• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, May 6, 2024

Is there a demographic group of crude people that I don’t know about who are prized by advertisers and networks?

I have never heard of one. Maybe deep in the sub-basements of the TV biz, someone is crunching the numbers in a quest to assess the viability of “crude adults 18-49.”

Writing the last two paragraphs is my version of scratching my head when I come across something I cannot explain.

In this case, it is the title of a new quiz show coming to Fox at the end of May called “The Quiz with Balls.” That’s host Jay Pharoah in front of the show’s balls in the photo above.

OK, I’ll just come right out and say this, at the risk of being crude myself: Why didn’t they just name the show “The Quiz with Testicles” and be done with it?

I guess it is because “Balls” in this context has to do primarily with the “balls” seen above and also, possibly, some sort of courage -- i.e., “balls” -- it might require to advance in the game.

Let the record show that I have not yet seen this ballsy quiz show, since it does not premiere until May 28. Thus, no preview screeners are yet available.

But a description provided in a Fox news release in March indicates that, yes, the show does take balls -- i.e., courage -- to avoid physical pain. 

" 'The Quiz with Balls' [pits] brains against balls, while combining a high-stakes quiz show with a large-scale physical competition," Fox says.

A contest of "brains vs. balls"? Let me guess. The balls win! 

"Each episode of 'The Quiz with Balls' features two families competing for $100,000 in a ‘battle of the balls'."

So, basically, this show is styled as a family show, but with battling balls.

“Standing on a high platform over a glistening pool, they must all work together as they face a multiple-choice quiz where each answer is allocated to a spot with a giant ball positioned up behind it. 

“If the correct answer is chosen, the ball rolls down and stops just before colliding with the player.  … If the answer is wrong, the massive ball rapidly descends and mercilessly whacks them into the pool below.” 

Thus, the balls that are at the very center of this show’s premise are described in the show description as both "giant" and "massive."

As for the show’s "merciless whacking," the press release does not specify whether or not the male contestants are whacked in the balls, which would be highly appropriate given the show’s title.

However, since the contestant families stand to win a grand prize of $100,000, what’s a little damage to the family jewels?

Well, this has been fun to write, but seriously, the TV Blog fails to see how naming a quiz show “The Quiz with Balls” can benefit this TV show or any TV show. 

Question: “ ‘Hey, did you watch ‘The Quiz with Balls’ last night?” Answer: “I’m sorry. What did you just ask me?”