Wyatt Johnston and Lian Bichsel Get Pranked on TBS's 'Foul Play' — And It's As Awkward As You'd Expect
When you're a professional hockey player competing in the heat of an NHL season, your guard is usually up — on the ice. Off it, you might be a little more vulnerable to a well-orchestrated setup. That's exactly what Dallas Stars forwards Wyatt Johnston and defenseman Lian Bichsel discovered when they sat down for what they thought was an ordinary dinner, only to find themselves at the center of one of television's more delightfully uncomfortable prank moments of 2026. Their episode of TBS Network's athlete-prank show Foul Play, hosted by former Dallas Maverick Anthony Davis, premiered on Monday, April 20, 2026 — and the clip circulating ahead of the episode had Dallas sports fans talking long before the credits rolled.
The episode is a compelling snapshot of two things happening simultaneously in Dallas sports culture: the rise of a new generation of Stars talent, and the growing appetite for unscripted content that shows professional athletes as real, unguarded human beings. Johnston and Bichsel delivered both in abundance. According to reporting on the episode, the prank unfolded at a restaurant where a woman approached the table claiming she had a "hall pass" arrangement — and made it clear she was choosing Bichsel. All while Anthony Davis watched from nearby with members of the production crew.
What Is 'Foul Play' and Why Does It Work?
TBS's Foul Play operates on a simple but effective premise: take high-profile athletes and entertainers, put them in socially charged real-world scenarios without their knowledge, and film the chaos. It's a format that's worked in various forms for decades — from Punk'd to Impractical Jokers — but the athletic celebrity angle gives Foul Play a unique texture. These are people accustomed to performing under pressure in front of thousands. Put them in a restaurant with a stranger delivering a bizarre monologue about relationship arrangements, and suddenly all that composure has nowhere to go.
Anthony Davis as host is an inspired choice. A former Dallas Maverick, Davis brings obvious credibility with athletes and a natural comfort in sports-adjacent entertainment circles. His role isn't to humiliate the subjects — it's to observe, appreciate the awkwardness, and give viewers the context of someone who knows exactly what it's like to be a professional athlete caught completely off guard. His proximity to the Stars players during the prank, watching from nearby with the production crew, adds a layer of voyeuristic fun that plays well on camera.
The show's success rests on picking subjects who are recognizable enough to generate audience investment but not so guarded that they've become PR robots. Johnston and Bichsel, both young and ascending within the Stars organization, fit that profile perfectly. Their reactions feel genuine because, at this stage of their careers, they're still figuring out the spotlight — not managing it.
Who Is Wyatt Johnston? A Star Built for Moments Like This
Wyatt Johnston isn't just any Dallas Stars player. He's emerged as one of the franchise's most important young forwards — a player drafted 23rd overall in 2021 who arrived in the NHL with the kind of polish you don't usually see from teenagers. Born in Georgetown, Ontario, Johnston plays center with the kind of two-way responsibility that coaches typically reserve for veterans. He kills penalties. He's trusted in defensive-zone situations. He scores at a rate that has made him one of the more exciting young forwards in the Western Conference.
What makes Johnston compelling beyond the box score is his composure. He rarely shows emotion on the ice in ways that suggest he's rattled. That makes watching him get pranked on national television all the more entertaining — it's a glimpse behind the composed exterior. If you follow Dallas hockey closely, the Stars' pipeline of young talent has been producing players who carry themselves with similar professionalism, and Johnston is near the front of that line.
Off the ice, Johnston has kept a relatively low public profile compared to some of his NHL peers. He doesn't court attention. Which means his appearance on Foul Play — whether or not he fully appreciated what he was walking into — represents one of the more candid public glimpses fans have gotten of him outside of post-game interviews and sponsored social content.
