Floor Is Lava is a 2020 game show created by Megan McGrath and Irad Eyal and hosted by Rutledge Wood.[1] The series premiered on Netflix on June 19, 2020.[2] The game show is based on the children's game of the same name. Contestants navigate an obstacle course in a room filled with 80,000 US gallons (66,614 gallons, 302,833 Litres) of bright red goop that simulates hot lava.[3] Winners receive 10,000 U.S. dollars and a trophy in the form of a lava lamp.[3] The series received renewed focus in December 2020 after being mentioned by Dr. Maggie Gravel in the Netflix mockumentary film Death to 2020.[4]
Production
The show is shot at an old disused Ikea in Burbank, California. Prior to finding the location, multiple Hollywood studios turned down the opportunity to host the show due to concern about its messiness.[5] The actual formulation of the lava is a closely guarded secret which only a few crew members know. Showrunner Anthony Carbone has cited Panda Express'sOrange Chicken as a close approximation.[6] At one point, a proposal to add chemicals to make the lava glow in the dark was scrapped after the crew discovered that the formulation would render the lava toxic.[6] In order not to break immersion, individual players do not use safety equipment. Instead, "every single object in the game is built and designed from scratch to be able to not only hold up to punishment but protect the contestants.[7]
Inspiration for the show includes the Indiana Jones and Night at the Museum film series. To the latter point, the setting was initially going to be a natural history museum before being changed to a mansion.[7]Video games also were an influence in designing the levels, with the crew specifically citing Uncharted as an example. As such, the courses are designed in a non linear fashion with the second half of the season acting as a "level two" and upping the challenge of the first half.[7]
Episodes
No.
Title
Directed by
Original air date
1
"The Basement: Level 1"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
2
"The Bedroom: Level 1"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
3
"The Planetarium: Level 1"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
4
"The Kitchen: Level 1"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
5
"The Study: Level 1"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
6
"The Kitchen: Level 2"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
7
"The Planetarium: Level 2"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
8
"The Basement: Level 2"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
9
"The Bedroom: Level 2"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
10
"The Study: Level 2"
Brian Smith
June 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
Release
Floor Is Lava was released on June 19, 2020, on Netflix.[8] The show's release coincided with several similar shows such as ABC'sDon't and Fox'sUltimate Tag in what USA Today dubbed the "summer of silliness".[5]
