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How Scare Tactics Pulled Off That Panic-Inducing, Unexpectedly Romantic Finale Twist
Executive producer Elan Gale gives USA Insider the inside scoop on the finale's big twist.
Romance and horror don't usually go hand in hand, but that can't be said for the season finale of USA Network's Scare Tactics reboot. In Season 1, Episode 10, "Art of Darkness," the final prank, "Seancee," finds a new way to pull off a scare tactic: By pranking one of the actors with a surprise, on-screen proposal.
"That was a really tricky one and probably one of the most exciting pranks of the season for us," series executive producer Elan Gale told USA Insider, explaining that the idea came to life behind the scenes while the crew was hanging out on set.
RELATED: Witness the First Date from Hell End in a Bloody Prank on Scare Tactics (WATCH)
John Noble Barrack, the actor who proposed to his girlfriend, Emily, in the episode, had become a regular on the series after his commitment to the bit charmed the team in Episode 2, in which he appeared in the robot-A.I. prank.
"During lunch, he was telling us stories about [Emily] and their relationship and we were just spending time together and he was talking about that he was planning on getting engaged relatively soon," Gale explained. "And we were getting toward the end of the season, and I have a little bit of history making dating television."
(An understatement, as Gale created FBOY Island and was an executive producer on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and more. Scare Tactics EP Win Rosenfeld previously told USA Insider that Gale "probably understands the unscripted world better than anybody in the world.")
"We said, 'Oh, let’s get John and his real-life girlfriend together in a scene,' and, like everything in life, it was an off-handed comment," Gale said. "'Hey, what if you proposed to Emily not in front of family and friends but just like on a prank television show in a strip mall outside Atlanta? Doesn’t that sound fun?' And it did, I guess!"
Gale described the off-handed joke as "one of those jump-at-the-opportunity moments where we all said, 'Let’s try something crazy,'" and it worked out.
A surprise proposal in the Scare Tactics season finale
Fans know that the episode saw the typical prank setup — actors leading a prankster and a victim through a series of more and more unhinged moments — turn unexpectedly dark when the victim seemed to devolve into a full-on panic attack rather than bounce back with the usual laughs. Emily, who'd been working with John to perform the seance, dropped the act to step in and comfort the woman.
RELATED: This Scare Tactics Prankster Accidentally Unlocked Her Own Phobia with Epic Cat Prank
That's when the tables turned and John proposed to his very confused but ultimately overjoyed fiancée.
"Essentially we just did two different pranks on the day," Gale confirmed. "So we had an entire day set up with John and Emily working together as actors. And, I mean, I was terrified the whole time. I was so scared that I was going to say something and ruin it. I actually totally did. I actually said something and I got away with it but after that I was very vigilant.
"But I got a little, tiny sense of what the actors go through, which is you say one thing and worry about it," he continued. "But at the end of the day, this is 100 people plus who worked on the show and who worked together for two and a half months, day in and day out, and John was one of our favorite collaborators. When we brought it up to him, it was a crazy idea. I think he really fell in love with the concept. And we all just really had fun watching it happen. And there was a lot of joy and a lot of enthusiasm, probably more than any other day on set because it really felt like we did something really cool. We got to scare someone for just a minute, but then turn that into what was hopefully one of the more memorable, positive experiences of their lives."
RELATED: Scare Tactics' "Cursed Collection" Prankster Got Freaked Out By Her Own Setup
Gale also let us know that the pair's engagement party would be happening at the same time the finale episode aired, only adding to the significance!
"They’re so happy and we’re all such big fans," Gale said. "And hopefully, it’s our first of many Scare Tactics engagements. Who knows!
Scare Tactics is available to watch on USA Network and Peacock.
