Steve Harvey's Funderdome
Entrepreneurs vie for audience votes, money in reality show.
Steve Harvey's Funderdome
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Steve Harvey's Funderdome is a competition among entrepreneurs for various levels of funding for their respective projects. The contestants face a difficult decision when they're presented with cash-out options in lieu of remaining eligible for a larger payout should they win the audience's vote, which raises discussion points about taking risks and the downfall of greed. Overall this is a much more friendly contest than its counterpart Shark Tank, thanks in big part to Steve Harvey's levity. Expect some mild allusions to sex (a woman's female-specific cleansing bars raise some eyebrows and hints at bedroom matters, for instance) and rare language, such as "hell." On the whole, though, this is a fun series to watch with tweens and teens, and it celebrates ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking.
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may bore kids but a nice family show
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What's the Story?
In STEVE HARVEY'S FUNDERDOME, entrepreneurs pitch their products and services to a studio audience in an effort to secure funding for further development. Inventors and business entrepreneurs face off in pairs to appeal for investments that range from $10,000 to $100,000, after which the audience members vote for their favorite product. Before revealing the winner, host Steve Harvey offers the contestants the opportunity to "cash out" for varying dollar amounts, risking a potentially bigger payout from the audience but guaranteeing they don't leave empty-handed.
Is It Any Good?
Entrepreneurship meets the game show format in this lively competition series that delivers winning inventors and small-business owners up to six-figure investments. As with other innovation-based shows such as Shark Tank, you'll spend a lot of time admiring the contestants' ingenuity and creative problem-solving tactics, as well as considering what you might do in their shoes when they're offered various cash sums. Some products and services wow more than others, and the show's format, which pits similar creations against each other, emphasizes their positive and negative qualities.
Steve Harvey's Funderdome is a fair way to pass screen time with your tweens and teens, but it does have some mature moments. When the content warrants it, conversation alludes to bedroom matters and other suggestive topics. In typical Steve Harvey fashion, he eggs it along with facial expressions and chuckles, but it stays mostly above board for this age group.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they would do in the contestants' shoes when faced with cash-out options in Steve Harvey's Funderdome. Are you the kind of risk-taker who could turn down big money in the hopes of winning more, or do you think it's better to take something than to lose everything? In general, whom do you think enjoys more success: those who are cautious or those who take chances?
Are you impressed by the entrepreneurs' creativity? How might you have solved the same problem in a different way? What other inconveniences could use an inventive solution? What role does science play in these inventions?
How do you think the contestants feel when they don't win the audience vote? How would you overcome that kind of disappointment?
TV Details
- Premiere date: June 11, 2017
- Cast: Steve Harvey
- Network: ABC
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: February 26, 2022
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