‘Caraoke Showdown’ Host Craig Robinson And Howie Mandel Want You To Cash In On Your Love Of Singing In The Car

Admit it — there’s at least one song, new or old, that you just can’t help but belt out behind the wheel. You’re not alone.

Actor, comedian and musician Craig Robinson is as guilty of this as any of us, revealing to the International Business Times that Queen’s famed “Bohemian Rhapsody” is is go-to car-aoke song. “The Office” alum has teamed up with executive producers Howie Mandel, Alice Dickens-Koblin, Peter Herschko and Brian Veskosky to capitalize on this guilty pleasure in a new show for Spike called “Caraoke Showdown.”

Robinson, 45, is the host of the show, driving around major cities to surprise unsuspecting passengers who believe they’re just getting in a regular cab. Once inside their musical chops are put to the test in a series of games. Each challenge has a price tag and each set of passengers in Robinson’s unconventional taxi is pitted against another. Robinson picks up four sets of passengers per episode, but only two can go to the final round where they have to face off in front of a group of people for an additional $5,000.

The idea first came to Mandel in 2015. Veskosky, who produced “Deal or No Deal,” showed him a viral YouTube video of a Delaware police officer caught on camera singing and dancing to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off.” After seeing the dash cam video and assessing the number of hits it had gotten in a short amount of time, the wheels in Mandel’s head started turning.

“He said, ‘There’s a show in this,’ and I thought, ‘Why don’t we make it a game show?’” Mandel recalled to IBT.

They spent some time working out the details of the show, including who would host. For Mandel, it was an easy call — Robinson is “funny, charming, musically versed and loved by all,” which is exactly what “Caraoke Showdown” needed. Mandel wanted the host to be someone unsuspecting players were excited to see and who would quell any doubts they may have about participating in the game show.

“We were looking for a host who is funny and charming and he’s [just that],” Mandel said. “When these people get in the car we don’t know what’s gonna happen. We needed someone that was going to be witty, in the moment, charming, that people were gonna be comfortable around.”

Robinson gladly accepted the gig. The actor told IBT there was no way he could turn down an offer from the “hysterical” and “awesome” Mandel. “He’s a legend and I wanted to work with him,” Robinson explained.

With the plot and other details ironed out, Robinson got behind the wheel and hit the streets in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Admittedly, the participants in Sin City have been more fun (sorry, LA!) and “knew more of the songs,” but Robinson’s enjoyed the experience as a whole.

“It turned into something I didn’t expect it to. One lady ended up crying — she was overjoyed just because of how good the moment was. She was overwhelmed and that made it really special for me. Then there’s just seeing people put on the spot and what they do with the moment — that’s really cool.”

As for what’s in store during the first season of “Caraoke Showdown,” Robinson teased loads of amatuer performances and a number of surprise guests. While he was able to reveal that Steve Aoki will be joining him in Las Vegas in the premiere, the actor opted to keep his other co-conspirators under wraps to preserve the surprise. The “Back 2 U” DJ will be bringing one of his signature cakes along for the ride, much to the delight of one of Robinson’s passengers.

“The cake was legendary,” Robinson said. “She was such a big fan of Aoki, so he was gettin’ in — she lost her stuff.”

Experience that moment and more by tuning in to the “Caraoke Showdown” premiere on Spike Thursday at 10:30 p.m. EST and check out an exclusive sneak peek above!