The New Stanford Prison Experiment (2026) s01e03 Episode Script
Abuse of Power
[tense, dramatic music playing]
-[machine beeps]
-[Gaona] Hello.
[Chris Lee] Morning.
[Berens] You guys look, like,
really exhausted today.
Did you guys pick a head guard?
We did.
-[Berens] Oh, okay.
-Officer Gaona.
'Tis I.
-[Berens] Nice.
-Yeah.
And then we got… Our trustee is 878.
[dramatic music playing]
[Berens] 87--
Wait. Your trustee? What?
-Yeah, what about him?
-He's our trustee.
-Really?
-[Gaona] Mm-hmm.
-[McDaniel] Mm-hmm.
-[Washington] Brendan?
[Berens] I was surprised
that Officer Gaona was elected,
because I thought for sure
it would be Officer Lee for head guard.
But the one thing
I am shocked by is their trustee.
On the ground, double time,
get out of your cells!
[Jefferson] Come out of your cell now!
They're in raid gear.
[Berens] The night shift said
he was the one
who pushed back during the riot.
-[Chris Lee] 878! Come on!
-[Jefferson] Hey!
How'd you guys come up with that one?
He's an outcast,
and I think he needed some purpose.
Isn't that rewarding, like, bad behavior?
Like, you just flipped out,
and now you get the trustee?
And it switched him up really quick.
Immediately.
He was immediately part of the group.
Is this gonna pull him out of the mindset
of doing the things he was doing
and trying to rile everyone up?
I don't know.
But he just did something,
and you just rewarded him.
[Hudson] Come on, Mama Bear.
It feels like the night shift's
gonna be the night shift,
and the day shift's gonna be
the day shift.
All right.
It's so interesting. [laughs]
[tense, dramatic music playing]
-The guards don't have any control.
-[Cook] They have nothing.
They need us
to make the experiment possible.
But it's getting everyone
to understand that, that is the problem.
-It's like, stay real.
-[Hardey] Yeah.
[Cook] The key, I think, is that
you're a fucking trustee.
-[Hardey] Yeah.
-[Cook] That's key.
I'm ready to use my position as trustee,
um, as an advantage.
We almost got to, like, win
one individual battle with every person.
I think it's an opportunity
to change things
and see the loopholes in the system.
If we have, like,
a third of the people on our side,
who's to say that we can't change
the rules of the experiment?
We can't change the food we eat?
We can't change everything?
-Who's to say that?
-Yeah.
-We… We really could.
-We could.
-We really could.
-We could change everything.
Everything.
[dramatic music playing]
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[Brooks] We're still in phase two
of the experiment,
focused on hierarchy.
So far, we've seen Chet and Kiana
step into head guard roles,
and they've each selected
an inmate to act as trustee.
[Lee] What stands out to me is
how differently
they've made those choices.
Chet in the day shift chose Derrick,
a model inmate who follows the rules.
Kiana, on the other hand, chose Brendan,
someone with a track record
of pushing back against authority,
alongside his fellow inmates,
Pete and Jeff.
[Cantrell] Now, commissary
is about to be introduced.
Commissary is the store for these guys.
It's the things for comfort.
The inmates each receive $20
and place their orders ahead of time.
[Washington] 768.
-Thank you.
-[Washington] All right.
Twelve packs of ramen
and a Bible. [laughs]
-As God intended.
-[Jensen chuckles]
Thank you. Thank you.
Hell yeah about this coffee.
Got salt and pepper shakers
to pass around for the boys.
I want to spread it on the floor
and just do a snow angel in my… [laughs]
I forgot a bowl.
[Correra] OM… That is a big-ass hair gel.
You just made an Italian happy.
[Cantrell] Look at Michael.
-Michael! Look at that hair.
-[Cantrell] Got some gel in his hair.
Couldn't wait.
Commissary is so meaningful
because, once you have it,
it is going to be very painful to lose it.
I don't want to get in trouble.
What if I lose my commissary?
This is huge to them.
It's the little pieces of pleasure
that they have, right?
These guys just got their commissary.
They're feeling very comfortable.
But at the same time, Pete and Brendan
are pushing back against the experiment.
-This can play out in a lot of ways.
-Yeah.
-What are they gonna do?
-Yeah.
[mellow guitar music plays]
[Hublitz] Is there any part of you
that is also a part of Pete…
[laughs] …like wants to do…
Test the boundaries
a little bit of the experiment?
The goal is to finish
as comfortably as possible.
[Hublitz] Yeah.
[Jensen] And confrontation
or going against the grain is typically…
I've learned for it to be, like,
the last resort.
And I'd rather just conversate about it,
settle it and be done with it.
-So I'm doing that here as well.
-Yeah.
[Zaremba] Dude, that's spooky.
I'm seeing zombies
walking around right now.
They're actually convinced
they're real prisoners. Like, look!
[Cook] I agree.
[Hardey] Yeah, everybody's buddy-buddy.
We're here playing pretend jail.
But, like, I don't know
what's fun about pretend jail.
I don't know what's fun
about putting his face on the ground.
Let's make a pact,
no more face on the ground.
-No matter what.
-Deal.
[Hardey] You guys can play
prison simulation. I'm all set.
There's a big majority
all for cruising this to the end,
not doing shit.
I'll tell you right now, like, just, uh…
I'm about to have some fun.
[laughing]
[Zaremba] With the riot drill,
me, Jeff and Brendan think
that the guards took it way too far.
So I'm poking everyone with a stick.
We can band together as a group
and just say no
and switch the power dynamics.
But right now, the majority in there,
they're so almost brainwashed.
And that's dangerous
because with the power
that these head guards have
over the group,
who knows where they could take that?
My girl gave me the green light.
She said, "Stay scheming out there."
Uh-oh. That's like
telling "go-tango" to a jet fighter.
"Stay scheming in there."
[sentimental music playing]
[Cook] I'm a… What do they say?
I'm a bird that's not meant to be caged.
But here I am.
I literally signed up to put myself
in a prison for two weeks.
So, cuckoo!
[guard] Look straight ahead. Hold still.
[camera shutter clicks]
My name is Jeff, I'm 36 years old,
and I live in Scottsdale, Arizona.
I grew up on a small farm, um,
in central Illinois.
I'm a little bit of a lone wolf.
My relationship with power,
I think, goes on both sides.
I've been an owner of my own company.
So, it is important.
But I also have been
in situations in my life
where I've had no power at all.
Drugs, alcohol.
I've definitely been powerless, uh,
that's for sure. Um…
I don't… I don't…
I don't like it a lot, so… [chuckles]
I think that's why
Brendan and Pete and I are close.
-[laughing] You've ruined our experience!
-[Hardey] Bro! Just get in the cell.
[Cook] We're all willing
to challenge authority.
-[Hardey] Mason.
-[Zaremba laughs]
[Cook] We just need a few more people.
Next time, if they try to come
and tell us put our face on the ground
for some stupid-ass prison drill,
are you gonna go in your cell like us?
We're not doing it.
We've gotta start pushing back a little.
And then we'll find out who has the power.
-You down for a little pushback?
-[laughing] I don't know, man.
[Zaremba] Ah, okay.
[exclaims playfully]
[dramatic music playing]
-[Hardey] Hoop me.
-[Cook] Ready?
[Terry] Last night, they picked a trustee.
They picked Brendan.
-878.
-[Berens] Yeah. They told us.
-I was pissed.
-[Berens] Why?
Why do you reward the troublemaker, bro?
878 being a trustee really needs
to be watched a little bit closer
and just paid more attention because
a lot of the inmates don't like it.
They've expressed
that 878 is a disrespectful person.
He definitely had night shift fooled,
but he's definitely not fooled us.
So he'd better watch out.
Did you talk to the guards
about how you felt?
No, I was… I had to process it first.
-We're going to see how it unfolds.
-[Terry] I'm gonna trust the process.
But I found something
that irritated me, bro.
-Rewarding bad behavior fucks me up.
-Yeah.
Hey, that's good.
First step is learning, recognizing it.
[Terry] Golly!
[camera whirring]
[Terry] You okay?
You seem out of it.
Y'all had some good conversation,
it looked like.
[Zaremba] Yeah, we were chillin',
just setting a boundary.
If they do face on the floor again,
we're not going to do it.
-You talking about Brendan and them?
-[Zaremba] Yeah, I'm telling you.
As a trustee?
[Zaremba] Yeah.
I'm just telling you, bro.
I don't want you to be mad at me,
but no more face on the floor.
We didn't do nothing wrong.
All right.
I appreciate you.
-Yeah, I'm telling you.
-I appreciate you.
But maybe they won't even
have us do it again.
Sure, sure.
He's not happy.
Pete wants to give pushback
to the officers.
Why? I don't know.
He's a good kid,
but he's just a little immature.
[Terry] Hey! No, hey. I gotta
tell you something for real, though.
Pete just said if they do
another face on the ground,
that we're not getting on the ground.
As a Black man in America,
I've learned that,
if you deny and disobey,
it usually turns
into an "accidental" shooting.
I'm not saying I would die here,
but that is a way
that I'm reacting to these guards,
is I'm not trying
to have problems with no one.
-As a trustee, though, bro?
-I don't think he'll punish everybody.
He's gonna lose trustee.
They're gonna be on lockdown.
-That's what it's gonna be.
-I hope so, but what if it doesn't?
I'll just tell you guys straight up,
because you deserve that.
If they do another face down
on the floor, handcuffs,
a few of us are just gonna say no.
That's your decision.
[Padilla] We just got commissary.
Now, what if they take that away?
Okay, then. Too bad. So sad, man.
No. What about phone time?
What if they take that away?
You're taking your loved ones' stuff
away from people.
We want to coast more, but eventually,
we gotta switch variables to test things.
-[Eldridge] Don't put me in that.
-We'll get back to you.
Jesus Christ! I thought we were past this.
-[alarm sounds]
-Come on, y'all. Lockdown. Lockdown.
[Hudson] All right, guys.
We gotta make relief.
-Toodle-oo.
-Come on. See you.
[Berens] Yeah.
-See you.
-Have a good one. Sleep tight.
-Yep. Bye-bye.
-[Pierce] Bye-bye.
Toodle-oo. [chuckles] Toodle-oo.
Waitin' on my celly. He's getting noodles.
[Berens] Do I need to know anything,
or are we good?
-What? Oh, I can't come in your cell.
-[Eldridge] I gotcha, but…
Their whole thing is
next time they give us a drill,
they're not gonna do it.
They're not listening
to what the guards say.
-We're like, 'Why do you wanna make this…"
-Who said that?
[Eldridge] 975, 976, and 878.
Their whole game plan
is rebel, rebel, rebel.
If anybody does any dumb shit,
I'm not a part of it.
And it's just… It doesn't…
It's so stupid.
Like day 13, maybe we might hear you.
But when the guards say do something,
you do it every fucking time.
-Yeah.
-They wanna give y'all hell.
[Hudson] Just as much as y'all
are being open and honest,
I'll be open and honest with y'all too.
I don't like being a dick.
