# 99 to Beat (British game show)
**99 to Beat** is a British game show broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX in 2025, in which 100 contestants play simple challenges and the person who finishes each one last is eliminated, leaving a single winner who takes a cash prize. The show's only stated rule is “Don't. Come. Last.”[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) It was produced by Initial, part of Banijay UK, and hosted by the brothers Adam and [Ryan Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-thomas).[2](https://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/99_to_Beat)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Rule | One rule only: don't come last; the player finishing last in each challenge is eliminated[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) |
| Field size | Starts with 100 contestants; after each round the field is whittled down until one person takes the top prize[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) |
| Broadcast | 8 episodes, ITV1 and ITVX, 22 March to 10 May 2025[2](https://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/99_to_Beat) |
| Hosts | Adam and Ryan Thomas, in their first presenting role together[3](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/presscentre/presscentre/sites/default/files/2025-03/April-June%20Brochure%202025%20%2810%29.pdf) |
| Producer | Initial (part of Banijay UK), also behind Celebrity Big Brother, Big Brother, Soccer Aid, and Tenable[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) |
| Origin | Format developed by Belgian broadcaster VRT and production company De Chinezen; a translation of the Dutch show De Alleskunner[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) • [2](https://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/99_to_Beat) |
| International reach | Successful in seven countries, with multiple series in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Poland[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) |
## Format and rules
The game is built on a single elimination condition. All remaining contestants attempt the same challenge at the same time, and the last person to complete it is out; the process repeats until one player remains and wins the cash prize.[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) • [2](https://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/99_to_Beat) Because the aim is survival rather than victory, a player does not need to be good at anything in particular, only better than whoever is worst that round.[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/)
**The challenges.** The games are designed to be simple to explain and easy to understand, and largely domestic in their materials. Examples include curling up a Slinky on your forehead, guessing the weight of a llama, and throwing a recycling bin to knock over a skittle.[2](https://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/99_to_Beat) Other tasks used in the series include finding a baby's dummy hidden in a vat of jelly and putting on a frozen t-shirt.[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) Balancing ten nails on a single nail and estimating the number of peas in a bottle also featured.[4](https://www.nationalworld.com/whats-on/99-to-beat-itv-how-does-it-work-5065400)
The show plays out in a large warehouse setting, with the hosts providing live commentary among the contestants and the edit for each challenge tending to focus on players picked out beforehand.[2](https://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/99_to_Beat) Radio Times described the combination as “Squid Game meets It's a Knockout”.[4](https://www.nationalworld.com/whats-on/99-to-beat-itv-how-does-it-work-5065400)
## UK series
ITV1 and ITVX commissioned the show from Initial in April 2024, and the eight-part series ran from 22 March to 10 May 2025, airing on Saturday evenings as part of ITV's spring schedule.[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) • [2](https://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/99_to_Beat) • [4](https://www.nationalworld.com/whats-on/99-to-beat-itv-how-does-it-work-5065400)
The elimination pace is visible in the episode summaries released by ITVX: 82 players remained after episode 2, 63 after episode 3, 46 after episode 4, 36 after episode 5, 26 after episode 6, 16 after episode 7, and 8 entered the final.[5](https://www.itv.com/watch/99-to-beat/10a5827/10a5827a0001)
**The hosts.** Adam and Ryan Thomas, brothers who came to prominence in the soap operas [Emmerdale](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmerdale) and [Coronation Street](https://www.edgepedia.org/coronation-street) and later appeared in shows including I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and [Dancing on Ice](https://www.edgepedia.org/dancing-on-ice), hosted together for the first time.[3](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/presscentre/presscentre/sites/default/files/2025-03/April-June%20Brochure%202025%20%2810%29.pdf) • [4](https://www.nationalworld.com/whats-on/99-to-beat-itv-how-does-it-work-5065400) ITV's commissioning head Katie Rawcliffe described the show as bringing 100 people together under one rule, with contestants forming tight bonds as they compete.[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/)
## The international format
99 to Beat is a format developed by the Belgian broadcaster VRT and the production company De Chinezen, and Banijay represents it in three English-language territories under a deal with the Belgian distributor Primitives.[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) The UKGameshows guide describes the British series as a straight translation of the Dutch show De Alleskunner, whose title translates as “the one who can do everything”, using the same format.[2](https://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/99_to_Beat) The Belgian original is reported to have first started in 2018.[4](https://www.nationalworld.com/whats-on/99-to-beat-itv-how-does-it-work-5065400)
Before the British version launched, the format had already succeeded in seven countries, with multiple series in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Poland.[1](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/) The format has since been adapted more widely; a Spanish report noted adaptations in countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, France, and Brazil.[6](https://as.com/tikitakas/television/atresmedia-prepara-su-juego-del-calamar-particular-asi-es-99-to-beat-n/) The United States version, hosted by [Ken Jeong](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-jeong) and [Erin Andrews](https://www.edgepedia.org/erin-andrews), premiered on Fox in September 2025 with a $1,000,000 top prize.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/99_to_beat/s01)
## References
1. [100 players, only one winner – ITV commissions brand new gameshow – 99 To Beat, Banijay UK (4 April 2024)](https://banijayuk.com/100-players-only-one-winner-itv-commissions-brand-new-gameshow-99-to-beat/)
2. [99 to Beat, UKGameshows](https://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/99_to_Beat)
3. [ITV Press Centre, April–June 2025 brochure, 99 To Beat](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/presscentre/presscentre/sites/default/files/2025-03/April-June%20Brochure%202025%20%2810%29.pdf)
4. [How does 99 to Beat work? ITV show rules explained, NationalWorld (5 April 2025)](https://www.nationalworld.com/whats-on/99-to-beat-itv-how-does-it-work-5065400)
5. [99 to Beat, Series 1, Episode 1, ITVX](https://www.itv.com/watch/99-to-beat/10a5827/10a5827a0001)
6. [Atresmedia prepara su 'Juego del calamar' particular: así es '99 to beat', AS.com (2 April 2025)](https://as.com/tikitakas/television/atresmedia-prepara-su-juego-del-calamar-particular-asi-es-99-to-beat-n/)
7. [99 to Beat: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/99_to_beat/s01)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Reality and competition franchise editions › Taskmaster, The Traitors, and puzzle/deception game franchises*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license