If you spent the past weekend binge-watching Netflix’s new series, Floor Is Lava, you’re not alone. The game show has been streamed by millions of users, who all have the same question: What is the lava made of in Floor Is Lava on Netflix? Well, for starters it’s made from a mysterious recipe that’s “not like water at all,” according to the show’s creators.
Floor Is Lava, which is inspired by the childhood game of the same name and premiered on Netflix on June 19, is a game show where teams must complete an indoor obstacle course without falling into a pit of “lava.” Like the childhood game, the obstacle courses consist of furniture in pools of lava that competitors must hop on to reach the other side. Unlike other obstacle course series, like American Ninja Warrior, Floor Is Lava‘s competitors are the average Joes, so think soccer moms and frat boys.”
“It’s for everybody. Everybody played this as a kid. Everybody can play it now as an adult in real life. There’s no one type of person who’s going to be on the show,” co-executive producer Megan McGrath told Entertainment Weekly.
As for what the lava is made of, executive producer Irad Eyal told Entertainment Weekly that the substance, of course, isn’t real lava. But it’s not just water with red dye either. “The lava is not like water at all,” he said. “It’s thicker, slipperier. You know it does not feel like water and it doesn’t look like water when you’re standing there.”
Eyal also told EW that each course needed to be marked safe before contestants could attempt it. He also told the magazine that the lava consists of several ingredient that the creators picked specifically after studying the look and movement of real lava.
“We’ve been joking about [the lava ingredients]. Because it’s now become like our 11 herbs and spices. Lava is so particular because it has its own glow to it,” he said. “We studied videos of lava in Hawaii and different kinds of lava flows. And when you really look at it, you realize how there’s something there unlike any other liquid. There’s no other liquid that has an internal glow like that.”
As for what’s really in the lava, the creators wouldn’t say. But EW has a suspicion that it’s a mix of water and lots and lots of strawberry syrup.
Floor Is Lava is available to stream on Netflix.