Go-Big Show


Go-Big Show is an American competition series that aired on TBS from January 7, 2021, to March 10, 2022. In contrast to other talent shows, Go-Big Show focuses on bigger scale performances featuring monster trucks, horse riding and large stage acts. On each episode, performers compete for an opportunity to advance toward the season finale, with a grand prize of $100,000 at stake. The second season premiered on January 6, 2022.
The show formerly featured Rosario Dawson, "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes, Jennifer Nettles and T-Pain as judges. It was hosted by Bert Kreischer.

Cast

Go-Big Show is hosted by Bert Kreischer. Judges include "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes, Jennifer Nettles and Rosario Dawson. Snoop Dogg was one of the four judges during season one. However, in August 2021, it was announced that T-Pain would replace him for season two. Previously, DJ Khaled was planned to join the show.

Format

On each of the six qualifier episodes, three pairs of acts perform for the judges. Each act is scored on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher-scoring act of the pair advances to the semifinals. If both acts in a match-up receive the same score, a coin toss is used to decide the winner.
For each of the three episodes in the semifinals, two heats of three acts each perform and are scored as in the preliminaries. The high scorers from the respective heats advance to a vote by the judges to determine which act will move on to the finals. Once the semifinals are complete, the judges select one of the three acts eliminated by their votes to advance as a "wild card".
The finale consists of three rounds, with each act being scored as in previous episodes. Two acts face off in the first round, and the low scorer is eliminated. In each of the following rounds, one new act performs and must outscore the winner of the previous round in order to eliminate them and advance. The winner of the third round receives the $100,000 grand prize.

Season 1 overview (2021)

Each act is scored on a scale of 1 to 100, calculated as an average of the scores given by the individual judges. During the Qualifier Rounds, performers go head-to-head, and the act that receives the highest combined score moves on to the next round.

Qualifier Rounds

Episode 1: "Welcome to the Go-Big Show"

Original air date: January 7, 2021
US Viewership: 1.03

Match-Up 2: Andrew S. vs. Scott Anderson

Andrew won the tie-breaking coin toss.

Episode 2: "You Can't Unsee This!"

Original air date: January 14, 2021
US Viewership: 0.99

Episode 3: "And You Thought That Was Risky?"

Original air date: January 21, 2021
US Viewership: 0.77

Episode 4: "Danger, Danger Everywhere"

Original air date: January 28, 2021
US Viewership: 0.94

Episode 5: "Go Out With a Bang!"

Original air date: February 4, 2021
US Viewership: 0.87

Episode 6: "The Last Chance"

Original air date: February 11, 2021
US Viewership: 0.75

Semi-Finals

Episode 7:"Semifinals"

Original air date: February 18, 2021
US Viewership: 0.78

Match-Up 2: Reckless Ben vs. Ben Blaque vs. Chris Cheng

Tulga advanced to the finals in a 3–1 vote over Ben Schneider.

Episode 8:"Go Big, Fly High"

Original air date: February 25, 2021
US Viewership: 0.80

Match-Up 2: Kurtis vs. Leonid vs. Callie

Tomas Garcilazo advanced to the finals in a 3–1 vote over Kurtis Downs.

Episode 9:"This Show is on Fire!"

Original air date: March 4, 2021
US Viewership: 0.67

Match-Up 2: James vs. Rider & Bethany vs. Christopher

Andrew Stanton advanced to the finals in a 3–1 vote over James Jean.
Kurtis Downs received a "Wildcard" spot in the finals over James Jean and Ben Schneider.

Finale

Episode 10: "A Very Go Big Final"

Original air date: March 11, 2021
US Viewership: 0.69

Finale Knock Out

Tomas Garcilazo won the competition and the grand prize of $100,000.

Season 2 overview (2022)

Similar to season one, the four judges' scores for an act are averaged to determine the overall score. Unlike the prior season, each judge's individual scores were also revealed. During the Qualifier Rounds, performers go head-to-head, and the act that receives the higher average score moves on to the next round.
  • Note: For some of the match-ups, some or all of the judges' individual scores were not shown on screen. This is indicated in the score box as "unknown".