-I don't ever want to be a dick.
-Sure.
But if something pops off,
and I'm a fucking asshole…
-And gone past being a dick…
-It's stupid.
Just know that's why.
Trust me. It's literally just those three.
Nobody else wants in.
Yeah. So we'll see.
If you're feelin' froggy, jump, bitch.
-That's all I know to say.
-I told 'em quit chattin' about it.
It was a great day. See y'all tomorrow.
-Bye, guys. Good night.
-Y'all have a good night.
[tense, dramatic music playing]
-[Gaona] Hey.
-[Chris Lee] Hey, what's up?
-All right. Are you guys ready?
-Howdy.
There is some intel
about some potential problems.
[Berens] So, our trustee, 030,
said 878, 976 and 975 keep talking
about rebellion,
and going against--
-Our trustee.
-975, 878 and 976?
[Hudson] 878 is big-time plotting.
-Yeah.
-[all] No way!
[Berens] I said, "What are they saying?"
He goes, "Just going against you."
"If there's another riot,
we're not gonna do it."
"We don't have to do what the guards say."
[Hudson] My opinion on it?
Doing the trustee thing with him
was because he was in down spirits, right?
That was a way to boost his morale
and give him a turnaround.
But my logic on that is, it's like,
you got two kids in the back seat.
One of them's causing a ruckus
and causing hell.
The other's minding his own business.
You give this one a sucker
to be quiet, right?
They're not kids, though.
They are grown-ass adults.
But you rewarded bad behavior
is my thought process.
I don't think it was a reward.
It was like, "Here's your opportunity
to show that you're more than that."
But I'm just saying,
it really bothered the other inmates.
It brought their morale down,
and it made them upset.
And this dude ain't changed a bit.
Now as a trustee, he's getting
other people in on the plot.
[McDaniel] That's good to know. Yeah.
I feel really disappointed.
I really did believe in 878.
And I really wanted to give him
the opportunity to step up as the trustee.
You know, he came up and told me
that he wouldn't let us down,
and for a minute, like, I thought
that I made the best choice.
But he was conspiring with 975.
It's disheartening.
[indistinct chatter]
-I'm surprised by 976.
-[Gaona] Me, too.
[McDaniel] We were just talking
about how he's a nice guy.
But 975 always been the rebellion, and…
-[Chris Lee] We know that.
-[McDaniel] We'll pull him to the side.
-Okay?
-All right.
-Appreciate it.
-See you guys in the morning.
-[Chris Lee] See ya.
-[all] Bye.
-[Hudson] Good luck.
-[Jefferson] Mm-hmm. [giggles]
So are we thinking individual punishments
for if they do some shit?
I don't think
we have to make that decision now.
I think we just need
to address the situation at first
and give some stern warning to 878.
I wanted to support Kiana and her decision
to make 878 the trustee,
even though I frankly wasn't quite ready
to rock and roll with it.
As a trustee, you're a leader.
If you don't want to be a leader,
we're happy to revoke.
And, of course,
he just went right back to his old ways.
I wanted to come in with something fun.
Dang it!
Um, it doesn't reflect well
on the night shift.
This really surprises me with Jeff.
I don't think anything's going on there.
This guy is so respectful.
He's very respectful.
So caring. I think that's just
a misinterpretation of 030, frankly.
-We can talk to 878, but…
-[McDaniel] 976.
I don't think we need to talk to…
And I think 975 just needs
to be told he's on thin ice.
Go night shift. Go night shift!
[all exclaiming playfully]
-[Jefferson giggles]
-[alarm sounds]
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[Chris Lee] Good evening!
Welcome to the night shift!
Hey-o!
878, real quick, we need to talk to you.
[camera whirring]
-How's it been going?
-Good.
Cool.
So, in our shift change,
they were letting us know
they were having a little issues with you.
-AM was?
-[Chris Lee] Mm-hmm.
[tense music playing]
Um…
I'm not sure what that would be.
Nobody said anything to me, at least.
Okay. Our understanding is that
you've been trying to cause a little rile
with guys. Is that not true?
Mmm. I wouldn't say so, no.
It's pretty obvious
that some guys are snitching,
and I'm pretty frustrated about it.
I mean, obviously,
if we're selecting you as our trustee,
and then we're hearing
from the other prisoners that,
"This guy's trying to stir the pot…"
[McDaniel] Looks bad on us.
Looks really bad on us. We actually lose
the trust of everybody else.
Right, right.
By trusting the guy that's,
you know, stirring the pot.
It's frustrating.
[Hardey] Right now, obviously,
all the guards are very convinced
that they definitely have power
and authority over us, but, uh…
I'm tired of their shit.
[Chris Lee] That's the challenge now.
We need you to get that respect.
They don't need to love you,
but they need to know
that you're not conspiring against them.
Right.
Have the group's best interests, you know.
Yeah. I think I do.
[Hardey] At some point, the guards
are gonna abuse their power,
whether we push back or not.
And I don't know.
I just can't help but think, like,
at the end of this experiment,
people are going to feel basically ashamed
if we don't do something about it.
Anyways, that's where we're at.
I guess
we'll just have to work very quickly.
-That fair?
-Yeah.
-All right?
-Yeah. Appreciate you.
-All right.
-Yeah, appreciate you, man.
-Appreciate it. Thank you.
-All right.
-You're in three?
-Yeah.
-Then, we haven't talked to 975, right?
-[Gaona] Nah.
I'm going to come see you, bro,
when we're out, I swear.
I'm excited.
[McDaniel] Can you step out here quick?
[Chris Lee] Real quick.
-Yep.
-You're good. You're good. Um…
Just so you know,
you are on thin ice across the board.
-Gotcha.
-[Chris Lee] So mind your P's and Q's.
-We want to have good respect.
-Yeah.
I just said I'm not gonna put my face
on the ground anymore.
We didn't do anything, and that's fair.
'Cause at the end of the day,
we're not real--
-[Chris Lee] You signed up for this.
-We all chose to be here.
We all chose to be here. Exactly.
I'm playing my part, going in my cell.
But if I go to the floor, face down again,
I'm not gonna do it.
[Chris Lee] Just know,
different consequences will be enacted
if you continue to act such a way.
-Gotcha. Sure.
-All right?
-All right. Thanks.
-[Zaremba] Sir.
-It's clear to him, right?
-[McDaniel] Yeah.
[Chris Lee] Bed checks!
Dinnertime!
-[McDaniel] You can come out, do dinner.
-[Hardey] Yeah. Of course.
-There we are.
-[Chris Lee] Grab cups.
-[McDaniel] Man, that one sticks.
-[man] Here we go.
It's weird how people deal with authority
very different from each other.
-Like us, as inmates?
-Yeah.
Just like you compared
to Jeff or Brendan, right? Like…
All this conforming
really set him off, but it's like…
I think it's an ego…
I think it is, like, an ego…
You think it's an ego thing, right?
I think this experiment
is different for everybody.
My goal, and a lot of other
people's goal, is to make it 14 days.
It seems like some people are trying
to get something out of the experiment
by, you know, being more confrontational,
and that's okay.
That's your journey.
But not everyone's gonna feel the same.
Like, again, if you had an end goal,
what's the end goal of resisting?
-You're just gonna get more…
-You're just in the hole.
[Zaremba] Something's about to go down
right now.
[Faussette] My boy Brendan's
getting fed up with the shit.
He's kinda really
foot on the gas right now.
-[Faussette, indistinct]
-Yeah.
This is all just a game.
We're eating this.
This is part of the game.
We don't have to be eating this.
Your six o'clock.
[Hardey] So why are we letting them
tell us what to do?
Why not try to take control of it first?
Because we have numbers.
Well, I've been kind of sparking
a little mini rebellion but nothing crazy.
-[Faussette laughs]
-Just a little pushback.
We'll be able to leave our cells
whenever we want.
We'll be able to go outside
whenever we want.
We'll be able to shower whenever we want.
You are subjected to it.
-That doesn't mean because you're silent--
-[shushing]
[Hardey] I hear you. I hear you.
-A lot of chatter happening tonight.
-Mm-hmm.
I'm having second thoughts about 878.
-[Chris Lee] About him being--
-Trustee, yeah.
So I've been just kind of looking for…
A reason?
A reason, and for a replacement.
Who is somebody
that is liked by the majority?
Uh, Flacco. Joe Flacco.
-Do you know who we're talking about?
-[McDaniel] What about him?
-That he would make a great trustee.
-I think so, too.
I think so, too.
[Zaremba] They came up to me like,
"You're on thin ice."
I was like, "Bro, what?
I didn't even do anything."
Free speech? What the hell?
[McDaniel] Even after pulling them aside,
they tried to recruit people
to cause issues.
Definitely pissed all of us off.
[Zaremba] Whoo, Officer G.
Why are you guys being mean today?
What's your problem?
[laughs in disbelief] What's my problem?
Yeah, what's your guys' problem?
Nothin', man.
Nothin'.
-He said, "What's y'all's problem today?"
-[McDaniel] Who? 975?
[Gaona] He said to me,
"What's your problem?"
[McDaniel] Because he's not doing
what he's fucking told?
I do feel disrespected in the pod.
What's my problem?
What are we doing?
I'm like, "Please try."
Oh, yeah. If they want to.
We got ways to take care of it.
I'm not a doormat.
I have to defend myself,
and I'm just not going to let
disrespect go without consequences.
They rile each other up in the worst way.
-[insects chirping]
-[tense, dramatic music playing]
[McDaniel] You need to cheer up.
You're bringing it down.
I am tired. Wait, I'm confused.
What do you mean?
You seem down in the dumps.
I am hanging out.
Good old Pete, man. Pete?
-Man, he had some attitude, dude.
-Bro, he is so…
-975 and 878 were…
-[Chris Lee] Conspiring?
-All night. All night.
-[Chris Lee] Oh, yeah.
Those guys just want to stir it
and make it negative.
[McDaniel] Even after we've had talks
with them,
they continue to try
to turn the whole group.
-We don't need that.
-Yeah, I agree.
That's a negative energy we don't need.
Let me get this straight.
So they think I'm not gonna do anything?
-[McDaniel] Us.
-We.
They don't think we're gonna do shit.
Because we're nice.
Well, to be honest with you,
I kind of want to put them into 23 and 1.
23 and 1? For both?
Yeah.
They'd spend 23 hours a day in that cell?
Yank them out first thing in the morning.
Therefore, it's not like one guard group
against the other guard group type deal.
-Yeah, that we're, like, unified.
-[Chris Lee] Mm-hmm.
I'm down.
I think we should move both of them
together into cell 9. Tonight.
-[dramatic music playing]
-Right now?
Right now.
-Ooh!
-I do. It's easier to lock them up.
Then just don't let them out
in the morning?
Yeah, let's do this tonight.
If we're in agreement.
-Oh, for real?
-Yes, I'm for real.
[chuckling] All right, let's go.
-We're not telling them 23 and 1 now?
-[Chris Lee] Nope.
-We're saying you're sleeping together?
-[Gaona] Exactly.
All right, this is going to be fun.
