'Awake: The Million Dollar Game': Release date, trailer, host and everything you need to know about Netflix's new game show
What if you were forced to go without sleep for 24 hours and then take part in a series of mental and physical challenges? As insomniacs, students and serial binge-watchers would agree, this is not a good idea even at the best of times. But what if the prize was a million dollars? This is the premise of Netflix’s brand new game show 'Awake: The Million Dollar Game', coming on the heels of the streaming platform's success with reruns of 'Jeopardy' and the introduction of their original game show 'Flinch'. Here’s everything you need to know about the show:
Release Date
Details have been scarce about the new show with Netflix keeping production tightly under wraps. Reports in January 2019 revealed that the show was set to be launched this year. A placeholder page on the Netflix website has announced that the studio game show would arrive on June 14.
Premise
Each episode of the show will feature contestants who are forced to go 24 hours without rest before being subjected to grueling mental and physical tasks which promise to be as difficult as they are ridiculous. At the end of the episode, the last man (or woman) standing gets to go home with a million dollar jackpot. And with a prize like that at stake, there is bound to be no end of contestants ready to rise to the challenge. The Game Show Network's 'Cram' (2003), which ran for two seasons, is the only notable earlier game show to be built around sleep-deprivation as a premise, although many have tried and failed.
Host
The game will be hosted by actor, writer, and stand-up comic James Davis. He is best known for his show 'Hood Adjacent with James Davis' on Comedy Central. He has previously performed at multiple comedy and rap shows including big names like Drake, J. Cole and Big Sean.
Trailer
Netflix has released a trailer for the first season of 'Awake'. The short preview showcases some of the most trying tasks that contestants will go through on the show’s shiny studio stage while struggling to keep their eyes open and on the ball (or egg as the task may be). There are bound to be some exciting successes and hilarious fails once 'The Million Dollar Game' arrives on screens.
