Raid the Cage (American game show)

Raid the Cage is an American television game show hosted by Damon Wayans Jr. and Jeannie Mai that premiered on CBS on October 13, 2023. It is an adaptation of the Israeli television series of the same name. Two teams of two contestants compete on each episode to earn time to retrieve prizes from a giant cage, with the team having the highest total keeping the prizes and playing the bonus round.

Main game
A backstage coin toss determines which team starts the first round; that team chooses one of two categories. One team member (the "Gabber") is given 45 seconds to match ten clues with eleven answers. Each correct answer earns three seconds (for a maximum of 30 seconds) for their teammate (the "Grabber") to enter the cage.

The other team member then enters the cage, and attempts to collect as many prizes (consisting of physical goods, "tokens" for larger or non-tangible prizes, and mystery gift boxes) as they can and remove them from the cage before time runs out. If the contestant does not escape before time runs out and the doors close, the prizes are lost; however, prizes are not lost if the contestant's body blocks the doors from closing. The contestants do not receive any indication of their time remaining, besides a three-second warning before the door closes. Contestants cannot re-enter the cage if time remains, and any prizes they grab after any part of their body leaves the cage do not count. After their run, the total value of any prizes successfully retrieved is revealed. The second team then repeats the process with the remaining category.

This process repeats in rounds two and three with the leading team starting each round. In round two, the time increases to five seconds per correct answer (50 maximum), and the teammates must switch roles. In round three, teammates can choose roles, and each correct answer earns seven seconds (70 maximum). New prizes are added to the cage between rounds, with certain higher-valued prizes requiring the contestant to complete a physical challenge in order to claim them.

The team that has the highest total value of prizes after three rounds wins the game and advances to the "Beat the Cage" bonus round. The winning team keeps all prizes won in the main game, while the losing team leaves with nothing.

Bonus Round: Beat the Cage
The winning team then plays a final 90-second run in the cage to collect more prizes, which includes major prizes locked behind physical challenges. Unlike the main game, the two contestants take turns in the cage, and can continue to re-enter as long as there is time remaining. The team will not know how much time is left in the raid until five seconds remain.

If the team retrieves at least $50,000 worth of prizes before time expires, they keep all of the prizes they won in the bonus round; otherwise, they forfeit the prizes from this round. Regardless, they keep the prizes from the main game.

Production
In 2017, NBC ordered a pilot for a U.S. version of Raid the Cage, under the title Perfect Escape, with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Leslie Mann as hosts.

On June 30, 2023, it was announced that CBS had ordered the series. On August 3, 2023, it was announced that the series would premiere on October 13, 2023. On September 7, 2023, it was announced that Damon Wayans Jr. and Jeannie Mai would be the hosts of the show.

On May 2, 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.