Gatekeepers (game show)
Gatekeepers (小兵迎大将) is a Singaporean Chinese language game show which aired in 2010 on MediaCorp Channel 8. The series premiered on 31 August 2010 and ended on 23 November, airing on 13 Tuesday nights at 8:00pm. Hosted by Guo Liang along with Dennis Chew (as "Aunty Lucy"), each episode features 36 Primary 5 and 6 students from a primary school who are challenged with the task of "defending" a cash prize of S$18,000 for their school.
| Gatekeepers 小兵迎大将 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Presented by | Guo Liang Dennis Chew |
| Original language(s) | Chinese |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Elaine See 施意玲 |
| Running time | approx. 46 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | MediaCorp Channel 8 |
| Original release | 31 August – 23 November 2010 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Don't Forget the Lyrics! All-Star Edition |
| Followed by | Home Makeover |
| Related shows | All Pass (Taiwanese game show) 1 vs. 100 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The show was nominated for the Best Variety Show award for the Star Awards 2011.
Rules
The rules of Gatekeepers is basically similar to 1 vs. 100 but also crosses with Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?; a team of three celebrities (or contestants) faced off against 36 different Primary 5 and 6 Students from a school, each seated in a cubicle. A contestant choose from one of the eight possible subjects, and a multiple-choice question with four options is revealed. As like 1 vs. 100, the students is given a short amount of time to lock in their answer before the contestant is given the opportunity to answer the question. If the contestant answers correctly, all the students that answered the question incorrectly are eliminated from further play, bringing the team closer to winning the game. The amount of money in the team's bank also increases by a fixed rate of S$500, which is dependent on the number of students eliminated in that question. However, if the contestant is incorrect, their turn ends and no money will be banked for the team, after which the contestant must step down. The contestant's turn will automatically end after answering his or her eighth question. Unlike 1 vs. 100, contestants or teams may not walk away at any point during the game, and all three contestants were required to participate.
The game ends when all members of either side have been eliminated; the team will win whatever they've banked if they successfully eliminated every one of 36 students per every correct answer; however, the team loses if at least one student survives at the end of the game and the school wins any remaining money they have kept. Up to S$18,000 can be won from one team at the end of the game, whichever if all 36 students survived or eliminated by the team at the end of the game.
The money won by the students goes to their school while the money won by the celebrities goes to a charity of their choice.
Helps
As like 1 vs. 100, the celebrities receives opportunities to receive assistance from the students, known as "helps". Five helps are offered (three were based on the 1 vs. 100 game, which were in italics), which could only be used once throughout the entire game.
- 同舟共济: The celebrity discusses the question from the other team members.
- 军师出马: Similar to Poll The Mob, the player selects one of the four answers to get more information about. The number of students who chose that answer is revealed, and the contestant chooses one of the revealed students to discuss his or her response.
- 刺探军情: One student was randomly selected, allowing them to see the answer before they give their own.
- 一箭双雕: Similar to Ask The Mob, two students are randomly selected: one who answered correctly and one who answered incorrectly, which in turn also eliminates the other two choices from consideration. Each explains his or her decision to the contestant.
- 目不敌众: Similar to Trust The Mob, the contestant is automatically committed to the answer chosen most frequently by the students.
Question topics
All questions asked in the show are based on the national curriculum taught in Singaporean schools.
- Primary 3 or 4 Science
- Primary 3 Maths
- Primary 4 Maths
- Primary 5 Chinese
- Primary 5 Social Studies
- Primary 5 or 6 Science
- Primary 6 Chinese
- Home Economics/Life Skills
Episodes
| Episode | School | Guest Personalities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catholic High School (Primary) 公教附小 | Variety Show Hosts | Michelle Chia Dasmond Koh Quan Yi Fong |
| 2 | Raffles Girls' Primary School 莱佛士女子小学 | Celebrity Mums | Hong Huifang Chen Xiuhuan Diana Ser |
| 3 | Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) 英华小学 | "University wits" | Cavin Soh Jerry Yeo Elvin Ng |
| 4 | Maha Bodhi School 菩提学校 | Characters | "Ah Tao" from The Little Nyonya (Ng Hui) "Mao Wang" from King of Thrift (Ben Yeo) "Xiao Long Nü" from Comedy Nite (Patricia Mok) |
| 5 | Nan Hua Primary School 南华小学 | Artistes from China | Zhou Ying Dai Yangtian Zhang Zhenhuan |
| 6 | Ngee Ann Primary School 义安小学 | Actors | Tay Ping Hui Chen Tianwen Zhu Houren |
| 7 | Mee Toh School 弥陀学校 | Celebrity Dads | Baey Yam Keng MP Dr Wilson Goh Zheng Geping |
| 8 | Maris Stella High School (Primary) 海星中学附小 | Former student athletes | Chen Liping Hu Shuxian Wang Yuqing |
| 9 | Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary) 巴耶利峇美以美女子小学 | Variety Show Hosts (new generation) | Pornsak Lin Peifen Lee Teng |
| 10 | Nanyang Primary School 南洋小学 | Directors/Actors | Mark Lee Jeremy Chan Royston Tan |
| 11 | Rulang Primary School 孺廊小学 | Newscasters/DJs | Marcus Chin Leong Sze Hian Zhao Wen Bei |
| 12 | St. Hilda's Primary School 圣希尔达小学 | Food connoisseurs | Cavin Soh Kym Ng Chef Eric Teo |
| 13 | Pei Chun Public School 公立培群学校 | Star Search alumni | Chew Chor Meng Ann Kok Andie Chen |
Controversy
Prior to the broadcast of the third episode, an ongoing online feud between host Guo Liang and Elvin Ng (one of the contestants on that episode) caused over comments exchanged in the dressing room during filming of the series Breakout (in which both Guo and Ng were actors). The trailer also aired the feud, causing the viewership ratings to drop, and become the only episode to be given a Parental Guidance (PG) rating.
External links
- Official Website
- Gatekeepers on Mediacorp website