Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge
Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge | |
---|---|
Inspired by | Hot Wheels by Mattel |
Presented by | Rutledge Wood |
Judges |
|
Country of origin |
|
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | May 30 August 8, 2023 | –
Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge is an automotive renovation competition show that premiered on NBC on May 30, 2023. The show locates cars that hold meaning to the contestants from their past before they are remodeled into Hot Wheels-style vehicles. On March 18, 2024, it was revealed that the show was cancelled after one season.[1]
Show format
[edit]In Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge, two contestants are brought in to tell a story about a vehicle from their past that holds meaning to them. This car is then brought out to them for them to remodel with the help of The Car Pool, a team of technicians and car experts.[2] Each team works in an on-set garage visible to the other, and they have one week to complete the modifications. At some point in the week, the Inspirationator 5000 produces a die-cast Hot Wheels car, and the teams have to find a way to incorporate part of that Hot Wheel into the design of their own vehicle.[3] The winner of each episode wins $25,000 and gets an opportunity to compete in the grand finale for another $50,000, and the winning vehicle will be turned into an actual die-cast Hot Wheels toy.[4]
Judges and hosts
[edit]Rutledge Wood hosts the show and judges the cars alongside Ford designer Dalal Elsheikh and Hertrech "Hert" Eugene Jr. from Hoonigan. Each week, a different celebrity guest joins them to judge the creations.[5]
Episodes
[edit]No. | Title [6][7] | Original air date [6][7] | Prod. code [6] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Cyber Slicker vs. Power Charged" | May 30, 2023 | 101 | 2.31[8] |
Hot Wheels super fans Jadejha Edwards (Houston, Texas) and "Jerzey" Jim Farrell (New Jersey) are the first to face-off in transforming their ordinary vehicles from their childhoods into an extraordinary Hot Wheels. Actor/host Terry Crews serves as a guest judge. The 'Twist': the "Bad to the Blade" Hot Wheels, a futuristic Indy-Car that's a fighter jet fused with a dragon. Both teams must include one element from its design.
Winner: Jerzey Jim's "Power Charged" AKA People's Choice | ||||
2 | "Monster Bug vs. Buckaroo" | June 6, 2023 | 102 | 2.04[9] |
Superfans Sheilah Spencir (Cedar Hills, TX) and Kevin Lister (Houston, TX) are the next to face-off in this Texas battle. Actor Anthony Anderson and his mother, Doris come along for the ride as the special guest judges. The 'Twist' in the builders designs is the "Twin Mill" (twin engines on each side) one of the first-editions of the most famous and sought-after Hot Wheels of all-time. Teams must modify the car designs to include a moving element: Texas-shaped spinning wheels and moving horned toad spikes.
Winner: Sheilah's "Monster Bug" | ||||
3 | "Spirit of Detroit vs. Flamin' Fire Truck" | June 13, 2023 | 103 | 1.70[10] |
The next two Hot Wheels Superfans, Aldavid Jimerson (Phoenix, Arizona/originally from Detroit, Michigan) and Rob Anders, a third-generation firefighter (Gibert, Arizona) will build their own personal childhood rides into the ultimate Hot Wheels showstoppers. The 'Twist' in the design is the iconic "Bone Shaker", over 100 models of this design were created. It features a chop top, exposed engine and a decorative skull grill. The Car Pool builders need to incorporate one design element from this car into their builds.
Winner: Aldavid's "Spirit of Detroit" | ||||
4 | "Skater Boy vs. Jaipur Jewel" | June 20, 2023 | 104 | 1.84[11] |
Superfans Felix Arguelles, a former pro skateboarder (Los Angeles, California) and Arushi Garg, a mother proud of her Indian heritage (Houston, Texas) face-off by transforming two personal childhood vehicles from ordinary to extraordinary Hot Wheels. Sung Kang from Fast & Furious stops by to be a special guest judge who's had some of his cars turned into Hot Wheels, like the "Fugu-Z" (2015 Gran Turismo Best in Show winner). The Twist Element is the "Deora II" (debuted in 2000 as a modern twist on the original "Sweet 16 Deora" from 1968. It took the rear from a 1996 station wagon, putting it on the front. It was inducted into the Hot Wheels Hall of Fame, the "Garage of Legends" in 2003 by Jay Leno, and got a starring role in a Hot Wheels animated film) The Car Pool teams must remove one part from the original place on the car and move it elsewhere, or infuse the "Deora II" body shape in the build.
