Netflix’s Cheat sees Danny Dyer and Ellie Taylor coming together to host a game show that allows the contestants to cheat their way to the prize money. The reality show is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
In Cheat, Danny Dyer hosts the show, and Ellie Taylor asks the questions to the contestants. Each episode has four contestants competing for the prize money accumulated through their collective right answers.
In the first round, the contestants are asked four questions each. Each contestant has a cheat button. If they do not know an answer, they can simply press the button and get it on their screen. However, the other contestants can make a claim that their fellow contestant has cheated.
Every correct answer adds £1,000 to the prize money, and every wrong one deducts the same sum from the prize money. Therefore, it is best to cheat when one does not know the answer.
At the end of the round, the amount earned from cheating gets deducted from the prize money. The person who points out the cheats most accurately, called the cheat hunter, advances to the next round and gets to eliminate one contestant.
In the second round, each correct answer adds £3,000 to the prize money, and the same amount is deducted from it for each wrong answer. This time, when a claim is made, it is revealed then and there whether the contestant has cheated or not.
The amount earned from the undetected cheats gets deducted. Again, the best cheat hunter gets to advance to the next round and choose their opponent for the last round. The amount earned by cheating by the eliminated contestant gets added to the prize money.
In the finale, the remaining two contestants answer questions one by one. They also have the chance to call out the other’s cheat. The wrong answer or claim will make them lose everything, while the right claim will win them the prize money.
Positives
The quiz format is known for making reality game shows informative for the viewers. The game allows the viewers to guess the answers along with the contestants before it is revealed whether the given answer is right or wrong.
The show brings all types of contestants from different fields of life. The viewers get to see people with different personalities in every episode. These contestants sometimes start rivalries within just a few minutes.
Furthermore, people from different professions bring their own knowledge to the game. The viewers get to guess with the other contestants whether they know the answer to a particular question or not.
Negatives
Danny Dyer is a seasoned presenter, but in this show, his jokes seem over the top, and more often than not, they do not land. He tries hard, but it just does not work in this show.
The show, overall, seems too muddled. The rules of the game show fail to make it interesting, as the rules can be very confusing. Most likely, the viewers will only understand the game when they take out some time to make sense of the rules.
Additionally, after an episode or two, the show gets dull before the viewers are even invested. When the premise is not solid, it is hard to keep the viewers invested.
Verdict
Cheat is a confusing game show. The point of a reality show is to entertain the viewers, and unfortunately, it fails to do just that. Netflix has better reality shows that have worked for the viewers, but Cheat does not seem to be one of them.
Also Read: Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 5 review: Continues to be a great ride
