One of the key criteria for a successful game show is whether the viewing audience can imagine themselves playing it. While there’s pleasure in watching people achieve feats of strength, I think the longevity of a series comes down to the recyclable format, where the core may never change, but the enthusiasm of the contestants keeps a larger interest. As the decades have gone on, it’s been increasingly difficult to find a worthy gimmick, which makes the new swings especially eye-raising. ABC in particular hasn’t done so hot with Lucky 13 being the last show to kind of break from their tired trope of “if it has a celebrity in it, we’ll put it on!” In general, I want people who are “average,” and boy does their latest at least tease that promise.
Not to be mistaken with his Netflix special, Greatest Average American was sold on the premise that stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze would ask average people questions based on polling average people. It’s a decent, if homely, spin on the formula that reminds me of Street Smarts from the early 2000s. All in all, it’s at least striving for an easier barrier to entry, where promos leading up to its premiere declared that it was a trivia game show where you didn’t need to know the answers. It sounds ridiculous, but given Bargatze’s recent run of success, it could at least skid by on cult of personality for a little while.
Much like Lucky 13, an interesting, though rarely discussed, detail is that this show is produced outside of the typical media markets. In this case, it is shot in the host’s hometown of Nashville, TN. Whether this impacts the show or not is up for interpretation. However, the promise of audience-based polling and occasional crowd shots at least promises more genuine reactions than the Los Angeles-based alternatives. I don’t wish to speculate how, but someone from Memphis will see the world differently, and thus present a perspective that’s at least going against a person who is more self-conscious of trends. As the title suggests, these are average Americans, and the subtext at least fulfills its bulk of the contract.
An element that is difficult to fully grasp outside of sounding good is that this is the first game show that’s also a comedy show. In terms of recent hits, The 1% Club has featured comedians Patton Oswalt and Joel McHale doing similar schtick to ease tension. However, for as unremarkably different as The Greatest Average American is, it at least comes across as one of those public events at a theme park where people passing by are lured in by cheap gimmicks and doubting their own opinion. There’s a need to see what makes Bargatze so confident that he somehow can host a show about average people. With that said, it does feature more stunt-based segments, so it does have more novelty than most. Given that there’s constant interaction with announcer Greg Warren, it also becomes a borderline pitch for a late-night talk show.
With all of this set up, the question still remains. What makes this show work? The exterior function is effective and more than likely a good time for those at tapings. It’s reported that there’s even a warm-up comic to make things looser. However, this all happens before the three contestants are announced, symbolizing their own corner of averageness throughout the United States. In a clever twist on the ice breaker, Bargatze asks someone, usually the last to be introduced, what they’re the least average at. If nothing else, this builds a connection that, while slim, can lead to recurring references from the host or a general support for their victory to win the prize: the average American salary, which they clock at $67,920.
If the show has any faults, it’s how meager the overall competition is. It’s one of those shows where it’s less about fast-speed answering and more gradual suspense. While the diversity helps to keep it from feeling more repetitive, the comedic aspect is doing a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to amusement. Without jokes, the show becomes a minor recommendation solely because of the novel premise. With Bargatze and Warren, it at least promises one or two chuckles a minute, no matter how uninspired the prompt currently is.
The average viewer’s interest will be determined by how much they find the first round compelling. Over the course of five questions, the three contestants answer an array of questions that fit into the multiple-choice or guesstimation categories. Usually based on polls involving 100 “average Americans,” the questions come down to preference, whether they be best use for a potato or what celebrity they’d want as their emergency contact. These premises are fun, especially since it forces the audience to second-guess themselves. There’s often a sensible answer that is completely wrong because the prompt is opinion-based. Sometimes logic works against reward here, and it’s the linchpin to any future success. Even still, this is likely a Nashville-based poll, so it’s less determined by obvious metrics.
The other form of questions in this round tends to be more challenging. They center around percentages of people who either support or reject the question. Think about Card Sharks and how that show uses the numbers to determine who is close to actuality. If there’s a difference with The Greatest Average American, it’s the lack of penalization for going over. While the show will alter this detail in the next round, it starts simply enough for the sake of distributing points. If one has an incontestable lead, the final portion will be answered by the lower score keepers. The loser in this round will be called the least average American and given a friendly send-off.
For the sake of variety, the next round finds the host doing what at best can be called schtick. Some may find it hacky or even counterproductive to a professional game show, but Bargatze uses this segment to flex his own personal skill. In an average two-episode airing, one episode will feature a physical challenge while the other tests knowledge. The humor for the latter stems from how well (or not) he knows base-level trivia, such as The Top 100 Sports Movies on Rotten Tomatoes. Watching him flounder is a source of laughter from the audience, but it also has, so far, reflected how little he knows about the average subjects. If anything, this is a nice change of pace from contestant-based competition, as it allows for the host to have some stakes in the night’s operations. The other finds him doing basic challenges that have included determining how many baskets he can make in 60 seconds or how many of America’s favorite snacks he can determine while blindfolded.
While the humor is the centerpiece, the competition comes from the remaining two contestants. The leader of the previous round gets to determine whether they will predict a number or select the over/under (again, think Card Sharks). With suspense in place, they watch the schtick unfold and, usually, reveal how disappointing Bargatze’s general skill level is. Part of that makes it an interesting wager of what his best would be, but it’s also the one time where an average American feels underwhelming, if just because I’m sure watching him flounder for an entire season can only hold so much endearment.
The contestants whittle down to the final bonus round. This one feels more structured like Lucky 13, where they will answer multiple-choice questions based on the audience’s personal responses. From the A or B format, they will go through eight questions with an intended goal of getting five correct. Compared to the other rounds, these aren’t nearly as eventful, though the “average” mentality does wear on anyone at this point and leaves people wondering if they’ve heard a podcast or bought Girl Scout cookies. The real answers may be more complex, but given Nashville’s personality, it’s often best to assume for the sake of a 50% correct guess. If they win that, they will receive the cash prize, which sometimes includes Bargatze announcing that he will chip in for taxes.
This is by no means the emptiest game show at a half-hour. Others like The Wall painfully drag out the fleeting suspense to its saccharine breaking point. If anything, The Greatest Average American fares better than Lucky 13 because of how novelty the exterior production is. Even when there’s little going on, there are hypotheticals to joke about and allow the contestants to create banter with the hosts. It allows them to reflect on how they see the world through these absurd premises. It’s delightful even if there’s not as much objective challenge as one can prepare for. Then again, maybe that’s what makes it average.
Do I like the show? It has yet to reach the status of must-see for currently airing game shows. While far simpler, I’d consider the routine nature of Trivial Pursuit to capture the average fantasy of the audience better. Then again, that’s about basic trivia knowledge. Bargatze’s is a much broader, less determinable factor. It doesn’t ask for much, and that may be refreshing to most. Given that the comedy is at least lively, it works as the lowest of low-stakes game shows. For those who can’t recall history or pop culture, ABC has something for you! It’s far from perfect, and there’s far too much qualitative dead air in the competition, but it works in short bursts. More than anything, it feels like a game show that anyone can imagine playing. That’s quite the achievement.
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