Winner: Arushi's "Jaipur Jewel" | ||||
5 | "Need for Speed vs. Fight Car" | June 27, 2023 | 105 | 1.56[12] |
Two more superfans face-off to turn their very first vehicles from their childhoods into outrageous Hot Wheels. Professional wrestler, Angela Quentina Arnold from Giblertown, Alabama named "A.Q.A." and Caroline Johnson, a former F-18 Super Hornet weapons systems officer from Washington, D.C. TV personally Joel McHale is the special guest judge. The twist element in the design is "El Viento" (The Wind), a super fast electric vehicle is a whirlwind of itself. It has a removable canopy and an adjustable front splitter.
Winner: Caroline's "Need For Speed" | ||||
6 | "Badge of Honor vs. Mountain Mover" | July 11, 2023 | 106 | 1.54[13] |
Two more superfans get their chance to transform nostalgic vehicles from their past into life-sized Hot Wheels of their dreams. First grade teacher Luidgi from Brooklyn, New York and retired police officer Terri Jones from Birmingham, Alabama get to make their ultimate Hot Wheels based on their lives with the Car Pool design team. Twist Element: "Lethal Diesel", a low-riding hot rod that's made out of scrap parts with a giant diesel engine, inspired by a Hummer H1. The designers must include a post-apocalyptic part in their builds.
Winner: Luidgi's "Mountain Mover" | ||||
7 | "Mardi Gras Mania vs. The Reaper" | July 18, 2023 | 107 | 1.46[14] |
Superfans Nick Harrison, a retired teacher from Hammond, Louisiana and Michael Cooney, a funeral director from Chicago, Illinois face-off in transforming their ordinary vehicles from their childhoods into extraordinary Hot Wheels. WWE Superstar Big E serves as the guest judge. The Twist: the French-inspired classic 1930s-style "Clock and Dagger" Hot Wheels, which both teams must incorporate a glow-in-the-dark element into their builds.
Winner: Nick's "Mardi Gras Mania" | ||||
8 | "Metamorphosis vs. Racer Girl" | July 25, 2023 | 108 | 1.33[15] |
Two more superfans compete in who transforms their childhood vehicles into Hot Wheels masterpieces. Kris Porter, an educator from New York City and Lauren Partin, a third generation race car driver from Ohio, battle it out to see which one has the ultimate showstopper. The Twist is inspired by 2012 Hot Wheels "Mad Manga" (based on Japanese car culture called bōsōzoku that has anime-style speedster with wild exhausts, splitters, and paintjobs.
Winner: Lauren's "Racer Girl" | ||||
9 | "Grand Finale, Part 1" | August 1, 2023 | 109 | 1.43[16] |
Eight qualifying superfan finalists who transformed their ordinary vehicles into extraordinary Hot Wheels, compete in the grand finale to create brand new life-sized Hot Wheels. The winner takes home an extra $50,000 and gets their design turned into a real die-cast Hot Wheels toy that will be added to the Hot Wheels line for consumers to purchase. Mattel Global Head of Design for Hot Wheels, Tim Wu who makes the final decision on which die-casts get produced is the special guest judge. Nick's "Mardi Gras Mania", Jim's "Power Charged", and Arushi's "Jaipur Jewel" move on the grand finale. They get a chance to make their original Hot Wheels full-sized designed vehicles immortalized into a 1:64th die-cast for consumers to buy. As the three superfans looked to their pasts vehicles for designs, this time they must use the "Inspirationator 5000" with over 800 most-iconic Hot Wheels die-casts to choose from. The first twist is a 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible die-cast which has a fun easter-egg by shining a light under the chassis, the headlights turn on. Designers must include a surprise element in their builds. In order to find out who the Grand Finale celebrity guest judge will be, the hosts let the Inspirationator5000 give the clues. The first clue is a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, a real-life replica race car from the 1950s with a weathered race number. The second clue is the McLaren F1, sports car featuring a three-seat arrangement with the driver sitting in the middle. The third clue is a 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Yenko Stinger, a racetrack car only, this replica includes the owner's license plate "583V". The fourth clue is a Lamborghini Countach LP5000, there were only 610 of this legendary Italian supercar ever made. The fifth and final clue is a Tank Car, a custom hot-rod built exclusively for the celebrity guest judge and car guru, Jay Leno. All five cars are a part of comedian's personal collection. | ||||
10 | "Grand Finale, Part 2" | August 8, 2023 | 110 | 1.75[17] |
The Ultimate Hot Wheels Grand Finale continues with the superfans competing to be the Hot Wheels first season winner for a grand prize of $50,000 and their design turned into a real Hot Wheels die-cast for consumers to buy.
