The Floor - General Discussion

[KeithJ]

81 contestants compete in trivia duels against one another securing spaces on a floor grid with each victory until 1 contestant claims the entire floor and takes home the grand prize of $250,000

Hosted by Rob Lowe

Edited January 3 by KeithJ

[KeithJ]

Watched the first episode last night and it was pretty good. Interesting concept.  A lot of people got a eliminated on their category of "expertise".

It seemed to have a lot of commercials though. 

Seven contestants were eliminated yesterday out of 81.  I guess there will be around 10-12 episodes?

[LakeGal]

I laughed when the Tool expert didn't recognize the nails.  

[Rickster]

1 hour ago, LakeGal said:

I laughed when the Tool expert didn't recognize the nails.  

The tool faceoff set very low expectations for me for the quality of the competition, but it did get better.

[ketchuplover]

When they show the pictures the players aren't looking at the screen that we are...hmmmmm

[KeithJ]

14 hours ago, ketchuplover said:

When they show the pictures the players aren't looking at the screen that we are...hmmmmm

I just figured there were more screens behind them or on the podium they are at.

[Gemma Violet]

I enjoyed the first episode.

[mlp]

I enjoyed it despite the over-abundance of commercials.  I did find it a bit difficult to keep track of the scoring.  

[QQQQ]

I agree about the scoring. Need to look that part up cuz several times I thought the person who was winning actually lost. Also, the questions didn't always seem even (I guess that's subjective). Like, the cars category - the woman was getting more obscure logos. I was able to identify each one the guy got and I know nada about cars.

Edited January 6 by QQQQ

[Diana Berry]

Once I got into the flow of this show, I really liked it. I enjoyed The second episode more than the first. 
 

I am curious about end game.  Will some obscure random person come in and win it from someone that has been doing challenge after challenge and has major territory? 

Edited January 13 by Diana Berry

[mlp]

49 minutes ago, Diana Berry said:

I am curious about end game.  Will some obscure random person come in and win it from someone that has been doing challenge after challenge and has major territory? 

I'm liking this show too but I've been wondering the same thing.  I guess that's the risk the competitors take but it would feel unfair even if it isn't.

[QQQQ]

I would love to hear what someone who has knowledge of game theory thinks about this show. Odds, best strategies, etc. For example, after winning a round is it best to head back to the floor and lie low for as long as possible? I think that's what I would do.

Edited January 13 by QQQQ

[SoMuchTV]

4 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

I am curious about end game.  Will some obscure random person come in and win it from someone that has been doing challenge after challenge and has major territory? 

 

3 hours ago, mlp said:

I'm liking this show too but I've been wondering the same thing.  I guess that's the risk the competitors take but it would feel unfair even if it isn't.

I guess I’d be okay as long as somebody wins it.  Looking at you, The Chase. 

[Pallida]

I don’t think there’s scoring exactly. It’s who runs out of time first is out. The loser most likely named fewer things but I can see it possibly being equal if someone has to pass and the other person is just slow to answer. 

[QQQQ]

Ok, thanks, now it makes sense! Here's a full explanation from Wikipedia:

One contestant is chosen at random and shown the categories of all opponents whose territories share at least one edge with their own, then selects one of these opponents to face in a head-to-head duel. The two contestants are given separate 45-second clocks and must take turns identifying a series of images associated with the challenged opponent's category. Only one clock runs at a time, starting with the challenger; the contestant in control must correctly identify an image in order to stop their own clock and turn control over to the opponent. Multiple guesses are allowed without penalty, and a contestant may pass as often as desired, but must wait three seconds before a new image appears. Some categories are text-based, in which a contestant must fill in the missing word(s) of a displayed book title, song lyric, etc.

The first contestant to run out of time is eliminated from the game and gives up all of their territory to the victor. If the victor was challenged, they inherit the opponent's category. If the victor was chosen by random, they retain their same category. The victor may either challenge another opponent or return to the grid. In the latter case, a new contestant is chosen at random from those that have not dueled to issue the next challenge.

The contestant with the most territory at the end of each episode wins $20,000, and the last one standing at the end of the season wins the grand prize of $250,000.