-Let's go.
-Let's… Yeah.
Who's got the keys?
-Whoa.
-[Lee] Wow, that's strong.
23 and 1 means
23 hours locked in your cell,
one hour out just for a meal.
They had many other options
for punishments.
They could revoke phone privileges.
They can take away rec time.
They could have done
any amount of time locked up in your cell.
So to do 23 hours?
That… It feels very extreme.
Being locked down for that amount of time
is usually reserved in jail
and prison for violence, right?
Where you have to separate someone
to keep people safe.
Not just smarting off.
[Brooks] Yeah.
[snoring]
[Lee] It almost felt personal.
Like she felt betrayed.
And you saw the little spark in her eyes.
Like, whoa, Kiana?
This is Kiana?
The nice Christian girl who is here
to lead with compassion?
-So nine down to seven, yeah?
-Yep.
I think there was a lot going on
psychologically for Kiana here.
Hey, Mike.
You want to pack your stuff?
I think she feels betrayed by Brendan
because she handpicked him.
She was trying to help him.
[Gaona] Come on, man. Let's go. Come on.
-You got everything?
-I think so.
And now she feels betrayed,
like he's acting out
after she chose him for this.
They just took Mike
out of his room and put him downstairs.
And at the same time,
Chris Lee is continuing to act
like camp counselor
and sort of being the loud,
more blustery style of leader.
[Chris Lee] Thanks, guys.
You'll understand after tomorrow.
[man] I think that is Brendan.
-[Correra] No way.
-[man] Yeah.
[Correra] What the fuck?
[Brooks] So, if we think about this
in terms of Kiana's leadership,
there's a lot going on here.
This was huge.
What's their move here? What's their move?
-What cell did you say?
-[McDaniel] Nine.
[Zaremba] Oh, no way!
[exclaims excitedly] My dog's coming.
-Ah! What's up? What's up?
-[Hardey] What up?
[Zaremba] What's up with this?
-[Hardey] Buddy bunk now, dude.
-[Zaremba] You get the bottom.
I think it was a guard move.
Because they heard
that I'd been conspiring. Against them.
So they put me and you together?
That's a terrible…
We're already in cahoots.
How much worse can it get?
[Zaremba laughs]
[dramatic music playing]
[Cantrell] Day six.
Still a long ways to go.
When that original experiment ended
on day six, yeah?
[Cantrell] That was the day
everything changed.
This is an eventful day.
The original Stanford experiment
only lasted 6 of the 14 planned days
before it was shut down
due to abusive guard behavior
and severe distress on the inmates.
Obviously, the original experiment
got way more out of hand.
But I think it's safe to say the uniform
and the power that comes with it
or the lack of power from not having
that uniform can change people.
-[Berens] Morning.
-Howdy.
How are y'all?
-[Chris Lee] Come bearing breakfast?
-Yeah.
I'm gonna let y'all know.
It's colder than a witch's titty outside.
-[Washington] Yeah.
-[all laugh]
So we gotta team up real quick.
We're gonna go down all together, I think.
Sounds like it got spicy.
-It got a little spicy.
-[Chris Lee] Mainly with our boys.
Teach and Lone Wolf.
[McDaniel] They're still conspiring
after we pulled them aside.
So we're like, fuck that.
They're locked down for 23 and 1.
Let them rot in there.
Oh, I love it. I love it.
These guys have never punished anybody.
And now all of a sudden, you're gonna
go throw somebody into 23 and 1?
That's a pretty big consequence.
They only get out for one hour
of pod time the whole time.
Yes.
I feel like we'll keep them in there
until they decide they wanna,
you know, play by our rules.
[Hudson] Sweet little Gaona
making this decision.
For the first time, saw that
they have to imply some authority.
And it was so awesome, really,
to see that they're finally getting
the bigger picture.
So you guys heard them talking about it?
We saw them talk with the other guys.
They were like making rounds. Like…
I honestly didn't think
that I'd be walking into a 23 and 1
lockdown situation.
That's a horrible punishment.
I've thought about how that would be
if I had to go into solitary confinement
for 23 hours.
Oh my gosh, you know?
Okay, so they ended up
sleeping tonight in the cell.
Usually I would want to start toward
the top of the list, which is like,
no phone, no commissary,
and work my way down.
But knowing that, like,
all of them were in that agreement,
all right, that's what it is.
And their 23 and 1 punishment starts at…
We're gonna walk into their cell
and let 'em know now.
-[Hudson] All right.
-We're gonna go in together.
-Well, let's go do it.
-[Washington] Let's do it. United.
[tense music playing]
[man] Oh, shit.
[Eldridge] I knew this was happening.
[McDaniel] We'll share
the responsibilities while we're together.
How are we feeling?
Sleep good?
[Zaremba] Ah! What the heck?
Letting you guys know that we are
locking you guys down for 23 hours.
[Zaremba] Oh, come on.
So, 878, you are no longer the trustee.
And you guys know why?
-[McDaniel] We talked to you yesterday.
-[Washington] Conspiring.
[Hardey] Realistically, what did we do?
Just talk.
-[Chris Lee] Talked yesterday…
-We didn't do anything. Freedom of speech.
[Washington] Hey, come up.
Get out of your bed, man. Come on.
-Get out of your bed. Stand up.
-[Zaremba] For what?
-[Hudson] 'Cause he said so.
-[Washington] We're talking to you.
You guys are letting the badge
get to your head, fellas.
[Hudson] This will give you plenty time
to think about a change of attitude.
A little bit abuse of power, no?
Why are we still talking to them?
23 and 1, bye. That's it.
[Hardey] Hope you feel good.
That's wild.
[Zaremba] "Conspiring."
[Hardey] Why did they just come
with eight guards like we'd fight them?
-[Zaremba yawns]
-That's insane, dude. They're fucked.
[Zaremba sighs sleepily]
[indistinct chatter]
Hey, if everyone could come to their door.
We just got a quick announcement.
Thank you. Good morning. Good morning.
As you noticed, a couple things
that have transpired during the evening.
Cell 9 is now on 23 and 1 lockdown.
[tense music playing]
[Eldridge] Yeah, I went to the guards
about 878 and 975
because I'm not about to let somebody
else make my last eight days hell in here.
Wack!
Who said that?
We're about to make it two days
if he keeps hollering.
Wack as fuck!
[Eldridge] Being trustee,
I built a good relationship
in here with these guards.
And they're like…
100% it was something
that they needed to know.
So, you can call me a snitch.
I don't give a flying fuck.
I don't care. I'm standing on what I said.
I stand on what I did.
And I'll do it again.
With that, 878 has been removed
as the trustee,
and we have chosen…
Where is he at?
078, Joe Flacco.
[inmates applaud and cheer]
I've seen Brendan
get a little bit defiant at times
and, um, very reactive.
And so, this punishment is possibly
a really good learning experience for him.
We just got one of the worst
punishments for, what, talking?
And nobody…
-[Zaremba] Cares.
-Nobody cares.
[Hublitz] I didn't want it
to happen like this,
but it's a good feeling,
and it makes me want
to do right by the guards.
[Paramore] I think the guards lost it.
I definitely think that those guys
earned a punishment.
But not like that.
We would ask
that you would respect by not going
and talking to them through their door,
banging on their window,
or anything of the like.
[Paramore] These guys wanna be in charge,
and they're asserting their dominance
just because they overheard
a conversation and overreacted.
[sighs]
I'm upset about that.
[Chris Lee] Just wanted to let you guys
know where we're at.
Please continue to show these guys
much love and respect.
Appreciate you all.
[man] Night-night time.
[Chris Lee] Night-night, dude.
I don't like the 23 and 1.
I'm just gonna tell you that right now.
That's where it crossed the line for me.
-I hear that, but people--
-[Cook] There's no but.
-[Eldridge] There is a but.
-There is no but here.
There is, because you can't do shit
to get yourself put into 23 and 1.
That's the thing. If you're doing things,
you have to expect consequences.
That's where me and you disagree.
I have a line.
And that line is, like,
23 and 1 in solitary confinement.
I don't think we all feel that way.
I think
that those two things are pretty crazy.
But they disrespected the guards.
You say your line is respect.
It's respect both ways.
-It's respect both ways.
-We respect each other.
-It's respect both ways.
-We have to respect the guards.
If they put you in that guard position
and we're saying, "Fuck you,"
and doing all that,
you would just let us be?
Yeah.
I can't think of like…
Like that 23 and 1,
like, you really have to do
some crazy stuff to go in there.
-Do you want me to…
-Snacks.
-[Cook] …give those guys their food or--
-[Hudson] Who?
-No.
-Okay, got it.
No, them… Y'all are all gonna pretend
they don't exist.
Okay.
I'm a man of integrity.
I'm a man of character.
And I just, you know… But I am curious.
Like, what started this?
I must have been asleep.
So I'm trying to gather
some more information
because something
isn't making sense to me.
They told all of the night crew,
"We're going to do what we want."
"This ain't a real prison.
You got no authority over us."
"We're not real inmates."
It was an injustice.
I got a problem with that.
And I think there's other individuals
that would agree with me.
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[inaudible]
Jeff is… Jeff is mouthing to me.
-"I got you."
-[Zaremba laughs]
I don't know what he means by that, but…
[Ellenburg] Brendan, Pete and Jeff,
all three had kinda talked about
messing with the guards.
They had just kinda talked about it.
They didn't really mess with anybody.
They just talked about it.
And Brendan and Pete
were given a 23 and 1 for that.
[Zaremba, indistinct]
-[Hardey chuckles] Who gave that to…?
-[Zaremba laughs]
Yeah, I mean, there's unfair balances
of power around us every day
and so I shouldn't expect it
to be any different in here.
It says, "Hang in there, boys."
[Ellenburg] I know
if I think something's unfair,
I'm not just gonna stand by.
[Zaremba] Oh, that was nice. That was, uh…
Man, I'm gonna keep this forever.
[Hardey] Keep that.
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[Zaremba] It's cold in here.
-You'll be all right, bro.
-Yeah, we'll be all right. Just sucks.
It's just like,
what are we doing here, bro?
[tense, dramatic music continues]
Is it not dumb how everybody's
just in here like playing pretend jail,
but, like, safe fairyland jail?
23 and 1…
for questioning authority.
I've been the only one thinking,
guys, we're not real prisoners.
Why don't we say no
to something we don't want to do?
Haven't you guys ever heard
the right to petition?
And it just hit me, like,
I don't have the right to petition.
I guess I really am a prisoner in here.
I need to get back
to being productive and doing stuff.
I'm just rotting away.
I think it's silly
that we're sitting there
playing paper airplanes
when real people
playing the real-life roles
that we're simulating
would love an opportunity
to change things if given the chance.
I don't know.
I'm trying to hold it together.
[shouting in distance]
I'm going to talk real quick.
Tell 975 and 878 to come eat while I talk.
Okay, that's cool.
-All right, you ready for lunch?
-Yeah.
Morning, boys.
All right. I'm gonna say
a few things real quick.
We're going to go over some rules.
