ITV 99 to Beat sparks fierce fan debate as viewers ‘switch off’ game show over ‘unwatchable’ feature: ‘Utter drivel!’

Following its premiere on Saturday evening, 99 to Beat has been met with a series of viewer complaints thanks to several different aspects.

Fronted by brothers Ryan and Adam Thomas, 99 to Beat pits 100 contestants against one another in a series of Squid Game-esque challenges to try and whittle down the competition.

With £25,000 on offer, the players go head to head in a series of seemingly bizarre games to see if they can outlast their competitor, with at least one competitor leaving after each trial.

In the show’s debut episode, viewers got to see the 100 contestants take on challenges such as balancing a slinky on their foreheads, clawing a coin out of a piggy bank with a paperclip, and thawing a frozen t-shirt in order to wear it.

The Thomas brothers were watching from afar throughout, on hand to lend commentary and their opinions on the efforts of the cast.

ITV viewers also got to learn more about each of the contestants as the show progressed, with several providing pieces to the camera about their lives away from the show.

It soon transpired that among the contestants were couples, siblings, and other close connections.

However, the combination of player backstories along with the Thomas brothers’ over-exuberant outbursts in the commentary box left plenty to be desired among several watching at home.

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So much so, social media was soon flooded with viewers’ thoughts on the new show, and several highlighted these factors as irksome points.

One X user even turned off altogether, saying on the social media platform: “#99ToBeat No, think I’m gonna switch channels. Bored with this and way too much chat.

“Why can’t we get a decent drama on a Sat night. Come on @ITV we don’t all have Netflix. And @BBCOne is no better. Bring back Michael McIntyre.”

A second similarly hit out: “#99ToBeat this is mind numbingly banal, the Thomas brothers ‘commentary’ is low brow, to say the least. There’s light entertainment, and there’s utter drivel.”

Elsewhere, another listed off their gripes with the series: “Scrap the soundtrack, self narration, contestant backstory (we don’t care). Give us a crowd, commentator as opposed to picture in picture of the Thomas bros. If they did this, it would be so much better. What a pile of tosh #99ToBeat.”

“#99ToBeat scraping the barrel here this is dreadful,” a fourth blasted while a fifth fumed: “#99tobeat five minutes in and it’s unwatchable. Needs to bin the two over excitable lads and lose the contestant interjection.”

It wasn’t all bad for 99 to Beat bosses, however, as the game show was on the receiving end of defence of some X users.

“Why is everyone moaning about #99ToBeat? It’s different, it’s fun, I’m liking it,” one person hit back while another addressed the backlash by typing: “People being so harsh about #99tobeat.”

Meanwhile, a third encouraged viewers not to be too hasty: “I think we have to give 99 to Beat a chance. It’s going to be great. Teething problems probably but us brits are good with new things!!! #99toBeat.” (sic)

Following this evening’s debut, several dozens of contestants still remain in the competition ahead of next week’s second instalment.

Neither of the Thomas brothers has addressed the complaints but did issue a statement about the show ahead of its debut via ITV.

“It’s new, it’s fresh, it’s fun and we can’t wait for people to see it,” the duo said. “It really is the ultimate family show, and so we couldn’t be more excited to be hosting it together, as a family.

“It’s a dream come true for us. We can already imagine people at home playing these games with their families as it’s fun/silly/competitive & heartfelt.”