More than half of Britons admit they often question decisions after making them, according to a Netflix survey. The research found that 54% of people feel uncertain about choices they have already made, painting the nation as one of second-guessers.
Of the 2,000 Brits polled, 46% said they can be talked out of their first instinct if someone else encourages them to change their mind. For those who do switch, the pull of discovering what might have been proves hard to resist, with 57% saying they would want to know what they gave up after swapping one mystery prize for another.
Real-Life Shop Tests Instincts
The dilemma was brought to life on Friday when Netflix recreated the Shop from the Sidemen's new series Outside. The one-day-only pop-up gave Brits the chance to win £50,000-worth of prizes, ranging from an egg timer to a solid gold bar, and challenged them to trust their instincts or risk their winnings for something better.
Tobi from the Sidemen was joined by Moyo Ajibade, Josh Larkin, Paige Meade, Danielle Stockley and Heinz Baines to put Londoners' decision-making to the test. Much like the show, Tobi took on the role of 'Voice of God' in the IRL Shop, commentating on the action and piling on the pressure as players made their choices.
Stick or Twist
Players picked from six categories - A Piece of Gold, Hot Wheels, A Nice Ring, Good(ie) Bag, A Good Time and Go On, Surprise Me. Prizes ranged from teabags, sweets and a wheel of cheese to designer jewellery, an electric bike, a high-end watch and a real gold bar. Before discovering what they had won, players faced the ultimate Stick or Twist decision: keep the mystery prize or gamble on another from the same category.
Those who twisted were first shown the prize they gave away, then their new prize was revealed, showing whether the gamble paid off. With Bronze, Silver and Gold prizes hidden across every category, one decision could trade players up to one of the day's biggest prizes or see them give one away. On the day, 88% chose to twist and just 12% stuck.
Big Gambles and Fan Fun
Among the biggest gambles was a man who unknowingly gave up a £5,000 designer watch for a plastic egg timer. Another came down on his lunch break to win a designer bag for his girlfriend, as Tobi and the Outside cast encouraged players to take the risk or stick with what they had. Fans also enjoyed live freestyles, football challenges, games and merch giveaways, with action inside the Shop broadcast onto a giant screen.
Speaking ahead of the event, Tobi Brown, Sidemen, said: "The Shop is all about temptations and second-guessing yourself, so it'll be interesting to see how brave people are when big-ticket prizes are on the line." He added: "I'll definitely be encouraging people to Twist - that's the whole fun of it. There are some seriously good prizes up for grabs, so if you're going to play it safe, don’t blame me when you're left wondering what you could have won."
The real-life Shop is inspired by the Sidemen's new Netflix reality competition Outside, which sees a group of content creators living together in a forest while competing for a share of a £1 million prize pot. In the Shop, contestants can spend from that collective pot on luxuries and comforts, meaning every temptation comes at a cost. The free, one-day-only experience was open to those aged 18+ at Boxpark Shoreditch from 12pm-5pm on September 25. Outside, hosted by the Sidemen, is available to watch on Netflix from September 28.