[sighs heavily] What's been up, boys?
-What's up, man? How you feeling?
-Good.
[Zaremba] Officer Hudson lets me out
for my one hour out.
And from a sociological standpoint,
it's almost like
he felt he was rewarding me…
I guess.
I'm just like whatever at this point.
Being in 23 and 1,
I definitely am starting
to lose it a little bit.
And I realize
if you go against the majority in here,
they make you feel like
you are a mass murderer.
It's mentally draining.
878, we got you some food right here.
I'm going to do some talking right now.
So come hang out with us and eat.
You want to grab your shirt?
-Um… Yeah, get your shirt.
-[Hardey] You gonna give me more time?
[Hudson] Huh?
You gonna give me more time
if I don't put my shirt on?
-[Berens] Yes.
-Yeah.
[Hudson] You know the rules.
-Just put the shirt on.
-[Hudson] All right.
-Someone doesn't learn.
-[Hudson] Anyways…
I'm not a real prisoner,
and it's an experiment.
I'm not anyone's bitch, no.
We're about halfway in on this,
so this is just
kind of a refresher for everybody.
We got certain rules that we enforce,
and that's just part of it.
[Hardey] I don't know.
I, uh…
I can only do so much, and…
there's only so much I'll put up with.
No swearing,
and I'm going to reiterate that.
No yelling. It's loud in here, right?
So, if we all start hooting and hollering,
it'll cause chaos.
[Miloki] Are you not eating?
[Hardey] Yeah, I'm not eating that.
[Miloki] Okay.
[Washington] 975.
Yeah, I'll see you in a bit.
A little Bible action?
-Yes, sir.
-I'm gonna get it going, too.
What's the word, brother?
[Hardey] This ain't right, bro.
This ain't right.
No, it's not.
-[insects chirping]
-[gentle music playing]
[Hardey] The P.M. shift
is about to pull up.
Good evening!
[man] Good evening.
[Hardey] I wonder what type
of lame announcement Officer Lee got.
[Chris Lee] Come take a seat.
Schedule for the night.
We got dinner at 7:00,
and then we're going to do
a motivational thought.
Yeah, bro, I couldn't
do another day of this.
[Zaremba] Really?
I simply cannot, as a free man,
allow myself to be in the mindset
of somebody who's not.
It's been a battle since day one.
This ain't right. Like, I don't feel good.
I think I've decided what I'm gonna do.
I'm out of here.
-Really?
-Yeah.
-He say, "I'm done"?
-[Lee] Yeah.
Stick it out the whole time, dude.
Bro, I have no reason to, bro.
-He's leaving.
-[Brooks] Mm-hmm.
All right, get me out of here.
Good evening.
-Sure you wanna go?
-[Hardey] Yeah, pretty solid.
-Pretty set.
-[Chris Lee] All right.
I have no words anymore.
-[Hardey] Hang in there, boys.
-[Zaremba] Hang in there, boys.
[tense music playing]
He doesn't know about this other part.
It's happening tomorrow.
[Brooks] Right. He doesn't know
what we have planned for him,
but I just wonder if that would make him
feel like it's worth it to stay.
[Lee] Right.
[dramatic music playing]
Am I able to call anybody?
[producer] Who do you wanna call?
[Hardey] Possibly my mom.
[phone line ringing]
Mother?
Hey, how are ya?
I'm all right.
I'm in county jail in Georgia.
I'm listening.
[Hardey] I guess I'm kind of calling you
for your two cents,
because I'm thinking about leaving.
Okay.
[Hardey] And I'm hoping to have
a more clear answer of why I should stay.
Sure.
Basically, I'm at a point now
where I am defying certain rules
and certain guidelines
that I think are not necessary.
It's prison, Brendan.
So you can try to buck the system.
And then you're gonna
suffer the consequences.
Or you can follow the rules,
get out for good behavior,
and leave it at that.
My feeling is, Brendan,
I think that you can do it.
You've made it through six days already.
I mean, it would just be another thing
that you did not complete.
And then how are you going to feel
about that at the end of the day?
[laughing] I shouldn't have called her.
I shouldn't have called you, Mom.
Oh, my God!
I was so ready to go.
All right. All right, I'll let you be.
I guess you'll, you'll find out
whether you hear from me.
I did. I'm glad I heard from you.
I was curious.
-All right, love you. Be safe.
-Thank you, love you. Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
[sighs heavily]
[Chris Lee] A couple of things. Um, one…
So, 878 gone.
Okay?
And when somebody is acting
against the group as a whole,
it is really important
that we keep the mind pure and clean
and just dialed in
because it's really easy
to forget our identities,
forget who we really are,
forget whatever else.
And so, what we're going to ask
is you open up and you share,
telling your story, getting deep on it.
I always say that the easiest way
to build trust is to be vulnerable, okay?
We have a talking stick.
One person talks at a time.
Everybody else listens. Sound good?
All right, so who's first?
-Hey!
-[McDaniel] Okay, this is perfect.
[Jensen] To have Brendan just leave,
I think it's just
very good for leadership.
It's good for having a community.
Um, what was it like growing up?
My father, he was there
whenever I fucked up in life.
-[Chris Lee] Hey!
-Okay, whenever I fricked up in life.
Look at his face! He really got you all…
[Jensen] The vibe of the pod
is a brotherhood,
and I think that Brendan
was getting in his head a little bit.
The scheming and trying
to recruit people for a rebellion,
what are we trying to accomplish?
Because we have respectful order
with these guards,
and we all get along, and…
it caused a decent divide,
but we were able
to remain as a brotherhood.
I'll take it from you.
I love telling my story, bro. Hell yeah.
-Shout-out to Big Mike, bro.
-[inmates applauding]
My childhood was…
My childhood was decent, man.
I don't have any complaints.
Like I said, my mom made us feel normal.
Everything about how…
From 8th grade to sophomore year,
I lost 150 pounds.
-[inmates cheer]
-[man] Good stuff.
[Hublitz] Then I moved
to Wilmington, North Carolina,
where I was, like, the first Jew
that anyone had ever met,
let alone been friends with…
Becoming a better person
is my goal for now,
and we'll see where that takes me.
Love it.
-Let's give 768 a two-clap.
-[inmates clap twice]
[Chris Lee] Appreciate it.
All right, captain says it's time
to round up for the night.
We're going to get
a good night's sleep tonight.
[dramatic music playing]
[keys jangling]
[buzzer sounding]
[keys jangling]
-[Washington] Morning.
-[man] Morning.
[Washington] Let's make our beds.
975 should be happy. He gets to get out.
I know.
Top of the morning.
[Zaremba] Morning. It's cold.
I know, huh? You is a free man.
[Zaremba] Yay! It's freezing, bro.
I'm proud of myself
for sticking out the 23 and 1
because I don't think
a lot of people would.
Brendan just straight-up left
because, uh, it wasn't worth it.
And I'm sad for how his journey ended
because he didn't do anything wrong.
Jefe.
-[Cook] Hey, Pete. How are you doing?
-[Zaremba] Hey!
-Morning, sexy. How are you?
-[Cook] Morning, brother. Doing good.
-[Correra] Morning, crusty crew.
-[Zaremba] Crusty crew.
[Correra] How you doing, brother?
Sleep good?
[Zaremba] I did.
I've been sleeping amazing.
In my cell, I realize that I'm not,
in this situation, a free man.
Even questioning,
if we can question authority,
almost like questioning a king or queen,
off with their head, I was locked up.
I understand why Brendan left. I get it.
Oh, yeah. And I told him, like,
everyone in here says
they're challenging themselves,
and I think, not gonna lie,
everyone's kind of taking the easy way out
by just eating, playing cards.
-I took the hard route.
-Yeah.
Speaking out was hard.
Getting a 23 and 1, that was hard.
I don't get mad very often,
but I am pissed off
at the guards and my fellow inmates
who didn't have my back.
The majority is so good
at making me feel like I am so wrong
about even asking questions,
so it's very frustrating.
Well, boys, 23 and 1 is complete.
Check it off the bucket list.
[man] Hey! You did it, dude!
I ain't going back, though.
Going forward,
we're going to see how it goes.
But at the end of the day,
karma's a bitch.
[dramatic music playing]
[camera whirring]
-[Chris Lee] What up, champs?
-What's going on?
Hey there.
-How are we?
-How y'all making out?
-[Jefferson] We're back, bitches!
-Hey there.
-We're back, bitches.
-Hi.
Hey. What up, Chetter?
-How are you, buddy?
-How are you?
I'm great. Better than I deserve.
-How was the day?
-[Washington] Good.
Everything was good, man. Not much to…
[man over PA system]
All guards, please report to the pod.
Oh, shit.
-Put your belt back on.
-All right!
-Yeah.
-[Jefferson] Y'all got to be kidding me.
Wait, what's happening?
I'm feeling very nervous.
Ready for some fun?
All right. All guards. All right.
Yeah.
Like, they fly in fresh fish
daily from Japan.
[laughing]
Just need to remember to relax.
[keys jangling]
-[man] Keys! Keys! Keys! Keys!
-[buzzer sounds]
[Padilla] What's going on?
-Uh, do we know what's going on?
-No.
[inmates] No.
[indistinct chatter]
-We already chatted, but big G.
-Good evening.
-[buzzer sounds]
-Good evening.
[Eldridge] Uh-oh.
Everyone sit down.
-Close the door.
-[Major B.] Get off the steps.
Uh, I was scared.
You know, the Major scares me. [laughs]
[tense, dramatic music playing]
Officer Gaona,
Officer Jefferson, Officer Berens,
you now are on the day shift.
You will go back home
and report to duty tomorrow morning.
-Yes, sir.
-[Major B.] Understood?
-Yes, sir.
-Yes, sir.
Officer Hudson, come stand right here.
Officer Washington.
Officer McDaniel.
Officer Miloki.
Officer Lee.
You are no longer guards.
You are now inmates.
[music intensifies]
[Chris Lee] I didn't expect
to see both sides of the field
as a guard and as an inmate.
It definitely is gonna mix up
the experiment.
-[door closes]
-Hudson was so pissed.
You got some shit to look forward to
in here, bro.
I could-- I could see them
planting in real guards to come in here.
There's gonna be something
that makes it tougher.
Yo, listen. If I become a guard
and they make me do some craziness,
just know I ain't mean to do it.
[man] It could be anyone, man.
If it's three of us that switch out,
who do you think is most likely?
[Lee] So now we're officially
at phase three of the experiment.
Role reversal.
This was a planned event to do
this role reversal phase at day seven.
And what I love
is we've had enough time now
to see these hierarchies get established,
and now this role reversal
is going to be like dropping a bomb
into those hierarchies.
Here's the part that I'm excited about.
We're talking about a seismic shift.
There's so many things that could happen.
[Lee] For the first time, we're gonna see
the heart of the experiment.
Those who had power
are having power taken away.
Those who are powerless are given power.
And what do you do with that power?
They're gonna find out soon enough.
[exhales sharply]
Hey, hey, hey.
[sighs]
[producer] All right.
What would you be like as a guard?
