Lotería Loca is a game show based on the classic game of Lotería, which is essentially Mexican Bingo. The show is hosted by Jaime Camil (who is also an executive producer); Sheila E. leads the house band. The game play is pretty straightforward: In both rounds, players pick numbers off a board, and if the Lotería card behind the number is on their tablero (board), they get it marked and they get the money behind the card.
Opening Shot: As we see scenes from the first season of Lotería Loca, an announcer says, “Get ready for the craziest version of Bingo you’ve ever seen!”
The Gist: In the “Mano a Mano” round, two players compete, each with a 9-panel tablero. If the Lotería card they pick is on their board, they get it marked off and the money behind it; if it’s on the other person’s board, they steal the money. Behind certain numbers are “Loca Challenges”, where the contestant has to answer some relatively easy trivia questions for a bigger payoff, if the card behind it is on the player’s tablero. Three markers in a row gives the contestant a Lotería and $10,000. The first player to get Loterías goes to the next round.
In the “Million Dollar Lotería”, the player gets a 16-panel tablero. The contestant guesses numbers, and the goal is to continue building their bank. They need to avoid each of four “skull cards.” If they hit one, they lose a “life” and half their bank; if they hit all 4 skull cards, and the contestant leaves with nothing.
In this round, a Lotería is four markers in a row. For each Lotería, the player gets $25,000 and then chooses whether to keep playing or walk away with the amount in their bank. If they find all 16 Lotería cards, the player can win $1,000,000.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? As far as actual game play is concerned, Lotería Loca reminds us of Deal Or No Deal, where the game play is pretty simple, but tension and atmosphere is what makes the show work.
Our Take: As we said above, there are certain game shows that are less about game play and more about energy and atmosphere. And, boy, does Lotería Loca have a lot of both. From its two-level set that looks like a courtyard in a Mexican town to Camil’s enthusiastic hosting to Sheila E. and her band’s energetic music, the show sometimes feels more like a party than a game show.
The show needs that kind of circus around it because the game play can only ramp up the excitement so far. In the premiere episode, the million dollar round took up almost half of the show’s 42-minute runtime (without commercials), which means we’re just seeing one player picking numbers from a board. If the player isn’t entertaining, then Camil, Sheila E. and the audience have to work even harder to foster the party atmosphere. Luckily, the effort seems to come easily for both the host and the band leader.
The “Loca Challenges” are designed to be more fun than difficult, but it doesn’t mean that we didn’t get frustrated when a contestant couldn’t answer a pretty easy question. In one challenge, Camil sings a clue to a traditional Mexican song; it feels like the multicultural aspect of the show would be better served if the producers picked songs other than dusty ones like “La Cucaracha.”
Another possible weak point also happens during the million dollar round. The most tension gets built as the contestant piles up Loterías and avoids the skull cards, much like the bonus round in the current iteration of Press Your Luck. The longer the contestant goes, the more tension there is. But if they decide to walk away after hitting on the first or second Lotería, with lots of cards still left on the board, that tension doesn’t really materialize.
It seems that the ideal contestant for this show isn’t just one that’s full or enthusiasm and personality, but is a huge risk taker, as well. When we hit on an episode with a contestant like that, the show will take off for us.
Sex and Skin: None. Even the dancers are covered from head to toe.
Parting Shot: Lots of music and dancing by Camil, the contestant, the dancers and the audience. Then we see more scenes from the first season of the show.
Sleeper Star: We’ll give this to Quanya, one of the contestants in the first episode. She claims to have 40 different personalities, one ascribed to each of her wigs. She even names the wigs, and does something we’ve never seen a contestant on a game show do before. We won’t spoil it for you, though.
Most Pilot-y Line: In the million-dollar round, Camil mentions that the contestant would only get the money behind the “Loca Challenge” card if the card is on that person’s tablero. But we thought all of the possible cards were on the tablero to begin with.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Despite the sparse strategy of the game play and the potential for an anticlimax at the end, Lotería Loca is a hell of a lot of fun to watch, thanks to Camil’s charming, enthusiastic hosting, Sheila E. and her great house band, and a party atmosphere on the set.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.