Ellen's Game of Games

Format

Preliminary games

• Aw Snap: Contestants are joined by a bungee cord. The first contestant to move five apples into a basket using only their teeth advances.
• Blindfolded Musical Chairs: Five contestants are chosen to play this game and are blindfolded. The contestants dance around until the music stops and must find a randomly placed stool to sit on to stay in the game. Ellen will press a button to determine where the chairs will appear on the dancefloor. As in musical chairs, the contestant who is unable to seat themselves is eliminated. After four rounds, the last contestant to survive the round advances to play Know or Go. In the Christmas special episode, this game is also known as "Blindfolded Musical Packages". The number of players was reduced to 4 in Season 3. This is one of the games that were turned into a board game.
• Buckin' Blasters : In this game which made its debut in Season 3, 2 contestants mount giant cannons and must shoot their opponent’s three portraits to win. While the contestants control when to fire the cannon, Ellen will control the cannons from her podium to mess with their aiming ability. When a contestant’s portrait is hit, their cannon will spin like crazy. The first contestant who shoots all three of their opponent's portraits advances to Know or Go. If time runs out, the contestant who shoots more of their opponent's portraits wins. If there is a tie, a sudden death round is played, in which the portraits are reset, and the first contestant to shoot one of their opponent's portraits wins.
• Danger Word: Similar to the game show Password, played with two teams of two. One person on each team is shown a "winning word"; they alternate giving clues to their partners. A team earns a strike if the opposing team guesses correctly or if they guess a "danger word" related to the winning word. A team with three strikes is eliminated, and one member of the winning team advances. In Season 3, Episode 1 Ellen and tWitch become the partners for two audience members. This is one of the games that were turned into a board game.
• Dirty Laundry : In this game which debuted in Season 3, two teams of two are conjoined inside of a huge shirt and are given three clues to what the host is describing. The teams then must grab their color corresponding ball and throw it into the giant washing machine. The first team to do so gets the choice of either answering the question or passing it to the other team. The first team that gets three points wins the game and must choose one player to advance to play Know or Go. A simular game debuted on the Australian version of the show, except that there are questions in this.
• Dizzy Dash: Contestants are asked a trivia question. They are then spun around in chairs and must run to a podium and grab a ball from it before they can answer. The first to correctly answer three questions advances to play Know or Go. In the Christmas special, this game is also known as "Dizzy Dasher". In season 3, the ball’s color was changed from purple to green and made softer because in season 2 finale when the contestants reached for the ball, they ripped it in two.
• Don't Leave Me Hanging: Three contestants are suspended in harnesses and take turns naming things which fit a given category, receiving a strike if they give an incorrect answer, repeat an answer previously given or take too long to respong. A contestant with three strikes is eliminated and launched to the top of the studio.
• Five Second Rule : Two members have to think on their feet and list four answers that fall into a given category in only five seconds. This game is very similar to Don't Leave Me Hanging.
• Great Taj Mah Wall : Slightly similar to Don't Leave Me Hanging and Five Second Rule, five contestants are strapped behind 5 walls. Ellen will then reveal a picture with many images for about 10 seconds. Then each player randomly takes turns saying an image in the picture. However, if a player says an incorrect image or an image already said, or takes too long, they will be eliminated and blasted through the walls. At the end, the winner advances to Know or Go.
• In Your Face, Honey : One member from each team of two attempts to throw a ball as close to a target as possible. After two attempts, the team with the most points decides who will advance. This game does not appear in season 2.
• Knockin' Boots : A similar game to Don't Leave Me Hanging and also Song Association - Elle, where contestants answer questions about songs with one primary word. If Ellen does not believe the song has the word either in the title or in the song, the contestant gets a strike. Three strikes and then they will face being kicked by the boot above them. In Season 3, The musical artists standing with Ellen and Twitch to play a game.