[cell doors slamming]
[dramatic music playing]
-[machine beeps]
-[Gaona] Hello.
[Chris Lee] Morning.
[Berens] You guys look, like,
really exhausted today.
Did you guys pick a head guard?
We did.
-[Berens] Oh, okay.
-Officer Gaona.
'Tis I.
-[Berens] Nice.
-Yeah.
And then we got… Our trustee is 878.
[dramatic music playing]
[Berens] 87--
Wait. Your trustee? What?
-Yeah, what about him?
-He's our trustee.
-Really?
-[Gaona] Mm-hmm.
-[McDaniel] Mm-hmm.
-[Washington] Brendan?
[Berens] I was surprised
that Officer Gaona was elected,
because I thought for sure
it would be Officer Lee for head guard.
But the one thing
I am shocked by is their trustee.
On the ground, double time,
get out of your cells!
[Jefferson] Come out of your cell now!
They're in raid gear.
[Berens] The night shift said
he was the one
who pushed back during the riot.
-[Chris Lee] 878! Come on!
-[Jefferson] Hey!
How'd you guys come up with that one?
He's an outcast,
and I think he needed some purpose.
Isn't that rewarding, like, bad behavior?
Like, you just flipped out,
and now you get the trustee?
And it switched him up really quick.
Immediately.
He was immediately part of the group.
Is this gonna pull him out of the mindset
of doing the things he was doing
and trying to rile everyone up?
I don't know.
But he just did something,
and you just rewarded him.
[Hudson] Come on, Mama Bear.
It feels like the night shift's
gonna be the night shift,
and the day shift's gonna be
the day shift.
All right.
It's so interesting. [laughs]
[tense, dramatic music playing]
-The guards don't have any control.
-[Cook] They have nothing.
They need us
to make the experiment possible.
But it's getting everyone
to understand that, that is the problem.
-It's like, stay real.
-[Hardey] Yeah.
[Cook] The key, I think, is that
you're a fucking trustee.
-[Hardey] Yeah.
-[Cook] That's key.
I'm ready to use my position as trustee,
um, as an advantage.
We almost got to, like, win
one individual battle with every person.
I think it's an opportunity
to change things
and see the loopholes in the system.
If we have, like,
a third of the people on our side,
who's to say that we can't change
the rules of the experiment?
We can't change the food we eat?
We can't change everything?
-Who's to say that?
-Yeah.
-We… We really could.
-We could.
-We really could.
-We could change everything.
Everything.
[dramatic music playing]
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[Brooks] We're still in phase two
of the experiment,
focused on hierarchy.
So far, we've seen Chet and Kiana
step into head guard roles,
and they've each selected
an inmate to act as trustee.
[Lee] What stands out to me is
how differently
they've made those choices.
Chet in the day shift chose Derrick,
a model inmate who follows the rules.
Kiana, on the other hand, chose Brendan,
someone with a track record
of pushing back against authority,
alongside his fellow inmates,
Pete and Jeff.
[Cantrell] Now, commissary
is about to be introduced.
Commissary is the store for these guys.
It's the things for comfort.
The inmates each receive $20
and place their orders ahead of time.
[Washington] 768.
-Thank you.
-[Washington] All right.
Twelve packs of ramen
and a Bible. [laughs]
-As God intended.
-[Jensen chuckles]
Thank you. Thank you.
Hell yeah about this coffee.
Got salt and pepper shakers
to pass around for the boys.
I want to spread it on the floor
and just do a snow angel in my… [laughs]
I forgot a bowl.
[Correra] OM… That is a big-ass hair gel.
You just made an Italian happy.
[Cantrell] Look at Michael.
-Michael! Look at that hair.
-[Cantrell] Got some gel in his hair.
Couldn't wait.
Commissary is so meaningful
because, once you have it,
it is going to be very painful to lose it.
I don't want to get in trouble.
What if I lose my commissary?
This is huge to them.
It's the little pieces of pleasure
that they have, right?
These guys just got their commissary.
They're feeling very comfortable.
But at the same time, Pete and Brendan
are pushing back against the experiment.
-This can play out in a lot of ways.
-Yeah.
-What are they gonna do?
-Yeah.
[mellow guitar music plays]
[Hublitz] Is there any part of you
that is also a part of Pete…
[laughs] …like wants to do…
Test the boundaries
a little bit of the experiment?
The goal is to finish
as comfortably as possible.
[Hublitz] Yeah.
[Jensen] And confrontation
or going against the grain is typically…
I've learned for it to be, like,
the last resort.
And I'd rather just conversate about it,
settle it and be done with it.
-So I'm doing that here as well.
-Yeah.
[Zaremba] Dude, that's spooky.
I'm seeing zombies
walking around right now.
They're actually convinced
they're real prisoners. Like, look!
[Cook] I agree.
[Hardey] Yeah, everybody's buddy-buddy.
We're here playing pretend jail.
But, like, I don't know
what's fun about pretend jail.
I don't know what's fun
about putting his face on the ground.
Let's make a pact,
no more face on the ground.
-No matter what.
-Deal.
[Hardey] You guys can play
prison simulation. I'm all set.
There's a big majority
all for cruising this to the end,
not doing shit.
I'll tell you right now, like, just, uh…
I'm about to have some fun.
[laughing]
[Zaremba] With the riot drill,
me, Jeff and Brendan think
that the guards took it way too far.
So I'm poking everyone with a stick.
We can band together as a group
and just say no
and switch the power dynamics.
But right now, the majority in there,
they're so almost brainwashed.
And that's dangerous
because with the power
that these head guards have
over the group,
who knows where they could take that?
My girl gave me the green light.
She said, "Stay scheming out there."
Uh-oh. That's like
telling "go-tango" to a jet fighter.
"Stay scheming in there."
[sentimental music playing]
[Cook] I'm a… What do they say?
I'm a bird that's not meant to be caged.
But here I am.
I literally signed up to put myself
in a prison for two weeks.
So, cuckoo!
[guard] Look straight ahead. Hold still.
[camera shutter clicks]
My name is Jeff, I'm 36 years old,
and I live in Scottsdale, Arizona.
I grew up on a small farm, um,
in central Illinois.
I'm a little bit of a lone wolf.
My relationship with power,
I think, goes on both sides.
I've been an owner of my own company.
So, it is important.
But I also have been
in situations in my life
where I've had no power at all.
Drugs, alcohol.
I've definitely been powerless, uh,
that's for sure. Um…
I don't… I don't…
I don't like it a lot, so… [chuckles]
I think that's why
Brendan and Pete and I are close.
-[laughing] You've ruined our experience!
-[Hardey] Bro! Just get in the cell.
[Cook] We're all willing
to challenge authority.
-[Hardey] Mason.
-[Zaremba laughs]
[Cook] We just need a few more people.
Next time, if they try to come
and tell us put our face on the ground
for some stupid-ass prison drill,
are you gonna go in your cell like us?
We're not doing it.
We've gotta start pushing back a little.
And then we'll find out who has the power.
-You down for a little pushback?
-[laughing] I don't know, man.
[Zaremba] Ah, okay.
[exclaims playfully]
[dramatic music playing]
-[Hardey] Hoop me.
-[Cook] Ready?
[Terry] Last night, they picked a trustee.
They picked Brendan.
-878.
-[Berens] Yeah. They told us.
-I was pissed.
-[Berens] Why?
Why do you reward the troublemaker, bro?
878 being a trustee really needs
to be watched a little bit closer
and just paid more attention because
a lot of the inmates don't like it.
They've expressed
that 878 is a disrespectful person.
He definitely had night shift fooled,
but he's definitely not fooled us.
So he'd better watch out.
Did you talk to the guards
about how you felt?
No, I was… I had to process it first.
-We're going to see how it unfolds.
-[Terry] I'm gonna trust the process.
But I found something
that irritated me, bro.
-Rewarding bad behavior fucks me up.
-Yeah.
Hey, that's good.
First step is learning, recognizing it.
[Terry] Golly!
[camera whirring]
[Terry] You okay?
You seem out of it.
Y'all had some good conversation,
it looked like.
[Zaremba] Yeah, we were chillin',
just setting a boundary.
If they do face on the floor again,
we're not going to do it.
-You talking about Brendan and them?
-[Zaremba] Yeah, I'm telling you.
As a trustee?
[Zaremba] Yeah.
I'm just telling you, bro.
I don't want you to be mad at me,
but no more face on the floor.
We didn't do nothing wrong.
All right.
I appreciate you.
-Yeah, I'm telling you.
-I appreciate you.
But maybe they won't even
have us do it again.
Sure, sure.
He's not happy.
Pete wants to give pushback
to the officers.
Why? I don't know.
He's a good kid,
but he's just a little immature.
[Terry] Hey! No, hey. I gotta
tell you something for real, though.
Pete just said if they do
another face on the ground,
that we're not getting on the ground.
As a Black man in America,
I've learned that,
if you deny and disobey,
it usually turns
into an "accidental" shooting.
I'm not saying I would die here,
but that is a way
that I'm reacting to these guards,
is I'm not trying
to have problems with no one.
-As a trustee, though, bro?
-I don't think he'll punish everybody.
He's gonna lose trustee.
They're gonna be on lockdown.
-That's what it's gonna be.
-I hope so, but what if it doesn't?
I'll just tell you guys straight up,
because you deserve that.
If they do another face down
on the floor, handcuffs,
a few of us are just gonna say no.
That's your decision.
[Padilla] We just got commissary.
Now, what if they take that away?
Okay, then. Too bad. So sad, man.
No. What about phone time?
What if they take that away?
You're taking your loved ones' stuff
away from people.
We want to coast more, but eventually,
we gotta switch variables to test things.
-[Eldridge] Don't put me in that.
-We'll get back to you.
Jesus Christ! I thought we were past this.
-[alarm sounds]
-Come on, y'all. Lockdown. Lockdown.
[Hudson] All right, guys.
We gotta make relief.
-Toodle-oo.
-Come on. See you.
[Berens] Yeah.
-See you.
-Have a good one. Sleep tight.
-Yep. Bye-bye.
-[Pierce] Bye-bye.
Toodle-oo. [chuckles] Toodle-oo.
Waitin' on my celly. He's getting noodles.
[Berens] Do I need to know anything,
or are we good?
-What? Oh, I can't come in your cell.
-[Eldridge] I gotcha, but…
Their whole thing is
next time they give us a drill,
they're not gonna do it.
They're not listening
to what the guards say.
-We're like, 'Why do you wanna make this…"
-Who said that?
[Eldridge] 975, 976, and 878.
Their whole game plan
is rebel, rebel, rebel.
If anybody does any dumb shit,
I'm not a part of it.
And it's just… It doesn't…
It's so stupid.
Like day 13, maybe we might hear you.
But when the guards say do something,
you do it every fucking time.
-Yeah.
-They wanna give y'all hell.
[Hudson] Just as much as y'all
are being open and honest,
I'll be open and honest with y'all too.
I don't like being a dick.
-I don't ever want to be a dick.
-Sure.
