Explainers

Prank Encounters: Who are host Gaten Matarazzo and show actor Henry Dittman?

Promotional still from Prank Encounters.
Prank Encounters is hosted by Gaten Matarazzo. Pic credit: Netflix

Prank Encounters Season 2 just dropped on Netflix — arriving perfectly in time for April Fools Day. The series is hosted by Gaten Matarazzo with acting performances by Henry Dittman.

These two bring joy to the series and their presence is very familiar as they have each starred in numerous popular programs. 

Netflix describes Prank Encounters as “the most elaborate hidden camera prank show ever devised.” Much like the infamous prank series of the early-2000s, Punk’d, this series plays horrific pranks on unsuspecting victims. However, they explore their own territory as they specifically target strangers, enlisting duos for their pranks, and choosing horror-related prank activities. 

Who is host Gaten Matarazzo?

Prank Encounters is hilariously hosted by the award-winning actor Gaten Matarazzo, who plays the nerdy curly-haired Dustin in Netflix’s Stranger Things. He has made appearances in reality shows MTV’s Ridiculousness, Lip Sync Battle, and Drop the Mic.

In this comedy program, Matarazzo provides commentary to the cameras and the prank actors while watching the events unfold from a large van outside. He has a pivotal part in every episode where he jumps out and reveals to the victims that the orchestrated event was, indeed, a prank.

Who is actor Henry Dittman?

Henry Dittman is an actor who has appeared in eight episodes of Prank Encounters, two episodes from the show’s first season and six episodes from the second season. Dittman describes himself as an “actor, host, author, surfing family man” on his Instagram account. He has been professionally acting since 1995.

Recently, Dittman shared a picture on Instagram with the 18-year-old actor from Stranger Things and captioned it, “All episodes of Prank Encounters are now live on Netflix! Happy April Fools Day!”

When Dittman is not pulling elaborate pranks on the Prank Encounters set, he can be found starring in some of the most popular television shows. Previously, he has appeared in single episodes of the shows Black-ish, Scorpion, and CSI: Cyber. 

He additionally works as a voice actor, voicing characters in the English versions of the two animes Naruto and Baby. He also lent his voice to the video games Mortal Kombat and Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Prank Encounters Season 2 premiered on April 1 and consists of seven episodes, each under 30 minutes. The synopsis reads, “Monstrous frights meet hilarious reveals on this hidden-camera prank show as real people become the stars of their own full-blown horror movie.”

Prank Encounters is currently streaming on Netflix.

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