Lian Bichsel: The Six-Foot-Seven Swiss Defenseman Who Got 'Chosen'
If Wyatt Johnston is the polished, measured presence in this duo, Lian Bichsel is his physical and temperamental counterpart. The six-foot-seven Swiss defenseman was selected by Dallas in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, and he's built a reputation within the organization for physicality and intensity. On the ice, Bichsel is the kind of player who makes opposing forwards think twice about going to certain areas of the rink. Off it, he's apparently the kind of player who, when a stranger at a restaurant announces she has a "hall pass" and has chosen him, becomes the focal point of a very awkward television moment.
The fact that the woman in the prank specifically chose Bichsel — over Johnston — is its own layer of comedy. The size differential alone makes it a visual gag: this towering Swiss defenseman, known for hitting people into the boards for a living, suddenly navigating social dynamics that no amount of hockey training prepares you for. According to coverage of the episode, the setup played out at a restaurant with the players seemingly unaware of what was about to unfold.
Bichsel represents an increasingly common archetype in modern NHL rosters: the big European defensive prospect who brings international development and old-school physicality to a game that has been gradually deprioritizing both. His presence on the Stars roster — and his profile enough to warrant being pranked on national television — says something about how Dallas has positioned him in their long-term plans.
Anthony Davis Watching From the Sidelines: The Perfect Prank Show Dynamic
There's a reason prank shows work best when the host has genuine credibility with the subjects being pranked. Anthony Davis, during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, built a reputation as an engaged, personable figure in the Dallas sports community. His connection to the city — and by extension, to the culture around Dallas professional sports — gives his hosting of Foul Play a grounded quality that a purely entertainment-focused host might lack.
The staging of Davis watching from nearby with production crew while Johnston and Bichsel navigated the restaurant scenario is textbook prank television. The host's visible reaction — whether it's barely contained laughter or genuine surprise at how the subjects respond — functions as an emotional mirror for the audience. We laugh when Davis laughs. We cringe when he cringes. It's a simple mechanism, but it's effective precisely because it requires authentic chemistry between host and material.
What's also notable here is the cross-sport dimension. Dallas is a city with deep investment across multiple major leagues, and seeing a former Maverick orchestrate pranks on current Stars players taps into that multi-sport civic identity. For Dallas sports fans, there's something satisfying about the ecosystem — the sense that athletes from different franchises exist in the same social and cultural orbit within the city.
What This Means for Athletes and Entertainment Crossover Content
The Johnston-Bichsel episode of Foul Play arrives at an interesting moment in the relationship between professional sports and unscripted entertainment. Athletes have always been cultural figures, but the mechanisms through which fans access their personalities have shifted dramatically. The carefully managed Instagram post has given way — at least in part — to content formats that strip away the management layer entirely.
Prank shows are particularly effective at this because consent, while technically present (athletes presumably agree to appear or have the footage released), doesn't extend to preparation. You can agree to be pranked without knowing exactly what form the prank will take. That gap between consent and knowledge is where authenticity lives, and it's what separates a prank show appearance from a traditional interview or brand partnership.
For Johnston and Bichsel specifically, the appearance functions as a kind of soft introduction to casual sports fans who might recognize the Stars by name but couldn't pick the players out of a lineup. An entertaining prank show clip circulating on social media reaches audiences that a standard sports highlight reel doesn't. That's not incidental — for younger players building their profiles, these crossover moments matter.
This dynamic is playing out across multiple sports simultaneously. As the NHL playoffs heat up, players who have broader entertainment crossover appeal benefit from audience familiarity that translates into fan investment. A Stars playoff run means more to casual viewers who've seen Johnston awkwardly navigate a restaurant prank than to those who only know him as a line on a box score.
Dallas Stars in the Cultural Spotlight: Why Now?
The timing of this episode isn't arbitrary. The Dallas Stars have been one of the more compelling teams in the Western Conference, and their young core — Johnston, Bichsel, and others — represents an investment in a future that the franchise and its fan base are genuinely excited about. When a team is winning, or competitive enough to generate real playoff stakes, interest in its players naturally expands beyond die-hard fans.