But if something pops off,
and I'm a fucking asshole…
-And gone past being a dick…
-It's stupid.
Just know that's why.
Trust me. It's literally just those three.
Nobody else wants in.
Yeah. So we'll see.
If you're feelin' froggy, jump, bitch.
-That's all I know to say.
-I told 'em quit chattin' about it.
It was a great day. See y'all tomorrow.
-Bye, guys. Good night.
-Y'all have a good night.
[tense, dramatic music playing]
-[Gaona] Hey.
-[Chris Lee] Hey, what's up?
-All right. Are you guys ready?
-Howdy.
There is some intel
about some potential problems.
[Berens] So, our trustee, 030,
said 878, 976 and 975 keep talking
about rebellion,
and going against--
-Our trustee.
-975, 878 and 976?
[Hudson] 878 is big-time plotting.
-Yeah.
-[all] No way!
[Berens] I said, "What are they saying?"
He goes, "Just going against you."
"If there's another riot,
we're not gonna do it."
"We don't have to do what the guards say."
[Hudson] My opinion on it?
Doing the trustee thing with him
was because he was in down spirits, right?
That was a way to boost his morale
and give him a turnaround.
But my logic on that is, it's like,
you got two kids in the back seat.
One of them's causing a ruckus
and causing hell.
The other's minding his own business.
You give this one a sucker
to be quiet, right?
They're not kids, though.
They are grown-ass adults.
But you rewarded bad behavior
is my thought process.
I don't think it was a reward.
It was like, "Here's your opportunity
to show that you're more than that."
But I'm just saying,
it really bothered the other inmates.
It brought their morale down,
and it made them upset.
And this dude ain't changed a bit.
Now as a trustee, he's getting
other people in on the plot.
[McDaniel] That's good to know. Yeah.
I feel really disappointed.
I really did believe in 878.
And I really wanted to give him
the opportunity to step up as the trustee.
You know, he came up and told me
that he wouldn't let us down,
and for a minute, like, I thought
that I made the best choice.
But he was conspiring with 975.
It's disheartening.
[indistinct chatter]
-I'm surprised by 976.
-[Gaona] Me, too.
[McDaniel] We were just talking
about how he's a nice guy.
But 975 always been the rebellion, and…
-[Chris Lee] We know that.
-[McDaniel] We'll pull him to the side.
-Okay?
-All right.
-Appreciate it.
-See you guys in the morning.
-[Chris Lee] See ya.
-[all] Bye.
-[Hudson] Good luck.
-[Jefferson] Mm-hmm. [giggles]
So are we thinking individual punishments
for if they do some shit?
I don't think
we have to make that decision now.
I think we just need
to address the situation at first
and give some stern warning to 878.
I wanted to support Kiana and her decision
to make 878 the trustee,
even though I frankly wasn't quite ready
to rock and roll with it.
As a trustee, you're a leader.
If you don't want to be a leader,
we're happy to revoke.
And, of course,
he just went right back to his old ways.
I wanted to come in with something fun.
Dang it!
Um, it doesn't reflect well
on the night shift.
This really surprises me with Jeff.
I don't think anything's going on there.
This guy is so respectful.
He's very respectful.
So caring. I think that's just
a misinterpretation of 030, frankly.
-We can talk to 878, but…
-[McDaniel] 976.
I don't think we need to talk to…
And I think 975 just needs
to be told he's on thin ice.
Go night shift. Go night shift!
[all exclaiming playfully]
-[Jefferson giggles]
-[alarm sounds]
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[Chris Lee] Good evening!
Welcome to the night shift!
Hey-o!
878, real quick, we need to talk to you.
[camera whirring]
-How's it been going?
-Good.
Cool.
So, in our shift change,
they were letting us know
they were having a little issues with you.
-AM was?
-[Chris Lee] Mm-hmm.
[tense music playing]
Um…
I'm not sure what that would be.
Nobody said anything to me, at least.
Okay. Our understanding is that
you've been trying to cause a little rile
with guys. Is that not true?
Mmm. I wouldn't say so, no.
It's pretty obvious
that some guys are snitching,
and I'm pretty frustrated about it.
I mean, obviously,
if we're selecting you as our trustee,
and then we're hearing
from the other prisoners that,
"This guy's trying to stir the pot…"
[McDaniel] Looks bad on us.
Looks really bad on us. We actually lose
the trust of everybody else.
Right, right.
By trusting the guy that's,
you know, stirring the pot.
It's frustrating.
[Hardey] Right now, obviously,
all the guards are very convinced
that they definitely have power
and authority over us, but, uh…
I'm tired of their shit.
[Chris Lee] That's the challenge now.
We need you to get that respect.
They don't need to love you,
but they need to know
that you're not conspiring against them.
Right.
Have the group's best interests, you know.
Yeah. I think I do.
[Hardey] At some point, the guards
are gonna abuse their power,
whether we push back or not.
And I don't know.
I just can't help but think, like,
at the end of this experiment,
people are going to feel basically ashamed
if we don't do something about it.
Anyways, that's where we're at.
I guess
we'll just have to work very quickly.
-That fair?
-Yeah.
-All right?
-Yeah. Appreciate you.
-All right.
-Yeah, appreciate you, man.
-Appreciate it. Thank you.
-All right.
-You're in three?
-Yeah.
-Then, we haven't talked to 975, right?
-[Gaona] Nah.
I'm going to come see you, bro,
when we're out, I swear.
I'm excited.
[McDaniel] Can you step out here quick?
[Chris Lee] Real quick.
-Yep.
-You're good. You're good. Um…
Just so you know,
you are on thin ice across the board.
-Gotcha.
-[Chris Lee] So mind your P's and Q's.
-We want to have good respect.
-Yeah.
I just said I'm not gonna put my face
on the ground anymore.
We didn't do anything, and that's fair.
'Cause at the end of the day,
we're not real--
-[Chris Lee] You signed up for this.
-We all chose to be here.
We all chose to be here. Exactly.
I'm playing my part, going in my cell.
But if I go to the floor, face down again,
I'm not gonna do it.
[Chris Lee] Just know,
different consequences will be enacted
if you continue to act such a way.
-Gotcha. Sure.
-All right?
-All right. Thanks.
-[Zaremba] Sir.
-It's clear to him, right?
-[McDaniel] Yeah.
[Chris Lee] Bed checks!
Dinnertime!
-[McDaniel] You can come out, do dinner.
-[Hardey] Yeah. Of course.
-There we are.
-[Chris Lee] Grab cups.
-[McDaniel] Man, that one sticks.
-[man] Here we go.
It's weird how people deal with authority
very different from each other.
-Like us, as inmates?
-Yeah.
Just like you compared
to Jeff or Brendan, right? Like…
All this conforming
really set him off, but it's like…
I think it's an ego…
I think it is, like, an ego…
You think it's an ego thing, right?
I think this experiment
is different for everybody.
My goal, and a lot of other
people's goal, is to make it 14 days.
It seems like some people are trying
to get something out of the experiment
by, you know, being more confrontational,
and that's okay.
That's your journey.
But not everyone's gonna feel the same.
Like, again, if you had an end goal,
what's the end goal of resisting?
-You're just gonna get more…
-You're just in the hole.
[Zaremba] Something's about to go down
right now.
[Faussette] My boy Brendan's
getting fed up with the shit.
He's kinda really
foot on the gas right now.
-[Faussette, indistinct]
-Yeah.
This is all just a game.
We're eating this.
This is part of the game.
We don't have to be eating this.
Your six o'clock.
[Hardey] So why are we letting them
tell us what to do?
Why not try to take control of it first?
Because we have numbers.
Well, I've been kind of sparking
a little mini rebellion but nothing crazy.
-[Faussette laughs]
-Just a little pushback.
We'll be able to leave our cells
whenever we want.
We'll be able to go outside
whenever we want.
We'll be able to shower whenever we want.
You are subjected to it.
-That doesn't mean because you're silent--
-[shushing]
[Hardey] I hear you. I hear you.
-A lot of chatter happening tonight.
-Mm-hmm.
I'm having second thoughts about 878.
-[Chris Lee] About him being--
-Trustee, yeah.
So I've been just kind of looking for…
A reason?
A reason, and for a replacement.
Who is somebody
that is liked by the majority?
Uh, Flacco. Joe Flacco.
-Do you know who we're talking about?
-[McDaniel] What about him?
-That he would make a great trustee.
-I think so, too.
I think so, too.
[Zaremba] They came up to me like,
"You're on thin ice."
I was like, "Bro, what?
I didn't even do anything."
Free speech? What the hell?
[McDaniel] Even after pulling them aside,
they tried to recruit people
to cause issues.
Definitely pissed all of us off.
[Zaremba] Whoo, Officer G.
Why are you guys being mean today?
What's your problem?
[laughs in disbelief] What's my problem?
Yeah, what's your guys' problem?
Nothin', man.
Nothin'.
-He said, "What's y'all's problem today?"
-[McDaniel] Who? 975?
[Gaona] He said to me,
"What's your problem?"
[McDaniel] Because he's not doing
what he's fucking told?
I do feel disrespected in the pod.
What's my problem?
What are we doing?
I'm like, "Please try."
Oh, yeah. If they want to.
We got ways to take care of it.
I'm not a doormat.
I have to defend myself,
and I'm just not going to let
disrespect go without consequences.
They rile each other up in the worst way.
-[insects chirping]
-[tense, dramatic music playing]
[McDaniel] You need to cheer up.
You're bringing it down.
I am tired. Wait, I'm confused.
What do you mean?
You seem down in the dumps.
I am hanging out.
Good old Pete, man. Pete?
-Man, he had some attitude, dude.
-Bro, he is so…
-975 and 878 were…
-[Chris Lee] Conspiring?
-All night. All night.
-[Chris Lee] Oh, yeah.
Those guys just want to stir it
and make it negative.
[McDaniel] Even after we've had talks
with them,
they continue to try
to turn the whole group.
-We don't need that.
-Yeah, I agree.
That's a negative energy we don't need.
Let me get this straight.
So they think I'm not gonna do anything?
-[McDaniel] Us.
-We.
They don't think we're gonna do shit.
Because we're nice.
Well, to be honest with you,
I kind of want to put them into 23 and 1.
23 and 1? For both?
Yeah.
They'd spend 23 hours a day in that cell?
Yank them out first thing in the morning.
Therefore, it's not like one guard group
against the other guard group type deal.
-Yeah, that we're, like, unified.
-[Chris Lee] Mm-hmm.
I'm down.
I think we should move both of them
together into cell 9. Tonight.
-[dramatic music playing]
-Right now?
Right now.
-Ooh!
-I do. It's easier to lock them up.
Then just don't let them out
in the morning?
Yeah, let's do this tonight.
If we're in agreement.
-Oh, for real?
-Yes, I'm for real.
[chuckling] All right, let's go.
-We're not telling them 23 and 1 now?
-[Chris Lee] Nope.
-We're saying you're sleeping together?
-[Gaona] Exactly.
All right, this is going to be fun.
-Let's go.
-Let's… Yeah.
Who's got the keys?
