Watch as Turlock woman competes for $1 million on new reality game show
Could you compete against 99 other people and emerge victorious to win $1 million? Turlock resident Merna Aodisho is about to find out if she has what it takes.
Aodisho, 34, is one of 100 contestants competing on the new reality show “99 to Beat,” hosted by Ken Jeong and Erin Andrews and premiering Wednesday, Sept. 24, on Fox. The first episode also is streaming on Hulu.
Aodisho described the show as similar to “Squid Games” in terms of gameplay, but with different elements and including individual and group competitions. Also, of course, no one gets killed!
Last-place players get eliminated each round until one winner is left at the end of the series. “You’re going to see the games, you’re going to think that it looks so fun and easy, but, oh, my goodness, no, they’re not,” she said.
Jeong told Parade, “I mean, there were a total of 50 games, 50 seemingly simple games in this competition. And you couldn’t possibly prepare for all of them. And there are curveballs that are being thrown. Even in games that they thought they could they could handle or manage, there was always a different stipulation or a curveball, so you can never fully prepare.”
Aodisho said she never envisioned being on a show like this, especially because she doesn’t consider herself competitive. “I was never into sports; I was not at all athletically coordinated, but this just showed me that I have a fire inside me,” she said. “It made me realize how empathetic I am for others, too. Because while I’m playing my own game, I’m also helping others.” She explained that some games required alliances and teamwork.
Helping others is second nature for Aodisho. She lost her father to cancer when she was in her early teens and helps care for her brother, who has cerebral palsy, while also assisting other family members with special needs. “Absolutely, the main goal was to bring that money home. I wanted to be a part of the show to give my family, give my brother, the life that they deserve. I really wanted to just give my sister a break, too,” Aodisho said.
She works at a bank, but her dreams are much bigger. She is a singer-songwriter and an aspiring actress, calling herself Merna Zso professionally. “I grew up wanting to be this huge megastar,” she said. She has been singing since she was very young and even auditioned for “American Idol” and “The Voice.” A casting agent found her social media profile and cast her in “99 to Beat.” She spent weeks in the United Kingdom where the show was filmed.
Though she can’t reveal how she performed and who wins, Aodisho said “99 to Beat” will be a fun watch. She went to New York to watch the premiere with other contestants. She plans to continue to work on her music and entertainment career and is excited for what comes next.
She said that though she is living in the Central Valley, her Hollywood dreams are still coming true. “Just because you come from a small town and may have this mundane lifestyle, or a heavy workload, really cool things can come out of just simply living in a small city like Turlock,” she said. “Nothing is impossible.”
”99 to Beat” premieres Sept. 24 on Fox at 6 p.m. and is streaming on Hulu. Aodisho’s music can be found on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music under the name Merna Zso.
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM.
