EXCLUSIVE: Fox is officially searching for the Nation’s Dumbest.
The network has handed the show, which is based on a Scandinavian format, a series order. Deadline revealed that the project was in development at the end of last year.
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The series will now be hosted by British comedian Jack Whitehall and the network has lined up a phalanx of celebrities aiming not to be the dumbest in the country.
Nation’s Dumbest is the first television show where the loser is the winner. Celebrities fight it out to be eliminated from the competition as quickly as possible to avoid being crowned the nation’s dumbest. From influencers to wrestlers, comedians to politicians, the contestants are put to the test in a series of physical and mental rounds about all the things you really should know.
Celebs featured are Dance Moms’ JoJo Siwa, TikTok star Chase Hudson, Former Arizona Cardinals QB Matt Leinart, politician Andrew Yang, musician Elle King, The Breakfast Club star Anthony Michael Hall, Alec Baldwin’s wife Hilaria Baldwin, who recently competed on Dancing with the Stars, Jackass’ Steve-O, rapper Ice-T, Baywatch’s Carmen Electra, Celeb Rehab’s Dr. Drew Pinsky and Napolean Dynamite’s Jon Heder.
Many of these stars have starred on shows for Fox before including Siwa, who has appeared on The Masked Singer, Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test and Hell’s Kitchen; Ice-T, who was on The Masked Dancer, Electra, who was a guest host on Domino Masters and Pinsky, who featured on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
Whitehall is best known in the States as one of the stars, alongside Keke Palmer, of Peacock’s The ‘Burbs, which was renewed for a second season. Nation’s Dumbest marks his first U.S. network hosting gig. He is well known in the UK for hosting the Brit Awards and starring on Sky panel show A League of their Own as well as scripted comedy Fresh Meat. He also starred in Netflix travel series Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father. Nation’s Dumbest marks his first U.S. network hosting gig.
Fox is calling its version a celebrity competition series that “flips the genre on its head because for the first time, the goal isn’t to win — it’s to get eliminated”.
The series will debut this summer on Wednesday, July 15 at 9pm.
The U.S. version is produced by BBC Studios, which is behind Fox’s Celebrity Weakest Link, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and Netflix’s Outlast. It will be exec produced by Ryan O’Dowd, Krystal Whitney and Jenny Groom. James Breen, who has worked on The Masked Singer and So You Think You Can Dance, will serve as showrunner and will exec produce alongside Michael O’Sullivan.
Nation’s Dumbest has been a hit in Norway, launching in August 2024, and it is now on its second season after becoming the country’s most-watched show. The format comes from Montreaux Films.
“Nation’s Dumbest takes an instantly relatable format and flips it in a way that’s ‘smart,’ unpredictable, and genuinely funny,” said Michael Thorn, President of Fox Television Network. “It’s a competition where the goal is to avoid winning, and that twist—combined with Jack Whitehall’s sharp comedic voice and a great celebrity cast—makes it a bold, high-energy series built for big, co-viewing audiences.”
“I can confidently say we have the absolute dumbest television format in the world—and for once, that’s by design,” added Ryan O’Dowd, President of Unscripted, BBC Studios. “Nation’s Dumbest celebrates humor, humility and the universal experience of not always getting it right. With Jack Whitehall leading the chaos and a cast fully in on the joke, it’s a bold, irreverent series packed with big laughs and real surprises.”
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