Mental Samurai
Mental Samurai is an American television game show of intelligence and mental agility that premiered on March 19, 2019 on Fox. Described as an "obstacle course for the mind", the show features contestants answering knowledge-based questions while being moved around by a large robot arm in the show's specially designed capsule that can rotate 360°. The show is hosted and produced by Rob Lowe.[1][2][3]
| Mental Samurai | |
|---|---|
 Mental Samurai Poster | |
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | |
| Directed by | Rich DiPirro |
| Presented by | Rob Lowe |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Rob Lowe |
| Production location(s) | Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California (season 1) TBD (season 2–) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera setup |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Picture format | 720p (HDTV) |
| Original release | March 19, 2019 – present |
| External links | |
| https://www.fox.com/mental-samurai/ fox.com/mental-samurai | |
On February 25, 2020, it was announced that the second season was set to premiere on April 22, 2020.[4] However, due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the new season was postponed and reruns are airing in its place.
Gameplay
The game consists of two rounds, with one contestant at a time answering questions from within a movable capsule, named Ava. The questions are asked on four screens ("towers"), each focusing on a different skill: Knowledge, Puzzles, Sequences, and Memory.
The Tower of Knowledge
- Factfinder:
- Initial Impression:
- Reality Check:
- Snapshot:
- Special Equation:
- Spellbound:
- Toss Up:
- True Lies:
The Tower of Puzzles
- Compound Fracture:
- Double Crossed:
- Gridlock:
- Match Box:
- Mirror Mirror:
- Missing Piece:
- Oddball:
- Picture Perfect:
- Wordnado:
- Wordplay:
The Tower of Sequence
- Alpha Order:
- Back Order:
- Measure Up:
- Record-Breaker:
- Striking Distance:
- Time Warp:
The Tower of Memory
- Blackout:
- Chat Attack:
- Echo Chamber:
- Hear Say:
- Mind Field:
- Name Dropper:
- Pay Attention:
- True Colors:
Circle of Samurai
This round consists of up to four questions, one at each tower, in the same manner; 90 seconds are allowed, plus any time remaining from the first round (rounded to the nearest second). The first correct answer increases the contestant's winnings to $25,000, and each subsequent answer adds a further $25,000, for a maximum of $100,000 if the contestant answers all four questions correctly. A miss at any time ends the round, but the contestant leaves with whatever money they have won to that point.
| Correct questions |
Prize |
|---|---|
| 0 | $10,000 |
| 1 | $25,000 |
| 2 | $50,000 |
| 3 | $75,000 |
| 4 | $100,000 |
Tournament format
The best-performing contestants in a season, including some who fail to win the $100,000 on their original episode, returned in the final episode of the season to compete in a tournament for a grand prize of $250,000.
Towers of Samurai
In the tournament final, much like the preliminary episodes, the finalists will complete a Towers of Samurai round. However, unlike previous shows, the finalists will each face the same 12 questions in the same order. (All contestants are sequestered away and are not aware of the proceedings until it is their turn to play.) The top three finishing players (determined by most questions answered correctly and ties being broken by fastest time) will advance the Circle of Samurai final.[5]
Circle of Samurai Final
Again, unlike previous episodes, each of the contestants will face off answering the same set of questions (in the same order). Each contestant is sequestered backstage and unaware of the proceedings. Unlike the regular episodes, each contestant is only given 90 seconds to complete the four questions. The contestant who answers the most questions correctly, in the shortest amount of time, will be deemed the winner and champion.[5]
Ratings
| # | Air Date | 18–49 (rating/share) |
Viewers (millions) |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 19, 2019 | 0.7/3 | 2.20 | [6] |
| 2 | March 26, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 1.98 | [7] |
| 3 | April 2, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 1.85 | [8] |
| 4 | April 9, 2019 | 0.5/3 | 1.84 | [9] |
| 5 | April 16, 2019 | 0.5/2 | 1.68 | [10] |
| 6 | April 23, 2019 | 0.5/3 | 1.77 | [11] |
| 7 | April 30, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 1.75 | [12] |
| 8 | May 7, 2019 | 0.5/2 | 1.66 | [13] |
| 9 | May 14, 2019 | 0.4/2 | 1.39 | [14] |
| 10 | May 21, 2019 | 0.4/2 | 1.58 | [15] |
International versions
Legend:
Currently airing
Ended
Upcoming version
| Country | Local title | Host(s) | Network | Date aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Mental Samurai | Unknown | Dubai TV | 2020 – present |
 |
Mental Samurai Suomi[16] | Ellen Jokikunnas | Nelonen | February 22, 2020 – present |
 |
Mental Samurai[17] | Pedro Teixeira | TVI | October 29, 2019 – present |
References
- "FOX Announces "Mental Samurai," First-Ever Obstacle Course for the Mind, Hosted and Produced by Rob Lowe, To Air During the 2018-2019 Season". The Futon Critic. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- Otterson, Joe (August 2, 2018). "Fox Orders Competition Series 'Mental Samurai' Hosted by Rob Lowe". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ""Mental Samurai," The First-Ever Obstacle Course for the Mind, Hosted and Produced by Rob Lowe, to Premiere Tuesday, February 26, on FOX". The Futon Critic. January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- Kanter, Jake (February 25, 2020). "'Mental Samurai': Fox Renews Rob Lowe-Fronted Reality Competition For Season 2". Deadline Hollywood.
- "The Grand Championship". Mental Samurai. Season 1. Episode 10. FOX. Archived from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- Welch, Alex (March 20, 2019). "'The Kids Are Alright' adjusts up, 'The Village' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- Welch, Alex (March 27, 2019). "'NCIS,' 'This Is Us' adjust up: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- Welch, Alex (April 3, 2019). "'Ellen's Game of Games' and 'This is Us' adjust up, 'The Village' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- Welch, Alex (April 10, 2019). "'NCIS' adjusts up, 'Mental Samurai' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- Welch, Alex (April 17, 2019). "'The Flash,' 'Roswell, New Mexico,' 'The Kids Are Alright' adjust down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- Welch, Alex (April 24, 2019). "'MasterChef Junior,' 'The Flash,' adjust up: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- Welch, Alex (May 1, 2019). "'FBI,' 'MasterChef Junior,' adjust up, 'Bless This Mess' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- Welch, Alex (May 8, 2019). "'NCIS,' 'Bless This Mess,' everything else unchanged: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- Welch, Alex (May 15, 2019). "'The Flash' adjusts up: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- Welch, Alex (May 22, 2019). "'Mental Samurai,' '1969' adjust down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- "Mental Samurai Suomi". Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- "Mental Samurai estreia esta noite. Será que Pedro Teixeira vai conseguir "mudar tudo"?". 26 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-10-30. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
