I second that recommendation. The usual format is that they play a game each episode, and the winner and another player of their choice are guaranteed to go to

I second that recommendation. The usual format is that they play a game each episode, and the winner and another player of their choice are guaranteed to go to the next round. The loser of the main game then plays a one-on-one game with another player of their choice, and the loser of that game is eliminated. This creates an interesting metagame surrounding the main games. One thing that makes it work particularly well is that the participants all seem to be relatively pleasant people. There were alliances and sudden-but-inevitable betrayal, but no one was ever unpleasant about it. I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing, or that they're all notionally "geniuses" (talented in some field) rather than random people or celebrities, but that atmosphere really made a good premise into an excellent show.