Shaquille O’Neal to Lead New Game Show Where Contestants Attempt to Hide Him in Major City
Shaquille O’Neal to Lead New Game Show Where Contestants Attempt to Hide Him in Major City
Anna Lazarus CaplanWed, November 11, 2026 at 6:46 PM UTC
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Shaquille O’Neal in July at Fanatics Fest NYC.Credit: Rob Kim/Getty -
Shaquille O’Neal will star in a new competition show
The retired NBA big man is the center of Can You Hide...Shaq? on ABC
Eight contestants will aim to win the grand prize on the show, which takes place in Dallas
Shaquille O’Neal isn’t exactly hard to find in a crowd — but that’s the goal of a new game show.
O’Neal, 54, will star in a new reality competition series in which contestants are challenged to try to hide the 7-foot, 1-inch Hall of Famer in plain sight, ABC announced on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Can You Hide…Shaq?, set to debut next month on ABC, features Nailed It! alum Nicole Byer as host — and the Inside the NBA funnyman as the “center” piece.
All of which has O’Neal fully invested in the outcome.
“I’m 7-foot-1. I’m not exactly easy to miss,” the four-time NBA champion said in a statement to Variety. “I love meeting people wherever I go, but for years I’ve always wondered, could somebody actually make me disappear? Well, we finally decided to put it to the test. We turned it into a real competition, and I can’t wait for you to see the creative, ridiculous ways they tried to hide me in plain sight.”
Shaquille O’Neal in May at the 2026 Disney Upfront in New York City.Credit: John Nacion/FilmMagic
He added, “The stakes are high, and so is the prize. But you know me, we’re gonna have some fun along the way.”
According to a logline for the show, the eight contestants will attempt to hide the big man in various episodes that take place on the streets of Dallas.
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“In the fast, funny, and unpredictable challenges, contestants first split into two teams, each with a set mission and time clock,” the logline reads. “The team that completes its mission with the fewest spottings earns immunity for one team member in the next round, who then becomes team captain. The teams must work together toward one greater mission: earning prize money to add to the ‘Shaq-pot’ that will ultimately be claimed by one winner.”
And while the results remain to be seen, the show is a variation on a theme O’Neal originated himself a decade ago.
In 2016, a photo of the former Orlando Magic center went viral when he hilariously attempted to hide from paparazzi behind a small tree in Beverly Hills.
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“I was in Beverly Hills doing a little shopping and I saw the [paparazzi] walk by, because they were chasing somebody else,” O’Neal explained in a guest spot on The Late Late Show with James Corden. “I didn’t want them to see me, but I couldn’t run since I’m too big to run, so I found that tree. I just wanted to stay still and blend in.”
Can You Hide…Shaq? debuts on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
