"I can't figure out what actually fascinates me more about the show: the potential lame play-out of an interesting idea, or the logistics that went into getting said idea this far..."They could have done better. They should have secretly guaranteed Matt some take home money so they could have played up the mess ups more or even incorporating some just to see if he catches on and what he makes out of the mess ups.
I think if Matt does suspect something, that's it. He'll just suspect "something", maybe write down what he knows about each player then start to grill them and go off any new info he may find. Matt's guessing that they are actors is possible but highly unlikely.
I wonder how the actors can do this without feeling some kind of crisis of conscience? I wonder if they upped their salaries how much it would take for them to show Matt a little compassion?
If these networks keep treating their participants this way, aren't they biting the very hand that feeds them?