-Whoa.
-[Lee] Wow, that's strong.
23 and 1 means
23 hours locked in your cell,
one hour out just for a meal.
They had many other options
for punishments.
They could revoke phone privileges.
They can take away rec time.
They could have done
any amount of time locked up in your cell.
So to do 23 hours?
That… It feels very extreme.
Being locked down for that amount of time
is usually reserved in jail
and prison for violence, right?
Where you have to separate someone
to keep people safe.
Not just smarting off.
[Brooks] Yeah.
[snoring]
[Lee] It almost felt personal.
Like she felt betrayed.
And you saw the little spark in her eyes.
Like, whoa, Kiana?
This is Kiana?
The nice Christian girl who is here
to lead with compassion?
-So nine down to seven, yeah?
-Yep.
I think there was a lot going on
psychologically for Kiana here.
Hey, Mike.
You want to pack your stuff?
I think she feels betrayed by Brendan
because she handpicked him.
She was trying to help him.
[Gaona] Come on, man. Let's go. Come on.
-You got everything?
-I think so.
And now she feels betrayed,
like he's acting out
after she chose him for this.
They just took Mike
out of his room and put him downstairs.
And at the same time,
Chris Lee is continuing to act
like camp counselor
and sort of being the loud,
more blustery style of leader.
[Chris Lee] Thanks, guys.
You'll understand after tomorrow.
[man] I think that is Brendan.
-[Correra] No way.
-[man] Yeah.
[Correra] What the fuck?
[Brooks] So, if we think about this
in terms of Kiana's leadership,
there's a lot going on here.
This was huge.
What's their move here? What's their move?
-What cell did you say?
-[McDaniel] Nine.
[Zaremba] Oh, no way!
[exclaims excitedly] My dog's coming.
-Ah! What's up? What's up?
-[Hardey] What up?
[Zaremba] What's up with this?
-[Hardey] Buddy bunk now, dude.
-[Zaremba] You get the bottom.
I think it was a guard move.
Because they heard
that I'd been conspiring. Against them.
So they put me and you together?
That's a terrible…
We're already in cahoots.
How much worse can it get?
[Zaremba laughs]
[dramatic music playing]
[Cantrell] Day six.
Still a long ways to go.
When that original experiment ended
on day six, yeah?
[Cantrell] That was the day
everything changed.
This is an eventful day.
The original Stanford experiment
only lasted 6 of the 14 planned days
before it was shut down
due to abusive guard behavior
and severe distress on the inmates.
Obviously, the original experiment
got way more out of hand.
But I think it's safe to say the uniform
and the power that comes with it
or the lack of power from not having
that uniform can change people.
-[Berens] Morning.
-Howdy.
How are y'all?
-[Chris Lee] Come bearing breakfast?
-Yeah.
I'm gonna let y'all know.
It's colder than a witch's titty outside.
-[Washington] Yeah.
-[all laugh]
So we gotta team up real quick.
We're gonna go down all together, I think.
Sounds like it got spicy.
-It got a little spicy.
-[Chris Lee] Mainly with our boys.
Teach and Lone Wolf.
[McDaniel] They're still conspiring
after we pulled them aside.
So we're like, fuck that.
They're locked down for 23 and 1.
Let them rot in there.
Oh, I love it. I love it.
These guys have never punished anybody.
And now all of a sudden, you're gonna
go throw somebody into 23 and 1?
That's a pretty big consequence.
They only get out for one hour
of pod time the whole time.
Yes.
I feel like we'll keep them in there
until they decide they wanna,
you know, play by our rules.
[Hudson] Sweet little Gaona
making this decision.
For the first time, saw that
they have to imply some authority.
And it was so awesome, really,
to see that they're finally getting
the bigger picture.
So you guys heard them talking about it?
We saw them talk with the other guys.
They were like making rounds. Like…
I honestly didn't think
that I'd be walking into a 23 and 1
lockdown situation.
That's a horrible punishment.
I've thought about how that would be
if I had to go into solitary confinement
for 23 hours.
Oh my gosh, you know?
Okay, so they ended up
sleeping tonight in the cell.
Usually I would want to start toward
the top of the list, which is like,
no phone, no commissary,
and work my way down.
But knowing that, like,
all of them were in that agreement,
all right, that's what it is.
And their 23 and 1 punishment starts at…
We're gonna walk into their cell
and let 'em know now.
-[Hudson] All right.
-We're gonna go in together.
-Well, let's go do it.
-[Washington] Let's do it. United.
[tense music playing]
[man] Oh, shit.
[Eldridge] I knew this was happening.
[McDaniel] We'll share
the responsibilities while we're together.
How are we feeling?
Sleep good?
[Zaremba] Ah! What the heck?
Letting you guys know that we are
locking you guys down for 23 hours.
[Zaremba] Oh, come on.
So, 878, you are no longer the trustee.
And you guys know why?
-[McDaniel] We talked to you yesterday.
-[Washington] Conspiring.
[Hardey] Realistically, what did we do?
Just talk.
-[Chris Lee] Talked yesterday…
-We didn't do anything. Freedom of speech.
[Washington] Hey, come up.
Get out of your bed, man. Come on.
-Get out of your bed. Stand up.
-[Zaremba] For what?
-[Hudson] 'Cause he said so.
-[Washington] We're talking to you.
You guys are letting the badge
get to your head, fellas.
[Hudson] This will give you plenty time
to think about a change of attitude.
A little bit abuse of power, no?
Why are we still talking to them?
23 and 1, bye. That's it.
[Hardey] Hope you feel good.
That's wild.
[Zaremba] "Conspiring."
[Hardey] Why did they just come
with eight guards like we'd fight them?
-[Zaremba yawns]
-That's insane, dude. They're fucked.
[Zaremba sighs sleepily]
[indistinct chatter]
Hey, if everyone could come to their door.
We just got a quick announcement.
Thank you. Good morning. Good morning.
As you noticed, a couple things
that have transpired during the evening.
Cell 9 is now on 23 and 1 lockdown.
[tense music playing]
[Eldridge] Yeah, I went to the guards
about 878 and 975
because I'm not about to let somebody
else make my last eight days hell in here.
Wack!
Who said that?
We're about to make it two days
if he keeps hollering.
Wack as fuck!
[Eldridge] Being trustee,
I built a good relationship
in here with these guards.
And they're like…
100% it was something
that they needed to know.
So, you can call me a snitch.
I don't give a flying fuck.
I don't care. I'm standing on what I said.
I stand on what I did.
And I'll do it again.
With that, 878 has been removed
as the trustee,
and we have chosen…
Where is he at?
078, Joe Flacco.
[inmates applaud and cheer]
I've seen Brendan
get a little bit defiant at times
and, um, very reactive.
And so, this punishment is possibly
a really good learning experience for him.
We just got one of the worst
punishments for, what, talking?
And nobody…
-[Zaremba] Cares.
-Nobody cares.
[Hublitz] I didn't want it
to happen like this,
but it's a good feeling,
and it makes me want
to do right by the guards.
[Paramore] I think the guards lost it.
I definitely think that those guys
earned a punishment.
But not like that.
We would ask
that you would respect by not going
and talking to them through their door,
banging on their window,
or anything of the like.
[Paramore] These guys wanna be in charge,
and they're asserting their dominance
just because they overheard
a conversation and overreacted.
[sighs]
I'm upset about that.
[Chris Lee] Just wanted to let you guys
know where we're at.
Please continue to show these guys
much love and respect.
Appreciate you all.
[man] Night-night time.
[Chris Lee] Night-night, dude.
I don't like the 23 and 1.
I'm just gonna tell you that right now.
That's where it crossed the line for me.
-I hear that, but people--
-[Cook] There's no but.
-[Eldridge] There is a but.
-There is no but here.
There is, because you can't do shit
to get yourself put into 23 and 1.
That's the thing. If you're doing things,
you have to expect consequences.
That's where me and you disagree.
I have a line.
And that line is, like,
23 and 1 in solitary confinement.
I don't think we all feel that way.
I think
that those two things are pretty crazy.
But they disrespected the guards.
You say your line is respect.
It's respect both ways.
-It's respect both ways.
-We respect each other.
-It's respect both ways.
-We have to respect the guards.
If they put you in that guard position
and we're saying, "Fuck you,"
and doing all that,
you would just let us be?
Yeah.
I can't think of like…
Like that 23 and 1,
like, you really have to do
some crazy stuff to go in there.
-Do you want me to…
-Snacks.
-[Cook] …give those guys their food or--
-[Hudson] Who?
-No.
-Okay, got it.
No, them… Y'all are all gonna pretend
they don't exist.
Okay.
I'm a man of integrity.
I'm a man of character.
And I just, you know… But I am curious.
Like, what started this?
I must have been asleep.
So I'm trying to gather
some more information
because something
isn't making sense to me.
They told all of the night crew,
"We're going to do what we want."
"This ain't a real prison.
You got no authority over us."
"We're not real inmates."
It was an injustice.
I got a problem with that.
And I think there's other individuals
that would agree with me.
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[inaudible]
Jeff is… Jeff is mouthing to me.
-"I got you."
-[Zaremba laughs]
I don't know what he means by that, but…
[Ellenburg] Brendan, Pete and Jeff,
all three had kinda talked about
messing with the guards.
They had just kinda talked about it.
They didn't really mess with anybody.
They just talked about it.
And Brendan and Pete
were given a 23 and 1 for that.
[Zaremba, indistinct]
-[Hardey chuckles] Who gave that to…?
-[Zaremba laughs]
Yeah, I mean, there's unfair balances
of power around us every day
and so I shouldn't expect it
to be any different in here.
It says, "Hang in there, boys."
[Ellenburg] I know
if I think something's unfair,
I'm not just gonna stand by.
[Zaremba] Oh, that was nice. That was, uh…
Man, I'm gonna keep this forever.
[Hardey] Keep that.
[tense, dramatic music playing]
[Zaremba] It's cold in here.
-You'll be all right, bro.
-Yeah, we'll be all right. Just sucks.
It's just like,
what are we doing here, bro?
[tense, dramatic music continues]
Is it not dumb how everybody's
just in here like playing pretend jail,
but, like, safe fairyland jail?
23 and 1…
for questioning authority.
I've been the only one thinking,
guys, we're not real prisoners.
Why don't we say no
to something we don't want to do?
Haven't you guys ever heard
the right to petition?
And it just hit me, like,
I don't have the right to petition.
I guess I really am a prisoner in here.
I need to get back
to being productive and doing stuff.
I'm just rotting away.
I think it's silly
that we're sitting there
playing paper airplanes
when real people
playing the real-life roles
that we're simulating
would love an opportunity
to change things if given the chance.
I don't know.
I'm trying to hold it together.
[shouting in distance]
I'm going to talk real quick.
Tell 975 and 878 to come eat while I talk.
Okay, that's cool.
-All right, you ready for lunch?
-Yeah.
Morning, boys.
All right. I'm gonna say
a few things real quick.
We're going to go over some rules.
[sighs heavily] What's been up, boys?
