FOX’s latest hit summer game shows, Beat Shazam and Love Connection, returned for their second seasons last night looking to make a big splash in the ratings for the network. While both shows made a few aesthetic changes in graphics and set design, Beat Shazam and Love Connection also slightly altered their formats this season.
Beat Shazam has made the most changes out of the two shows. Although the show is sticking to its song identification premise, here are the front game changes that have been made between seasons:
Season 1
Category #1: 3 Songs for $1,000/each + $2,000 Fast Track
Category #2: 3 Songs for $2,000/each + $4,000 Fast Track
Category #3: 3 Songs for $3,000/each + $6,000 Fast Track
3rd Place Team Eliminated
Category #4: 3 Songs for $5,000/each + $10,000 Fast Track
Category #5: 3 Songs for $10,000/each + $20,000 Fast Track
2nd Place Team Eliminated
Season 2
Shazam Shuffle: 5 Random Songs for $2,000/each + $4,000 Fast Track
Category #2 (Teams pick one of two categories, majority rules): 4 Songs for $3,000/each + $6,000 Fast Track
3rd Place Team Eliminated
Category #3 (One teammate must play category solo): 4 Songs for $5,000/each + $10,000 Fast Track
Category #4 (Team play resumes): 4 Songs for $10,000/each + $20,000 Fast Track
2nd Place Team Eliminated
No changes are made to the million-dollar bonus round. I love how the producers solved the redundant, wash-rinse-repeat format issue I observed in my review from the first season by making each round a little more unique. However (at the risk of slightly contradicting myself), I do wish they allowed the latter teammate to face the fourth category on their own for sake of continuity in the two-team portion of the show. The best change I’ve seen this season is Corinne Foxx, Jamie Foxx’s daughter, replacing October Gonzales as the house DJ. This is not a knock against Gonzales, but Corinne has unsurprisingly better chemistry with Foxx and it shows in the livelier and delightfully goofier banters between them.
On Love Connection, the only change made to the game was the $10,000 twist. Last year, if the single contestant chose a date that differed from the audience’s selection, the contestant could chose to stick with their original choice or go on a luxurious date with whom the audience picked and receive a $10,000 bonus. This season, the “love or money” caveat was removed and the couple only receives the cash if the audience correctly predicts the contestant’s choice. I’m not going to lie, I liked the first season twist better. It’s a good callback to when the original version made it an option for the contestant to date the audience’s choice and it added more of a suspenseful, dramatic flair at the end of each game that featured the tough decision. Now, the $10,000 moment feels sort of deflated because there is nothing really at risk if the couple miss out on a chance to cash in with the help of the audience’s intuition.
Even with all the changes made to both series, Beat Shazam and Love Connection are still worth tuning into during the summer. Stay tuned for new episodes every Tuesday night at 8:00pm and 9:00pm ET respectively on FOX and check out past episodes on FOX.com.