The summer is upon us and with that the launch of new game shows. Every network worth their merit have launched their line-up to carry audiences through the next few months. I would go so far as to argue that Fox is the master of the modern gimmick. Following the spectacular The Floor that launched in January, they are bringing a nice mix of returning hits like Name That Tune and Don’t Forget the Lyrics with more of a mixed bag. To put it mildly, The Quiz With Balls is one of the dullest new game shows that’s crossed my radar in several years. Speaking as someone who saw the potential of The Final Straw, I don’t really think there’s much worth writing home about.
However, I have a very different disposition with The 1% Club. It’s impossible to turn on Fox and not be bombarded with promos for it. In the week leading up to its network premiere, the first episode was available for preview on Amazon. While I was nervous that it would be hard to explain the logic behind the show in a simple 30 second promo, I have discovered from others that it’s not enough to deter. What it lacks in total reinvention it more than makes up for in appealing game play.
At the center is one of the more attractive hosts in this summer line-up. Patton Oswalt has spent decades as the premiere nerd comedian, and it only makes sense that he’d put his name in the hat for a game show. If you’re in a certain age group, there is that appeal of having him run Q&A with you midway through the game. His mind is sharp and he’s capable of filling in the dead air with enough zingers to ease the tension. While the first episode maybe paints these moments more awkwardly, by episode two the groove is a lot smoother and everything feels fluid. Everyone is there for a good time and it translates well to the home audience.
When going down the checklist of what makes a great game show, The 1% Club checks a lot of the boxes easily. Even if it’s not exactly the most original, it does fulfill a sense of competition necessary for returning audiences. There needs to be this relatability alongside elevating suspense in order for the gameplay to be more than lucky guesses. I’ve always believed that the most essential tool of a game show is that it needs to make the viewer feel like they could be on that stage playing. In order to break down those barriers, you need to do many things including have an accessibility in rules that don’t over-complicate. The more convoluted rules one applies, the likelier that it eats up time explaining and turns people off.
Nowhere is the show more perfectly designed than in the contestant pool. Much like The Floor, this is a process of elimination game where 100 people start the game until the final winner is dubbed part of “The 1% Club.” There’s some interesting twists and turns along the way, but this creates the subconscious idea that anyone could be a genius. Everyone starts on a lit-up stage as Oswalt runs down the rules. As they’re eliminated, he calls upon one or two for quick interviews that are as much condolences as they are friendly jabs. Given that most questions are multiple choice, there’s the additional ribbing of people who “pressed the wrong button.” A small moment of bad luck plagues us all and of the two episodes I’ve seen, people with prestigious professions have fallen victim.
According to Oswalt, the questions featured in the series were asked to Americans nationwide from various backgrounds. From there, they are broken up into levels of efficiency (or lack thereof). For example, the easiest question is labeled under “90%” to symbolize the belief that 90% of those who answered were correct. This dwindles until the remaining contestants are answering “1%.” As of this publication, the final questions have all centered around word puzzles that veer enough from the regular questions that there’s no way to notice a pattern. Even as a creative writing major, I haven’t been able to succeed within the deceptively long answering time.
To some extent, I think that I like this show a lot because I haven’t been able to get to 1% yet without missing one or two. For as easy as most are, I think the curveballs allow you to recognize shortcomings. They’re all usually logic problems, whether in the form of word problems or visual puzzles that have enough of a twist to upset someone not on their toes. Given my bad history with math, those questions tend to hurt the most while word-based examples tend to come quicker. Another thing that is rather appealing about the show’s level of deception is that I will get on a winning streak that makes me way too cocky so that by the time I hit somewhere around “50%,” I’ll start slipping up. Maybe I’ll go too fast or not catch the double negative. Something goes wrong, and I think it speaks to how much of this works as an endurance test as it does general knowledge.
It can’t be overstated that a big appeal of the show is Oswalt. He’s not intimidating like Jane Lynch on The Weakest Link. Instead, he embraces the nerd with knowledge gaps. Sometimes it’s done in offhand jokes that he uses to fill in the “answer period” for each question. Other times he’ll openly admit that he misread questions during rehearsal. Whatever it is, he makes the whole thing feel less daunting.
