Lucky 13 fans brand Shaq’s game show ‘boring’ and ‘too slow’ – as viewers point out how producers can ‘save’ series
LUCKY 13 fans are disappointed by the format of Shaq's new game show after just two episodes were released.
The ABC series hosted by Shaquille O'Neal and Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez premiered on July 18, after it was picked up by the network in May.
The show airs during prime time and tests contestants' knowledge with 13 true-or-false trivia questions - with the added twist of having to predict how successfully they answered them.
Lucky 13 is produced by Studio 1, the company run by Adrian Woolf, who was originally part of the team that developed Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Contestants on Lucky 13 stand the chance to win a million-dollar prize if they can accurately estimate whether their answers are right or wrong.
Despite the high-stakes premise, viewers criticized Lucky 13 as "boring" and "too slow" in comments on X, with several people offering their suggestions to "save" the series.
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One user noted, "Can’t help but think the show would be helped immeasurably if they’d do three games an hour rather than two. Seems there’s definitely time."
"Half the show being basically a recap definitely bogs it down," another fan replied. "And please, somebody at Pepsi, stop making Gina Rodriguez say "thanks to Pepsi, thank you Pepsi" twice an episode."
A third comment read: "I still think it's a format better suited for daytime and a smaller money ladder. It's not a million dollar game."
The NBA legend reflected on filming season one of Lucky 13, and working with Gina, in an interview with Good Morning America ahead of the premiere.
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"We had a lot of interesting characters [on the show]," Shaq, 52, told host George Stephanopoulous. "The show actually turned out to be great and I actually learnt a lot."
He also praised his "talented" and "funny" co-host Gina, adding, "She's very quick, very beautiful, and awesome."
Fan criticism of Lucky 13 comes days after viewers noticed a glaring mistake in the premiere episode, as Chicago-based dentist Barrett Chesley faced off against Krista Barbour, a teacher from Seattle.
Viewers declared Barrett was "robbed" over a question about Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo.
Barrett's seventh question read, "Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day."
The orthodontist from Illinois guessed that statement was false, adding, "I work with a lot of Mexican women and they would kill me if I got this wrong."
Half the show being basically a recap definitely bogs it down.
Lucky 13 viewer
Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16.
After considering how many answers he got right, he picked the bracket of 7 to 9, for total winnings amounting $25,000.
Unfortunately, Barrett lost the game after he went over the range and got 10 answers correct.
However, the question about Cinco de Mayo left fans confused, after it was declared to be true on Lucky 13.
"It’s not Mexican Independence Day. Thanks for holding me down yall!" one fan wrote in the comments section of a snippet from the episode that was posted on Instagram.
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"Just to clarify, Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico's Independence. It's September 16th. I just want to make sure that's the correct answer," another said.
"Came to say the same thing. He got robbed," a third person replied.