 

[Shrek]

18 hours ago, QQQQ said:

I would love to hear what someone who has knowledge of game theory thinks about this show. Odds, best strategies, etc. For example, after winning a round is it best to head back to the floor and lie low for as long as possible? I think that's what I would do.

It depends on what you want from the prizes available. Do you want to collect a couple of $20k prizes, happy with one $20k or do you want to lay low & only aim for the $250k but then you're relying on not being challenged by someone so you would have to choose a very obscure category as your specialty to lessen the risk of being picked by someone the or do you have enough confidence in yourself to try all options? On top of all that you have to remember the randomizer could pick you anyway & mess up your sit & wait strategy.

It all depends how risk averse you are and how confident you are in your ability to answer any of the categories. 

 

[QQQQ]

Have they explained the parameters of selecting specialty categories? And how much time do they have between tapings to study?

[Shrek]

59 minutes ago, QQQQ said:

Have they explained the parameters of selecting specialty categories? And how much time do they have between tapings to study?

I think the people just select something they know a lot about and go with it. As for how long between taping I haven't heard it mentioned but this week someone said they had been studying their new category that they had inherited so maybe a day or overnight I would think. You couldn't have fifty people going off for a week & coming back for taping weekly so they must do one or two tapings a day spread over a week or so.

[HerkyJerky]

5 hours ago, QQQQ said:

One contestant is chosen at random

Do we really believe The Randomiser is really random?

[Shrek]

54 minutes ago, HerkyJerky said:

Do we really believe The Randomiser is really random?

Why wouldn't it be? It's probably just a very simple RNG that they use & there would be zero benefit from it not being random.

Edited January 14 by Shrek

[chessiegal]

41 minutes ago, HerkyJerky said:

Do we really believe The Randomiser is really random?

Depends on whether the show has to follow FCC Game Show rules. If it does, then it's random.

[HerkyJerky]

2 hours ago, Shrek said:

there would be zero benefit from it not being random.

Last episode one of the contestants had a lot of squares and he decided to go back to the floor and the randomiser "picked" somebody that was next to his territory, so it upped the drama (which every show wants).  

[QQQQ]

7 hours ago, Shrek said:

I think the people just select something they know a lot about and go with it. As for how long between taping I haven't heard it mentioned but this week someone said they had been studying their new category that they had inherited so maybe a day or overnight I would think. You couldn't have fifty people going off for a week & coming back for taping weekly so they must do one or two tapings a day spread over a week or so

Then my specialty category shall be 1988 Graduating Class of (name of high school). There were ~60 of us 😂

[Taeolas]

I'm liking this so far, granted prerecording it so I can FF t hrough the breaks and the chat sessions. 

The variety of categories is interesting (I'd die on most of the actors/recognize people ones) but others are well in my wheelhouse.

It's clear that the list of clues tends to start off with easy/obvious answers but ramps up the difficulty as they go through the list, until one runs out of time. 

I do think it is truely randomized. But as you claim more territory, the more likely you'll end up next to someone who will be picked.

We did see some strategy in play last night in chosing to stay or go. If you inherit a category you are confident in, then going back to the floor makes sense. But if it's a category you'd be horrible at, then it's better to go on the offensive and get what you can and hope who'se left won't want to challenge you in that category. 

 

Playwise, I'd also rush to an edge as soon as I could then work the edges. That limits your choices for who to challenge, but it also limits your exposure when you do go back to the floor since  you'll get fewer 'new' challengers when you win a square. 

 

For me, I'd probably pick "Comic book heroes" or even "Transformers" as my category. not sure if the latter would be too specific but I'd try it and expect most wouldn't know their Megatron from their Galvatron so I wouldn't be picked until late :)

 

I do wonder what the last challenge will be. You'll have 2 people and 2 categories left. Will one category remain unshown? Or will it be a double category face off? I could see it be that you'll be forced to alternate your answers between the remaining categories, just to prove you are the true Floor Master of Trivia. (So if Tools and Vegetables were the last two categories, your first clue would be a Tool, then the next one that comes up would be a Vegetable, then a Tool again, etc.... )

[mlp]

I'm enjoying this show too.  It seems to go very fast despite the frequency of commercials.  I like quizzes and trivia but I'm terrible at categories that fall under the umbrella of "popular culture" so I wouldn't do well on this.  I was hoping someone would pick "Junk Drawer" because I was dying to know what was in it.  

