How we compare
Both put real disagreement in front of real people. Jubilee films it for millions to watch. SuperDebate builds rooms where you argue it yourself, with structure, judges, and a verdict.
Credit where due
Jubilee made disagreement watchable again. Shows like Middle Ground and Surrounded bring people who genuinely disagree face to face, and millions of people watch because the tension is real.
Jubilee put unscripted disagreement in front of an audience of millions and made talking across divides a mainstream format.
Middle Ground seats people with opposing worldviews together. Surrounded puts one debater at the center of twenty challengers. The feelings on camera are genuine.
Politicians and public figures now sit for Jubilee formats because that is where young audiences actually engage with argument.
Two sides, one clock, and a room that votes.
What we build
A SuperDebate is a structured argument with assigned sides and equal time. Some events use judges or audience ballots; others focus on the exchange and feedback.
Side by side
| Criterion | Jubilee | SuperDebate |
|---|---|---|
| You are | A viewer, or one of a small cast selected for a shoot. | A participant. Anyone in the room can take a side, judge, or vote. |
| The format | Show formats built for video: rotating seats, flag votes, timed encounters. | A designed round: opening speech, cross-examination, rebuttal, closing, with equal time for both sides. |
| Sides | People argue the views they came with. | Sides are assigned. Half the time you argue the position you disagree with, which is where the learning is. |
| How it ends | The video ends; the comment section takes it from there. | Judges score four criteria out of twenty, the room votes, somebody wins, and everyone gets a drink together. |
| What you leave with | A strong opinion about what you watched. | Written judge feedback, a scored round on your record, and people who will happily tell you why you were wrong. |
An honest answer
You want to see how people with opposite convictions actually talk to each other, from your couch, tonight. It is genuinely good at that.
You want the seat at the table. If watching Surrounded makes you argue at your screen, a debate night gives that instinct somewhere real to go.
Common questions
The energy is similar: real people, real disagreement, a crowd. The difference is structure. A SuperDebate round has assigned sides, equal speaking time, cross-examination, and judges scoring four criteria: arguments, evidence, clarity, and persuasion, out of 20. And you do not need to be cast. You just show up.
You get a prep window before you speak, both sides get the same clock, and nobody can vote you out of your chair mid-sentence. First-timers debate the same night they arrive, and your first night can just be watching and voting.
Yes. Featured debates are filmed, and online rounds run in live video rooms where the audience scores both debaters in real time.
Not really. Jubilee makes shows; we run a league. If Jubilee gets you interested in real argument, a debate night is where you practice it yourself.
Watch one round from a seat, vote on the winner, and take a side when you're ready. Your first night can be exactly as big as you want it to be.
More comparisons: Open to Debate vs SuperDebate, Oxford-style debate vs SuperDebate, Toastmasters vs SuperDebate.
