‘Floor Is Lava’ Formulation Remains Secret: Creators Explain Why They Won’t Reveal How They Make The Magma

Netflix’s new hit show Floor Is Lava has captured the imagination of TV audiences worldwide. In the absence of live sports, the game show is proving to be quite popular and is quickly becoming one of Netflix’s must-watch series. The game show pits teams against each other as they make their way through mind-boggling obstacle courses without falling into a bubbling pool of lava.

In a recent interview, The Hollywood Reporter asked the Floor Is Lava co-creators, Irad Eyal and Megan McGrath, what the lava was made of.

The duo was rather secretive about the lava and said that they were “keeping it under wraps.” McGrath told the outlet that the formulation was a “proprietary blend,” and Eyal affirmed what his co-creator said.

“It’s literally our secret sauce.”

McGrath and Eyal went on to explain how they came up with the lava formula and that it wasn’t an easy process. In fact, it took months for them to create a substance that looked and reacted like lava. They also needed the substance to be safe so that participants could freely submerge themselves without any ill-effects.

“We tasked Hollywood’s biggest chemists and slime/goopy substance-makers to come up with our lava. We did a ton of research about what lava looks like and how it moves and how it glows… We spent months testing different lavas and different formulas,” McGrath said.

Eyal added that they wanted the lava to glow. However, the glowing chemicals that some chemists apparently wanted to add were carcinogenic and were, therefore, not suitable.

“So it took a long time to figure out exactly how do you make this thing bubble, flow, be slippery, be viscous in the right way, and also be safe that people can be submerged in it for minutes at a time, hours at a time, whatever it is, and come out safely.”

Those who watch Floor Is Lava know that the contestants provide the audience with plenty of comedy as they try to steer clear of the lava. McGrath and Eyal were also asked if they had asked their contestants to act dramatically when they fell into the lava.

The co-creators claimed that they did not ask the contestants to act in a certain way. They did tell them to have fun and use everything at their disposal. McGrath felt that nostalgia played a key role in the way that contestants appeared on the show. She felt that you turned “into your 8-year-old self” and that they had a good time just playing that the floor is lava.

When asked if they had any other schoolyard games that they wanted to tackle similarly, the co-creators divulged that they were working on a couple of projects. However, they were keeping things quiet for the moment. Eyal said that if you come across an idea that has not been done before, you run with it.