‘The Floor,’ A Delightful Game Show Hosted By Rob Lowe, Melted My Stress Away

On a Tuesday night in January 2024 after a particularly draining start to the week, I collapsed on the couch, mustered enough energy to grab my TV’s remote control, and just barely convinced myself to press the power button. I had no desire to navigate seemingly endless streaming libraries or invest in a complex character-driven storyline, but I thought the background noise might help quiet my racing thoughts. I left my fate in the hands of the cable TV gods, desperately hoping that whichever news report or network show appeared before my tired eyes wouldn’t worsen my mood.

That’s when The Floor found me.

I stayed stuck in my head for several more minutes, barely glancing up or bothering to comprehend the hijinks unfolding before me. I closed my eyes, determined to shut out the world a bit longer, until the sound of people naming completely random, mundane household objects — tape! scissors! pen! receipts! notebook! gum! — pre-maturely coaxed them open. I looked up to see a man and a woman standing across from each other in front of a giant screen displaying photos of common junk drawer items. The task, it seemed, was simply to identify the object shown. Beneath each contestant was 45-second timer counting down to the end of their gentle, deeply perplexing face off. When a clock finally ran out, the unthinkable happened: Actor Rob Lowe walked out on stage screaming “WOW!” and I started to cackle.

The “Info” button I smashed upon sitting upright revealed I was watching The Floor, Fox’s new game show inexplicably hosted by the 9-1-1: Lone Star actor. It invites 81 contestants to stand on a light-up 9×9 floor grid and “duel” for a grand prize of $250,000. Each contestant specializes in a specific area of expertise, with trivia topics ranging from “Cereal” and “Nepo Babies” to “Political Candidates,” “Famous Hair,” and beyond. Some categories are incredibly niche and admittedly ridiculous! Others are genuinely complex and quite intimidating! But they’re all are exciting to watch, because as Lowe says, “You never know what’s going to stump somebody under pressure.”

If you’re going into The Floor cold having missed the start of the episode like I did that night, the game might not make much sense. As I watched strangers shout words associated with Junk Drawers, Technology, Idioms, Brunch, Tourist Hotspots, Spices & Condiments, Sports Equipment, and Movie Quotes in Episode 4, I had no clue what “territories” were, how the life-sized Tetris-esque pieces were obtained, or that the contestant with the most squares at the end of each episode wins $20,000. (Hell yeah!) I didn’t know why Rob Lowe was hosting this show, and to be quite honest, I still don’t. (I’m not complaining! Love Rob Lowe.) But The Floor‘s learning curve didn’t impede my ability to have fun while watching, nor did it prevent embarrassingly large amounts of adrenaline from coursing through my body each time my brain swiftly identified something as effortlessly recognizable as scrambled eggs. Good job, Nicole! You’re doing great!

I’ve since learned that when The Floor‘s “Randomizer” selects one lucky contestant to kick off the game, that person must challenge a neighboring contestant (aside from diagonal squares) to a duel. The winner inherits the loser’s “territory” and topic — which they’re presumably not an expert in — and allows them to challenge someone new or go back to the board and wait to be challenged by someone else.

While The Floor throws out some serious softball questions — certainly more than I’d expect from a show as intense as Jeopardy or even from lighter viewing like Family Feud — the simplicity of each category is subjective, with numerous factors, including the ability to perform under pressure, at play. I watched a 28-year-old business owner confidentially put her tech knowledge to the test against a 59-year-old media sales executive’s inherited expertise, only to get eliminated because she couldn’t ID an 8-track player. (Youth is a blessing and a curse!) Though incorrect guesses aren’t penalized, the clock continues to run while contestants pause to guess. Should they choose to pass, they’ll lose an extra three seconds on the clock, bringing them closer to potential elimination. As more territories are obtained and the stakes grow higher, so does the pressure.

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I’ve admittedly only seen that single episode of the show, but my memories of The Floor are so fond and delightfully deranged that I can’t help but stan. The second my schedule permits I’m headed to Hulu to start Season 1 from the top with fingers crossed that the network green lights a Season 2. Will I find that the lighthearted competition series only hits after an especially bad day? Perhaps! But I’m feeling great in the present moment and still getting an absolute kick watching those ladies fire off breakfast foods like their lives depend on it, so I’ve got high hopes that its charm will hold up.

So how would an expert in game shows rate The Floor? As someone who rarely tunes into televised quiz games, I honestly couldn’t tell you. Decider’s Joel Keller gave the “boring game show” a SKIP IT and deemed host Rob Lowe “the wrong man for the job,” so it’s clearly not for everyone. But The Floor, Mr. Lowe, and massive photos of brunch food found me when I needed them most, melting my stress away and inspiring a fun new bit that involves looking at items and identifying them in a very serious tone like contestants on the show. (*Looks in the mirror* “Nerd.” DING!)

Some may say The Floor is just another game show in a world with too many game shows, but on that fateful Tuesday night in January, it was a perfect pick-me-up with incredible purpose.

To me, The Floor is primarily a comedy, but at times, it’s a drama, a thriller, a mystery, and a horror. It’s a mindless escape, a wise teacher, and a comforting friend. It’s anything you want or need it to be in the moment and though I’m not $250,000 — or even $20,000 — richer after watching, The Floor still left me feeling like a winner.

The Floor is now streaming on Hulu.