Bullsh*t the Game Show: A Netflix Review
Bullsh*t is a game show that is hosted by Howie Mandel of Deal or No Deal fame that premiered on April 27, 2022 on Netflix. The show has an interesting concept: it involves a solo player answering questions correctly to win up to $1,000,000. However there is a major twist: the solo player faces three other contestants, known as “spoilers”, who would judge the solo player based on accuracy.
The show is executive produced by David Eilenberg (who is the executive producer of the 2021 revival of The Chase for ABC) and Christopher Potts (who worked on Netflix’s hit reality series Nailed It and the first series of the Channel 4 comedy game show Balls of Steel).
Upon the start of a round, the solo player is asked a question with four possible choices and would have to choose one answer by responding on their touchscreen. The three “spoilers” would then have to secretly choose whether the contestant’s answer is true (denoted by a green thumb) or false (denoted by the letters BS in a red circle for the show’s title) by responding on their touchscreens. Once all contestants have responded, the solo player would have to tell the “spoilers” if the answer that they gave is correct. The three “spoilers” would also reveal what their intentions were one at a time. In order for a solo player to move up the money ladder after he or she gives an incorrect answer, one of the “spoilers” would have to believe that his or her answer is true. If all three of the “spoilers” believe that the solo player’s answer is false, the solo player is eliminated from the game and leaves with nothing. The solo player can also move up the money ladder if they answer the question correctly. If the solo player makes it past 10 rounds, a top prize of $1,000,000 is awarded.
After each round, the solo player must decide whether to take the money they have or risk all of it in the next round. The solo player will have an opportunity to place two safety nets, or “locks”, at any point throughout the game after each question if they feel they are at risk of losing any money. However, the second “lock” can only be placed after three additional rounds.
Upon the ending of the game, the “spoiler” who was the most accurate of the three becomes the next solo player. A “spoiler” can also be eliminated if he or she remains on the panel for more than two consecutive games.
The game is noteworthy for its concept as a blending of The Moment of Truth, Hollywood Squares, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for their noted gameplay similarities. In this game show, the lifelines are not the ones that are found on Millionaire or its descendants, but the “spoilers” themselves.
The main weakness with this show is that it is overproduced and has a higher budget than other network television game shows. The inconsistent money ladder that is shown above does not help with the game’s slow and coherent format, which is weaker than Netflix’s previous studio based game shows Awake and Sing On. One major change to the money ladder that could be adopted if the show is to be renewed for future seasons would be to add a $5,000 level in between the $1,000 and $10,000 levels and eliminate the $750,000 question in exchange for a double-or-nothing $1,000,000 question. In addition, the show only airs for 32 minutes on average per episode, which is too short for game shows on streaming services with high cash prizes. Future studio based game shows on Netflix should have episodes of at least 50 minutes in length to emphasize game play and reduce padding.
Rating: 7.2/10
Prediction: Not likely to be renewed