Kumari Shreya
Created by Andrew Glassman and LeBron James, NBC’s ‘The Wall‘ is a reality game series that has remained a favorite with viewers since its premiere in 2016. Divided into four rounds, the competition is meant for teams of two who must answer various questions in order to earn more money. However, every wrong answer can lead to a certain amount being deducted from what has already been earned.
The combination of trivia and chance makes for an entertaining watch as viewers at home cheer their favorite contestants on. However, there are many who are skeptical of the authenticity of the show and how certain events take place in each round. Is the show truly as real as it claims to be? These are just some of the questions that people have about the issue.
The Wall is Not Fake
No, we do not believe that ‘The Wall’ is scripted. That is not to say that the show has not come under fire for certain elements. Most notably, many viewers are skeptical about just how random the various ball drops are in the game series during multiple rounds. There are different theories surrounding how the mechanics work, but ultimately, nothing concrete has been seemingly found to back up the claims and doubt the show’s authenticity.
One of the most prominent arguments that people apparently have against the show’s legitimacy is regarding the movement of the balls. For those who might be unaware, for each question, a ball is made to drop from the top of the wall, and it will ultimately fall into one of the places marked with a certain amount. Should the contestants have answered correctly in the round, the ball turns green, and the amount is added to their earnings. However, a wrong answer means a red ball and the same amount is deducted.
There are many who claim that green balls, especially during high payout rounds, tend to move towards lower amounts, while the opposite is true for red balls. The execution for this has been attributed to the clever use of magnets and strings, though there is no evidence to suggest that this theory might actually be true. While some have claimed to see balls change directions in a drastic manner, there is little to no backing that supports this claim.
In fact, around the time when the show premiered, producer Chris Hardwick talked about this particular aspect of the show in detail. “Yeah, zero control. There are stricter game show laws in this country than almost anything else. You can’t fix it. It’s completely random. There are probabilities, which you’ll see, when it comes to what you choose, 1 through 7. There’s probability, as to which side of the wall it is likely to land on, but we really don’t know,” he told Collider. Another producer, Maverick Carter, added, “We have zero control over the balls. We wish we did because we want everyone to win money. It’s NBC’s money. As one of the producers of the show, we want everyone to win.”
Another flaw in the game’s format that the public loves to point out is the stage when players are isolated and have to sign a contract. Many believe that certain code words can be used prior to the signing to influence a player’s decision unjustly. Whether or not this actually happens is, again, only a point of speculation, given the lack of evidence to support this claim. More than anything, the show’s producers, Chris Hardwick, LeBron James, Andrew Glassman, and Maverick Carter, seemingly started the show as a fund project with extra emphasis on authenticity and real-life stories.
Even though the authenticity of ‘The Wall’ has often come under question, there are many reasons that we do believe that it is rigged. The claims of the balls not being fair have no concrete backups, with showrunners being adamant about them not being in control of this. As a game show, it is not surprising that many are skeptical about how accurate the on-screen events of the competition are. However, one must keep in mind that the probability of everything is not always likely to be accurate to theory, and one can hardly predict randomness given the very definition of the word.
Read More: Where is NBC’s The Wall Filmed?
