CLEVELAND, Ohio — When LeBron James, a fan of game shows himself, was presented with the opportunity to produce one for NBC, it was important for him to give everyday people a chance to change their lives in an instant.The result is “The Wall,” which airs a preview episode tonight at 10 p.m. and premieres in its normal time slot January 3 at 8 p.m.”If I had one word to describe it, it’s just emotional, emotional roller coaster.” James said in a video promoting the show. “We wanted when people saw ‘The Wall,’ they knew they were in for something big.”The game board for “The Wall” is a four-story Plinko-like wall which gives pairs of contestants the chance to win up to $12 million. Get a question right, drop a green ball into the wall and watch it drop into a slot to add money to the jackpot. Get one wrong, drop a red ball that deducts money. Slots range in value from one dollar to $3 million.”The wall is all about helping good things happen for good people,” the show’s host Chris Hardwick, of Nerdist fame, said in the video. “It’s our goal to give away as much of NBC’s money as possible.”At first, couples play as a team, but as the game goes on and the questions get harder, they’re isolated and must answer on their own. Trust and teamwork are important in the game.It’s fitting the first episode of a show produced by James’ SpringHill Entertainment features a couple from Akron. John and Angel Whorton are college sweethearts with two children. He’s in banking and she’s a teacher. They went on the show looking to set up a computer facility for a daycare center and hoping to pay off their house and student loans as well.
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