YOUNGSTOWN — The goal of most game shows is to get ratings and give away cash and prizes.

“Bridge or Sink” wants to do those things, but creator Francisco Hernandez-Caceres has another mission — to bring people together. And it may be the first game show that can boast being inspired by the research of two Harvard University professors.

The game show shot its pilot at Penguin City Brewing in December, and a private screening is planned this week for those who worked on the project.

Hernandez-Caceres grew up in El Salvador, but he has lived in Youngstown since 2022, moving there with his future husband, Youngstown native Adam Buzzacco.

“I didn’t expect to fall in love with Youngstowwn and come to respect and admire so much of what Youngstown is,” he said. “What I encountered here is this amazing community of people who are incredibly hard working but also have a sense of pride in their community and what they can accomplish, and it really resonated with me.”

“It felt like Youngstown was the perfect place to shoot the pilot. It really represents America. It’s not a show from a coastal elite city,” he said.

Hernandez-Caceres worked for nine years as an interim anchor and special correspondent for Telemundo’s morning show “Un Nuevo Dia,” and he’s also been a contributor to CBS’s “The Talk” and NBC’s “The Today Show” and a special correspondent for the nationally syndicated “Access Hollywood.”

He left television to go to graduate school at Harvard, enrolling at its Kennedy School of Government. There he studied with Harvard professors Julia Minson and Josh Greene, who have worked for years researching how to make politics and life less polarizing.

“I went to the Kennedy school thinking I would become a politician, and I became disillusioned with politics while I was there,” he said. “Instead, I tried to come up with a show or with films and to use my talents in media and translate some of these concepts that these researchers have been working on and make them more accessible to everyone. The best way was through entertainment.”

Since Hernandez-Caceres hasn’t started shopping the pilot yet, he didn’t want to reveal all of the details of the game, but he described “Bridge or Sink” as a cross between “Jeopardy!” and “American Ninja Warriors.”

“You have two people in very opposite places,very different ways of thinking and instead of pitting them against each other, they have to work together to win money,” he said. “The show is called `Bridge or Sink,’ and they either build a bridge or they sink together in a 15,000-gallon pool filled with extremely cold water.”

A television pilot for a game show normally would cost $150,000 or more, Hernandez-Caceres said. He was able to do the pilot for “Bridge or Sink” for about $30,000,raised through a GoFundMe campaign.

It also was made possible by the people from Penguin City, which let them use the space for free; Cinemanix, which shot the pilot; 42 Events, which provided the lighting; Youngstown Fire Department and the water commissioner’s office, which helped fill that 15,000-gallon pool; and Jimmy’s Italian Specialties in Liberty, which helped feed the crew during the long night of shooting.

Even with that help, making “Bridge or Sink” wasn’t easy. One of the first challenges was picking the contestants. They put out a call for participants last fall and received 850 applications. The producers narrowed it down to about 80, who were asked to fill out an online questionnaire. Forty of them were interviewed by phone, and then 20 were interviewed in person. Screen tests were shot with eight contestants before the final two were selected.

The day of shooting also was grueling.

“”When you’re shooting on such a shoestring budget, time means money. We didn’t have a lot of time for rehearsal, for getting everyone ready. The day of production was supposed to finish at midnight; we ended up wrapping at 3 a.m. But everyone stayed with so much kindness and a great attitude because they believe in the project and that was incredible to experience.”

The private screening this week was a way to thank everyone for their participation. Hernandez-Caceres said they all were too tired to celebrate at the end of the shoot.

Two versions of the show were shot in December. The format was similar, but some of the questions were different. Each version will be shown to test audiences in the next month or so.

“That will provide us data, not only how effective the show is but also market research. Do they like it? What don’t they like? We’re waiting on that data, and then we’ll pitch it to different networks and streaming services.”

agray@tribtoday.com