A big reason for that is his ability to latch onto contestants that have personality. There’s a thankless task in airing a show like this because there’s no conceivable way to give all 100 contestants their moment in the spotlight. However, finding someone with an eccentric hook does make for a fun chance at establishing recurring bits. Among the colorful characters that Oswalt joyfully pokes fun at is: 1.) A man who fin surfs but doesn’t wish to be associated with mermaids, and; 2.) A man he calls “Santa Thor” who is burly and long-bearded and plans to use the winnings on Santa school. It’s the type of diverse casting that game shows thrive on, and it adds a fun level of gawking at the audience. It may essentially be padding, but it also builds underdog mentalities and personal disappointment when Santa Thor is eliminated. It’s not much, but it elevates an otherwise highly impersonal take on the format.
The show starts with 100 contestants each owning $1000. In a perfect game, the winner would receive $100,000 by having the other 99 essentially lose and donate their cut of the profits to the pot. In one of the show’s cheesier moments, Oswalt ends every round by turning to a screen for the updated pot earnings. An example is that if a dozen people lose a round, $12,000 will appear on screen. It’s portrayed as riveting TV, but it really is stating the obvious for those paying close attention. The running tally is important, but it becomes silly when it’s easy math like $12,000 + $1,000 = $13,000. This is neither here nor there but given how many questions are asked in an average episode, it can grow tedious.
For the first few rounds, the premise is clear cut. Everyone is on a level playing field. At most, the viewer will be shocked at people getting an “easy” 80% question wrong. However, the wrinkles start to enter shortly after the commercial break when everyone has tried three questions. Without complicating the show, Oswalt announces that everyone receives a lifeline where they can pass on a question without it impacting their overall progress. The next significant point finds every contestant getting to have an additional $1,000 to leave the show without it impacting their score. It will, however, reflect in the final score as those who leave will serve as minus $1,000 to the grand total.
The final stretch is where the show maybe becomes a slog. Around a half hour into a regular broadcast, the questions become more drawn out. There is more emphasis on Oswalt talking to contestants and the gimmicks become more frequent. Part of it is to reward those who have made it that far. There are prizes for those who didn’t skip questions or walk away. Everyone has incentives to avoid easy outs. The one way it helps is that the questions do become more quixotic and thus may make the contestants more easily frustrated.
The final stretch is where the show gets the most intense. As “1%” comes into the equation, Oswalt looks at the final group and determines if anyone wants to go for it. In the situation where nobody goes, they will split the earnings. For example, if 10 people make it to the final round and back out, the winners will split $10,000. However, those who go for “1%” stand to earn the collective winnings. As mentioned, these are often very difficult word problems so success is not guaranteed, though apparently the show has enough linguists to pull off some miracles.
To be honest, the first episode was a bit rough around the edges. While the gameplay was largely present, I think that Oswalt’s candor wasn’t entirely there yet. That is generally why I try to judge these shows based on multiple episodes. For example, I think that it helps to better understand patterns and pacing. Without having too many demerits for episode one, I found the second to be a much smoother ride and the moment I felt like I would dedicate a few evenings this summer to giving it a watch.
I am a fan of game shows and look forward to whatever new programming hits the air. While 2024 hasn’t produced a lot of substantial Freshmen series, I am happy to see where The 1% Club is heading. It’s a novel premise that may be overbearing at times, but delivers the connective tissue enough to make the audience care. The challenge may be simple to some, but I think the intellectual reward adds to the experience. I love its sense of escalation and wondering who these 100 people are. While I don’t fully know the credulity with which it fields questions, I do think it paints an interesting look into what type of information people understand. Some types are easier than others. Even then, being able to say you made it up to “15%” before getting a question wrong does bring a certain ego boost that more monetary-based shows can’t fully achieve. On a subconscious level, this show works not only to entertain, but also makes me feel special in my general knowledge. For that alone, I say this is a show that’s very much worth your time.
Comments
Post a Comment