MBC’s Arabic THE FLOOR, hosted by Lubna Abdulaziz, will air from 10 November with 100 contestants from about 18 Arab countries. The show will air on MBC1, MBC Iraq, and MBC Shahid.
The setup gives every contestant a category of their own, so 100 contestants bring 100 categories, and each picks the one they start with. MBC says knowing the answer isn’t enough to get through, because “the time is the sword and the judge” and a contestant can be knocked out at any moment. Abdulaziz says the amount of knowledge, however large, isn’t enough on its own; what matters is making the right decision at the right time. In her view, each contestant’s real rival isn’t the opponent but the clock.
She also admits she sometimes raised the pressure on purpose.
I enjoyed making them more nervous, because I believe the strongest contestant is the one who can manage stress.
Lubna Abdulaziz, host
She says some contestants withdrew under that pressure. More than 3,000 people applied, and that pool was whittled down to 100. The categories she named range from the poet Al-Mutanabbi, world maps, and airport and flight symbols to fruit and vegetables, children’s tools, golden-age Egyptian cinema, and world archaeology. Abdulaziz says the contestants’ cultural level surprised her most. She wanted the Arabic version to reflect a people she describes as emotional, friendly, and fond of fun and simplicity, mixing warmth with strictness.
THE FLOOR started in the Netherlands in 2023, and MBC says it has run in more than 30 versions worldwide. For viewers outside the region, the show streams on Shahid, and our guide explains how to get access from abroad.