 

[Taeolas]

The nice thing about this show is you know that ALL (but maybe one) category is going to be picked eventually, because it's an elimination season show. So eventually someone is going to have to pick that category, unless it's the final two and they decide to go with the other one. :) 

[Gemma Violet]

12 hours ago, mlp said:

I was hoping someone would pick "Junk Drawer" because I was dying to know what was in it.  

I was curious as to how someone would have Junk Drawer as a category.  Aren't we all experts on junk drawers since we all have one?  The answers would be something like: Scotch tape, rubber bands, batteries, string, pens, paper clips, etc.   

[QQQQ]

In Medical Devices, it sounded like the contestant answered scapula instead of scalpel.

[ProudMary]

Tonight's was a very good episode. There were some very good head-to-head battles and a heartwarming ending with Steve and Stephanie sharing the night's $20,000 prize for the most territory. 

I had to laugh at the final battle of the night. You can't call yourself an expert on movie quotes and lose on a famous quote from The Godfather, one of the most quotable films of all time! Bye Felicia! 😄

Edited January 24 by ProudMary
Corrected a one letter typo.

[mlp]

This is my new favorite show.   I look forward to it and it seems to go by really  fast.  I especially like that there's no OTT shrieking and jumping up and down and also no hugging.  I enjoy playing along.  I'm good at trivia while watching but I would probably go totally blank if I had to think fast in front of all those people and under that pressure.  And I know very little about sports and popular culture so I wouldn't get very far.  

2 hours ago, ProudMary said:

You can't call yourself an expert on movie quotes and lose on a famous quote from The Godfather, one of the most quotable films of all time! Bye Felicia! 

Yeah.  Holy smokes.  I thought everyone knew that line.

I like Steve.  I hope he continues to do well.  

[Taeolas]

OK, someone really messed up I think. Last night I (in Canada, so it was Global I think) aired the 8th episode, not the 4th episode, so I guess I have some spoilers. 

That explains why I was so confused by the results we were starting with, since I didn't remember the floor state being that way. 

So with that in mind, some non-spoiler information:

* There are 9 eps in total. Canada apparently got episode 9 last night. (Rob was going on a lot about "The past 7 weeks...") as well as saying next week is the season finale.

* If you run the numbers, you'll realize that 8 eliminations an episode * 8 weeks is only 64, leaving 17 contestants left... which can be confusing if Ep 9 is the finale. 

* That was confirmed at the very end when Rob said the Season finale will be a 2 hour finale. I will assume they'll still give the 20k prize at the end of the first hour, but I guess I'll have to wait a few more weeks to find out. 

 

Some Actual Episode 8 Spoilers:

 

Spoiler

Some major brain farts on the Kitchen Devices category, which just shows how the pressure can get to you, especially if you know you've missed a few already and your opponent is firing faster so  you know your time is ticking donw (Seems like they can see their timers). Missing "Rolling pin"? Granted, I almost thought the judges would have accepted "Roller" given some of the other answers that have been accepted in other categories. 

 

Having been playing "Worldle" for the past year or so, the Capitals and Flags categories were pretty strong for me, though I was having my own brainfarts with it. 

 

Headlines was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but I at least recognized almost all the events. Historical People was a lot more challenging to me. 

 

I love Rob's humour with this show. He's got a nice quick banter with the contestants that doesn't bog the show down and also keeps the people waiting on the floor involved even when they aren't on the challenge. Loved the randomizer picking the one guy that was on an island, so he could only pick the dominant player. :) 

 

At the end, the randomizer picked someone with 2 choices, with 2 eliminations left to go. One choice was obviously the whale; the biggest player on the board. He went right for the whale (and got the boot) but in that situation I think I would have gone after my 'weaker' opponent first, and then go after the whale so if I won I'd have the 20gs locked in. Then again going after the whale (who was on a category he claimed he was weaker in) would give you a lot more choices for the last round, including going after another category you might be stronger in than your current other opponent. 