-What's up, man? How you feeling?
-Good.
[Zaremba] Officer Hudson lets me out
for my one hour out.
And from a sociological standpoint,
it's almost like
he felt he was rewarding me…
I guess.
I'm just like whatever at this point.
Being in 23 and 1,
I definitely am starting
to lose it a little bit.
And I realize
if you go against the majority in here,
they make you feel like
you are a mass murderer.
It's mentally draining.
878, we got you some food right here.
I'm going to do some talking right now.
So come hang out with us and eat.
You want to grab your shirt?
-Um… Yeah, get your shirt.
-[Hardey] You gonna give me more time?
[Hudson] Huh?
You gonna give me more time
if I don't put my shirt on?
-[Berens] Yes.
-Yeah.
[Hudson] You know the rules.
-Just put the shirt on.
-[Hudson] All right.
-Someone doesn't learn.
-[Hudson] Anyways…
I'm not a real prisoner,
and it's an experiment.
I'm not anyone's bitch, no.
We're about halfway in on this,
so this is just
kind of a refresher for everybody.
We got certain rules that we enforce,
and that's just part of it.
[Hardey] I don't know.
I, uh…
I can only do so much, and…
there's only so much I'll put up with.
No swearing,
and I'm going to reiterate that.
No yelling. It's loud in here, right?
So, if we all start hooting and hollering,
it'll cause chaos.
[Miloki] Are you not eating?
[Hardey] Yeah, I'm not eating that.
[Miloki] Okay.
[Washington] 975.
Yeah, I'll see you in a bit.
A little Bible action?
-Yes, sir.
-I'm gonna get it going, too.
What's the word, brother?
[Hardey] This ain't right, bro.
This ain't right.
No, it's not.
-[insects chirping]
-[gentle music playing]
[Hardey] The P.M. shift
is about to pull up.
Good evening!
[man] Good evening.
[Hardey] I wonder what type
of lame announcement Officer Lee got.
[Chris Lee] Come take a seat.
Schedule for the night.
We got dinner at 7:00,
and then we're going to do
a motivational thought.
Yeah, bro, I couldn't
do another day of this.
[Zaremba] Really?
I simply cannot, as a free man,
allow myself to be in the mindset
of somebody who's not.
It's been a battle since day one.
This ain't right. Like, I don't feel good.
I think I've decided what I'm gonna do.
I'm out of here.
-Really?
-Yeah.
-He say, "I'm done"?
-[Lee] Yeah.
Stick it out the whole time, dude.
Bro, I have no reason to, bro.
-He's leaving.
-[Brooks] Mm-hmm.
All right, get me out of here.
Good evening.
-Sure you wanna go?
-[Hardey] Yeah, pretty solid.
-Pretty set.
-[Chris Lee] All right.
I have no words anymore.
-[Hardey] Hang in there, boys.
-[Zaremba] Hang in there, boys.
[tense music playing]
He doesn't know about this other part.
It's happening tomorrow.
[Brooks] Right. He doesn't know
what we have planned for him,
but I just wonder if that would make him
feel like it's worth it to stay.
[Lee] Right.
[dramatic music playing]
Am I able to call anybody?
[producer] Who do you wanna call?
[Hardey] Possibly my mom.
[phone line ringing]
Mother?
Hey, how are ya?
I'm all right.
I'm in county jail in Georgia.
I'm listening.
[Hardey] I guess I'm kind of calling you
for your two cents,
because I'm thinking about leaving.
Okay.
[Hardey] And I'm hoping to have
a more clear answer of why I should stay.
Sure.
Basically, I'm at a point now
where I am defying certain rules
and certain guidelines
that I think are not necessary.
It's prison, Brendan.
So you can try to buck the system.
And then you're gonna
suffer the consequences.
Or you can follow the rules,
get out for good behavior,
and leave it at that.
My feeling is, Brendan,
I think that you can do it.
You've made it through six days already.
I mean, it would just be another thing
that you did not complete.
And then how are you going to feel
about that at the end of the day?
[laughing] I shouldn't have called her.
I shouldn't have called you, Mom.
Oh, my God!
I was so ready to go.
All right. All right, I'll let you be.
I guess you'll, you'll find out
whether you hear from me.
I did. I'm glad I heard from you.
I was curious.
-All right, love you. Be safe.
-Thank you, love you. Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
[sighs heavily]
[Chris Lee] A couple of things. Um, one…
So, 878 gone.
Okay?
And when somebody is acting
against the group as a whole,
it is really important
that we keep the mind pure and clean
and just dialed in
because it's really easy
to forget our identities,
forget who we really are,
forget whatever else.
And so, what we're going to ask
is you open up and you share,
telling your story, getting deep on it.
I always say that the easiest way
to build trust is to be vulnerable, okay?
We have a talking stick.
One person talks at a time.
Everybody else listens. Sound good?
All right, so who's first?
-Hey!
-[McDaniel] Okay, this is perfect.
[Jensen] To have Brendan just leave,
I think it's just
very good for leadership.
It's good for having a community.
Um, what was it like growing up?
My father, he was there
whenever I fucked up in life.
-[Chris Lee] Hey!
-Okay, whenever I fricked up in life.
Look at his face! He really got you all…
[Jensen] The vibe of the pod
is a brotherhood,
and I think that Brendan
was getting in his head a little bit.
The scheming and trying
to recruit people for a rebellion,
what are we trying to accomplish?
Because we have respectful order
with these guards,
and we all get along, and…
it caused a decent divide,
but we were able
to remain as a brotherhood.
I'll take it from you.
I love telling my story, bro. Hell yeah.
-Shout-out to Big Mike, bro.
-[inmates applauding]
My childhood was…
My childhood was decent, man.
I don't have any complaints.
Like I said, my mom made us feel normal.
Everything about how…
From 8th grade to sophomore year,
I lost 150 pounds.
-[inmates cheer]
-[man] Good stuff.
[Hublitz] Then I moved
to Wilmington, North Carolina,
where I was, like, the first Jew
that anyone had ever met,
let alone been friends with…
Becoming a better person
is my goal for now,
and we'll see where that takes me.
Love it.
-Let's give 768 a two-clap.
-[inmates clap twice]
[Chris Lee] Appreciate it.
All right, captain says it's time
to round up for the night.
We're going to get
a good night's sleep tonight.
[dramatic music playing]
[keys jangling]
[buzzer sounding]
[keys jangling]
-[Washington] Morning.
-[man] Morning.
[Washington] Let's make our beds.
975 should be happy. He gets to get out.
I know.
Top of the morning.
[Zaremba] Morning. It's cold.
I know, huh? You is a free man.
[Zaremba] Yay! It's freezing, bro.
I'm proud of myself
for sticking out the 23 and 1
because I don't think
a lot of people would.
Brendan just straight-up left
because, uh, it wasn't worth it.
And I'm sad for how his journey ended
because he didn't do anything wrong.
Jefe.
-[Cook] Hey, Pete. How are you doing?
-[Zaremba] Hey!
-Morning, sexy. How are you?
-[Cook] Morning, brother. Doing good.
-[Correra] Morning, crusty crew.
-[Zaremba] Crusty crew.
[Correra] How you doing, brother?
Sleep good?
[Zaremba] I did.
I've been sleeping amazing.
In my cell, I realize that I'm not,
in this situation, a free man.
Even questioning,
if we can question authority,
almost like questioning a king or queen,
off with their head, I was locked up.
I understand why Brendan left. I get it.
Oh, yeah. And I told him, like,
everyone in here says
they're challenging themselves,
and I think, not gonna lie,
everyone's kind of taking the easy way out
by just eating, playing cards.
-I took the hard route.
-Yeah.
Speaking out was hard.
Getting a 23 and 1, that was hard.
I don't get mad very often,
but I am pissed off
at the guards and my fellow inmates
who didn't have my back.
The majority is so good
at making me feel like I am so wrong
about even asking questions,
so it's very frustrating.
Well, boys, 23 and 1 is complete.
Check it off the bucket list.
[man] Hey! You did it, dude!
I ain't going back, though.
Going forward,
we're going to see how it goes.
But at the end of the day,
karma's a bitch.
[dramatic music playing]
[camera whirring]
-[Chris Lee] What up, champs?
-What's going on?
Hey there.
-How are we?
-How y'all making out?
-[Jefferson] We're back, bitches!
-Hey there.
-We're back, bitches.
-Hi.
Hey. What up, Chetter?
-How are you, buddy?
-How are you?
I'm great. Better than I deserve.
-How was the day?
-[Washington] Good.
Everything was good, man. Not much to…
[man over PA system]
All guards, please report to the pod.
Oh, shit.
-Put your belt back on.
-All right!
-Yeah.
-[Jefferson] Y'all got to be kidding me.
Wait, what's happening?
I'm feeling very nervous.
Ready for some fun?
All right. All guards. All right.
Yeah.
Like, they fly in fresh fish
daily from Japan.
[laughing]
Just need to remember to relax.
[keys jangling]
-[man] Keys! Keys! Keys! Keys!
-[buzzer sounds]
[Padilla] What's going on?
-Uh, do we know what's going on?
-No.
[inmates] No.
[indistinct chatter]
-We already chatted, but big G.
-Good evening.
-[buzzer sounds]
-Good evening.
[Eldridge] Uh-oh.
Everyone sit down.
-Close the door.
-[Major B.] Get off the steps.
Uh, I was scared.
You know, the Major scares me. [laughs]
[tense, dramatic music playing]
Officer Gaona,
Officer Jefferson, Officer Berens,
you now are on the day shift.
You will go back home
and report to duty tomorrow morning.
-Yes, sir.
-[Major B.] Understood?
-Yes, sir.
-Yes, sir.
Officer Hudson, come stand right here.
Officer Washington.
Officer McDaniel.
Officer Miloki.
Officer Lee.
You are no longer guards.
You are now inmates.
[music intensifies]
[Chris Lee] I didn't expect
to see both sides of the field
as a guard and as an inmate.
It definitely is gonna mix up
the experiment.
-[door closes]
-Hudson was so pissed.
You got some shit to look forward to
in here, bro.
I could-- I could see them
planting in real guards to come in here.
There's gonna be something
that makes it tougher.
Yo, listen. If I become a guard
and they make me do some craziness,
just know I ain't mean to do it.
[man] It could be anyone, man.
If it's three of us that switch out,
who do you think is most likely?
[Lee] So now we're officially
at phase three of the experiment.
Role reversal.
This was a planned event to do
this role reversal phase at day seven.
And what I love
is we've had enough time now
to see these hierarchies get established,
and now this role reversal
is going to be like dropping a bomb
into those hierarchies.
Here's the part that I'm excited about.
We're talking about a seismic shift.
There's so many things that could happen.
[Lee] For the first time, we're gonna see
the heart of the experiment.
Those who had power
are having power taken away.
Those who are powerless are given power.
And what do you do with that power?
They're gonna find out soon enough.
[exhales sharply]
Hey, hey, hey.
[sighs]
[producer] All right.
What would you be like as a guard?
[cell doors slamming]
[dramatic music playing]