Ellen's Game of Games, also known as Game of Games and stylized as ellen's GAME OF GAMES, is an American television game show that aired on NBC. In March 2017, NBC ordered six (later eight) hour-long episodes of the series. Ellen DeGeneres serves as host, while Stephen "tWitch" Boss appears as announcer/sidekick. The series is based on game segments from DeGeneres' daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The series premiered on December 18, 2017. It ran for 4 seasons and ended on May 23, 2021. The series was cancelled in January 2022.
Format In each episode, contestants will be selected to play in one of four preliminary games. The winner of each game advances to the semi-final round, "Know or Go". The last remaining player plays the "Hot Hands/Hotter Hands" game for a chance to win up to $100,000. +TimelineGameAppearsSeason 1Season 2Season 3Season 4Aw Snap!bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Blindfolded Musical Chairsbgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Buckin' Blastersbgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Burst of Knowledgebgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" Danger Wordbgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Dirty Laundrybgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" Dizzy Dashbgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Don't Leave Me Hangingbgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Great Taj Mah Wallbgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Heads Up!bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" Hot Handsbgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" Hotter Handsbgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" If I Could Turn Back Slimebgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" In Your Face, Honeybgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" Knockin' Bootsbgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" Know or Gobgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Make It Rain!bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" Master Blasterbgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" Mazed & Confusedbgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Mt. Saint Ellenbgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Name Dropperbgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" Oh Ship!bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" One-Eyed Monsterbgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" Runaway Bridebgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" Say Whaaat?bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Scary-Go-Roundbgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" See Ya Later, Alligatorbgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Son of a One-Eyed Monsterbgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" Stink Tankbgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Taste Budsbgcolor="red" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" Tuba Toothpastebgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" bgcolor="red" You Bet Your Wifebgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen" bgcolor="lightgreen"
Preliminary games Some games are (or have been) played with teams of civilian contestants; for all such games, the winning team chooses one player who will play Know or Go. Aw Snap!: Standing back-to-back, two contestants are connected to opposite ends of a bungee cord and must each attempt to retrieve five apples in their assigned colors (red or green) from a row of stands in front of them. They may only use their teeth to hold the apples. The first contestant to move all five apples into a scoring basket wins. In Season 2, Episode 12, the game was played in teams of twin sisters, but only one twin played while the other was watching. To date, all contestants in this game have been female. Blindfolded Musical Chairs: Five contestants (four in Season 3-4) are blindfolded and begin dancing around the stage while music plays; when it stops, they must find and sit on one of several randomly placed stools. DeGeneres presses a button to determine where the stools will appear. As in the game of musical chairs, the number of seats is always one less than the number of participants at any given time, and the one who is unable to find an unoccupied seat is eliminated. The last remaining contestant wins. And in the Christmas special, this game is also known as Blindfolded Musical Packages. Buckin' Blasters: Two contestants mount giant cannons and must shoot their opponent's three portraits to win. While the contestants' control when to fire the cannon, DeGeneres will control the cannons from her podium to mess with their aiming ability. When a contestant's portrait is hit, their cannon will spin like crazy. The first contestant who shoots all three of their opponent's portraits wins. If time runs out, the contestant who shoots more of their opponent's portraits wins. If there is a tie, a sudden death round is played, in which the portraits are reset, and the first contestant to shoot one of their opponent's portraits wins. To date, all contestants in this game have been female. Burst of Knowledge: In this game, which was only in Season 4 to date, three contestants stand around a triangular platform. One contestant at a time answers questions while standing over a slowly inflating balloon filled with shaving cream; a correct answer ends their turn and allows them to pass the balloon to the next person in