Variety reports that NBC has ordered a six-episode run of a new show based on segments of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Ellen’s Game of Games will be an hour long game show hosted by the one and only; Ellen. Ellen is extremely popular on her daytime talk show, and has a large devoted following that is sure to follow her to prime time television. NBC has not set a target air date yet for the game show.
Ellen’s Game of Games will feature some well known features from The Ellen DeGeneres Show such as “What’s in the Box?” and “Know or Go.” It would not be surprising if new games, perhaps of Ellen’s own invention, came to the screen as well. DeGeneres described the show saying; “It’s going to be like a combination of ‘American Ninja Warrior,’ ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ and a water park. OK, it’s nothing like that, but you should still watch.”
“What’s in the Box?” is fairly simple: an audience member simply chooses a box, and wins a prize for themselves or the entire audience. Though at first the prize seems useless, like a broken tanning bed, it always comes with something more satisfying like a sizable gift card. Hopefully Ellen’s Game of Games will add some surprising new twists to this audience-pleaser.
“Know or Go” is a game played by three participants in which Ellen asks seemingly random and often either surprisingly easy or surprisingly difficult trivia questions. While her finger hovers over the “go” button, she reads questions off clever and humorous cards. If the participant answers correctly, they remain safely on the platform. If they don’t know, they have to go, and are dropped swiftly through the trap door they are standing on.
This isn’t the first boost to Ellen’s television career: earlier this month ABC picked up new comedy pilot Splitting Up Together to be executive produced in part by A Very Good Production, of which DeGeneres is an executive producer. She also serves as an executive producer on NBC’s “Little Big Shots,” but her skills has host are what really wow audiences. Variety quoted Warner Brother’s president of unscripted and alternate TV Mike Darnell as saying that “the dream has always been to get Ellen herself to say yes to hosting a primetime show.”
Check out a classic game of “Know or Go” from The Ellen DeGeneres Show: