Try this:

[char1 = char.selectOne.titleCase] gives the worst hot take about [char2 = char.selectOne.titleCase], and [char2] subsequently kills them over it.

Here you’re creating a placeholder (aka variable) for the character you’ve selected so you can reference it later on. I also added titleCase so the character name gets capitalized.

EDIT: The above does do random, but not unique. Here’s a working example I wrote:

https://perchance.org/41mlspb7hk#edit

Code:

title
  Let's do this

output
  [names = chars.consumableList, ""] [char1 = names.selectOne.titleCase] gives the worst hot take about [char2 = names.selectOne.titleCase], and [char2] subsequently kills them over it.

chars
  Chaz
  Karen
  Thad

The reason this doesn’t work:

char = {[contestant.consumableList]|[host.consumableList]}

Is because you’re essentially defining a “list” where [contestant.consumableList] or [host.consumableList] will be randomly chosen every time you write [char]. So, to be clear, you’re basically creating a fresh consumable list every time you write [char].

This is unfortunately a bit confusing for newbies - it’s a common misunderstanding.

What you probably want is something like this:

output
  [makeChar] ..........

makeChar
  [char = contestant.consumableList, ""]
  [char = host.consumableList, ""]

So, at the start of your ‘output’ you ‘execute’ the makeChar which creates the char variable for you based on a random choice between those two makeChar items.

Hopefully that helps!