‘Beat Shazam’ at 100 Episodes: How the Fox Game Show Beat the Odds With Jamie Foxx at the Helm

“Beat Shazam” creator Jeff Apploff always knew that Jamie Foxx would be the secret sauce to his Fox game show’s success. The executive producer recalled being brought to tears while shooting the first episode, in disbelief that the Oscar and Grammy winner — who he was told would be impossible to book — was actually engaging with the audience while hosting his musical show. “Everybody told me you will never get this guy,” he told TheWrap. “And then I walked out [onto the ‘Beat Shazam’ stage] and he was on the piano, singing to the audience, and everybody was singing along. I was like, ‘Oh my God, look what we did!’” Now 100 episodes, eight seasons and $10 million winnings later, Apploff knew that the risk was worth the reward. “Beat Shazam,” which premiered in May 2017, celebrates its 100th episode Monday — a milestone that Fox Television Network President Michael Thorn says is increasingly rare in the current television landscape. “It doesn’t happen too often anymore that you get 100 episodes,” the executive told TheWrap. “100 episodes, that’s like 50 seasons of a streaming show.” “At that time everybody started a game show,” Foxx recalled, pointing to projects associated with Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson and Justin Timberlake. “But we were the only ones to survive. They all fell off.” For Apploff, the show’s staying power comes down to a combination of factors: a format built around music that viewers already love, contestants with something genuinely meaningful to win and a host who treats the job as much more than simply reading a teleprompter. “It’s important to have guns like Jamie Foxx,” Apploff said, recalling that the comedian called up Beyoncé directly once to clear one of her songs. “There’s a lot of big stars that are like, ‘Just get it done and let me know when it’s done,’ but Jamie’s like, he’ll get his hands dirty.” Jamie Foxx hosts the 100th episode of “Beat Shazam” (Credit: Fox) The Foxxes on Fox At the heart of “Beat Shazam” is the father-daughter duo of Corinne and Jamie Foxx. With Corinne as DJ and Jamie as host, the duo bridges intergenerational gaps and brings a family dynamic that includes everyone. The duo told TheWrap that their primary goal is to create a dance party atmosphere for everyone not just the contestants. “Beat Shazam” asks three pairs to identify songs as quickly as possible while competing for the chance to win up to $1 million, but the atmosphere around that competition is almost as important as the gameplay itself. “I think the secret sauce is that you feel like you’re invited to this house party every week, hosted by one of the greatest American talents and this up-and-coming star in Corinne,” Thorn said. That dynamic is central to Foxx’s hosting style. Rather than simply moving contestants through each round, he works the room, jokes with the audience and gives performers an opportunity to become part of the show. Foxx traces that instinct back to his days on “In Living Color,” where he watched Tommy Davidson work an audience between bits. “I saw Tommy Davidson … he would go up into the audience and he would work on his material,” he said. Even before taping begins, Foxx said he comes prepared with topics to try out on the crowd. And inevitably, someone wants to perform themselves. “There’s always someone in that audience that wants to show their talent,” he said. “They want to sing, they want to dance, they want to rap.” That improvisational energy has become part of the show’s identity, whether it’s Jamie welcoming someone to breakdance out of the audience or spontaneously hopping on the keys himself. Thorn said that’s one reason that Foxx’s charisma is so difficult to replicate. “We’re so lucky. He’s such a rare talent in that he’s an amazing actor, he’s one of the funniest people on the planet, and he’s a Grammy-nominated performer,” Thorn said. “When you take the musical talent, the stand-up comedy at the highest level, and then with his energy — and he’s a great guy — it really comes through in a show like this.” “Beat Shazam” contestants high five on the 100th episode (Credit: Lorraine O’Sullivan/FOX) Making millionaires For all of its musical performances, jokes and party atmosphere, the emotional engine of “Beat Shazam” is straightforward: the money is real. That distinction is particularly meaningful to Corinne Foxx, who has taken on an increasingly prominent role around the franchise. “It’s so crazy. We’re in the business of make believe,” she said. “So a lot of the stuff we do when we’re acting on movies or other TV shows is fake, but this is real.” “When people are winning, these are people who deserve it, who have incredible stories, and to see them win a life-changing amount of money it’s so real and visceral.” Apploff remembered two contestants who came in with just $105 in their bank accounts but walked out of the show millionaires just by guessing the lyrics to their favorite songs. “Imagine going into your car, turning on the radio, and you call out some song title and money starts coming out of the air conditioning vent,” the executive producer said. “That’s what’s happening for these people.” “To have a job where you make this thing up on a piece of paper, and the next thing you know, it’s Jamie Foxx, and the next thing you know, there’s two teachers, and they’re winning a million dollars,” he said. “That feeling is mind blowing and earth shattering and life changing for me, and it’s life changing for them.” DJ Corinne Foxx and Host Jamie Foxx in the “I Need a Hero/Beat Shazam’s 100th” season finale on FOX. (Credit: Lorraine O’Sullivan/FOX) Foxx himself admitted he was not necessarily expecting the show to reach 100 episodes. “When something hits in our business, like this show, when people first saw it and it comes out of the blue, I look to see that text that says, ‘Yo, what is that?’ or ‘Yo, it’s crazy,’” he said. “So when we got the ‘Yo, it’s crazy,’ that lets you know that it has great potential.” “We were surprised that it went this long, but it was the fans,” Foxx added. The Season 7 finale and 100th episode of “Beat Shazam” airs Monday on Fox.