Eye Candy: Release Dates, Episodes, And More - What We Know So Far
"Eye Candy" will finally get some eyeballs. For all the Victoria Justice fans out there, we're not talking about a second season of the digital crime drama called "Eye Candy" that MTV canceled back in 2015 (via Screen Rant). You probably can give up on that one at this point. No, this "Eye Candy" is a Chrissy Teigen-produced food show that was all set to debut on Quibi in 2020, according to Deadline. Before you ask "what's a Quibi?" — don't worry about it. The streaming service intended solely for smartphones launched in April 2020 but then vanished six months later, as Quibi couldn't attract nearly the number of subscribers it was aiming for (via Business Insider).
"Eye Candy" and a lot of other Quibi shows faced an uncertain fate until Roku stepped up to purchase the doomed streamer's content in January, per Variety. Now, the word is out that "Eye Candy" and some of the other shows born at Quibi are getting an air date. Here's everything we know so far about the new food competition show.
What is the release date for 'Eye Candy'?
It turns out you don't have to wait much longer to start watching "Eye Candy" on the Roku Channel. The show drops with 22 others the streaming service calls Roku Originals on August 13, according to a press release posted to Business Wire. "Eye Candy" is one of four shows getting their world premiere on that date. Roku hasn't announced how many episodes of "Eye Candy" comprise Season 1, or whether all of them will be made available on the premiere date of August 13.
We're guessing you'll get all episodes up front, based on the show's runtime. One of now-defunct Quibi's quirks was that its "quick bite" content (hence the name) ranged in duration from three to nine minutes, per Business Insider. What would be the point of releasing one nine-minute episode and then having you wait a week for the next nine minutes? "Eye Candy" is ready-made for bite-sized binge watching. As Roku VP of Programming Rob Holmes said about the old Quibi shows in an interview with Deadline, "I think their premise was, you have 10 minutes, you would watch it. Our view is, this is TV, someone's going to spend half an hour or an hour or two hours watching it because it's just that compelling."
What will be featured in each episode of 'Eye Candy'?
"Eye Candy" may be a Roku Original, but it's not a wholly original concept. The creators credit the idea to the Japanese show "Sokkuri Sweets," according to Deadline. Actually, "Sokkuri Sweets" isn't even a whole show of its own. Rather, it is a segment every New Year's Day on the show "Ultraman Dash" (via Kotaku). Viewers become highly invested in whether a Japanese celebrity is biting into a shoe made of chocolate or just plain old shoe leather. Jimmy Fallon borrowed the concept in 2019, in order to trick Kendall Jenner into biting a real Croc on "The Tonight Show" (via Food & Wine). The president of Main Event Media, one of the show's producers, likened "Eye Candy" to "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," saying, "Literally anything that appears on set could be made of chocolate or an undercover cake creation."
Episodes feature ordinary contestants paired with celebrities such as Jamie Chung, Bryan Greenberg, Rachel Dratch, and Nina Agdal, according to the Roku blog. A trailer for the show on YouTube shows participants biting down on a soap dispenser, a cactus, a roll of toilet paper, and other everyday objects that may be a sweet treat or may be, well, a roll of toilet paper.
Who will host 'Eye Candy'?
Helping contestants and viewers navigate all the stomach-churning wackiness of "Eye Candy" is host Josh Groban, according to Deadline. Around the turn of the millennium, Groban was a singing sensation, as described in a segment about him on the news show "20/20" (via YouTube). He impressed viewers on an episode of "Ally McBeal" and wowed Celine Dion as a stand-in for her singing partner during rehearsals of the 1998 Grammys. He sang "Evermore" for the "Beauty and the Beast" soundtrack and performed on Oprah's show for her 50th birthday, according to IMDb.
The singer ventured into acting as well, lending his voice to "The Simpsons" and his whole self to "The Office," "Muppets Most Wanted," and the short-lived Netflix dramedy "The Good Cop" with Tony Danza, according to Groban's website.
Looking at Groban's resume, we can only hope these "quick bite" episodes of "Eye Candy" will occasionally set aside a few moments for him to belt out a tune.