Netflix’s new mobile game show “Best Guess Live” launches Monday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and on night one both hosts Howie Mandel (“America’s Got Talent”) and Hunter March (“Sugar Rush”) will be on hand to explain how the competition works.
The mobile game shoots live every weeknight from Apploff Entertainment’s offices in Los Angeles — with Mandel and March taking turns as hosts. After downloading the “Best Guess Live” app, players can win up to $15,000 a game, as they’re asked to guess what one of the evening’s secret items are. It could be a person, a place or a thing, and players will have to figure it out through a series of five clues (shared, of course, as riddles). The first people to figure out the item correctly share the pot — but you only get one guess per puzzle. There are two puzzles per day, but there will also be other special “scratch off” elements for additional offers or gifts on some episodes.
“We want people sitting on the edge of their seat going, ‘oh my god, I think I know what it is, but I’m not going to answer it,’” said executive producer Jeff Apploff (“Beat Shazam,” “Don’t Forget the Lyrics”), who created the show with Noah Bonnett. “The idea is, everybody who puts in the correct answer in the earliest clue shares in the money. We go through all of the clues, and everybody gets to give their answer. Usually by the fifth clue, you really kind of get it. The idea is that once you see the five clues together, you get that ‘aha’ moment.”
If this reminds you of the “HQ Trivia” phenomenon of 2018, you’re not the only one. “HQ Trivia” was white hot for a split second, and spawned several imitators. Around that same time, Bonnett came to Apploff with the idea behind “Best Guess Live,” and they got excited about a “what’s in the box”-style game that was completely different from “HQ Trivia.” But then “HQ Trivia” quickly fizzled, and suddenly no one was interested in a mobile quiz show anymore.
“They got so big and then went away so quickly, so everybody freaked out,” Apploff said. “When you do a game like this, it’s a big investment. It’s a lot of money to put it together. It’s expensive to do the app. So we kind of kept it there.”
But then Netflix came calling. And the show that premieres Monday night is almost identical to what Apploff and his team first pitched the streamer.
“We have beautiful graphics and we’re able to have all these people from around the country play, but the key is having the perfect host to do it. And we have that in Hunter, and we have that in Howie.”
The hosts will be mostly alone in the Apploff office studio, but interact with the crew and also comment on the audience’s game play.
“I’ve been in the business for almost 50 years, and the biggest success I’ve ever had in my career, of all the things I’ve done, is ‘Deal or No Deal,’” Mandel said. “I love games. I love seeing people compete. I love humanity. There’s no reason to not spend 15 minutes every weekday and walk away with a huge amount of cash or and prizes and just have some fun. You don’t have to sit down. You don’t have to watch TV. This is incredibly shareable. I imagine what’s going to happen, whether you’re sitting in a bar, whether you’re sitting alone, whether you’re sitting in your office, everybody has access to this app at five o’clock. And who doesn’t like playing? For me to just show up in Jeff’s studio and give these clues, I have no idea what the answer is!”
Added March: “It’s also fun to watch Howie. When it comes to TV hosts, which I’ve done for 10 years, which it feels like a long time, he’s done it for much longer. Howie and I are so different in our approach, and yet we care about the same thing, which is making people laugh, making people feel like they should win, that they deserve to win.”
“Best Guess Live” is part of Netflix’s ongoing push into the gaming space, such as both party games on TV and mobile games. Recently announced new titles include “Lego Duplo World,” “Toca Boca Hair Salon 4,” “Paw Patrol Academy,” “WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition,” “Red Dead Redemption” and “Netflix Puzzled.”
In the case of “Best Guess Live,” Apploff said it remained to be seen how much integration of Netflix content there might be on the show. But just as in its prime, HQ Trivia became a promotional stop for stars touting their projects, it probably wouldn’t be surprising to see Netflix stars stop by to help March and Mandel deliver clues.
“We’ve got the full support of Netflix,” he said. “Ted Sarandos has played the game. Everybody has really been involved in this.” Added Mandel: “We’re looking for the biggest audience, the most players, the biggest opportunity. And I think Netflix is synonymous with that. I’m excited about being a small part of this with that big title of Netflix.”
Here’s a first look at “Best Guess Live”:
