DERBY – A Derby High School graduate will be competing for a $1 million prize during the first season of “99 To Beat,” a game show scheduled to premiere Sept. 24 on FOX television.
“I would definitely say the show is family-friendly chaos. A lot of the people are saying it’s kind of like Squid Games,” said Dee Ortiz, Derby High School Class of 1998.
About The Show
The show is an American version of a show that premiered on Belgian television in 2018. The American version will be the tenth international iteration of the show.
Ortiz said it features 100 American competitors who were flown to the United Kingdom to film the show last spring. Those competitors include a father and daughter from Stratford, along with past reality show contestants such as Tommy Bracco (“Big Brother”) and Sandra Diaz-Twine (“Survivor”).
The first season is eight episodes. Media descriptions of the show say the games played are colorful and humorous – one of the European versions featured a challenge on who could build and fly a paper airplane the longest distance.
But the tension is cranked up through high-stakes surprises and the central challenge of the show — the person who finishes last in any event is automatically sent home. The last person standing at the end of the season wins the $1 million prize.
“99 To Beat” is hosted by comedic actor Ken Jeong (“Community”), and veteran sports journalist Erin Andrews.
About Ortiz
Ortiz, 46, said she is a Valley girl at heart.
She went to Seymour schools before moving to Derby for high school. She’s also lived in Atlanta and Ansonia. She’s in Stratford now, and works for Connoisseur Media.
A friend from Atlanta sent her an email saying a new game show was scouting for talent.
Ortiz sent emails, photos and videos, and entered an interview and vetting process that stretched from February to May.
Ortiz is an extrovert with a big personality. She’s quick on her feet, talkative, has boundless energy, and laughs easily. It’s easy to see why a casting director for a big energy game show would be interested in her.
“The casting email said something along the lines of ‘Are you energetic? Do you brighten peoples’ days walking into a room?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that is so me,’!” Ortiz said.
Traveling Abroad
The “99 To Beat” interview and vetting process included everything from Zoom calls with casting people to background checks to an interview with a psychiatrist to make sure she was of sound mind. And that was before a medical examination to make sure she was OK physically to compete.
“They didn’t explain the game, but they wanted to see a lot of personality. They asked if I would be OK with suddenly flying to Europe, but they didn’t say where,” she said.
Ortiz got the official green light on May 16 and was on a plane to London on May 23.
Going overseas was a challenge – it meant time away from her daughter, Giyana, 15. But Ortiz said she had something to prove.
“I wanted to show her that at any age, you can literally do anything you can put your mind to,” Ortiz said. “Mom’s 46 years old, but she’s going to fly out of the country to go play these crazy games and meet 99 other people. I wanted to show her, and myself, that I can still accomplish things. I wanted to especially show her now, because the world is so crazy right now,” she said.
Ortiz described herself as a “Super Mom,” albeit overbearing. She proudly dotes on Giyana, from getting her up in the morning, to making her breakfast, to chauffeuring her to where she needs to go.
While she was in London filming the show, she worried how Giyana would do without mom as a constant presence.
Spoiler alert: Giyana was fine.
“She learned to cook,” Ortiz said.
Filming
Ortiz didn’t go into detail about what specific games are played on the show. She didn’t want to spoil the surprises.
But her recollection of her time filming paints a surreal picture of interacting with 99 other people, bonding with many – except for one guy, “Dave.” She said he annoyed her at first for being a camera hog, but that he eventually grew on everyone.
She described an otherworldly environment of entering a set surrounded by hundreds of cameras – all the while knowing she was competing for a $1 million prize.
The process of just getting backstage and onto the set seemed like a mind game, she said.
The producers would explain the directions of a game in detail. Then there would be a long wait. Then the instructions again. Then another long wait. There were even referees to make sure contestants followed the rules.
She said contestants laughed, cried – even fainted. It was pressure, for sure.
“In real life I’m crazy and all over the place. But when I was over there, I really had to focus. A lot of the games will seem like really easy games to people watching at home. But when you’re going against 99 other people, it’s stressful,” she said. “I had to be my own coach and tell myself it would be all worth it, because the grand prize would change my family’s life.”
Despite her calm inner monologue, Ortiz said she had breakdowns and meltdowns.
“You will definitely see that on the show,” she said.
Ortiz did let one piece of specific show info leak – she’ll survive episode one, and she’s planning an Oct. 1 watch party for episode two at Pier 131, a bar-restaurant in Shelton.
Follow Ortiz on Instagram, where, by the way, some of her posts are now getting north of 300,000 views thanks to interactions on the app with Jeong, the funnyman co-host.
The show will be on Hulu the day after each episode airs on FOX.