Suvechha Sarkar
Season 1 of Fox’s ’99 to Beat’ promises the viewers a rollercoaster of tension, humor, and high-stakes drama. At the heart of it all are the hosts, Ken Jeong, who brings his signature wit, and Erin Andrews, balancing the action with sharp insight. The rules are quite simple: don’t finish last. One contestant gets eliminated in every round, inching everyone closer to the finish line. The ultimate reward is an impressive $1 million grand prize. With 100 hopeful contestants vying for the cash, the journey is as much about endurance and adaptability as it is about strategy and timing.
The Premiere Game Proves Brutal as Janice Becomes the Night’s First Casualty
As the game night commences, the hosts explain that the 100 contestants need to remember that no matter what, they cannot finish last because it means they are eliminated. Ken and Erin settle in the commentary box as the participants take their position for the first game- Lei in a Balloon. For this game, several balloons are released from the ceiling, but there are only 99 leis, leaving just one person behind. Julian and Aggie are newlyweds from Minnesota who chose to compete on the show because the money will be great for their honeymoon, new home, and even their life together. Another of the contestants is Tori, who is a teacher from New Jersey. She reveals that she is the luckiest person in the entire world and has even won her wedding dress, makeup products, skincare, and many more.
However, Tori wishes she were a little bit taller. Janice, a Real Estate Broker from New York, makes it clear that she is only thinking about herself. On the other hand, Frank, a Clown Wrestler from Florida, is nervous, thinking that being the first one to get eliminated is going to be a nightmare come true. As the balloons are released, everyone rushes to burst them and find their lei. As the pool of the remaining competitors continues to go lower, Ken notices that Frank is panicking, but luckily, the competitor finds a lei. Now the game comes down to the final three remaining: Mariama, Janice, and Geraldine. As the three of them rush towards the balloon together, Janice, the oldest among them, falls on the ground. Amid the chaos, Geraldine snatches the last balloon and consequently the final lei.
It eliminates Janice from the game, who laments over her bad luck because she popped around 10 balloons, but none of them contained a lei. In her exit interview, she states she wanted to show the younger participants that she is still going strong. Although she is eliminated, she feels good about herself. Erin announces that the prize amount now stands at $10,000 with the first goodbye. The night moves on to the second game: Blow the Whistle, where each player is given an ice block containing a whistle in between. To mark themselves safe, each of them has to melt the block and blow the whistle. Seth, who is a College Professor from Ohio, really hoped they would have a game like this because that is the reason he is wearing a tweed coat today.
Family Bonds, Best Friends, and Fierce Rivals Collide in the Whistling Game
When Erin asks Ken what strategy he may adopt for this game, he explains that he would prefer to rub the ice block on his body. The focus shifts to Richie and Gianna, who are siblings hailing from New York. They are exercising to warm themselves up so that it can help them later. Gianna remarks that although family remains their core value since their birth, both of them will fight for the prize. Another of the participants is Sandra from North Carolina, who is a two-time winner of the ‘Survivors.’ She is excited to play but knows that her performance comes with much pressure. There are also best friends, like Jim and Tammy, who are from Texas. Meanwhile, Arvind, a Tech Company Owner from Missouri, feels he can win this competition because he has physical and mental strength.
As the game begins, everyone gets to work melting the block and reach their whistle. Ken observes that all of them look panicked amid the pressure. In the meantime, Chaz impresses everyone by becoming the first person to blow the whistle. King Davis, an Engineer from California, discloses that he put the block inside his pants on the first chance, and he thinks it may be working. As more contestants succeed in completing the task, only 30 players remain to fight for their spot. Gradually, the game comes down to the final four: Tammy, Sandra, Arvind, and Mariama. Although Sandra, Mariama, and Arvind succeed in blowing the whistle, Tammy unfortunately fails to get hers out of the block. This makes her the 99th player to be eliminated.
Tammy is disappointed to be leaving so early, but believes she gave it her best shot. Jim chimes in that, although he is sad to see his best friend go home before him, he will try to represent both of them. The focus shifts to Tommy and Phil B. from New York, who are actually father and son in their relationship. The former states that, irrespective of their relationship, he wants to beat his dad. Phil quickly adds that he has always said he can defeat his son in any game. With that being said, the third game of the night is revealed, which is Guess the Weight. As most competitors wonder what kind of person knows what everything weighs, the spotlight shifts to Donnell and Ronald. Both of them are Firefighters from Michigan. Donnell praises Ronald, saying everyone knows the latter as the best in his job.
Guessing Weight Turns Out to be Costly, Sending Darline Back Home
Ronald is determined and remarks that he is not going home because he will just be calm and stay collected. Ken comes down to the field and reveals that the first item the contestants have to guess the weight of is Cacti. The host explains that the players have to move to the box that corresponds with how much they think the cacti weigh, which is divided into three options: (a) 90-100 lbs, (b) 111-130 lbs, and (c) 131-150 lbs. Darline, a student from Florida, divulges that although she grew up on a farm, she never measured anything. Similarly, Adam, the Flight Attendant from Nevada, notes that although he always looks at shapes and sizes, he doesn’t know how to estimate weights in pounds. As everyone takes their position in the respective box and locks in their answers, Ken announces that the correct answer is 111-130 lbs.
