Floor Is Lava: The Hero We Need Right Now.
Article By | Lizzie West
It’s getting SO hot outside! I know – it’s Texas and it’s summertime, no surprise there. I’m a big fan of yard games, but even I have to relent – it’s getting to be too hot to spend much time outside as a family making memories. But, it is still important to have some family time. And the goal is to have a good time together – and hopefully some laughs along the way, right? Well, get your popcorn ready, because there is a new show to stream with every generation of your family on Netflix that released just last week! It’s called Floor Is Lava and it’s basically American Ninja Warrior for your inner child.
Who remembers playing that game as a kid, when the weather wasn’t good enough to ride our bikes all over the neighborhood? The one where we were permitted to jump from one piece of furniture to another, and pretending the floor is lava. If you touch the carpet – YOU’RE A GONER! No need to answer, I know you remember. I now understand this was only acceptable to my parents because it used up some of my energy so I would sleep at a decent hour, but it was a blast and I actually got along with my siblings for once. Fast forward “several” years to 2020, pretty much the worst year our generation has seen. And a small glimmer of hope on the horizon in the form of a Netflix game show called Floor Is Lava.
The premise of the show is simple enough that you may already understand the rules. Get from point A to point B – BUT DON’T FALL IN THE LAVA! Unlike our childhood shenanigans, the difference here is they have created a very challenging obstacle course with many tricks and all these obstacles are situated among what looks to be lava. Spoiler Alert: it’s not actual lava, but it’s pretty slippery and once you fall in, you never return – until your team has had their run. Speaking of teams, each episode features 3 teams of 3 people that signed up to be on the show. The goal is to finish the course with the most points (points = the number of people to complete the course without falling victim to the lava) in the shortest time possible. The winning team of each episode gets a super sweet lava lamp…and I almost forgot to mention – $10,000! The time is important because if there is a tie in points, the team with the fastest time wins!
Another thing I love about this show is that it’s completely wholesome and great for the whole family. It is rated PG and noted it is for language, but I didn’t hear anything worse than the word “hell”. The only other thing I can think of is in episode 7 – about 2 minutes in. It’s just a questionable picture of the team, but it is edited. Also, it’s not just about powering through the course athletically either. Each team must also be looking at the course creatively, for items they can use to make the course less difficult, as well as anticipating when parts of the course may not be what they seem. It is even more exciting that the show has created several different courses throughout the season. It’s very entertaining and full of suspense. The host is funny but doesn’t really give anything away during his commentary.
The show has other funny moments, too. It’s not ALL suspense. When people fall into the lava, it can be quite dramatic, with slow-motion replays set to music, as well as the other team members getting involved in the drama. I usually have the captions set to display on my TV (if you don’t, you should. It’s a hoot.) At one point, a team member falls into the lava and the response of their teammate was coded into the captions as <sobs jokingly>. I had to rewind it to make sure I read it correctly.
At the end of the day (or night), this could become a go-to option for winding down in the evenings as a family, or something to kill time during the heat of the day. I highly recommend it and give it a full 5 volcanoes, for being a fun, exciting, creative, and wholesome streaming option. THAT is why, Floor Is Lava is the hero we need right now.