The latest season of The National Bible Bee Game Show will premiere on Christian Cinema Facebook Livesponsored by Museum of the Bible, on Tuesday, April 4 at 8 p.m. EST. Hosted by Kirk Cameron, the game show will be the first ever TV series to premiere via this social media channel, as it aims to give away $270,000 in prizes.
Set to launch on the first anniversary of Facebook Live, the show will feature seventy-two young people, ranging from seven to eighteen years old. Chosen from the annual National Bible Bee grouped as Primary (ages 7-10), Junior (ages 11-14) and Seniors (ages 15-18), each age division features the top three percent of contestants competing in the bracket-style Scripture-knowledge tourney. In preparation for the past eight seasons, more than forty thousand young people commit to memory up to 840 passages from the Bible.
“Since the National Bible Bee started in 2009, I’ve been a fan and supporter,” Cameron, father of six and a well known actor/producer/speaker, said of the high-energy reality game show style contest. “The National Bible Bee Game Show stirs up fun, excitement and a lot of ‘intended consequences’ in homes worldwide.”
The seventy-two National Bible Bee Game Show contestants are chosen from the annual National Bible Bee grouped as Primary (ages 7-10), Junior (ages 11-14) and Seniors (ages 15-18). From each age division the top 3 percent of contestants compete in the bracket-style Scripture-knowledge tourney. In preparation, young people commit to memory up to 840 verses from the Bible in just 90 days prior to the competition.
Real estate entrepreneurs, authors and speakers, Jason and David Benham are no strangers to television. Their show on HGTV was cancelled due to the stand they took for their faith. “Watching these young people stand and recite Scripture from memory is incredible,” says David Benham. Jason quickly added, “And to do it with that level of boldness and confidence is truly inspiring.”
“There is something special that happens when young people commit the Bible to memory,” says Steve Green, Chairman of Museum of the Bible, which opens in November in Washington, D.C.. “These kids are having fun and we are excited to be a part of its ground-breaking premiere on Facebook Live.”
Produced by Enthuse Entertainment, the National Bible Bee Game Show has reached 80 million homes in the previous season on three TV networks and was broadcast globally on NRB Network, CTN and UPLIFT TV. But for this season’s 30 one-hour episodes, the show is being broadcast on Facebook Live beginning April 4th.
According to Facebook, there are more than 1.9 billion people active every month on the Facebook platform. This will be the first ever television series to broadcast on Facebook Live. Bobby Downes, CEO ofChristianCinema.com, says “Facebook Live is the future of television. It allows us to choose our audience, pick the airtime and, most importantly, engage with the viewers as they watch this incredibly inspiring competition.” Downes added, “Over the span of this show we anticipate 30 million people will tune in and for those who miss an episode, a season pass or individual episodes can be purchased on-demand at ChristianCinema.com.”
Emeal Zwayne, the national spokesperson for the National Bible Bee, says, “The National Bible Bee Game Show flips challenge into opportunity as whole families get into God’s Word to compete together or to cheer on contestants from home.”
Since the National Bible Bee’s first contest in 2009, more than 40,000 young people have participated. Competition begins locally and online where the top 360 local participants advance to the National Bible Bee Competition. National Bible Bee Game Show previous winner, Hannah Leary, says the game is far more than rote memory. “It’s not just memorizing Scripture,” Leary explained. “It’s studying Scripture and being able to dive in deep and understand what God has to say in His Word.”
Leary, of Buffalo, N.Y., joins this season’s panel of co-hosts for the National Bible Bee Game Show: Co-hosts also include Emeal Zwayne, president of Living Waters Publications, and identical twins Jason and David Benham, former professional baseball players, best-selling authors and serial entrepreneurs.
Fans of the show and those seeking to encourage learning about the Bible can support the National Bible Bee Game Show by signing up for the Thunderclap campaign here. Helping spread the word via social media, interested readers can be part of this grassroots campaign to highlight participation in learning from and about the Bible.