’99 to Beat’ Hosts Erin Andrews & Ken Jeong Tease ‘Bigger And Better’ Season 2

There’s only one rule for 99 to Beat. Don’t finish last. Hosts Erin Andrews and Ken Jeong talk about Season 2 and what fans can expect.

99 to Beat is a game show where 100 contestants compete in various wacky games. Each round, whoever finishes last is eliminated, whether it’s solo or a team. It was renewed in May during the Fox Upfronts, and the hosts are ready for a bigger season.

The show consists of everyday people and reality show stars competing for $1 million. For every contestant who is eliminated, $1,000 is added to the prize pot. Last season, Reverend Peter Nevins took home the prize.

Fans can catch the new season of 99 to Beat on Wednesdays, starting September 23, at 9/8c on Fox. Andrews and Jeong will be back to guide the contestants through the games and provide commentary.

Here’s what the hosts said about Season 2.

What can fans expect from season two of 99 to Beat?

Ken Jeong: Bigger. It’s better. It’s all the superlatives. Every player comes in just ready to go. They’ve seen season one. They know it’s for a million dollars. There’s more strategy. There’s more competition. Yet it still not only retains the heart; it magnifies it. There’s so much empathy, and there’s so much heart while still competing for life-changing money. People are actively rooting for each other and actively upset when their friends, family, sibling, or spouse when they get eliminated. So it really is in every way bigger and better.

Were there any elements being added to the game that weren’t in season one?

Erin Andrews: I think it’s just new games, new challenges. We have some of the old favorites like the ice challenge back in full force. Same body parts being used, same banter, same laughter, same weird nasal noises coming from us when we are laughing so hard at people sitting literally on top of a block of ice to melt it with their rear end. That is back, and thank goodness. Speaking of backs, it’s just our challenges that are hilarious. They’re creative. They’re like Ken said before, bigger, better. They had to be because all these contestants watched season one, felt like they were prepped, and we needed to surprise them and shake it up a bit.

If you could add something like a save or a lifeline, or something to the team challenge. What would you add in terms of having another element? 

Jeong: In terms of what exactly?

So, say somebody is the first person to win the challenge; they get the save later on in another challenge, or they can pass or something like that.

Andrews: I would copyright that because that’s a good little thing to throw in for season three.

Jeong: We should use that for season three, and not give credit. [laughs]

Andrews: Noted.  Or I have one. Like, make it bigger and better after that. If a person finishes first, they can save themselves and another contestant. Then you see some sort of rivalries. You see some sort of alliances. All the things. I love it. Yep. So good.

Have you guys ever tried any of the games, and what were you best and worst at?

Andrews: Worse at all of them. Not good at any of them. I did the Thimble game. We also did it in season one. Oh, I almost took Ken’s eye out; that wasn’t funny on the fishing hook. That was terrible. Felt awful. Had chest pains for three days. It’s fine. Yeah, they’re hard. They’re so hard. And keep in mind, we’re not going to win the money. Fox ain’t giving it to us. We’ve asked. It’s difficult. It’s really, really hard. So we’re not going up against the other contestants. Watching people finish the challenges, and you’re still sitting out there struggling, hearing the music, having the beads of sweat come off of you, hot breath everywhere. You get it.

Jeong: Yeah, I mean, well said. We did the thimble game that is going to be on this season. Neither of us could, and we were both doing, we didn’t even know until today that we had both tried that game. We’re just doing it for fun, and neither of us could.

Andrews: I didn’t have fun.

Jeong: I did.

Andrews: I was so bad. It was terrible. The tweezers were a joke.

Last season consisted of a mix of reality TV vets and everyday civilians. Can fans expect the same for this season?

Andrew: You got it.

Jeong: We have people who have appeared on Survivor. We’ve had people who have appeared on The Golden Bachelor. We have another Power Ranger. We had a Power Ranger on last season. It was, I think, Sierra who was a yellow Power Ranger, and this year we have Karan, who is another Yellow Power Ranger. It’s kind of amazing. So there’s a bit of a theme going on, but there’s also, you have two, not one, but two sets of triplets.

Andrews: Lots of couples, married couples, family members, twins.

Jeong: It’s a little of everything.

