Beat the Star
"This show will have you on the edge of your seat," promises host Daniel MacPherson. It's Minute to Win It meets Gladiators in Seven's new game show.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Programming, Reviews
The set occasionally looks like Dancing with the Stars. The games are a cross between Minute to Win It and Gladiators. And the host is as slick as can be.
Beat the Star has arrived, with a pumped-up audience and $50,000 ready to give away.
Based on a German format (which was subsequently picked up in the UK), this one hour game show pits an ordinary family against a celebrity in a series of challenges, to see if they can rise to the occasion and win a swag of loot.
Along the way there will be flashy lights, exuberant participants, embarrassment, dramatic music, and jeopardy.
“This show will have you on the edge of your seat,” promises host Daniel MacPherson.
In the first episode the Morts, a family of four, will face My Kitchen Rules judge Manu Feildel (his name is incorrectly spelled as ‘Fidel’ on the opening credits, oops).
Feildel, we are told has previously trained in the circus, and is a chef “so he’s fiery.” The Morts, consisting of Dad, two teenage daughters and one son, will each have to face him in at least one of the eight challenges.
Each round is worth increasing points, starting with 1 pt and culminating in 8 pts. This cleverly throws some unpredictability into the scoring and the eventual outcome.
Mr. Mort faces off against Feildel for the first challenge, in which both are required to swing 360 degrees on an oversized swing. Mort is determined to win, admitting he is “part brave, part stupid.” Ahh Aussie self-irony.
Other challenges which will test Feildel (who is presumably risking his dignity and his favour with network execs) include shooting some soccer balls, a ‘highwire’ walk, a geography quiz, weighing salami and a rather unfortunately-titled game “Pea in a Bottle.”
Another test sees teams milking a live goat. The final challenge is the silliest of all -it involves a toaster.
Most are the kind of inconsequential-but-annoyingly-difficult challenges one might see on Minute to Win It. One or two require more physical dexterity.
As host, Daniel MacPherson never lets the ball drop. Having perfected his live hosting skills on Dancing with the Stars, this is a walk in the park. He knows exactly when to encourage the audience, prod the contestant for a emotional response and wring the show for drama even when there isn’t much to be wrung. His only danger is in over-hyping and over-exposure. Soon he could be knocking on Andrew O’Keefe’s door.
Like his other show, the star power promised for this series is pretty thin on the ground: Layne Beachley, Danny Green, Ada Nicodemou, Andrew Gaze. Nine went down the same road with celebs told to front up to Hole in the Wall. This show isn’t as silly as Nine’s, nor as wacky as Man O Man or It’s a Knockout. A sense of humour wouldn’t have gone astray here.
There’s not very much complex gameplay in this show and frankly, it is pretty brazen about that. Instead it is pitted fair and square at a broad family audience. But I wasn’t, as instructed, on the edge of my seat at any point. Note to self: buy a slimmer chair.
It’s also hard not to think that when all is said and done the stars will end up throwing the game, Pakistan cricket-style, in order to let a family walk home with $50,000. What kind of celebrity would dare deny them the loot? There is no mention of charity receiving the cash if they win, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the ‘Stars’ lose this every week.
Beat the Star is a natural successor to Minute to Win It, and will probably prompt viewers to again call for It’s a Knockout to make a return to television.
Beat the Star premieres 7:30pm Tuesday on Seven.
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- Tagged with Beat The Star, Dancing with the Stars, Gladiators, Minute to Win It, My Kitchen Rules
28 Responses
Terrible… just terrible
Worst new show of the year.
Looks to me like Family Double Dare crossed with Gladiators. And we all know how Family Double Dare went.
Yes, bring back “Its A Knockout”!!!
Yawn. I’m so tired of these “game” shows networks use to garner promotion for stable shows under the guise of entertainment.
I wish contestants and audiences would realise the true value of what they’re doing for chicken feed? $50,000 is absolutely cheap and let’s bet that they have to actually reach that target, so really…it’s peanuts for the monkeys.
Daniel MacPherson and Kyle Sandilands must love payday at 7!
“Note to self: buy a slimmer chair.” Chortle.
Producers really need to come up with something original, inventive, creative or all of the above. Otherwise, it’s just game show overkill, the concept of this game show becomes tasteless, lame and disappointing, even before it has aired.
If the networks want to retain viewers, I think they need to introduce adaptation and change, rather than reverting to something worse than what was produced in the previous decades.
I was actually at the recording of the final show of the series for this. It was actually a load of fun to be apart of and think it could be pretty good viewing on TV as well.
Tacky and tasteless.
This looks like a piece of crap. Just continuing in the same vain of rubbish that seven have dished up this year…Minute to win it and that load of rubbish that is the x factor. I wish they would be more creative in their program development.
This show looks so lame – definitely won’t be watching!
lol. how pathetic
@Steph – you obviously didn’t watch COPS LAC! (and I can think of some stinkers worse than that).
It ain’t my thing so I won’t be watching, but it doesn’t sound too bad as a broad appeal non-demanding dinner-digester. Sure, the “stars” will be like the ones in the night sky that you can only see when you’re out in the sticks – washed out by the city lights and a little bit dim – but MacPherson should help to drag this above mediocrity.
seriously, why? Why do they put this upon us. I couldn’t think of much worse TV viewing.
Dan McPherson is very talented. probably 7’s best. if anyone was going to host 2 shows it should be him. but i think 7 probably should have used that ticket on something bigger. because any new show from here on is going to be overexposure.
Surely Channel 7 must be running out of Home and Away ‘stars’ to prance about on these shows. Let’s hope Brendan Fevola gets married again soon.
Ha! Fair call Craig. Very ironic! I’ve corrected… wonder if Seven will?
“In the first episode the Morts, a family of four, will face My Kitchen Rules judge Manu Fieldel (his name is incorrectly spelled as ‘Fidel’ on the opening credits, oops).”
then the next paragraph…
“Feildel, we are told has previously trained in the circus”
Oops. Sorry couldn’t resist.
Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap.
edge of my seast hey daniel. yeah right. this will be just anoth 7 show to flog their untalented hacks on the network and nothing else
looks like the dancing with the stars set…
I’d have to say Daniel is shaping up to be one of the best tv hosts going round,what ever he does he does it with confidence and ease,good onya Daniel….hope the show’s a success.
Sounds like hastily put together fluff. I predict it will bomb big time.
Only $50,000? Non-celebs? Cheapie filler.
There is a “beat the star” joke I could have done here, but I would be moderated to within an inch of my life 😉
I saw the advert for this last night, all I have to say about it is….. Lame!!