Qualifier Rounds

Episode 1: "We're Back, Bigger Than Ever!"

Original air date: January 6, 2022

Episode 2: "Now That's What I Call Big!"

Original air date: January 13, 2022

Episode 3: "Bulls, Balls and Falls"

Original air date: January 20, 2022

Episode 4: "No Pain, No Gain"

Original air date: January 27, 2022

Episode 5: "This Is Definitely Not Child's Play"

Original air date: February 3, 2022

Episode 6: "One Last Shot"

Original air date: February 10, 2022

Semi-Finals

Episode 7:"Time To Raise The Game"

Original air date: February 17, 2022

Match-Up 2: Daredaughter vs. Jose Angeles vs. Kevin Taylor

Manu advanced to the finals in a 3–1 vote over Annaliese Nock.

Episode 8:"It's A Wild, Wild Semifinal"

Original air date: February 24, 2022

Match-Up 2: Horse vs. Lina Liu vs. Fernando Velasco

James Carter advanced to the finals in a 3–1 vote over Lina Liu.

Episode 9:"It's Never Been Closer"

Original air date: March 3, 2022

Match-Up 1: Thomas Vu vs. JD Anderson vs. Jonathan Rinny

Thomas was eliminated due to having a combing score of 383, while JD and Jonathan once again tied with a combined score of 385. JD advanced due to having a higher score in the Qualifier round.

Match-Up 1: Professor Splash vs. Andrew Lee vs. Anastasia Synn

Professor Splash advanced to the finals in a 3-0 vote over JD Anderson. Cody didn't vote given Professor Splash already had the majority vote.
Annaliese Nock received a "Wildcard" spot in the finals over Lina Liu and JD Anderson.

Episode 10: "Only One Can Win - The Finale"

Original air date: March 10, 2022

Finale Knock Out

Manu Lataste won the competition and the grand prize of $100,000.

Season 1 acts (2021)

Season 1 featured 36 different acts.
| | Wild Card
ActTalentElimination
Grace GoodCircus PerformerQualifier Round
Scott AndersonMagicianQualifier Round
Jamie KeetonHuman MutantQualifier Round
The Gator CrusaderAlligator ActQualifier Round
WheelzWheelchair MotocrossQualifier Round
Cassidy RoseCountry Singeing & YodelingQualifier Round
Tyler ScheuerFace Balancing ActQualifier Round
Ginger DukeTrick RidingQualifier Round
David KalbTrick ShotQualifier Round
Wesley WilliamsBox JumperQualifier Round
Bill DixonStreet Bike Freestyle Stunt RiderQualifier Round
Amina The GreatStrong WomanQualifier Round
Justin JoseyBullfighterQualifier Round
Justin WeberYo-YoerQualifier Round
Shannon & Sawyer SchmidtmanMotorcycle Stunt DuoQualifier Round
Zachary FowlerSlingshot MarksmenQualifier Round
Travis HornHandstand, BalancingQualifier Round
Wayne HoffmanMentalistQualifier Round
Deijon TaylorScooteringSemi-Finals
Krystal KurioSideshow PerformerSemi-Finals
Ben BlaqueCrossbowSemi-Finals
Chris ChengMarksmanSemi-Finals
Gabe GeorgeOne Armed ArcherySemi-Finals
Jackie BibbySnake HandlerSemi-Finals
Leonid FilatovCircus PerformerSemi-Finals
Callie BundyFootball TrickshotsSemi-Finals
Orissa KellyFoot Archery PerformerSemi-Finals
Christopher JoyceHandstand MasterSemi-Finals
Rider Kiesner & Bethany IlesRope ArtistSemi-Finals
Kevin KingMonster TruckSemi-Finals
Ben SchneiderExtreme SlacklinerSemi-Finals Judge Vote
James JeanRedneck ArcherSemi-Finals Judge Vote
Andrew StantonSideshow PerformerFinalist
Kurtis Downs Freestyle BMXFinalist
TulgaMongolian Strong ManRunner-Up
Tomas GarcilazoRope Artist & HorsemanWinner

List of notable appearances of acts

Many acts from the show have appeared in prior sports events and/or talent competitions.