Andrews: You break up the family and really cause chaos. You know, like Christmas for everybody.

I saw in a preview that the oldest contestant this season is 81 years old. How did he stack up against the other competitors?

Jeong: Paul is one of my favorites, maybe if not my favorite contestant, because he has this amazing story, and then he was not to spoil anything away, but even despite everyone watching out for themselves and wanting to win that $1 million, every single person is rooting for Paul, which is amazing to see. So, despite the fact that there’s real money, real stakes, and everyone truly wants it for themselves, everyone’s rooting for Paul. And I think that, to me, is the beauty of the show. That’s what the show is all about. Paul is the heart and soul of the show.

What is a piece of advice you would give to people who want to compete on the show?

Andrews: Don’t panic, don’t panic. Make sure you are this kind of personality. Even Keel, Even Stephen. That is not us.

Jeong: I mean, exactly what Erin said. It’s like in sports. You can’t get too high after a victory. You can’t get too low after a loss. I mean, they’ll only go on the show if they don’t finish last. So you truly don’t have to be the best. And in fact, it’s actually good if you’re not being the best because you don’t want that emotion to overtake you. That just means you advanced a round. You just survived and advanced. It didn’t matter if you did the game beautifully. I think it’s just if you’re thinking in almost academic terms, if you’re regressing to the mean every time, I think that’s kind of the logical approach to the game.

Would you guys want to do a celebrity edition, and if so, who would you want on it, and who do you think would be good

Jeong: Oh, you have so many.

Andrews: Love to have some NFL players do it. I feel like those are guys that know what it’s like when you know high stakes, everything’s on the line, fourth and five, 28 to three and a half, like those are guys that know how to deal with the emotions and kind of, if you screw up, you throw a touchdown, or you throw an interception, you fumble the ball. They know how to get it back together, and I don’t. And I think it’d be so cool to see.

I also want our offensive linemen in the NFL [because they] are massive. They handle it on the field. I would love to see them get a set of tweezers and do the thimble game. I think it’d be hysterical and fascinating because they are the smartest players.

Jeong: I would love to see Joel McHale of Fox’s Animal Control and The 1% Club to be on the show because I can’t wait to laugh at him being the first person eliminated, and I need a good laugh just to start off the season because I know he’ll be eliminated.

Andrews: I wouldn’t be laughing at his hair. It’s great.

Jeon: She loves Joe. It just truly upsets me, truly, truly upsets me. Nothing would — I don’t know — please my soul more than just to see him eliminated first because I’ve already put money on him.

What is your favorite part of working together?

Jeong: Laughing, just having a lot.

Andrews: The Joel McHale jokes.

Jeong: There are a lot of Joe McHale jokes. Even we’ll just, even off camera, and I’ll say this in the bullhorn, I’ll just say “Joel McHale” for no reason, and the players are like, “What?” And it really is just to have a laugh every day because you are invested in the storylines. We are keeping it very much in a competitive, objective category.

But the games, you’re talking about tiny hands with beads. You’re talking about melting ice with parts of your body. You’re talking about squatting a duck. So, you’re combining just the pathos and the intensity of an NFL game with comedy, and it really is. I mean, it’s beautifully cast when you’re having me and Erin involved, but we’re at the same time keeping it real, but also keeping it light and funny. In many ways, it’s just one of the most unique projects I’ve ever been a part of.

If you guys could swap places with any other game show host, who would you pick?

Jeong: Good question. I mean, although it pains me to say this, not Joel McHale, because I think Joel McHale is such a good host. Again, I want this off the record. I mean, my lawyers have agreed with you, just to cut out anything nice I ever say about Joel McHale.

He is, in many ways, kind of my role model. In many ways that he can keep things grounded and keep things extremely funny, but extremely empathetic. So I would say, off the record, Joel McHale is kind of one of my heroes.

Andrews: I would say Rob Lowe, because he’s aging backwards, and I’ll take that.

Jeong: Oh, good answer. Rob Lowe is just a treasure, right? I mean, he’s just amazing on The Floor. Watching him, our lead in show, as I call him, father, he just really leads us in, and we’re his kids.

Andrews: Or Gordon Ramsay, because the craft services is going to be fire, or you’re fired.