I heard a rumour that they may try and do the UK version in the UK soon.
Please don't tell me this has been given a second series.
I was talking about Total Wipeout. Isn't 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow made over here already? Wasn't it the show that had to stop filming when the swimming pool burst and took out a camera tower overnight? (Imagine if it had happened during filming...)
I heard a rumour that they may try and do the UK version in the UK soon.
Please don't tell me this has been given a second series.
I was talking about Total Wipeout. Isn't 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow made over here already? Wasn't it the show that had to stop filming when the swimming pool burst and took out a camera tower overnight? (Imagine if it had happened during filming...)
No, 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow is made in Argentina and is the one where someone tried to murder Steve Jones.
Currently it's only the UK version in production, and depending on the run of the show, then it'll be piloted for ABC.
It's filmed in Argentina for a number of reasons...
1. Weather - a lot less bad weather in Argentina then here
2. Costs - it's cheaper to use an international set rather than rebuild it in each country
3. Health & Safety Law - in Argentina it's effectively legal to throw somebody off a building, in the UK it isn't
4. International Sales - it was premiered at the Cannes Television Festival and sold to 22 countries including Ireland (RTÉ likely to have their own version in 2011)
5. Can be block filmed - ie can be filmed one after another rather than weekly
101 Ways... will be commissioned for a second series in mid 2011, again co-produced by Endemol USA and Endemol UK.
The US version will hopefully air in late 2010.
101 Ways... is losely based on Tekeshi's Castle and Wipeout (UK: Total Wipeout).
All contestants go through specialst training before filming, usually a three-day safety course.
As a supporter of the licence fee, I do cringe when I see trashy programmes like this on the BBC. It's not original, distinctive, quality, or something which couldn't be done in the commercial sector, and simply gives ammunition to those who want the fee scrapped.
With the BBC trying to justify every penny of its existence at the moment, I don't understand how they think spending money on crud like this is acceptable. They need to leave that kind of drivel to ITV.
It's not a great show but is it any more trashy than It's a Knockout?
Probably not, but It's A Knockout was made in a very different broadcasting era, when the BBC was only competing with one commercial channel, wasn't on a major cost-cutting drive, and was under far less public scrutiny over how it spends its money.
As I've said, I totally support the licence fee, but the BBC doesn't do itself any favours making this kind of show when they're cutting costs in many other arguably more important areas.
I heard a rumour that they may try and do the UK version in the UK soon.
Please don't tell me this has been given a second series.
I was talking about Total Wipeout. Isn't 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow made over here already? Wasn't it the show that had to stop filming when the swimming pool burst and took out a camera tower overnight? (Imagine if it had happened during filming...)
No, 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow is made in Argentina and is the one where someone tried to murder Steve Jones.
Had they seen the pilot?
And according to Brig Bother on BothersBar it was originally set to be filmed in Cambridge until someone nearly died.
I had an (unsolicited) application sent to me for this. Have to say it made for pretty frightening reading.
It was seeking to establish what you have a mortal fear of - such as drowning and falling from heights. Had I said I suffer vertigo (which I confess I do) then they'd obviously want me pushed off the highest possible platform.
It did mention the show would be taped in Argentina; and the thought of a week in the sun was appealing, so I filled it in and sent it off.
Was greeted by return by a "thanks - we've been inundated by applications so this email is automatically generated" and heard nothing further.
Why did they waste my time by sending me an application then? I didn't ask them to.
Twits.
Haven't bothered to watch - and won't now, given what I've read. Sounds like they're padding a 43 minute show to an hour purely so they can punt it to the commercial world - and the Beeb are left with a yawnworthy, achingly slow piece which they've stumped up the cash to commission.
3. Health & Safety Law - in Argentina it's effectively legal to throw somebody off a building, in the UK it isn't
I would assume that the BBC would still ensure that Endemol use their fairly stringent safety rules and do proper risk assessments though. The accident that killed Michael Lush all those years ago wasn't that dissimilar to the kind of bungee rope stuff that 101 ways is doing
It was utterly dull television. I watched it on iPlayer and after realising just how painfully they were going to string it out, I ended up skipping through just to find the evictions, and getting bored even of those.
They totally kill the tension by tediously revealing, one by one, which contestant is 'safe'. It'd be far more gripping if all eight of them were just stood there and one of them was dropped unexpectedly. It becomes even more tedious in the later stages where they show you the drawn out process of removing 'safe' contestants from the platforms, and then even chuck in a "I nearly **** myself up there thank god I'm safe" interview for good measure.
Steve Jones also does a redundant countdown-to-nothing where he goes "the next correct answer is.... 5.... 4, 3, 2, 1.............. the correct answer..... is...." - don't do a countdown if you're not going to reveal anything on "zero".
Should have been half an hour long. By skipping through the **** bits I condensed it down to about 15 minutes and even then was bored.
As a supporter of the licence fee, I do cringe when I see trashy programmes like this on the BBC.
I couldn't agree more. The trouble with the BBC is that they just don't do this type of show as "well" as ITV, there's something incredibly lame about the BBC making shows like this and it comes across incredibly naff. They should have called it "101 Ways to safely leave a game show after filling in your risk assessment."
I couldn't agree more. The trouble with the BBC is that they just don't do this type of show as "well" as ITV, there's something incredibly lame about the BBC making shows like this and it comes across incredibly naff.
The problem, as I mentioned earlier, is that scale. Big flashy gimmicky gameshows rarely work on any channel.
It reminds me of a programme called Happy Families (http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Happy_Families) which was a huge flop. They just threw together lots of disparate elements into a big arena and expected it to work, but it was just too contrived and lacked atmosphere.
The things that work best are very simple games well done, the most successful game and quiz shows - Countdown, Millionaire, Deal or No Deal, Weakest Link etc are all exactly that. A few times TV companies have taken a simple established format and made it 'big' and they've failed - Telly Addicts and the original run of Kyrpton Factor being two examples.
It felt far too produced to me, as if too many executives had had a say in how it should be done. The whole thing could have been done in half an hour and would have been a lot better for it. Compare it to The Cube or even (dare I say it) Hole in the Wall and it's just not in the same league.
I couldn't agree more. The trouble with the BBC is that they just don't do this type of show as "well" as ITV, there's something incredibly lame about the BBC making shows like this and it comes across incredibly naff.
The problem, as I mentioned earlier, is that scale. Big flashy gimmicky gameshows rarely work on any channel.
It reminds me of a programme called Happy Families (http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Happy_Families) which was a huge flop. They just threw together lots of disparate elements into a big arena and expected it to work, but it was just too contrived and lacked atmosphere..
Oh, I loved Happy Families. CRANK UP YOUR GRANNY!!!!