The competition on CBS’ Buddy Games in the 2023 TV schedule is only getting stiffer, crazier, and – in the case of this next episode, anyway – a lot colder. A new clip for Buddy Games (seen above) shows the “Cup of Chilly” challenge, and it isn’t going to be as straightforward as a chili eating contest. Host Josh Duhamel is definitely taking his “Test Dummy” duties seriously, because it’s almost unbelievable that the film and TV star actually tried every step of it!
Paddling across a lake in an inflatable flamingo, playing flip cup with a cooler, and using a power washer all sound simple enough… if not for the twists of being doused with freezing cold water, dressing in freezing cold clothes, and jumping in that lake. Personally, my favorite part of Josh Duhamel playing “Test Dummy” in this clip might actually be seeing him run and jump while wearing flippers, but his overall enthusiasm makes me glad I’m not competing against him. He did say he wanted to “get dirty” for the show; apparently, he’s happy to get chilly too.
The new episode airs on Thursday, October 5 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, and is intriguingly titled “Buddy Betrayals.” Coming on the heels of the drama between the Pageant Queens not too long ago and the teams continuing to get smaller as the buddies get closer and closer to splitting the prize money, it seems safe to say that the biggest challenge of the episode might not necessarily involve ice water or an inflatable flamingo. And Josh Duhamel can’t be the “Test Dummy” for conflict within the lodge!
Perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising that he was willing to brave the ice cold for “Buddy Betrayals,” as the show opened with Josh Duhamel going rogue for a belly flop into a mud pit. Speaking with CinemaBlend, the host shared that he didn’t actually tell anybody at the show that he was going to do the belly flop and even had to pull “a little pebble” out of his eye. According to him, in cases like Buddy Games, “sometimes you can’t ask permission [because] you know they’ll say no.”
Josh Duhamel is an executive producer as well as host of Buddy Games, after he directed a film of the same name and its sequel, Buddy Games: Spring Awakening. He played games like those in the CBS show with his own friends over the years, so he was a natural fit to host, even though he shared that he “never had any thoughts about hosting anything” before the network wanted him in the job. I think anybody who has been watching on Thursdays nights (or streaming via a Paramount+ subscription) can vouch that he looks like he’s having a lot of fun.
Whether the buddies who are competing for the $200,000 grand prize will have as much fun as the self-appointed “Test Dummy” with “Cup of Chilly” remains to be seen, but the wait is almost over. Tune in to CBS tonight at 8 p.m. ET for the “Buddy Betrayals” episode of Buddy Games!