Do You Have to Get on Stage at SideHustle® LIVE? Here's How It Actually Works
No, you don't have to get on stage at SideHustle® LIVE. Here's exactly who performs, who just watches and votes, and how the format protects people who don't want to be picked.
July 7, 2026 · 3 min read
Do you have to get on stage at SideHustle® LIVE?
No. If you're worried about being pulled out of your seat and put on the spot, that's not how SideHustle® LIVE works. The people pitching each round are lined up ahead of time — founders who signed up to play, plus comedians who join the cast — and everyone else in the room is doing the thing that actually drives the show: watching, laughing, and voting.
Who's actually on stage, and who isn't
Most SideHustle® LIVE shows run four rounds. Three follow a brainstorm-pitch-score-rotate structure: hosts Darby Rollins and Tomer Soran give the on-stage players an absurd business prompt, the players get a short window to build an idea, then they pitch it to the room and get scored on Funny and Fundable. The fourth round is the finale, usually a higher-stakes prompt with whoever's leading. The people doing the pitching are either founders who opted in beforehand or comedians who are part of the cast for that show — not random attendees called up from the crowd.
This is the single biggest fear first-timers bring to a comedy game show, and it's a reasonable one — plenty of formats do pull people out of the audience. SideHustle® LIVE isn't built that way. If you came with your team and nobody signed up ahead of time to be a player, nobody in your group is getting pulled on stage.
What the audience actually does
Being in the audience at SideHustle® LIVE isn't a passive role, even though it doesn't involve a microphone. Funny is the laughter a pitch generates in the room. Fundable is whether the room would genuinely consider putting money behind the idea — and the audience is encouraged to be honest about that, not just polite. That reaction is part of the scoring, which means the room's energy is doing real work every round, not just spectating. The 90-second runway on each pitch keeps the pace fast enough that there's always something new to watch, and the rotation means no single player has to carry an entire round.
What this means if you're booking for a nervous team
If you're planning a corporate event and worried some of your team will clam up at the idea of "audience participation," the honest answer is that SideHustle® LIVE's default participation level is watching and reacting — which almost everyone is comfortable with. If you want a few people from your team to actually pitch, that's arranged with us ahead of time as part of booking, not sprung on anyone the night of the show. For more on how private shows get calibrated to a specific group, see how to book SideHustle® LIVE for your company event.
Frequently asked questions
Is participation optional at a SideHustle® LIVE show?
Yes. Watching, laughing, and voting is the standard role for nearly everyone in the room. Getting on stage is a separate, opt-in track.
Who actually pitches — audience members or comedians?
Founders who signed up ahead of time, alongside comedians who are part of the cast. Nobody is called up from the crowd unprompted.
What does the audience do if they're not on stage?
They score the pitches on Funny and Fundable in real time — their reaction is part of how a round plays out, not just background noise.
Curious what a round actually looks like before you commit? See the complete guide to SideHustle® LIVE for the full format breakdown.