It may have been off the air for 16 years but The Games is finally back, with ITV rebooting the reality sporting show and inviting the likes of Love Island‘s Wes Nelson, newsreader Lucrezia Millarini and former Strictly Come Dancing pro Kevin Clifton to compete.
Hosted by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff, The Games will see 12 celebrities take part in a range of athletic, gymnastic, swimming and cycling events live on ITV across the week, with one man and one woman emerging as this year’s champions.
The show kicks off next week with the hurdles, the hammer, the 400m race and the mixed synchronised diving – but what is there to come?
Read on for everything we know so far about The Games 2022.
The Games 2022 start date
The Games 2022 begins on Monday 9th May at 9pm on ITV.
The series, which is recorded live, will air nightly across the week until Friday 13th May.
What is The Games?
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The Games is a reality sports show in which 12 celebrities will take on a number of sporting activities, with one of them being crowned the winner of the competition at the end of the week.
The show originally aired for three seasons on Channel 4 from 2003 until 2006, however ITV is rebooting the show with a new line-up of famous faces.
After undergoing several weeks of intense training, the celebrities will be going head-to-head in athletic, swimming, gymnastic and cycling events with the aim of earning medals.
The male and female contestants with the most medals at the end of the week will be crowned the 2022 champions.
The Games celebrity contestants
From reality stars and journalists, to actors and dancers, there’s a broad range of celebrities taking part in this year’s The Games and they are as follows:
- Olivia Attwood – former Love Island star
- Phoenix Brown – influencer and daughter of Mel B
- Kevin Clifton – ex-Strictly Come Dancing pro
- Max George – The Wanted popstar
- Chelcee Grimes – footballer and songwriter
- Josh Herdman – Harry Potter actor
- Christine McGuinness – model and author
- Lucrezia Millarini – newsreader
- Colson Smith – Coronation Street star
- Wes Nelson – former Love Islander and musician
- Rebecca Sarker – Emmerdale star
- Ryan Thomas – soap actor
With six male and six female competitors taking part in the show, just two champions will emerge from the show at the end of the week.
The Games hosts
Hosting the upcoming ITV show live will be This Morning’s Holly Willoughby and League of Their Own’s Freddie Flintoff.
Chris Kamara will be in the commentators’ box alongside Simon Brotherton, who was brought on following Kamara’s recent apraxia diagnosis.
Meanwhile, ex-footballer and TV presenter Alex Scott will be providing trackside reporting throughout the week.
The Games trailer
ITV released a trailer for The Games last month, giving fans a first-look at the celebrity competitors in their kit.
The Games starts on Monday 9th May at 9pm on ITV. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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