“New Girl” is one of my all-time comfort shows and ”The Hunger Games” was one of the first book series I read growing up. Combining the two was an idea I had a dream about, and I found it hilarious to think of a few characters and how they would actually compete in the games. This article is written entirely from my point of view as it pertains to my view of the show. Also, as a side note, I got a lot of inspiration from the “Thanksgiving III” episode of “New Girl” from season three. Let’s take a dive into this hilarious concept!
Jessica Day
Let’s all be honest here and say that Jess will be nowhere near one of the last competitors in “The Hunger Games,” but I do see one of two avenues occurring with this character. The first is that she has no idea what is ahead of her and is excited about all the food and attention that comes her way. She enjoys getting dressed up in the fancy Capitol outfits and is being her sweet, charming self to all the other tributes in training. As the games begin, she joins the careers — the tributes coming from the wealthiest district — due to her undying loyalty and friendly disposition that can gain them the ability to get closer to any other tribute using her. Jess will have little to no clue what is happening but enjoys having friends in such a lonely arena. Eventually, she will realize what the careers are doing and how she has contributed to the death of so many tributes, which will lead to her elimination by the careers in the middle range of tributes simply because of her protection.
The second avenue consists of Jess having a panic attack, which leads to a freak-out before the games begin. She isn’t clueless as to what the games are about, but is severely underprepared for the fight she will have to face. The stress and anxiety of having to hurt others gets to her within the first few hours of the games, which leads to her eating the infamous Nightlock berries due to her inability to hurt another living creature. Jess is known for not necessarily being dumb, but would most definitely be clueless as she forages to find food.
Winston Schmidt (Schmidt)
I have to admit Schmidt would absolutely be the funniest character to see in the Hunger Games. He is the fittest character in the cast, as he consistently goes to the gym and runs like a boss in many situations. On the other hand, Schmidt is extremely specific about his lifestyle, what he puts in his body, and the people he chooses to surround himself with. He definitely has a fire in him, but I am not sure he will be threatening enough to actually make it super far. I see Schmidt as wanting to pair up with the careers, but them having an immediate distaste for his personality. He takes the games seriously and does not show fear, but gets enough people to dislike him that he is one of the most high-risk tributes from the beginning.
Let’s give him credit; he could last a while with hiding and thinking ahead on where to go next, but one way or another, he will have to eat. His lack of popularity and strength in the wildlife will lead to a rather quick elimination by the elements. But beforehand, we will see an epic showdown between himself and the one and only Nick Miller, as they are fighting about something irrelevant to the games. The fight is weak and with zero intent to actually harm the other, but it is most definitely a level of comic relief for the games, which the Capitol loves.
Nick Miller
I think Nick will do surprisingly well as he has the ruggedness to live a high life in the wildlife and already does not believe in the growing use of technology. Therefore, he will have success in knives or other natural weapons choice, but he will lack the appropriate common sense when it comes to strategy. I see him having zero problems with hurting others as he sees them “following what the government wants,” but lacking the understanding that he is doing the very same thing. He will work alone as that is how he thinks he is best, but he rarely actually fights another tribute.
Nick will make it relatively far but then ultimately lose because the Capitol sees him as a threat to their society, so they eliminate him using their various forms of technology that he does not understand. He can often be seen screaming at the cameras about how the government is against them, and everything should go back to the way it was before the games. His rebellious tendencies become a threat to the Capitol and begin to cause uproar within the districts, which is exactly what Nick was hoping for.
Winston Bishop
Winston, at foremost, is one the clumsiest characters in “New Girl,” as he often makes silly mistakes simply by slipping or accidentally throwing something. Due to this, I see him as being successful at first due to his clumsiness becoming an asset as he accidentally harms many of the tributes. He starts to make a name for himself but is unaware of what exactly he is doing because his one and only goal is to get back to his cat, Furguson. Winston is willing to do pretty much anything for his cat but never really has to try to get ahead.
Winston’s comic relief as he accidentally kills so many tributes makes him a fan favorite, which gains him all the resources he could need as he isn’t big on killing animals. His ultimate demise comes from the careers as they are under the impression they are defeating one of their harshest rivals but are surprised at how easy the kill is. Winston’s cat mourns over his owner but ultimately becomes a very successful TV animal as his owner becomes a legacy within the Capitol.
Cece Parikh
Cece will, at the very least, be a finalist because she most definitely came from one of the higher districts and was picked out as a child to be a top contender. Her agile body and competitive nature will bring her far into the competition, which is something that she has fought for the majority of her life. She is a member of the careers and one of the strongest leaders when it comes to who calls the shots. She is often seen inadvertently flirting with many of the guys in the careers but has no actual interest, as her ultimate goal is to win.
Cece will either win or be one of the finalists as she strategically thinks ahead, eliminates most of the male careers, and is great at becoming allies with most. The only way I could see her losing is by her undying loyalty to one of her closest female friends in the games as they often trained together. She will risk her life for her closest friends, which could lead to a tremendous showdown against the other tributes.
Earnie Tagliboo (Coach)
Coach would definitely be a sight to see in the games, but will only get far because of his unwavering confidence. He will be from a higher district, but ultimately think he is strong enough to win by himself. He will train hard when it comes to strength and already have a great understanding of how to live in the wildlife from training throughout his life. Coach will be competitive and strategically advanced but will be working alone as he would like all the glory at the end.
I do not believe Coach will win or be a finalist as the careers and other teams of tributes will come together to take him out. He will try hard and most likely take the majority out, but in the end, he will simply get overpowered by the masses. Even so, his name and reputation will be remembered within the Capitol as a goal for all future tributes to strive for.
“The Hunger Games” trilogy is one of the most influential and important series and book-to-film adaptations to ever grace our society. The idea of placing our favorite outside characters into the games is a fun concept to work with, so I hope to make a few more versions using different shows in the future! Hope you enjoyed my opinion on the topic, until next time!