Friday's Espresso - 23rd SEPT
Week from 16th to 23rd September
1. ADVENTURE IN THE ALPS OF NEW ZEALAND
High mountains have always been a perfect set for extreme realities. Among the European formats where mountains push the participants to their physical and mental limits we can remember the French Premier de Cordée, the Spanish DesafÃo extremo, the Italian Monte Bianco - Sfida Verticale and many others.
Now the continent has changed and the challenge has shifted to the rugged Alps of New Zealand, with the new format The Summit, commissioned by 9Network and produced by Endemol Shine Australia.
A group of strangers will embark on a harsh quest with their backpacks containing an equal share of 1 million dollars. The group must reach the peak of a distant mountain in just 14 days to win the cash they’re carrying. Along the journey they’ll need to work as a team as they face dangerous places, wild conditions and overcome challenges that block their path to the mountain.
Also the moral will be tested: what happens when members of the group fall behind, will the rest of the trekkers slow down and risk not reaching it up the mountain in time? Or will they cut them loose and press ahead to cash in?
An intriguing concept in the middle of a breathtaking scenery.
2. UNBREAKABLE RELATIONSHIPS (OR MAYBE NOT…)
Next Thursday (6th October) on BBC One and BBC iPlayer will premiere in primetime Unbreakable, produced by 110% Content and hosted by comedian Rob Beckett (at the centre of the pic).
This brand new competition format will see Beckett put six celebrity couples through a series of mental, physical and emotional challenges, designed to reveal whose relationship is the strongest.
The challenges will test (always in a fun way and with the typical British sense of humour) the five key pillars of a relationship: trust, honesty, understanding, patience and communication. The couples will be judged under the watchful eyes of two relationship experts, who will encourage them to open up about life, love and relationships.
And at the end of the series, will their relationships be unbreakable or not?
3. CELEBS’ RELATIVES CLAIM TO FAME
ABC in the US has ordered the unscripted series Claim to Fame, produced by Kinematic Content, distributed by Red Arrow and hosted by Kevin Jonas (from the band Jonas Brothers) and his brother Frankie.
The show will see 12 ordinary people with famous relatives go undercover to compete for a cash prize. They will live together in a house, concealing their identity and lineage in the quest for their own fame and fortune.
Scattered around there are hints hidden in surprising places and the contestants can collect clues and source information about each other, while protecting their own celebrity’s identity.
They will compete in challenges, form alliances and play DNA detective in hopes of avoiding elimination, winning the $100,000 prize and staking their own Claim to Fame.
