10 pins hopes on strong first half in 2022

10 traditionally kicks off its programming slate earlier than its commercial rivals and 2022 is no exception with I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here unveiled on January 3rd.

Most of the season, again filmed in Australia, is in the can save for the finale in which viewers choose a winner. It will be followed in Q1 with Australian Survivor: Blood vs Water then in Q2 MasterChef Australia: Foodies v Favourites.

“It’s a very strong first half,” Beverley McGarvey Executive Vice President of ViacomCBS ANZ  (pictured top centre) tells TV Tonight.

“Really familiar shows, big brands. There’s a few other things, obviously. Survivor doesn’t play every night of the week.

“Would I Lie to You? will play in Q1. First Dates will play in Q1. We think we have a very strong start to the year.”

Underpinning much of 10’s slate is a “no diversity, no commission” policy.

Jarrod Villani (pictured top, right) who co-leads the network with McGarvey explains.

“It’s all about ensuring that all Australians can see themselves on our network. I think that’s a reflection of the decision taken around Brooke and The Bachelorette. Indeed if you look at other content, the A-League Mens & Women’s, Matildas & Socceroos, we think that that football fits well into that also. It really does represent all of Australia, and fabulous diversity on our screen,” he says.

“It’s led from the very top of our organisation across the globe. You won’t have a conversation with anyone from ViacomCBS -irrespective of where we’re at in the world- that doesn’t include a focus on diversity and inclusion.”

Here are summary of other 2022 content on 10 from Beverley McGarvey…

I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here
“Obviously there’s a bit of complexity getting people in and out states at the minute but it went really well.

“In terms of format and the playout it’s very similar to last year. Because of the way the dates work we’re launching again on January 3. So it is very familiar.

“We do change up the elements a bit and obviously we changed up how we did the eliminations last time, so that will stay. The cast is really what changes the show. It changes the texture and tone, it changes the game. So there’s a few really exciting formatting elements, editorial elements, that will play out across the series and we’ll talk about those a bit more nearer the time.”

Australian Survivor: Blood vs Water
“They are mostly new contestants. There are some returning. The big lead is leaning into the Blood versus Water element. It’s something that’s been done many times in the US show that works well.

“At the end there’s only one winner, so adding in a sibling, a parent, a best friend, a cousin, a wife, a husband, is really interesting because it does change how people play the game. It doesn’t change how everybody plays the game, but it adds a layer of texture to the show that we think Survivor fans will just love.”

But no ocean again this season?

“You actually can’t really film beside an ocean terribly easily in Australia for Survivor because we need privacy. It would obviously look very strange if we’re filming Survivor and a jetski goes past. In order to get the proper isolation that you need to make the series authentic, you almost have to film inland in Australia. But we are beside water. You need water, it doesn’t necessarily have to be ocean.

“Last season went very well. The landscape needs to be harsh and challenging, which it absolutely is. All the critical elements are there. ”

MasterChef: Foodies v Favourites
“Julie Goodwin is so well-loved and she’s so synonymous with MasterChef. I think people will love to see her coming back into the kitchen and cooking.

“It’s a legacy brand for us. We’ve reinvented it obviously, with Jock, Mel & Andy. They’re quite established -by the time we get to this season this will be their 5th series.

“So you have new people to fall in love with but also, there’s a massive desire to see more of the MasterChef alumni of whom there are many.”

The Amazing Race Australia heads back overseas?

“We hope so. Obviously, we’re talking to all our partners at the minute. We certainly would like to get amazing.

“I think there’s a massive appetite for people to see the rest of the world and we would love to be able to bring them that. So we’re just working through all of that at the moment.

“We would love to get around the world or certainly, a bit of the world!

“It certainly won’t be in the first half. Just realistically, it’s going to take a bit of time to pull it all together.”

The Masked Singer, could Lindsay Lohan return for a panel of 5?

“There’s no reason. You’d have to make sure that you’ve balanced it properly editorially, so you didn’t just have a lot of talking, less singing. So there’s that element to consider.

“But I think realistically we’ll only start really thinking about what Masked Singer probably just about this side of Christmas.”

Hunted Australia
“We will have a production team following the Hunters and a production team following the Hunted and they won’t necessarily cross.

“The Hunters and the Hunted will be genuinely not talking to each other, not communicating so you get that authentic experience of being chased and trying to hide. Unlike some of the other shows, it is not in a closed environment -it’s out in the world.

“Because they’re being chased it’s a very different vibe to Amazing Race. They literally start, they lose their phone, they lose their money, there’s no host. It’s ready, set, go and they’re gone. Within two seconds, there’s nobody left standing where you started and you’re looking for them. Some people get caught really quickly. But if you’re the last person you get the money. You really just want to be the last one caught.”

The Bachelor / Bachelorette
“The Bachelor has had many, many successful seasons. Audiences move on and tastes, aspirations and expectations change. So we’re actually just deep into the work as to what specifically those brands look like next year. What are the changes that need to happen, whilst remaining true to the brand?

First Dates
“There’s genuine, interesting, everyday Australians in it and you see moments of their lives which are poignant and funny. It has that more Gogglebox -authenticity to it than some of the bigger, constructed reality shows.”

Would I Lie to You? Australia
“We love Chrissie because she’s warm and also very generous, because you really need to let the team captains and the other four guests space. Seven ,people’s a lot on a panel show, you need to give people space.

“Chris Taylor is incredibly smart and smart people are generally spectacular liars! Frank Woodley is also smart, but a very physical comedian. We just are very excited about that mix.

“It feels a bit different with Chris and Chris, and Frank. And then we have a lot of great people putting their hand up for the panel.”

The Cube
“We have no intention to put it in the schedule in the short term. We loved it. It probably didn’t do as well as we had hoped. So we’re not currently looking at it.”

Ambulance Australia
“Ambulance Australia will be back next year.”

How to Stay Married
“We’d love to continue to work with that team on new content. I think they told beautiful stories, and they did a great job. We haven’t made a definitive decision, but pretty unlikely, honestly.”

Bondi Rescue / Territory Cops
“It’s hard to make those shows in the current environment. They do have value. We’ve done a lot of Bondi Rescue but it’s pretty unlikely I would say.”

And Todd Sampson?
“We love Todd, he will definitely be back. The question is doing what? He likes to do adventurous, ambitious and imaginative things. We’re just working with him at the minute on what stories he would like to tell next.”

You can read more at Upfronts 2022: 10