I Just Figured Out How 99 To Beat Can Fix Its Biggest Problem

I love 99 To Beat. I used to feel a little guilty about how much I love it, you know on account of it being a show about people desperately trying to complete menial tasks, but any such shame left my brain a long time ago. I now unapologetically love it, and I need it to come back for a second season. I’m cautiously optimistic it’ll get a renewal order from FOX, but when it does, it needs to correct one major problem. Thankfully, I think I know how to fix it.

99 To Beat is, at its core, a sporting event. It’s about completing an athletic task within a short amount of time in an effort to win. That’s a sport, but unlike basically every sport in the world outside Covid times, it doesn’t have fans. Commentators Ken Jeong and Erin Andrews are able to fill that void a little bit with their excited cheering. I love how much they care and their willingness to voice it, but they can’t replace the roar of a crowd.

Doing so is uniquely challenging because, as an edited show that doesn’t air for months, you don’t want the fans/ audience spoiling the results. It’s also unlikely they’ll be that invested, given they don’t know the backstories and personalities of the contestants. Thankfully, there’s a group of very emotionally invested people who do: the eliminated players.

One of the best parts about 99 To Beat is the other contestants, who have already finished the challenge, helping their fellow players and rooting for them. I suggest we expand that to include all the eliminated contestants. Instead of sending them home after they get eliminated, the show should stick them in the audience and mic them up.

At first it would be a little awkward and weird with one person cheering on the ninety-nine remaining players, but it would be so much fun to see who they’re rooting for. In addition, it would give us a chance to see family members pulling for each other and to see former strangers turned friends continue their bonds. How much fun would it have been to see their reactions during that epic finale, as an example?

99 To Beat isn’t there yet. Despite my unabashed love for the show, I’m perfectly willing to admit the formula isn’t exactly right. It can and should get better, but that means taking changes and trying new things. I think (in addition to reducing the number of group challenges) that big innovation should be keeping the eliminated contestants around and sticking them in the crowd. If it ends up being awkward or uncomfortable, the editors can just mostly ignore that footage, but if it comes out how I think it would come out, all that emotion from the ex-players will add a really fun and compelling new dynamic.

Fingers crossed the show gets renewed, ideally as a long-term partner for The Floor, and fingers crossed if/ when it does, the producers are willing to take some chances to try and make it even better.