    @colchris Рік тому +1

    “Hands on a Hard Body” is a great documentary about touching a truck for as long as you can- last one to remain- wins the truck.

  • @duncanmagee
    @duncanmagee 3 місяці тому +2

    but monopoly has jail, not prison....

  • @btmomberry359
    @btmomberry359 10 місяців тому

    I assumed it was someone diving for treasure is a sunken ship.

  • @tHiNk413
    @tHiNk413 8 місяців тому

    It was in "Psych", the whole truck thing, if I remember correctly

  • @sanches2
    @sanches2 Рік тому

    I was thinking smth. In the line of the Fort Boyar competition

  • @nemesis-music
    @nemesis-music Рік тому +2

    BRMB has a competition to see who could sit on a block of ice the longest. Problem was they used dry ice rather than normal ice. It did not end well

  • @phineas81707
    @phineas81707 Рік тому +1

    I was expecting one of those no-sound cells.

  • @SievertSchreiber
    @SievertSchreiber Рік тому +11

    I expected to see Becky here but to see Karen in a Tom Scott video is a great surprise!

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG Рік тому +2

      She's been in a Matt Parker video before. In fact, that's how I found her channel.

  • @walker1054
    @walker1054 Рік тому +3

    Being in jail is a well known good thing in the later parts of Monopoly, people will notice the first time playing it. But something like that is purely 100% luck based isn't it? It just depends on what number you roll on the dice. Can it be considered strategy if you have zero control over it? It's like saying "my strategy is to land on the cards I want", like yeah it would be ideal but you can't control that.

    • @duncanurquhart5278
      @duncanurquhart5278 10 місяців тому

      the hard part is actually resisting the temptation to play get out of jail cards

    • @88porpoise
      @88porpoise 9 місяців тому

      You do have a small amount control over it. You have the option of paying your way out of jail.
      And Monopoly itself is largely luck based anyway and that is more strategic than the vast majority of the game.

  • @douglasparkinson4123
    @douglasparkinson4123 Рік тому +2

    fixed it then

  • @PMX
    @PMX Рік тому +1

    The question said prison not jail... 🧐

  • @carpenter3069
    @carpenter3069 Рік тому

    American Dad did an episode of hand on truck thing.

  • @mojosbigsticks
    @mojosbigsticks Рік тому

    Cor. I did not know that.

  • @Rollermonkey1
    @Rollermonkey1 11 місяців тому

    He broke IN to the prison, and the elapsed time was until he was caught?

  • @comparatorclock
    @comparatorclock Рік тому

    tbh that monopoly strategy is so smart that you could ignore the game and watch memes for 30 minutes and still win LMAO

  • @jjohanesson9139
    @jjohanesson9139 Рік тому

    An American woman died from water poisoning from touching a car and drinking water to win it.

  • @GordonHugenay
    @GordonHugenay Рік тому

    I was going to call you out on spelling it Nicolò with only one c, since I thought it must be double c, as in Niccolò Paganini, the violinist. But it turns out that both spellings exist.

  • @arjovenzia
    @arjovenzia 5 місяців тому

    being in Macau, I hope they converted it to real cash first. was probably chips tho, but thats nowhere near as fun

  • @gdn101
    @gdn101 Рік тому

    You do the time, you collect the dime.

  • @charile
    @charile 10 місяців тому

    Commenting to say Malcom in the Middle had an episode where Lois had to keep her hand on a car in the mall to win it! Just another example

  • @Dsschuh
    @Dsschuh 2 місяці тому

    I am fairly certain that the "whoever touches the prize last, wins the prize" goes back to the 1930s or 40s. No, can't really find anything earlier than the 1980s…?

  • @chesshead
    @chesshead Рік тому

    How do you make sure you stay in Jail in Monopoly? It's been decades since I played. All I remember is that you move to wear the dice send you. Very little gameplay in the Monopoly I remember.

    • @lateralcast
      @lateralcast  Рік тому +1

      You can choose to pay a fine then leave straight away (usually a bad idea) or roll for a double up to three times.

  • @KazyEXE
    @KazyEXE Рік тому +1

    Ashens!

  • @midorinchan
    @midorinchan Рік тому

    Why did nobody tell me that this show kept going

  • @matthew9677
    @matthew9677 24 дні тому

    How did he do it for 47 min?

