Raid the Cage

Hosts
Damon Wayans Jr. (also executive producer) & Jeannie Mai
Broadcast
CBS: 10/13/2023-present
Packagers
Two Shakes Entertainment United Studios Israel Sony Pictures Television

Raid the Cage is an American adaptation of the Israel game show called Kluv Hazahav (Golden Cage in English) where two teams of two competed in trivia and physical challenges in order to haul prizes from a gigantic cage before the door slams shut.

Premise[]

Each one-hour episode features two teams of two facing off to grab-and-go prizes from the cage before their time runs out and the door closes. Correctly answering trivia questions adds seconds to the clock, giving teammates more time to grab prizes ranging from cool trips to electronics and even a new car! After three rounds, the team that banks the higher total dollar value in prizes wins the game, keeps what they grabbed and plays the final round to try and "Beat the Cage" for the biggest prizes of the night.

Gameplay[]

The game consists of three rounds. In the first two rounds, one team member is designated the "grabber" (grabs the prizes), and the "gabber" (answers the questions). To earn time for the "grabber," each "gabber" answers questions from one of two categories. Each category has eleven answers, with ten corresponding to the ten questions to be asked. The "gabber" has 45 seconds to answer as many questions as they can. If they give a wrong answer or pass, they move on to the next question. In Round 1, each correct answer adds 3 seconds to the "grabber"'s clock. This increases to 5 seconds in Round 2, and 7 seconds in Round 3.

The "grabber" then uses the time earned to grab as many prizes as they can. Some are out in the open, while others are hidden in gift boxes, one box containing a trip. They can exit whenever they like, and all prizes are then banked for that round, but if the doors close on them when time runs out, and any part of the "grabber" remains in the cage, the team earns nothing for that round. The "grabber" doesn't know how much time is remaining until the clock hits 3.

For Round 2, the roles are reversed, and the team in the lead goes first. In addition, each turn features a physical challenge the "grabber" must perform to retrieve an object representing a more valuable prize. For Round 3, the team chooses roles, and more physical challenges are added. After the prizes are totaled up, the team with the highest total keeps their prizes.

Bonus Round: "The Grand Finale"[]

In the bonus round, the team has 90 seconds to alternate grabbing prizes. There are more physical challenges in this round, one of which is worth a new car. As before the team must exit the cage with their prizes, including the car, which must be pushed out. They are given a 5-second warning before the round ends. If they escape, the prizes are added up, and if the total is $50,000 or more, the team keeps them.

Pilot[]

A pilot was made in Spring 2016 called Perfect Escape hosted by Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Leslie Mann (The Cable Guy). It was originally planned to air on NBC in Spring 2019. However, it was never picked up.

Physical Challenges[]

In the Second, Third, and Bonus rounds, these challenges are any of these.