Anyways, I'm loving this show a lot and hope it gets renewed. It's simple but has some surprising depths to it, both in the strategy for playing the floor, and the skill in the questions. And yes, it sounds like contestants can cram between episodes based on the floor chatter.

[Shelbie]

So glad another Canadian posted. I actually thought maybe they had run some double episodes and my dvr hadn’t recorded them. I’m enjoying the game too and hope it’s picked up for another season.

[Shrek]

I thought the last game show Rob Lowe did had a very similar feel to it with no jumping around screaming people and I thoroughly enjoyed that as well. Although I can't remember what it was called it had the contestant sitting in some contraption and answering different questions. 

It's one of the reasons I watch Jeopardy every night but cannot stand WOF which is on straight after J!

[QQQQ]

I was also confused watching on Hulu in the US this morning. It was billed as episode 4 but where did all the contestants go?! 😅 Did I Rip Van Winkle my way through a few weeks???

 

ETA: Nope, they definitely messed up. Reddit -The Floor (Spoilers)

Edited January 24 by QQQQ

[Taeolas]

4 hours ago, Shrek said:

I thought the last game show Rob Lowe did had a very similar feel to it with no jumping around screaming people and I thoroughly enjoyed that as well. Although I can't remember what it was called it had the contestant sitting in some contraption and answering different questions. 

It's one of the reasons I watch Jeopardy every night but cannot stand WOF which is on straight after J!

I remember that show, but I'm blanking on the name of it. I liked that as well because it was focused on the contestants without any obvious artificial excitement. And the questions/challenges in that show were fun too since there were some you don't often see in game shows. (various listen to this segment and remember details questions, as well as note the differences and so forth). 

I haven't regularly watched Jeopardy in a long time, but I do think that had Rob tried, he would have been a great host for it. 

[QQQQ]

Mental Samurai?

[QQQQ]

The Reddit link I shared above is interesting. A contestant from episode 6 chimed in and someone asked about specialty categories. Here is the response: 

"We did interviews and they got a feel for our personalities. We listed the categories we’d ideally want, and I got something similar but not exact to my request. A lot of people requested the same categories (sci fi was quite popular for example) and so some of those people ended up with the more random things like bathroom items or junk drawer items. Folks knew beforehand (a few weeks before) what type of category they’d get, so for example pop culture people knew they’d get a pop culture category, but not if it would be famous sidekicks or child stars or famous hair etc. I knew I had a history related category, and deduced which one it was since it was close to what I’d requested. They tried to get categories they’d have some experts in (world capitals really was an expert in world capitals), but also have others that were more friendly for a mass audience like brunch."

[Lovecat]

On 1/18/2024 at 12:13 PM, Gemma Violet said:

I was curious as to how someone would have Junk Drawer as a category.  Aren't we all experts on junk drawers since we all have one?  The answers would be something like: Scotch tape, rubber bands, batteries, string, pens, paper clips, etc.   

Well done!  IIRC, we saw everything on your list last night except paper clips.

I slept on setting the DVR for this, so I had no idea it continued from show to show.  It's not like I was lost coming in at Ep 4; Handsome Rob Lowe certainly explains the structure and rules often enough.  Handsome Rob Lowe AND random trivia?  Shut up and take my money.  I'm in.

I found myself wondering what categories I'd ask for.  I think about 30% of my brain is taken up with movie quotes, and I did indeed crush that category.  80's Teen Movies is a given.  Boy Bands.  Glee.  Reality Shows is already on The Floor, so I'm looking forward to that one.  I know a lot about Prescription Drugs (occupational hazard).  Anatomy.  Broadway Musicals.  Musical Instruments.  I know a lot of stupid shit, frankly.  What's YOUR most random area of expertise??

[Shrek]

15 hours ago, QQQQ said:

Mental Samurai?

Thank you.