The remaining 28 contestants who have picked the wrong answer must go on to the second round. Upon Ken’s instruction, the second item finally arrives, which is a group of referees. As everyone contemplates their answers, Jared from New Jersey comments that he is trying to make an educated guess, but is just a Barista and possesses no idea as to what he is doing. All 28 of them finish choosing their desired options from the three: (a) 500-750 lbs, (b) 751-1000 lbs, and (c) 1001-1250 lbs. The accurate choice turns out to be 1001-1250 lbs, and it leaves behind only 7 competitors who have provided the wrong response. Ultimately, the third and final item is brought out, which leaves everyone shocked because it is a camel. This time, the options are: (a) 1600-1900 lbs, (b) 1901-2200 lbs, and (c) 2201-2500 lbs.
Leo, a Ranch Helper from Wyoming, reveals that he works with several types of animals and thinks it should be heavier than a horse. Once everyone locks in their answers, the host announces that 1600-1900 is the correct answer. This leaves only Adam, Jared, Leo, and Darline to play in another round. Ken explains that they now have to guess the weight of all three items already shown. The player with the farthest guess from the correct answer shall be eliminated. When it’s time to reveal their guesses, it turns out that Jared has put in 2,984 lbs, Darline goes with 3,290 lbs, Leo has written 3,003 lbs, and Adam thinks it is 3,030 lbs. Ken announces that the accurate combined weight is actually 2,905 lbs, which means Darline is eliminated as the 98th player.
The Pretty Penne Challenge Brings Laughs, Heartbreak, and a Father-Son Farewell
In Darline’s exit interview, she says she is a little disappointed because she wanted to stay longer. However, maybe it isn’t just the right thing for her, but at least someone will win the money. With three contestants already eliminated, the prize amount goes up to $30,000. It is now the turn for the fourth game: Pretty Penne. For this one, the players are given thin pieces of spaghetti, and in one of them, they have to stack the penne they are provided with. Sarah K., who is a Dog Trainer from Pennsylvania, discloses that she is actually the pasta queen. She apparently has three pasta tattoos and feels that she has an advantage. On the other hand, Phil B. opens up that he is a Baseball Coach, and he and his son, Tommy, both like to win. However, only one of them will go to the end.
The focus is now on Cara-Maria from Florida, who is also the winner of ‘The Challenger.’ She remarks that to win $1 million previously, she had to run and jump off a building. Hence, she thinks this game should be way easier. As the game begins, Frank doesn’t take much time to complete the task first. However, Cara-Maria can be seen struggling because one of her penne pastas has fallen to the floor. She lies down with the spaghetti still in her mouth and tries to find it with her hand. Ken observes that the competitor may be panicking. Similarly, Adam is trying to go nice and slow, but the strategy isn’t working for him. In the meantime, Sarah K.’s spaghetti unfortunately breaks, leaving her to start over again. As time continues to pass, it leaves only three contestants behind: Phil B., Adam, and Sarah K.
Adam has been in the bottom four before, and once again, he regrets being in the final three. Amid the pressure, Sarah K. faces a repetitive predicament when her spaghetti breaks again. While Adam finally makes it safely, the other two competitors continue moving forward neck-to-neck. Ultimately, Sarah K. completes the game first, eliminating Phil B. While saying goodbye to his father, Tommy expresses his gladness that he got to do this together with his father. It takes him back to his childhood, when he was just a kid playing baseball and his father was a coach. Phil B. opens up that he participated in the game to do this alongside his son, and it is now accomplished. For everyone else, the prize has just grown by another $10,000, and it now stands at $40,000.
Teamwork and Tension Collide in the Fifth Game, Sending 13 Players Home
The fifth and final game of the night is Bucket Head Relay. The contestants are divided into different teams, and they have to work together to fill the container before them using a bucket on their heads. Ultimately, they can win only if they fill the container to the brim and bring out the ball, which is kept inside it. In their confessional, Aggie notes that she is a very competitive person, to which Julian quickly adds that, being a retired Wrestler, he isn’t any less competitive. The focus shifts to David A. and Avery, who are adoptive siblings from Texas. They always take things as they come to them, but both of them are eager to win. For the first round, the teams are divided into Team Blue, Yellow, Pink, and Green. The Green team retrieves their ball first, securing a win, who are soon followed by the Blue team.
Since Aggie and Julian are on different teams, and she watches him struggle, it concerns her. Team Pink also completes the game, marking the Yellow team as the losers. For the second round, the remaining players are divided into teams: Red, Purple, Orange, and Turquoise. As the game goes on, Sandra observes that since this is a team game, one has to rely on other people, but it is a hard pill to swallow for many. Erin quickly notices that the Red team is communicating quite well. Although the Orange team completes it first, the Reds do not lose their focus and follow suit right after. Since David A.’s team still hasn’t finished the game, Avery grows increasingly worried. This time, the Turquoise team succeeds in saving themselves, leading to the loss of the Purple team. The final round will decide which team remains in the competition and which teams will be eliminated.
This time, the battle is between team Yellow and Purple. After a good strategy session, each group gets to work since this time they have to bring the ball above the marked level in three containers, which go from smallest to the tallest. Julian is on the Yellow team and seamlessly moves from one container to the other. However, Erin remarks that there is a lack of teamwork among the Purples. David A. begins growing nervous since Avery is on the latter team. Unfortunately, the Yellow team bags the win, eliminating their opponent group. A total of 13 players, including Avery, Sandra, and Aaron, bid goodbye to the game. Avery expresses her disappointment because she gave it her all, but it ultimately didn’t pan out for her. With just 84 competitors remaining in the game, the prize has gone up to $160,000. Ken advises everyone to begin learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
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