TBS clearly understood the audience potential here. Booking two players from a team with active playoff relevance — as opposed to players from a rebuilding franchise — maximizes the likelihood that the episode lands in front of engaged, motivated viewers. The April premiere date, right in the thick of playoff season, is strategically sound. Fans are paying attention to NHL hockey right now in a way they aren't during the regular season's middle months.
The Stars have cultivated a reputation over the past few years as one of the better-run organizations in hockey — disciplined in their drafting, patient with development, and increasingly rewarded for that approach with real competitive windows. Johnston and Bichsel are both products of that organizational philosophy. Seeing them together on a prank show captures something true about the team: a close-knit young core that's grown up together within the same system.
The most revealing athlete content is rarely the content athletes control. Prank formats work because they show you who someone is when they're not managing their image.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TBS's 'Foul Play' about?
Foul Play is a TBS Network prank show that stages elaborate scenarios targeting high-profile athletes and entertainers without their advance knowledge of the specific setup. The show is hosted by former Dallas Maverick Anthony Davis, who observes the pranks as they unfold and guides viewers through the reactions. Episodes feature a range of prank formats, with the Johnston-Bichsel episode centered on a restaurant scenario involving a woman claiming to have a "hall pass" arrangement.
Who is Wyatt Johnston and why is he significant to the Dallas Stars?
Wyatt Johnston is a Canadian center who was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. He quickly established himself as one of the Stars' most dependable and productive young forwards, known for his two-way play, composure under pressure, and consistent offensive contributions. He's widely regarded as a cornerstone of the franchise's long-term competitive outlook and is one of the more technically polished young centers in the Western Conference.
What happened in the Johnston-Bichsel episode of 'Foul Play'?
According to coverage of the April 20 episode, the prank took place at a restaurant where a woman approached Johnston and Bichsel claiming she had a "hall pass" arrangement and specifically chose Bichsel. Anthony Davis observed the prank from a nearby position with members of the production crew. A promotional clip released ahead of the episode generated significant attention among Dallas sports fans before the full premiere.
Who is Lian Bichsel?
Lian Bichsel is a Swiss defenseman for the Dallas Stars, drafted by the team in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Standing six feet seven inches, he is known for his physicality and intensity on the ice — characteristics that make his role in the restaurant prank scenario all the more entertaining in contrast. He represents Dallas's investment in big, physical European defensive talent as part of their organizational development pipeline.
Is Anthony Davis still playing in the NBA?
Anthony Davis referenced in the context of Foul Play is identified as a former Dallas Maverick who now hosts the TBS prank show. His transition into entertainment hosting represents a path increasingly taken by retired professional athletes who maintain strong public profiles and cultural credibility within their former cities and sports communities.
Conclusion: When Stars Step Off the Ice
The Foul Play episode featuring Wyatt Johnston and Lian Bichsel is, on one level, exactly what it appears to be: two hockey players getting pranked on television in a way that's designed to be funny and slightly awkward. But it's also a marker of where these two players are in their careers and public profiles — prominent enough to be worth targeting, authentic enough that their unscripted reactions are genuinely entertaining, and connected enough to the cultural fabric of Dallas sports that the episode carries meaning beyond just laughs.
For Johnston, it adds a human dimension to a player whose on-ice persona is defined by control and precision. For Bichsel, it introduces him to a national audience in a format that showcases personality over statistics. For Dallas Stars fans, it's a reminder that the team's young core isn't just building something on the ice — they're becoming figures in the broader sports and entertainment landscape that Dallas cultivates so deliberately.
As the NHL season moves into its most consequential stretch, with playoff implications sharpening across the league, moments like this one — where athletes are caught being genuinely human — are exactly what keeps casual fans engaged between games. Johnston and Bichsel may not have known what they were walking into at that restaurant. But the result was the kind of content that builds fan connection in ways that even the best goal highlight can't quite replicate.
