Which character is the first test subject in the experimental Good Place?

John Wheaton is the first test subject in the experimental Good Place.

The experiment is created after Michael and the humans persuade Judge Gen that people can improve morally when given better circumstances and meaningful guidance. The new neighborhood is designed to test whether humans can become better without the confusing pressures of ordinary Earth life or the old afterlife point system.

John is played by Brandon Scott Jones. In life, he was a gossip columnist who wrote inflammatory and trashy articles, especially about Tahani Al-Jamil. His vanity and obsession with gossip make him a useful subject for testing whether moral growth can happen when a person is placed in a supportive environment.

John is often confused with Simone Garnett, Doug Forcett, or Brent Norwalk. Simone is the second subject, Brent is the fourth, and Doug is not one of the experiment’s four selected test subjects. The sequence is John, Simone, Chidi, and Brent.