[mlp]

5 hours ago, Lovecat said:

 I know a lot about Prescription Drugs (occupational hazard).  Anatomy.  Broadway Musicals.  Musical Instruments.  I know a lot of stupid shit, frankly.  What's YOUR most random area of expertise??

I would know those categories too but not the ones you mentioned before that.  My area of expertise is British history/the monarchy - which will probably never come up.

[Lovecat]

18 hours ago, mlp said:

I would know those categories too but not the ones you mentioned before that.  My area of expertise is British history/the monarchy - which will probably never come up.

That's a good one!  I'd be interested in seeing how the show would translate it to the rapid-fire (primarily visual) clue structure.

[Taeolas]

3 hours ago, Lovecat said:

That's a good one!  I'd be interested in seeing how the show would translate it to the rapid-fire (primarily visual) clue structure.

The simplest way would be "Identify the person" (Queen/King/Prince/Princess) from pictures and paintings. I think there'd be enough 'obvious' ones to be challenging and enough older/random ones to confuse even an expert.

 

A more challenging approach might be to list a historical event and name the king or queen of the time, but that probably wouldn't work because QEII would be too common an answer for most semi-modern events. :) 

[mlp]

3 hours ago, Taeolas said:

I'd be interested in seeing how the show would translate it to the rapid-fire (primarily visual) clue structure.

I could see the clues being short things that identify a monarch - 6 wives, lost his head, last of the Stuarts, etc.  However, the majority of the contestants look quite young so they'd all probably know Henry VIII and then.........duh, pass.

[kassandra8286]

I'm a savant in some categories but they'd be too specific for this show, like X-Files, or Game of Thrones, or ABC soaps, lol. I would choose mythology if they'd allow it, or classic rock. 

I loved the Idioms category last night and knew them all, although I'm side-eyeing some of them being idioms (objects in mirror may be closer than they appear??). The few text clues they've had are easier for my brain to comprehend quickly than the picture clues. Some of those are hard to get without context, like a life-sized golf tee, lol, and some are hard to see, period. I could barely make out the white air pods. 

Anyway, I'm loving everything about this show and hoping Fox renews it. Go Steve! 

[QQQQ]

7 hours ago, kassandra8286 said:

 

I loved the Idioms category last night and knew them all, although I'm side-eyeing some of them being idioms (objects in mirror may be closer than they appear??).

Are you familiar with Breitenbach's Proverbidioms? These prints are awesome!

[KeithJ]

I really like this show but I think the contestants have to be reading from a script or coached in their interviews.  There is no way this game found the 81 most arrogant people on Earth.

[SomeTameGazelle]

Are they reusing categories/images from European versions of the show?  When they had the Birds category it looked like the picture they used for a robin was a European Robin and not the American Robin. IIRC the contestant passed.

[Rickster]

5 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Are they reusing categories/images from European versions of the show?  When they had the Birds category it looked like the picture they used for a robin was a European Robin and not the American Robin. IIRC the contestant passed.

You’re right, it was a European robin. I thought it was very odd at the time. I didn’t know there were Euro versions of the show.

Last night they showed a strange orange colored picture of Venus, which seemed purposely inserted to fool a contestant, who guessed Mars.

Edited February 7 by Rickster

[illdoc]

3 hours ago, Rickster said:

Last night they showed a strange orange colored picture of Venus, which seemed purposely inserted to fool a contestant, who guessed Mars.

Once you've eliminated the generic "planet", wouldn't you start naming planets (after eliminating "Earth", "Jupiter" (big red spot missing), and "Saturn" (no rings)), figuring it's got to be one of them, even if you didn't recognize the planet? He did it twice (missing both Venus and Neptune)! I'm sure you can name 5 planets (6 if you count Pluto) in less than 3 seconds, especially if you claim you know all the planets.

[Shrek]

9 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Are they reusing categories/images from European versions of the show?  When they had the Birds category it looked like the picture they used for a robin was a European Robin and not the American Robin. IIRC the contestant passed.

They might just be using the more commonly recognized version of the bird, there have been lots of pictures only an American would know, the wife knows some & I've never seen them or heard of them so I doubt there are any shenanigans going on.