  • @kazikian
    @kazikian Рік тому +1

    Wait, shouldn’t Tom say “jail” instead of “prison,” not the other way around? 4:31

  • @DavidNitzscheBell
    @DavidNitzscheBell Рік тому

    My Name Is Earl had an episode where they touched the car.

  • @KimonoSuki
    @KimonoSuki Рік тому

    I just assumed monopoly after they said ti wasn't a real prison

  • @Ch4pp13
    @Ch4pp13 Рік тому

    I was expecting it the riddle to be a jab at the 9-5 office job with the 47 minutes being the time spent on the toilet with the money being the yearly salary, though I guess that doesn't fit given the money comes from a year while the 47 minutes being a daily occurence... thereabout...
    could be 47 minutes on the toilet on payday and it's just worded in a riddle-istic way.

  • @mihailmilev9909
    @mihailmilev9909 Рік тому

    It was either Chernobyl or a security guard in a very dangerous high security prison.

  • @robertgerrity878
    @robertgerrity878 Рік тому

    Dr. BECKY!!! Slumming she was.

  • @sakatagintoki6113
    @sakatagintoki6113 Рік тому

    I instantly thought of Mr. Beast

  • @edgarleft
    @edgarleft Рік тому

    Monopoly was actually my first guess.

  • @DimBeam1
    @DimBeam1 Рік тому

    4:03 I'm guessing Monopoly board game.

  • @notthere83
    @notthere83 Рік тому

    "Strategy"? How? The only choice the game gives you when it comes to prison is not to use the "get out of prison" card. That's it.

  • @lucbloom
    @lucbloom Рік тому +1

    It’s a shame that they don’t ask the participants to hone in on the answer more, before completely revealing the answer.
    In this case, it was “monopoly jail?” And then “YES! There was a contest and it was his strategy…”
    Could have asked “why the money, why jail?”

    • @enochliu8316
      @enochliu8316 11 місяців тому

      Karen asked, "Is there a Monopoly Championship?". And Tom ask, "Why 20,580 dollars?".

  • @Dhdjksjsnsnsnnsnsna
    @Dhdjksjsnsnsnnsnsna 5 місяців тому

    i see Karen, i click.

  • @RWBHere
    @RWBHere Рік тому

    I'm from Britain and the Dale Wintern reference is lost on me.

  • @alexrowaan7326
    @alexrowaan7326 Рік тому

    My guess was they were filming a movie and that was how much he was paid for his small role

  • @MGuyGadbois
    @MGuyGadbois Рік тому

    The greatest prison is of the mind.

  • @TheJacksonFaller
    @TheJacksonFaller 9 місяців тому

    Sounds like a Mr. Beast video title

  • @georgegates526
    @georgegates526 Рік тому

    Did he go in and out of prison for pizza?

  • @paulrox100
    @paulrox100 Рік тому

    How do you purposely aim to go to jail in monopoly?

    • @lateralcast
      @lateralcast  Рік тому +1

      One way is to choose to stay inside and roll for a double, instead of paying the fine.

  • @justgonnastay
    @justgonnastay Рік тому

    Wait . . . How can you stay in jail? Don't you have to roll on your turn and doubles sets you free? Then, after three unsuccessful tries for doubles, you have to post bail and leave?

    • @lateralcast
      @lateralcast  Рік тому +3

      Yes, but there is a rule about paying a fine to leave immediately, which he avoided.

  • @trixter21992251
    @trixter21992251 Рік тому +1

    amazing they could finish an entire game of monopoly, start to finish, in 47 minutes.
    Usually takes hours.

    • @lordrosemount
      @lordrosemount Рік тому +1

      I think you've misconstrued this slightly. He said the guy spent (a total of) 47 minutes in jail, not that the game lasted 47 minutes. I reckon it must have gone on a lot longer and worked as a strategy because he already had a lot of properties, and was staying in jail to avoid landing on his opponents' while they were still landing on his.

    • @Showsni
      @Showsni Рік тому +2

      @@lordrosemount No, the match really was 47 minutes long. The finals were a timed two hour game (i.e. the leading player at the end of two hours wins), but as it happens the other three players became bankrupt and so Nicolo won in around 47 minutes.

