The Weakest Link (Australian game show)
The Weakest Link was an Australian game show based on the successful UK format, which aired from 5 February 2001 until 22 April 2002 and was broadcast on the Seven Network. Presented by Cornelia Frances, the show featured nine contestants competing for a potential prize of $100,000. Airing twice weekly in primetime, on Mondays and Thursdays (in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, later extended to nationwide following the conclusion of the 2001 AFL season) or Fridays (in Sydney and Brisbane),[1] it received modest ratings until its cancellation in April 2002.
| The Weakest Link | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Fintan Coyle Cathy Dunning |
| Based on | The Weakest Link |
| Presented by | Cornelia Frances |
| Narrated by | Marcus Irvine |
| Composer(s) | Paul Farrer |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | South Melbourne, Victoria |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Golden Globe Entertainment Red Heart Seven Network |
| Release | |
| Original network | Seven Network |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 5 February 2001 – 22 April 2002 |
The show was produced in the Seven Network's South Melbourne headquarters.
Format
The format of the Australian series was identical to that of the British version apart from some slight time differences on rounds. The first round lasted for 2 minutes and 30 seconds as opposed to 3 minutes on the British version, and each round thereafter was reduced by 10 seconds (meaning a time limit of 1 minute and 20 seconds for the triple stakes round). As with the British version, any money banked in round eight was trebled (e.g. if the contestants bank $1,000 then $3,000 is added to the final total). The money tree was as follows:
| Question | Prize |
|---|---|
| 9 | $10,000 |
| 8 | $8,000 |
| 7 | $6,000 |
| 6 | $4,500 |
| 5 | $3,000 |
| 4 | $2,000 |
| 3 | $1,000 |
| 2 | $500 |
| 1 | $200 |
The voice-over was Marcus Irvine, while the adjudicator and question researcher was Alan Mason, the contestant revealed as The Mole in 2000.[2]
The money tree is the same figures as in the British version, but ten times larger, and in Australian dollars rather than pound sterling.
Special Editions
The show also featured several special editions throughout its run.
- On 11 March 2002, a special episode included contestants from reality game show The Mole, as part of a The Mole's third season. The episode featured the final 9 players participating in a game of The Weakest Link as part of a Challenge on The Mole, with the winner winning a "Free Pass" (Immunity) from the next elimination with the money won going to the kitty - the grand prize of The Mole game. Bob Young defeated Thao Nguyen in the final round. The prize money, $14,100, was the lowest amount won in any Australian episode of the Weakest Link, but the money and free pass were only awarded after it was proven that the contestants did not cheat backstage (after all contestants were left in the waiting room with the Question sheet). On The Mole the prize money was rounded up to $15,000 as all kitties were rounded up to the nearest $1,000. This episode was watched by a nationwide audience of 1.312 million, well under what Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? achieved that night, with 1.51 million.
- On 9 August 2001, a Blue Heelers special of the show aired. John Wood, Neil Pigot, Ditch Davey, Jeremy Kewley, Jane Allsop, Suzi Dougherty, Paul Bishop, Caroline Craig and Peta Doodson all participated. In that episode, there was a round where nothing was banked.
- On 4 February 2002, an All Saints special of the show was televised. Ben Tari, Joy Smithers, Martin Lynes, Georgie Parker, Conrad Coleby, Judith McGrath, Erik Thomson (who won the special), Ling Hsueh Tang and Josh Quong Tart all participated.
- On 27 September 2001, a special sports edition of the show aired, two days before the Seven Network televised the 2001 AFL Grand Final. Contestants included St Kilda fullback Max Hudghton, future Brisbane Lions triple-premiership player (and former coach) Justin Leppitsch, North Melbourne player David King and Melbourne Storm foundation player Rodney Howe, who won $46,300 (at the time the highest score achieved on the show), which he subsequently donated to the Cancer Council of Victoria.
- On 27 August 2001, a special edition made up of contestants from the first season of Big Brother in Australia aired. In this episode, Gordon Sloan defeated Anita Bloomfield in the final and won $31,600.[3]
- Other celebrities to have participated on The Weakest Link included, among others, Cornelia Frances' Home and Away colleague and actress Ada Nicodemou, talk show host Andrew Denton, Scott McGregor, Kimberley Cooper, Tom Williams, Warwick Capper, Michael Caton, Monica Trapaga and Shelley Craft.
- Prominent actor Graham K. Furness has also appeared on the show,[4] in which he was the third contestant eliminated on a countback. Several contestants who have appeared on the show and were eliminated have since participated in other TV shows such as Millionaire Hot Seat.
- The "Worst Loser Special" featured eliminated contestants from previous episodes, normally those who lost in early rounds or who lost in the final round.
- There were two editions featuring teams made up of winners of previous episodes. In the latter of these, subtitled "The Best of the Best", a record $72,900 prize money was won. The highest amount won outside of specials was $56,300,[2] whilst the lowest outside of specials was $14,800.
Notable contestants
Other than the celebrity contestants already mentioned above, Brydon Coverdale also appeared on the show once; he has since won $307,000 on Million Dollar Minute and is one of the Chasers on The Chase Australia, where he is nicknamed "The Shark".
Awards
- 2002 Most Popular Game Show (lost to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?)
See also
References
- "The bitch is back". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 January 2001. Retrieved 3 March 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Weakest Link (Australia) - First Group With $10,000 Round". elissaeast. YouTube. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- Bigbrotheroz (10 April 2020). "The Weakest Link - Housemates Revenge - 2001 (HD)". YouTube. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- YouTube - Graham.K.Furness "Weakest Link " Australia Quiz Show Channel 7