Sports events and competitions

Talent competition

Season 2 acts (2022)

Season 2 featured 36 different acts.
| | Wild Card
ActTalentElimination
Amadeus LopezAerialistQualifier Round
David MatzCircus PerformerQualifier Round
Molly SchulerCompetitive EatingQualifier Round
Bazoo The KlounSideshow ClownQualifier Round
GladiusEquestrianQualifier Round
Joe WhiteAxe ThrowerQualifier Round
Jon BruneyStrongmanQualifier Round
Charles PeachockJugglerQualifier Round
Dariella & ElenaAerialistQualifier Round
Zavell PerryStunt TumblerQualifier Round
Leroy PattersonStunt WrestlerQualifier Round
Beaver FlemingSkateboarderQualifier Round
Rob LakeIllusionistQualifier Round
Anthony NevarezFire DancerQualifier Round
Mike GilletteStrongmanQualifier Round
Dane BeardsleyBMX Flatland RiderQualifier Round
Jefrick BarriosKnife ThrowingQualifier Round
Christopher & StephanieHair AerialistsWithdrew
Kamikaze KidStunt PerformerSemi-Finals
Andrew ParkerEscape ArtistSemi-Finals
Kevin TaylorStrongmanSemi-Finals
Jose AngelesFreerunnerSemi-Finals
Tori BoggsJump RoperSemi-Finals
The Amazing SladekDaredevil AcrobatSemi-Finals
Fernando VelascoMagicianSemi-Finals
HorseNutshot TakerSemi-Finals
Thomas VuRubixcuber & Stunt PerformerSemi-Finals
Jonathan RinnyRolla BollaSemi-Finals
Andrew LeeIllusionistSemi-Finals
Anastasia SynnSideshow PerformerSemi-Finals
Lina LiuUmbrella AcrobatSemi-Finals Judge Vote
JD AndersonStrongmanSemi-Finals Judge Vote
James CarterFreestyle Motocross RiderFinalist
Annaliese Nock DaredevilFinalist
Professor SplashHigh DivingRunner-Up
Manu LatasteBull LeapingWinner

List of notable appearances of acts

Many acts from the show have appeared in prior sports events and/or talent competitions.

Talent competition

  • JD Anderson appeared on season 9 of America's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
  • Professor Splash appeared on season 6 of America's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the semifinals.
  • Annaliese Nock appeared on season 13 of America's Got Talent where she withdrew prior to the Judge Cuts and season 15 with her father Bello who were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
  • Andrew Lee appeared on season 2 of Asia's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the semifinals and series 12 of Britain's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the deliberations.
  • Horse appeared on season 7 of America's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals but returned for the wildcard round where he was eliminated again.
  • Charles Peachock appeared on season 6 of America's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals but returned for the wildcard round where he was eliminated again.
  • Jonathan Rinny appeared on season 12 of America's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the Judge Cuts.
  • Kevin Taylor appeared on season 3 of America's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the Vegas Round.
  • Rob Lake appeared on season 13 of America's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
  • Leroy Patterson appeared on season 10 of America's Got Talent where he was eliminated in the Judge Cuts. He also competed on the 2nd season of the Fox Reality Channel game show Solitary, where he was the 3rd player eliminated.

Production

The show is filmed at the Macon Coliseum in Macon, Georgia, via Propagate and Boat Rocker Media's Matador Content. Production for the 10-episode hour-long second season began in August 2021.

Ratings and reviews

The debut episode drew a million viewers and was the best unscripted series launch by TBS in three years. Viewership declined slightly each week during the first season. However, due to its success, the series was renewed for a second season.
Common Sense Media reported it is a "mixed-bag of talent" featuring profanity and mild violence meant for mature audiences, along with family-friendly performances. The positive impact on younger viewers is the discussion of safety and the unique talents of the performers.