    • @Ch4pp13
      @Ch4pp13 Рік тому

      @@Showsni I don't see how a game like Monopoly can be competitive when where you land and what you get is decided purely by dice rolls.

    • @lordrosemount
      @lordrosemount Рік тому

      @@Showsni In that case the video must have been wrong, since it stands to reason he couldn't have spent the entire game in jail, never mind win it.

    • @red5t653
      @red5t653 5 місяців тому

      @@Ch4pp13 Because of the fact that Monopoly rolls two dice at any given time, there are certain numbers you can expect to come up strictly more often because of the distribution of possible to roll values (in particular, values like 6-8 come up significantly more often than, say, 2-4 or 10-12)
      There are also certain spaces and actions that specifically dictate that you move to certain other spaces, like the railroads and, of course, the go to jail square.
      This means there are certain key spaces that are objectively more likely to be landed on (namely, the orange and magenta sections, which lie in that sweet spot of 6-8 spaces after jail, the most likely singular square to be reached in any given Monopoly game)
      Thus, acquiring and developing these properties in particular is strictly the most optimal, because it is expected that more people will be landing on those spaces, thus earning you more money faster and eventually winning you the game by bankrupting everybody else.

  • @lord_scrubington
    @lord_scrubington Рік тому

    people die by touching the truck when they cross the road at the wrong time

  • @JasperJanssen
    @JasperJanssen Рік тому

    If you’re gonna give the exact game money as the prize I think you should use real money during the game instead of Monopoly money, and just make them play for all the bills. Or at least until it’s just the bank and them.

    • @lateralcast
      @lateralcast  Рік тому

      Actually, they often do play with real money in these championships. The US Championships has done this in the past, for sure.

  • @stomponpie
    @stomponpie Рік тому

    I thought these were supposed to be lateral thinking about multiple ways the question could be true, not an intentionally misused word...

  • @DazzerJ
    @DazzerJ Рік тому

    Okay, I came here for Tom Scott... Butttttt when did Ashens turn bald?

  • @UwePieper
    @UwePieper Рік тому +4

    No more prisoners of the catholic curch…

  • @user-sx1fg7lc3c
    @user-sx1fg7lc3c Рік тому +1

    Jail and prison are not the same thing. That's not a fair switching of words Tom!

  • @A-Milkdromeda-Laniakea-Hominid

    That is the most brilliant strategy, considering Monopoly was invented to teach Capitalism. And it does a damn good job; one person eventually gets all the money while other players can't pay the rent and starve on the street.
    The player that stays in the SOCIALIST BASED prison, however, will be housed, clothed, and fed for free by the taxes paid by the rich player.
    It begs the question: what if you didn't have to commit a crime to receive the basics for free? Might we see less crime in the long run? The losers of Monopoly can be compared to people who simply aren't interested or good at grabbing all the resources...

  • @WotFanar
    @WotFanar Рік тому +1

    i think you messed up the question it should be jail not prison.

    • @lateralcast
      @lateralcast  Рік тому +4

      That was a deliberate choice, otherwise it might have been too 'on the nose'.

  • @groovemoustache
    @groovemoustache Рік тому +9

    Interesting, so this means that the best way to win at capitalism is to not partake in it and simply chill while your accommodations are taken care of by the upper class' taxes while they take one another out. I can get behind that.

    • @RichardDamon
      @RichardDamon Рік тому +2

      I know one one of the standard stragies is that, at least once the board is mostly bought, to stay in jail, as it is cheaper than the possibility of landing on others property. Turns in Jail are basically "free", but you can still develop your properties.

    • @MrE987
      @MrE987 Рік тому +3

      Monopoly (or the original 'the landlord's game') was invented to show the evils of unregulated capitalism, and came with a second set of rules that allowed for more equal wealth distribution. It was a teaching tool. So in a way, your suggestion makes a lot of sense.

  • @llamasaylol
    @llamasaylol 11 місяців тому +2

    I dislike Tom saying "prison" when he meant "jail". Especially is a nit-picky question like this, the two are not interchangeable. Only ignorance of the differences is making them interchangeable in people's minds.

    • @hankw6875
      @hankw6875 3 місяці тому

      I mean, they're rough synonyms and more or less interchangeable in common usage. It seems like you're taking a needlessly pedantic and prescriptivist view of language, and are I can't say I much like your denigration of people who use them that way as "ignorant".