Winner: Arushi's "Rally Resilience" |
Production
[edit]NBC announced that it ordered the competition reality show in March 2023. The show is produced by Endemol Shine North America, with Tim Warren acting as the showrunner.[18] The show was filmed in Manchester, England at Space Studios Manchester from March–May 2023.[19]
Reception
[edit]Joel Keller at Decider noted that the episodes fall short when it comes to showing how much work goes into modifying each vehicle, but felt that the show was quite fun and it gives vibes of adults revisiting playtime with their childhood Hot Wheels.[3] Mark Vaughn at Autoweek felt that the show was too contrived and scripted for a reality show, but he appreciated that the tone of the show remained positive and didn't include over-produced arguments or tantrums.[2]
Ratings
[edit]No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Cyber Slicker vs. Power Charged" | May 30, 2023 | 0.3 | 2.31 | [8] |
2 | "Monster Bug vs. Buckaroo" | June 6, 2023 | 0.3 | 2.04 | [9] |
3 | "Spirit of Detroit vs. Flamin' Fire Truck" | June 13, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.70 | [10] |
4 | "Skater Boy vs. Jaipur Jewel" | June 20, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.84 | [11] |
5 | "Need for Speed vs. Fight Car" | June 27, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.56 | [12] |
6 | "Badge of Honor vs. Mountain Mover" | July 11, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.54 | [13] |
7 | "Mardi Gras Mania vs. The Reaper" | July 18, 2023 | 0.2 | 1.46 | [14] |
8 | "Metamorphosis vs. Racer Girl" | July 25, 2023 | 0.2 | 1.33 | [15] |
9 | "Grand Finale, Part 1" | August 1, 2023 | 0.2 | 1.43 | [16] |
10 | "Grand Finale, Part 2" | August 8, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.75 | [17] |
References
[edit]- ^ Caruso, Nick (2024-03-18). "NBC Cancels 2 Reality Series, Including LA Fire & Rescue". TVLine. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ a b Vaughn, Mark (May 27, 2023). "Diecast Dreams Come True on New NBC Hot Wheels Show". Autoweek. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Keller, Joel (May 30, 2023). "Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge NBC Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Decider.
- ^ Lee, Tionah (May 29, 2023). "Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge Sneak Peek: Terry Crews Gets Emotional Talking Relationship With His Father". Entertainment Tonight. Paramount Streaming. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via MSN.
- ^ Scherr, Elana (May 26, 2023). "Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge Features Full-Size Toys – How to Watch". Car and Driver. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.
- ^ a b "Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge Episode Guide". Zap2it.
- ^ a b Mitch Metcalf (June 5, 2023). "Tuesday 5.30.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Mitch Metcalf (June 7, 2023). "Tuesday 6.6.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Mitch Salem (June 14, 2023). "Tuesday 6.13.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ a b Mitch Metcalf (June 22, 2023). "Tuesday 6.20.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ a b Mitch Salem (June 28, 2023). "Tuesday 6.27.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Douglas Pucci (July 12, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: Fox Scores Easy Victory with MLB All-Star Game". Programming Insider. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Douglas Pucci (July 19, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: Network Premieres of Down to Earth with Zac Efron and Fantastic Friends on The CW". Programming Insider. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Douglas Pucci (July 26, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: NBC Victorious with America's Got Talent and Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge". Programming Insider. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Douglas Pucci (August 2, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: NBC Again Tops the Night Thanks to America's Got Talent". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Douglas Pucci (August 9, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets Premieres on HBO". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ^ Hibberd, James (March 7, 2023). "NBC Orders Hot Wheels Car Makeover Reality Show". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ Shrestha, Naman (May 30, 2023). "Where is Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge Filmed?". The Cinemaholic.