line. When the balloon pops, the contestant holding it is sprayed with the contents and eliminated. The remaining two plays again, and the last remaining contestant wins. Danger Man: Similar to the game show Password, played with two teams of two. A clue giver on each team is shown a "winning word" (for example, "lettuce") and a related "danger word" (for example, "salad"); they alternate giving one-word clues to their boys. A team earns a strike (and the guesser a spray from a cannon) if they guess the danger word or their opponent guesses the winning word. A team also receives a strike if the clue giver gives an illegal clue (such as a two-word clue or using any form of either word). A team with three strikes is eliminated. In Season 3, Episode 1, and Season 4, Episode 19, DeGeneres and Boss act as clue givers for two audience members. DeGeneres once declared Danger Word was her favorite game. Dirty Dance: In this game, which was only in Season 3 to date, two teams of two are conjoined inside of a huge shirt and are given three clues to what DeGeneres is describing. The teams then must grab their colour corresponding ball and throw it into the giant washing machine. The first team to do so gets the choice of either answering the question or passing it to the other team. The first team that gets three points wins the game. This game is related to The Laundry Game from Grant's Game of Games in Australia. Dizzy Dash: Contestants are asked a (normally easy) question. They are spun around in chairs and must run to a moving podium and grab a ball from it before they can answer. The first to correctly answer three questions wins. In the Christmas special, this game is also known as "Dizzy Dasher". However, it is most well known as "Dizzy Dash". They normally have two men for this game. Don't Leave Me Hanging: Three contestants are suspended in harnesses and take turns naming things that fit a given category, receiving a strike if they give an incorrect answer, repeat an answer previously given or take too long to respond. A contestant with three strikes is eliminated and launched to the top of the studio. The last remaining contestant wins. Great Taj Mah Wall: Slightly similar to Don't Leave Me Hanging, five contestants are strapped behind 5 walls. DeGeneres will then reveal a picture with many images for about 10 seconds. Then each player randomly take turns saying an image in the picture. A contestant who gives an incorrect answer, repeats an answer, or takes too long is eliminated and blasted through the walls. The last contestant standing wins. Heads Up!: In this game, which was only in Season 4 to date, two pairs of contestants are chosen. One contestant in each pair is shown a series of words on monitors above and behind their partner's head and must get their partner to guess them, scoring one point each. The giver may use verbal clues for the first 30 seconds but must only gesture for the next 60 seconds. The giver or receiver may pass as often as desired. The higher-scoring pair wins and must choose one player to advance to play Know or Go. If I Could Turn Back Slime: In this game which was only in Season 4 to date, three contestants are given 60 seconds to do tasks simultaneously. After completing a task, a contestant's clock stops; when a contestant's clock reaches zero, slime is poured on them and they are eliminated. Once all contestants have completed the task or had their clocks expire, the process is repeated with a new task. The game ends when only one contestant has time remaining. In case of a tie, the tied contestants are given one final task; the first contestant to complete it wins. In Your Face, Honey: In this game, which was only in the inaugural season, two teams of couples compete. The wife from their team attempts to throw a ball as close to a target as possible. Each team have two attempts, the team with the most points wins. Knockin' Boots: A similar game to Don't Leave Me Hanging and also Song Association - DeGeneres, where contestants answer questions about songs with one primary word. If DeGeneres does not believe the song has the word either in the title or in the song, the contestant gets a strike. Three strikes and then they will face being kicked by the boot above them. In Season 3, the musical artists standing with DeGeneres and Boss play a game. Make It Rain!: Two contestants compete to answer trivia questions for the chance to pull on one of several umbrellas. In Season 1, the winning umbrella had a $10,000 cash prize; in Season 4, it had confetti and no prize; the remaining umbrellas have water. If a contestant pulls the correct umbrella on the first try, DeGeneres has them pull two or more others to get them wet, ostensibly to prove that only one umbrella had the confetti. Master Blaster: In this game, which was only in the inaugural season, three contestants on harnesses have to compete to solve a giant jigsaw-style puzzle. The losing contestants are "blasted" into the air. Mazed & Confused: Two contestants enter a giant mirror maze, each through a color-coded entrance. They must find an orb of the same color, exit the maze through the same exit, and place the orb on a podium to win. If a contestant exits through the incorrect door, they need to go back inside and exit through their correct exit point. Mt. Saint Ellen/Mt. Of The Emirates: Three contestants climb a mountain that tilts and shakes, and some climbing ropes are not attached. The first contestant to collect three diamonds wins.