Floor Is Lava Season 2 - What We Know So Far

A few months into the Covid-19 pandemic, Netflix debuted "Floor is Lava," a seemingly silly gameshow that, uncannily and yet understandably, became an instantaneous hit with its house-bound audience. The show, which is two parts "American Ninja Warrior" and three parts childhood flashback, asks teams of three compete in an obstacle course resembling a Dali-meets-Tim-Burton-esque room filled with furniture and decor pieces floating in "lava." The goal is exactly what you'd expect: leap, climb, flop, swing, or flail from the safety of one object to the next, and make it to the other side of the room without falling into the pit of bright red bubbling lava. 

Part of the show's appeal lies in its creative, absurdist reimagining of a game the pre-and-early internet generation grew up playing in their own homes (the same nostalgic appeal that made "True American" from "New Girl" so comically familiar, despite the fact that its rules were never fully explained). However, an even larger key to the show's success comes from its host, Rutledge Wood ("Top Gear USA," "Southern and Hungry"), an Alabama native whose improvisation skills, ability to banter, and willingness to lean into a few Dad Jokes made him an instant hit with viewers. It's a show that's at once family-friendly and addictive, and unlike other obstacle course gameshows (read: "American Ninja Warrior"), it doesn't require that its contestants train year-round in their own Cross Fit studios. 

Now that Season 1 has come and gone, when can the series' barrage of fans expect a Season 2? 

Renewing "Floor is Lava" for a second season was a no-brainer for Netflix execs, and while no definitive release date has yet been announced, Variety reports that "The series will go into production later this summer and return in 2022." Season 1 contained 10 episodes, so it's likely the same will be true of Season 2. But how, exactly, does an unscripted series begin going into production, and how long will it be before Season 2 is completed?

This past June, Backstage posted a casting call for Season 2 contestants, asking potential course-goers and cash prize winners some all-important prerequisite questions. "Are you ultra competitive?" The call asked. "Are you ready to defy the odds and race through an obstacle course with booby-traps at every turn? Are you ready for a once in a lifetime opportunity to show your competitive edge?" The casting call, which closed on June 14th, confirms a $250 stipend for contestants for "two filming days." Assuming it takes two days to film each episode (and at least a handful more to edit and compile the finished product of a given episode) it's possible Season 2 could find itself mostly completed by early 2022. That said, it's equally possible the powers that be will see summer — when the majority of kids are out of school — as a more feasible time of the year to launch its sophomore season. For now, fans are left to wait and speculate. 

"Floor is Lava" owes a major percent of its success to the creative design teams behind its obstacle course "rooms." Season 1 challenged contestants with an epic array of surreal interiors, charting courses through basements, bedrooms, kitchens, studies, and planetariums, none of which look anything like the kind you might have played in as a child. Irad Eyal and Megan McGrath — the series' executive producers and creators — spoke at-length with Vulture's Clint Worthington about the inspiration behind their set designs and what goes into bring them to life. Using "theme parks and adventure films," as well as video games, for inspiration, Eyal and McGrath initially imagined something akin to a natural history museum, but in a no holds barred setting where players could "do all the things that you could never do at a real museum." Over time, this became "a mansion with differently themed rooms, tied together by the fact that they're all flooded with lava." 

Although the creators haven't dropped much in the way of hints regarding Season 2's room design, those who tuned in to Netflix's global fan event, Tudum, were treating to a brand new set, which Wood compared to director Mike Flanagan's "The Haunting of Hill House." If Tudum's haunted set bears any resemblance to what fans can expect to see in Season 2, it appears the show will be upping the anti in terms of further curating its themes. 

As Eyal told Cinema Blend, (referring to props that didn't make it into Season 1) "There's a warehouse out there somewhere in the world that's like the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark [...] and we're hoping we can sort of unlock that and open up those crates and bring them back." So far, it sounds as if Season 2 will be a delightfully absurdist blend of mood heavy rooms and those aforementioned "adventure movies."

Unfortunately, Netflix has yet to release a trailer for the second season of "Floor is Lava." That doesn't mean, however, than fans can't get their fill of hilarious, molten lava content and cash prizes. This past summer, the streaming service compiled and released a "Best of" video wherein "Oddly Specific Awards" were doled out to Season 1 contestants alongside replays of their most infamous moments. 

The video's awards include (but are by no means limited to) "Most Cinematic Death," "Best Comedic Timing by a Lava Blob," "Best Accidental Twerk," and "Best Weight-Based Chandelier Argument," — an award that would be difficult for almost any other television program ever created to justify, but that feels perfectly at home in the context of "Floor is Lava." While the highly-anticipated release of the Season 2 trailer may be some ways off, at least the very serious and globally-lauded awards show (via YouTube) is keeping the manic energy of the series going strong in the interim.