Orlando theme park fans may recognize a contestant on new game show, ‘The Floor’

Magee said a friend encouraged him to apply for the show because he’s a trivia enthusiast and former trivia host, and during the audition with the show’s casting team in LA., MaGee was tested on how many images he could identify in random subjects. They also evaluated what kind of competitor he was, what subjects he was good at, and what he would do with the money if he won the top prize.

Rules on ‘The Floor’

81 contestants stand in separate spaces of a 9-by-9 grid on the studio floor, each with a designated category in which they feel exceptionally knowledgeable. One contestant is chosen randomly and selects from the categories for the squares that share at least one edge with their own. The player then selects one of these opponents for a head-to-head duel where contestants take turns identifying images associated with the challenged opponent’s category.

Contestants have separate 45-second clocks, and only one clock runs at a time (starting with the challenger). When a contestant correctly identifies an image, their clock stops, and the control switches to their opponent. Multiple guesses are allowed without penalty, but if a contestant passes, they receive a three-second delay before a new image appears. Some categories are photos that need to be identified, and others are text-based, where a contestant must fill in the missing word(s).

The first contestant to run out of time is eliminated and gives up their territory to the victor, whose category is replaced their opponent’s. They can then challenge another opponent or return to The Floor, and a new contestant is randomly chosen to issue the next challenge.

The contestant with the most territory at the end of each episode wins $20,000, and the last one standing at the end of the season wins the grand prize of $250,000.

You can watch the first episode here on Fox.

What It’s Like to Play ‘The Floor’

According to Magee, about two episodes are filmed each day in a soundstage at Ardmore Studios in Ireland (each episode took a little more than an hour to film), but his favorite part of the show was being able to see if he could “thrive under the incredible pressure of being on a prime time network game show with $250,000 on the line” – plus getting to meet Rob Lowe.

“He was very friendly and easy to talk to in between takes,” Magee said. “I was able to ask him about his character in ‘Parks and Recreation’ and he was happy to talk about it. He even gave me a nickname: Gene ‘The Machine.’”

Although the category where Magee has the most knowledge is pop culture, the show gave him the category of comedians.

“My is expertise is ’80s and ’90s pop culture,” Magee explains. “I am 45 years old and had a steady diet of TV, being a latchkey kid and an only child during that time frame. Not all of us got assigned our specialty, but if you strategize well – and with a little bit of luck – you could [still] play your category.”

Magee said he thinks he will be seen playing “The Floor” in either episode 6 or 7. If you’re looking for him at Universal Orlando Resort, you can find him as an attendant to the Mummy Guards, an atmosphere/background extra performer at the Bourne Stuntacular, and/or the emcee at the Citywalk Lagoon Stage for the STARS Performance Program. You can also hear him as the voice of the VOL, the Volcano at Volcano Bay.

Although the show has been fully filmed, of course Magee isn’t allowed to say how he did. He did tell us, “There were no consolation prizes. It was money or nothing.” “The Floor” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox. Click here for more information. Good luck Gene!