Strip Search

Strip Search is a 2013 online reality television game show created by Penny Arcade and produced by Bionic Trousers Media (also known as LoadingReadyRun). The show featured twelve artists who competed over thirty-one episodes, with the series' winner receiving a cash prize and integration into the Penny Arcade offices in Seattle for one year. The show was created as a stretch goal in Penny Arcade's 2012 Kickstarter campaign to remove ads from their website. The show was won by artist Katie Rice, who went on to produce the webcomic Camp Weedonwantcha. Creation In 2012, Penny Arcade launched a Kickstarter campaign with the primary goal of removing ads from their website for a year. The primary goal required $250,000, but there were also stretch goals, including "a sort of 'America's next top webcomic' show" if the campaign reached $450,000. The campaign exceeded this goal and Penny Arcade committed to producing the show, later named Strip Search. Penny Arcade commissioned Bionic Trousers Media, the legal entity behind sketch comedy group LoadingReadyRun, to film, host, and edit the show. The show cost around $250,000 to produce, and was released in 2013. In interviews, Penny Arcade said that they received over 1,000 applicants, and used a brutal process to cut down to 12 contestants, including assessing whether they felt they would be able to work with the person for a year, and if they would be funny. Krahulik said of filming that "Jerry [Holkins] was bad cop, and I was the asshole,” and prided himself on how many times he made people cry. Holkins said they had to try hard to create drama, especially in a house filled with aspiring artists who all seemed to get along and understand one another; Krahulik said he look at contestants and think, “what’s the meanest thing that I can say.”