Ellen's Game of Games
| Ellen's Game of Games | |
|---|---|
| File:Ellen's Game of Games.png | |
| Genre | Game show |
| Presented by | Ellen DeGeneres[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | December 18, 2017 – present |
| Related | |
| The Ellen DeGeneres Show | |
Ellen's Game of Games is an American television game show that began airing on NBC during the 2017–18 season.[2] In March 2017, NBC ordered six hourlong episodes of the series, which will be hosted by Ellen DeGeneres; Stephen "tWitch" Boss appears as co-host. The series will be based on game segments from DeGeneres' daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[1] A special preview episode aired on December 18, 2017, with the official series premiere on January 2, 2018.[3]
Format
Contestants compete in four individual games. The winner of each game advances to the game that determines the winner, Know or Go. The winner of Know or Go plays Hot Hands for a chance to win $100,000.
Preliminary games played include:
- Aw Snap. Contestants are joined by a bungee cord. The first contestant to move five apples into a basket, using only his or her teeth, advances.
- Blindfolded Musical Chairs. Five contestants are blindfolded. In each of four heats, the contestants dance on a dance floor until the music stops; Ellen then presses buttons that cause stools to rise up from the floor. The first contestant to sit on each chair advances; the last contestant in each heat is eliminated. At the end of the fourth round, the winning contestant advances.
- Danger Word. Two teams of two compete. One member of each team stands by Ellen, and acts as a clue-giver; the other member of the team sits behind three cannons. For each round, there is a "winning word" and a related "danger word" (e.g., winning word "lettuce," danger word "salad"). The two teams then alternate giving clues, Password-style. If a guesser gives the winning word, the opposing team gets a strike (and the opposing guesser gets sprayed with something from one of the cannons); if a guesser gives the danger word, his or her team gets a strike, and he or she gets sprayed. The first team to get 3 strikes is eliminated, and the winning team chooses one contestant to play Know or Go.
- Dizzy Dash. Ellen reads a trivia question. Before contestants can answer, they are spun around to disorient them; to answer the question, the contestants must run to a nearby podium and grab the ball on top of it. The first contestant to answer three questions correctly advances.
- Don't Leave Me Hanging. Three contestants are suspended from harnesses. The contestants take turns coming up with answers that fit a given category, such as "States that end in 'A'." A category ends when one contestant gives an incorrect answer, repeats a previous answer, or takes too long to respond; that contestant gets a strike. A contestant who gets 3 strikes is eliminated, and is launched to the top of the studio.
- Master Blaster. Three contestants compete to solve a jigsaw-style puzzle. The contestants are attached to bungee cords; the losing contestants are "blasted" into the air.
- One-Eyed Monster. One at a time, contestants enter the monster. They must answer a question whose answer is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. For each number the contestant is off, he or she must pull one of the monster's teeth (e.g., if the correct answer is 3, saying either 2 or 4 results in pulling one tooth). Pulling the wrong tooth causes the monster's jaws to snap shut, eliminating the contestant.
- Scary Go Round. Contestants must try to move three large balls across a series of rotating platforms within 3 minutes. The second contestant can fire balls from a "ball blaster" to impede the first contestant's progress. The contestant who completes the task in the faster time wins.
- Tuba Toothpaste. Contestants are seated before a row of buttons shaped like valves on a tuba. Ellen then poses trivia questions to each contestant in turn. When a contestant misses a question, Ellen spins a wheel to determine how many valves (one, two, or three) the contestant must press. One of the valves causes the tuba to eject toothpaste at the contestant; when that happens, the other contestant advances.
- You Bet Your Wife. Two teams of spouses or fiancés compete. Two husbands/fiancés bid auction-style on how many answers their wives/fiancés can give in a given category (e.g., "national brands of toothpaste") within 30 seconds. When one husband challenges, the other team's wife must give the required number of responses (there is no penalty for incorrect answers). Giving the required number of responses earns 1 point; the opposing teams earns a point if the challenged team fails. The first team to earn 3 points wins, and then chooses one member of the pair to play Know or Go.
Final Rounds
Know or Go
Contestants are given a category, and each contestant is asked a question in turn from left to right. When a contestant misses a question, the contestant is eliminated, and falls through a chute beneath his or her feet. The last contestant remaining wins and advances to Hot Hands.
Hot Hands
The contestant has 30 seconds to identify the faces of ten celebrities that fit a category ("80s Stars" in the premiere). After identifying a celebrity, the contestant must press a button to move on to the next face. Contestants may pass if they are unsure; after three seconds, the next face automatically appears. Contestants earn an escalating amount of money based on the number of faces they correctly identify, as shown in the table below; correctly identifying ten celebrities earns the grand prize of $100,000.
| Correct answers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Money won | $100 | $1,000 | $2,500 | $10,000 | $20,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 | $50,000 | $75,000 | $100,000 |
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Game of Games" | December 18, 2017 | 7.23[4] |
| 2 | "I'll Have What She's Playing" | January 2, 2018 | 8.84[5] |
| 3 | "Say Hello To My Little Friends" | January 2, 2018 | 8.88[5] |
| 4 | "You Can't Handle the Toothpaste"[6] | January 9, 2018 | N/A |
| 5 | "Hasta la Vista, Honey!"[7] | January 9, 2018 | N/A |
| 6 | "Just Keep Spinning"[8] | January 16, 2018 | N/A |
Reception
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Game of Games" | December 18, 2017 | 1.7/6 | 7.23[4] | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2 | "I'll Have What She's Playing" | January 2, 2018 | 2.2/8 | 8.84[5] | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 3 | "Say Hello to My Little Friends" | January 2, 2018 | 2.4/8 | 8.88[5] | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
References
- ^ a b c d Schwindt, Oriana (March 2, 2017). "NBC Orders Ellen DeGeneres Game Show 'Ellen's Game of Games'". Variety.
- ^ Vick, Megan (May 14, 2017). "NBC's Fall Schedule: This Is Us to Compete with ABC's TGIT". TV Guide.
- ^ "'NBC Fills Remaining Winter Time Periods with "The Wall," "Ellen's Game of Games'". The Futon Critic. November 28, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
- ^ a b Porter, Rick (December 19, 2017). "'Christmas Light Fight,' 'The Year in Memoriam,' 'Popstar's Best of 2017' adjust down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Porter, Rick (January 4, 2018). "'Bull' adjusts up: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
- ^ "(#104) 'You Can't Handle the Toothpaste'". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "(#105) 'Hasta la Vista, Honey!'". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
- ^ "(#106) 'Just Keep Spinning'". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 2, 2018.