Jaime Camil Says ‘Lotería Loca’ Breaks Stereotypes as First-Ever ‘Multicultural’ and ‘Bilingual’ Prime Time Show

Latinos love a good game to help pass the time. However, very few Latino-inspired games bring out the joy and somewhat joyful competition in families like La Lotería.

According to Amigo Energy, an early version of La Lotería was created in 15th-century Italy. It traveled to Spain sometime later, and the Spanish brought it to New Spain (aka Mexico). While the elite initially played the game, it gained much popularity because of traveling ferias. Now, Jaime Camil is bringing a larger-than-life version to televisions everywhere with his new game show, “Lotería Loca.”

The show takes much of its cues from the beloved game it was inspired by, but Camil notes some differences. He also clarified to The Wrap that the game show, which is “the first multicultural, bilingual Latin-inspired game show, ever, to appear on prime time television,” does not “stereotype” Mexican culture.

“Lotería Loca” seeks to honor Mexican culture in an authentic and appropriate way

Camil tells The Wrap that he had been “itching” to get a show like “Lotería Loca” on TV for some time. So, when his co-creator Jeff Apploff reached out with a pitch, he saw it as a “sign from the gods.” But, he knew it had to be done right, so it was essential to get the set design perfect.

The host tells The Wrap, “The set designer, Jeff and I really worked not to stereotype Mexicans or my culture. We didn’t want the set to look like a waiting area at a Señor Frog’s when you go to spring break and [see] wet T-shirt contests — we didn’t want the set to look like that.”

So, he recommended that the set designer and Apploff “visit Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos.” 

“We transformed a magic town for television. When you enter our set, you are immersed into our setup through the television — a lot of colors, a lot of cempasúchil flowers,” Camil told The Wrap.

“Lotería Loca” is similar to La Lotería, but with the bonus of possibly winning one million dollars

In an interview with ET, Camil quips that La Loteria is essentially “bingo.” 

“Every single Mexican family owned a Lotería — the Lotería cards. Listen, let’s not scare your audience; it’s bingo, people. Right? It’s bingo. But, it’s bingo with a twist,” the “Jane the Virgin,” actor explains.

So, how do you play the game? Lotería Loca sees two contestants go head-to-head as they try to nab a “three-in-a-row lotería,” earning cash prizes along the way. But, in a twist of events, if one person doesn’t have the card they picked on their board, their opponent steals the cash.

Players also have to be on the lookout for the Loca Card challenges, which can add more money to their pot. Getting a Loca Card will see the players take on interactive challenges. In the first episode, a contestant plays a “finish the lyric” game with songs sung by Camil himself and music played by iconic drummer Sheila E.

The ultimate goal of “Lotería Loca” is to get two loterías to move to the next round and continue racking up money to reach the one million dollar prize.

Fans are excited for “Lotería Loca,” but many are ready to see Camil back on TV

Many on social media have been excited that Camil, aka Rogelio de la Vega, is back on TV.

An X user shared, “I don’t really watch game shows except for Jeopardy, but I had to watch Loteria Loca because my man @jaimecamil is awesome. What a crazy show! Reminded me a bit of Sabado Gigante cause it had a little bit of everything. Happy to see a bilingual show on TV!”

Someone on TikTok noted, “America is gonna discover another hot Latino and his name is Jaime Camil [.]”