Knots Landing - The Grabber has to untie the knots holding a life preserver to win a prize.
Moon Landing - The Grabber must push and pull a pair of metal poles to land a white bowling ball-sized moon in the hole to unlock a prize.
Have Ya Herd? - The Grabber uses a lasso to snare one of the two fake bulls and pull it past the line, to unlock a box, containing a hat-like token to acquire a prize.
Splish Splash - The Grabber has to search for a rubber duck in a bathtub full of blue and white plastic balls.
Around the Whirled - The Grabber must spin a plane around planet Earth five times to unlock a box, containing a token.
Hoop it Up - The Grabber must toss three basketballs through the hoop to unlock a box to get a prize.
Hammer Head - The Grabber has to literally use His/Her head to whack 10 big nails in the platform to unlock a token.
Mountain Climber - The Grabber has to get on a knee board, and use a rope to climb up a slide, then, downstairs to grab a token.
Hip Check/Hip Hop Hooray - The Grabber must dance around and press buttons in a certain sequence, once all the lights are green, the grabber can get a token. (The Christmas version of the event is called Holiday Party Dance-Off)
Baggage Claim - The Grabber has to grab a luggage trolley to the unloading zone, where He/She has to search the luggage until a boarding pass is found, signifying the acquiring of a prize. (The Christmas version of the event is called “Jolly Trolley”)
Running in Circles - The Grabber must go in a futuristic-looking giant hamster wheel, and once He/She makes 10 revolutions, the grabber unlocks the box containing car keys. (The Christmas version of the event is called “Snow Tires”)
Scarf Out - The Grabber has to pull out a very long scarf out of a magician’s hat, and must keep pulling until it’s fully out, to unlock a cage containing a token or prize. It is one of the most daunting challenges, since pulling out the scarf eats up most or all of the grabber’s time. (The Christmas version of the event is called Frosty’s Scarf)
Tangled Web - The Grabber has to brave an elastic jungle. Once at the other side, the grabber grabs the prize/token
Tiers of Joy - The Grabber has to assemble a cake puzzle, once complete, He/She can grab the Token/Prize.
Over the Rainbow - The Grabber put his/her putting skills to the test by putting one ball over the rainbow arch and land it in a pot of gold, to unlock a prize/token.
Spin Out - The Grabber has to navigate a ball through a pinwheel maze to unlock a box containing car keys.
Wrecking Ball - The Grabber uses a wrecking ball to knock over the letters in Prize, to unlock a prize/token.
Pizza Toss - The Grabber has to throw three pizzas into a pizza oven to unlock a token.
On a Roll - The Grabber is to roll a bowling ball in a roller bowler-based game, not too hard, but not too soft, to unlock a token.
Put a Ring on It - The Grabber has to successfully toss a ring on any of the fingers of a giant hand to unlock a prize. (The Christmas version of this event is called Five Golden Rings)
Blockhead - The Grabber has to place all the pieces to fill up a Tetris-like puzzle wall. Once successful, He/She can grab a token.
Park It! - The Grabber has to slide three car-shaped pucks in the win zone on a shuffleboard to unlock a box containing car keys.
Keyed Up - The Grabber sticks His/Her head to an oversized key, and must make 5 rotations to unlock a token.
Sail Away - The Grabber has to use into a blow tube to blow a boat off the map to unlock a prize.
Drop it like it’s Hot - The Grabber has to drop three balls in a bucket on a rotating record to unlock a prize.
Car Key Chaos - The Grabber goes inside a wind machine to grab five balls. Once five balls are put in a tube, the grabber can grab the keys.
Grand Slam - The Grabber has to go baseball player to make three homeruns, once successful, the grabber can unlock a token.
Snowball’s Chance - The Grabber has to roll a white Skeeball to the peak of a picture of a snowy mountain. If successful, a prize will be unlocked.
Jump in! - The Grabber jumps into a roofless Claw Machine filled with plushes, to locate a token.
Ticket to Ride - The Grabber uses a giant coin to scratch a giant lottery ticket, and the numbers hidden is a code which can unlock a safe containing car keys.
Gimme Five - The Grabber has to high-five and knock over five hand-sized targets to unlock a token.
Tangled Web - The Grabber has to traverse through an elastic maze to collect a token.
Hang Ten - The Grabber has to ride a surfboard and tilt it to kareen a ball in a board maze to collect a token.
Down to Earth - The Grabber has to throw three beanbags into a hot air balloon basket to unlock a token.
Picture Perfect - The Grabber has to assemble a cube puzzle, featuring the Raid the Cage Set, and the announcer to unlock a token.

International Versions[]

The following list of countries that have previously aired their versions of Raid the Cage includes:

Argentina
Brazil
China
Colombia
Greece
Hungary
Israel (Country that originated the program)
Mexico
Paraguay
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Turkey
Uruguay
Vietnam

Trivia[]

This aired on the same day as The Price is Right at Night episode "Girl's Night Out".
This aired almost a week after the attacks on Israel.
In 2025, during season 2, this aired as part of a block called CBS Game Night along with The Price is Right at Night and the remake of Hollywood Squares hosted by Nate Burleson.

Link[]

Official Website