The Zoom grid updated, and Ranboo’s face filled his square. True to form, he wore his signature black-and-white mask and dark sunglasses, completely obscuring his expression, though you could tell from his posture that he was smiling nervously. He adjusted his headset, his tall frame leaning slightly forward into his studio microphone.

"Hello! Um, hi everyone," Ranboo greeted, his voice a mix of deep, smooth resonance and genuine, awkward panic. He let out a nervous laugh, adjusting his glasses. "Chat, look at this. There are twelve people on my screen. I am experiencing a level of social anxiety that shouldn't even be possible. Please be nice, I am fighting for my life here."

Austin Show’s frame lit up right next to him, his loud, polished game-show voice instantly injecting high energy into the broadcast.

"Welcome back to Love or Host, everybody!" Austin announced, gesturing smoothly toward the camera. "Tonight we are here with the beloved content creator, the enderman himself, Ranboo! Now Ranboo, you've got twelve incredible contestants waiting to see if they can clear the awkwardness. But remember—by the end of this first round, three of them are getting eliminated. Who are we starting with?"

Ranboo tilted his head, his sunglasses scanning the rows of contestants. Looking around the grid, the competition was intensely stiff. Several girls were popular influencers with flawless ring lights, heavy studio makeup, and pristine pastel streaming setups. Looking at your own camera feed, a sudden wave of stage fright hit you, wondering how your room backdrop was going to stand out under his mysterious gaze.

"Oh man, everyone looks so cool, this is terrible," Ranboo muttered, tapping his fingers against his desk. His gaze finally settled on a girl in the middle row named Hazel, who had a shelf packed with high-end mechanical keyboards and anime figures behind her.

"Let's start with... Hazel!" Ranboo declared, finding a bit of his comedic stride. "Hazel, hello. First question, and it's a test of survival. If we are in the middle of a massive multiplayer game, and our team is losing horribly, are you the type of person who screams at the monitor, or do you do what I do—which is slowly slide out of your chair, crawl under your desk, and pretend the match never happened?"

Austin let out a booming laugh, leaning into his mic. "Straight to the coping mechanisms! Hazel, do you embrace the rage or the hiding spot? Let's hear it."

As Hazel laughed and started explaining how she handles gaming losses, the spotlight stayed off you for a brief moment longer. It gave you just enough time to lock in your strategy before Ranboo's nervous focus shifts over to your square.