Last year, the Red Bull Wrap Up was launched as a gaming and esports show. Each week, the hosts and guest would talk about the latest games, esports gossip, and more. Now in its second year, the Red Bull Wrap Up has turned more into a game show… about games! Hosted by gaming Red Bull player Stephanie ‘Hex” Bendixen, the shows is designed as a comedic take on all things gaming knowledge.
Red Bull Wrap Up for all your gaming knowledge
Whilst last year’s Red Bull Wrap Up was more geared towards general gaming banter and the latest news, 2022 is a little different. The pilot episodes, available on the Red Bull YouTube channel, debated trending topics and whether they were good or bad for the gaming community.
In this year’s iteration of the Red Bull Wrap Up, various guests are bought on the show to demonstrate their gaming knowledge. Fans are encouraged to tune in and test themselves against some of the biggest names in the Australian gaming industry. Special guests for episode one include comedian, actor and singer Jordan Raskopoulos, and former Channel V star Danny Clayton. Retro gamers, right through to modern day mages are encouraged to watch the game show as two teams battle it out for bragging rights.
The first episode of the show is already out, and Hex described it as “straight up chaos.”
Game show about game shows
Hex is one of the most well known faces in the Australian gaming community. She is the former host of ABC’s “Good Game” and has “adored games since [she] was a kid.” In the Red Bull Wrap Up, Hex says the points for questions answered don’t actually matter. This is because Hex gets to choose who gets points and why. This is where the chaos starts. She said by the end of the first episode her “face hurt from laughing.“
But whilst Hex has been the face of many shows, she said this one in particular is really fun. This is because “there’s nothing better than getting together with other gamers and just having a laugh and sharing stories about the thing we love most.” It’s a show designed purely for entertainment. Not just the entertainment of the viewers, but the people hosting the show too. Hex said it’s the “weird obsessions and pockets of weirdly-specific video game knowledge our guests come out with – it’s just brilliant.”
She said some of the games that are being talked about are just “straight up bonkers,” and she loves watching the players “come of their comfort zones.”
Red Bull Wrap Up Season 2
Hex said during last year’s pilot there were a lot of learnings. She said they “realised […] we wanted to keep things a little more relaxed and fun”. She described how gaming has kept many people going throughout the pandemic and it’s bought people together during tough times. Hex said the “spirit of Red Bull Wrap Up now feels more in line with the kinds of conversations and arguments you have with your mates about games – with some ridiculous challenges thrown in for good measure.”
The show is designed to engage the audience, to encourage people to follow along and try and guess the answers themselves, just like any other game show. Hex said, “people at home will be screaming answers at the screen when the guests flounder, and lolling when they watch them try to pop a balloon from a kids tricycle in a make-shift version of Mario Kart.” It’s this kind of fun that makes the Wrap Up Season 2 very different from Season 1.
Who’s coming on the show next?
Whilst Hex couldn’t give us any specific names, we can expect to see lots of guests from the video game industry making an appearance. She told us she’s “keen to see guests from opposite ends of the industry working together.” In her opinion this interaction is what makes the “show really shine.” She gives the example of a journalist and a streamer. Both working in the same industry, they approach their work very differently, but have shared knowledge. She said it’s this kind of knowledge and sharing that make for interesting partnerships.
Hex also says due to the “natural competitiveness among gamers” guests are very “quick to throw the other team under the bus.” Couple this with the fact Hex can “give out points at random based on [her] mood,” and you have a show that is utter chaos and very entertaining.
⚠️ WARNING: point scoring is fully disrespected in this process. 😂 Think Spicks & Specks-style video game trivia with Australia's much-loved games journos, creators & personalities. It's Red Bull Wrap Up! @redbullau @redbullgaming
🎮 Episode 1 here: https://t.co/ONFcj9PeBj pic.twitter.com/HzKU9E4JaU— Stephanie Bendixsen (@hexsteph) February 1, 2022
The Red Bull Wrap Up launched in January. The first episode aired on January 27. Episode 2 due to air February 16 AEDT. Read more about the Wrap Up on the Red Bull website.
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