• Make It Rain : Two contestants answer trivia questions for turns at pulling down an umbrella. Several umbrellas are filled with water; one has a $10,000 cash prize and the right to advance. This game does not appear in season 2.
• Master Blaster : Three contestants attached to bungee cords compete to solve a jigsaw-style puzzle. The losing contestants are "blasted" into the air. This game does not appear in season 2.
• Mazed & Confused : Two players are sent into a giant mirror maze and must find their color corresponding orb, then bring it back to the exit and place it upon a podium, while trying to avoid several traps and scares along the way. First player to complete the task will advance to Know or Go.
• Mt. Saint Ellen : Three contestants climb a mountain which tilts and shakes, and some climbing ropes fall away. The first contestant to collect three diamonds advances.
• Oh Ship! : Contestants are asked multiple-choice questions and race to holes corresponding to the choices. Incorrect holes spray water in the players' faces. The first to collect three correct answers advances. In episode 12 of Season 3, a female contestant named Jazmine won Oh Ship!, breaking the men’s winning streak.
• One-Eyed Monster : Contestants standing inside the jaws of a giant prop monster must pull its removable teeth for wrong answers; one tooth will cause the jaws to close, eliminating the contestant. In season 1, contestants were asked one question in turn, all with answers ranging from 0 to 5. If the contestant answered incorrectly, they had to pull as many teeth as the margin of error. A correct answer ended the turn without pulling any teeth. In season 2, the contestant in control predicts how many of 100 audience members said yes to a survey question, and the opponent guesses whether the actual number was higher or lower. A correct high/low guess sends the contestant in control to the jaws, while a miss sends the opponent instead.
• Runaway Bride : Slightly similar to Mt. Saint Ellen, the players are in dresses and are on a treadmill trying to stay on the treadmill while getting 3 slices of cake onto their plate. Obstacles like a bell and two spinners will get in their way, and there’ll be slices of sandwiches and cheese flying at them as well, and whoever gets 3 cakes first advances.
• Say Whaaat?: Two teams will wear headphones with loud music. They must relay a message using lip reading, earning points based on the number of words in their answer compared to the original phrase. The team with the most points chooses one member to advance if both teams get the same number of words correct, they must do it again. The game is based on Telephone/Chinese Whispers.
• Scary-Go-Round : Contestants take turns moving three large balls across a series of rotating platforms while their opponent launches balls to impede them. The contestant with the fastest time advances. If the contestants finish it in the same amount of time, they must do it again. From season 2, the game is played with teams of two.
• See Ya Later, Alligator : Four players are shown pictograms; the first to correctly state the phrase they make up gets to eliminate an opponent. The last person left advances.
• Son of a One-Eyed Monster : Slightly similar to Make it Rain!, the host reads a list of words and the first contestant to correctly state what they have in common gets to choose one of eight giant eggs. One of the eggs allows the contestant to advance; the others spew slime on the contestant. An incorrect guess allows the opponent to hear two more words before guessing.
• Stink Tank : Similar to You Bet Your Wife, but the players who are standing with the host answer. They risk being dunked into a pit of slime. In Season 3, The celebrities who are standing with the host answer.
• Taste Buds : Two teams of two are blindfolded with arms interlocked, and take turns tasting food and describing it to their teammate. Whichever team can guess more items correctly in a certain amount of time chooses one member to advance.
• Tuba Toothpaste : Answering a trivia question incorrectly requires a contestant to press up to 3 of 10 buttons that resemble tuba valves. One button blasts toothpaste into the contestant's face and eliminates them. This game does not appear in season 2 or 3.
• You Bet Your Wife: Played with two teams of spouses, fiancés, or twins. One from each team is suspended in a harness, while the others bid on how many examples their partner can name in 30 seconds for a given category. Giving the required number of correct responses earns that team one point, while the opposing team's suspended partner gets dropped. If the challenged team fails, the challenged team's spouse is dropped. The first team to drop 3 times loses, and the winning team chooses one member to advance. This is one of the games that were turned into a board game.

  Know or Go

Hot Hands

Episodes

International versions