Rob Lowe kicks off ‘The Floor’ Super Bowl episode with Sexiest Man Alive taunt: Plus, confusion over Tony winners

The third season of Fox’s game show The Floor kicked off immediately following Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hosted by Rob Lowe, The Floor invites 100 contestants to compete against each other in a series of head-to-head duels, with a randomizer selecting players who then challenge someone standing next to them. Each person arrives at The Floor with a category in which they consider themselves to be an expert — things like Pantry Items, Tony Winners, and Marvel. The ultimate winner after 12 episodes will claim the $250,000 grand prize.

Lowe had fun with the crowd by pretending to be heartbroken over the fact that he’d “never” attended the Met Gala and “never” been named People‘s Sexiest Man Alive. But don’t feel too bad for him. After all, Lowe is an Emmy nominee for The West Wing (2001) and a six-time Golden Globe nominee for his decades-long work in film and television. The actor also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015.

Eight duels took place during the Season 3 premiere of The Floor on Sunday night, which meant eight people headed home throughout the hour. The player with the most floor pieces at the end of the episode won bragging rights in the form of a $20,000 bonus.

Notable contestants who will pop up this year include Kenny and Mari, a married couple from Bachelor in Paradise Season 7; Kent, a springboard diver from the 1992 Olympics; and Jahmani, aka “Hot Shot” of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Here’s what went down in the first episode of The Floor Season 3:

Duel 1: Pantry Items
Lisa (60, wedding chapel owner) vs. Jamella (26, real estate student)
Lisa, who went from “nervous to excited” when she took the stage and locked eyes with Lowe, only missed hearts of palm. Jamella, who cooks 24/7 and is “always out looking for something new,” missed flour, capers, and lentils. Lisa won the battle and decided to go back to the floor to protect her category of Weddings.

Duel 2: Pets
Madeline (30, curator) vs. Dayna (24, lifestyle influencer)
Madeline, whose goal is to make her way to the Ancient History category because “I love me a pyramid,” played a perfect game. Dayna, who had the audience laughing with her story about sneaking two chickens into her Los Angeles apartment, missed parrot, ferret, betta fish, and Shiba Inu. Madeline easily won the battle and chose to stay on the stage for another round.

Duel 3: Ancient History
Madeline vs. Carli (25, special ed teacher)
Madeline, whose wish came true by arriving at the Ancient History category, played another perfect game. Carli, a self-described “weird kid” who read all about the topic at hand when she was younger, missed Chichén Itzá, Hannibal, Moses, and Whirling Dervish. Madeline then faced a decision: compete in a third duel and potentially win the five-second time boost, or go back to the floor and protect her growing territory? She decided to call it quits for now.

Duel 4: Mountains
Hennessy (35, comedian) vs. Mike (32, claw machine operator)
Hennessy, who wanted to use the prize money to give his cat “a lot of food,” missed Matterhorn, Machu Picchu, El Capitan, and Stone Mountain. Mike, who is “surrounded by mountains” at home in Salt Lake City, only missed Sugarloaf. Mike won the battle and inherited the Islands category. He admitted that he had no idea his neighboring category Tony Winners “were for plays,” to which Lowe stated, “Oh boy.” The host then joked that it could be a category for “best Italians” like Tony Danza and Tony Soprano. Mike decided to return to the floor, not wanting to try out Tony Winners or any other topic.

Duel 5: Home Decor
Jordan (23, model) vs. Logan (35, HR director)
Jordan, who did several jumping jacks to psych himself up, missed sectional sofa, ottoman, door mat, and love seat. Logan, who just redid her own home with her wife, only missed coffee table. As the winner, Logan decided to stay and play and picked Gardening as her next topic.

Duel 6: Gardening
Nikki (32, public health scientist) vs. Logan
Nikki, whose strategy is to keep quiet about how “smart” she actually was, missed geranium, morning glory, fern, and nozzle. Logan, who comes from “a strong lineage of gardeners,” missed hoe, trellis, and bougainvillea. Logan won the battle by only two seconds, sending Nikki back home to water her garden.

Duel 7: Children’s Literature
Noell (43, public servant) vs. Logan
Noell, who reads to her two children “nonstop,” missed Hair Love, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Bridge to Terabithia, The Snowy Day, Amelia Bedelia, and The Velveteen Rabbit. Logan, who claimed there’s “no pressure” with the time boost on the line, missed Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, My Name Is Malala, The Little Prince, and Love You Forever. That was rough! But Logan’s persistence paid off and she received the five-second upgrade for winning three duels in a row. She went back to the floor and won the night’s $20,000 prize since she had the most territory.

Duel 8: Ice Cream Flavors
Haji (25, substitute teacher) vs. Dara (54, stay-at-home mom)
Haji, who appeared to be “super nervous” to the host, missed Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, peanut butter ‘n chocolate, Chubby Hubby, old fashioned butter pecan, and New York super fudge chunk. Dara, who was embracing her “competitive nature,” only missed Jamoca almond fudge. “She ate her up,” declared one contestant on the floor. Dara was the winner of the night’s final challenge, as Haji walked away in defeat. Find out whether Dara wants to duel again when The Floor returns for its second episode on Wednesday night.

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