Show Spy is a TVSA column that takes a look at the latest new shows on the international TV circuit. The column will keep you scooped on the hottest, newest international trends in TV (without any spoilers!) and will also give our take on whether or not we think one of our channels should buy it for us.
Updated on Monday, 11 June 2012
Cool news! ... I put out a Show Spy plea for one of our broadcasters to get the reality show Take The Money and Run for us when it debuted in the US last year and now M-Net have confirmed that they have the rights to it.
It premieres on M-Net and M-Net HD on Friday, 13 July 2012 at 19h30 and it's a must-see.
Here's a recap of what it's all about in case you missed the story when it was first published:
Just when you think that all reality format's have been exhausted a new one comes along that puts a whole new spin on the scene.
If you were given a suitcase with R720 000 ($100 000) and an hour to hide it ... what would your strategy be? Where would you hide it and how would you make sure that you kept it a secret if you were interrogated in jail?
This is the premise of Jerry Bruckheimer's new show Take The Money and Run, which premiered in the US two weeks ago. As creator of The Amazing Race and series such as CSI and Without A Trace, Bruckheimer combines his reality and action styles for it and it works brilliantly.
Each episode features a couple (family, friends etc) who've entered in the hope of winning $100 000. They're given the suitcase with the cash, a car, a GPS, a phone and each other and have an hour to the hide the case somewhere in their city.
Episode 1 contestants: brothers Raul and Paul Bustamante.
Once the hour's ended they get "arrested" by a duo of real life detectives and go into lockdown for two days while the detectives search the city to try to find the case..
Episode 1 detectives, who work the Miami beat in real life.
While the accomplice's are in lockdown, they're also subjected to two real life interrogators who seperate them and ask them questions - which they have to answer. They don't have to answer honestly but they're
not allowed to remain silent.
The interrogators: the same two across the series.
The interrogators are in constant contact with the detectives and together the foursome have to find the case within 48 hours. They have access to the contestants' phone records, clothing and GPS co-ordinates - everything they used while on the run.
The interrogators stay constant across the series and travel from city to city - they're obviously hired by the show 'cos they don't win anything either way.
The detectives vary for each episode: if they find the case they win the bucks instead of the contestants.
At first I was like: "Yeah right, how realistic can it possibly be?" Espesh the interrogations. With it being an "act" you'd imagine that things wouldn't get intense or real - but the complete opposite happens. It's nailbiting.
For starters, you can't work out who's side you're on. On one hand you want the contestants to be successful but on the other there's something fascinating about seeing the detectives and interrogators find moments of truth.
Episode 2 contestant Jimmy Pumariega, in a cell: between being interrogated.
His wife and accomplice Zuly being interrogated.
It's nuts but the contestants start to respond as if they
really are criminals. You wouldn't think it's possible but they start to make mistakes and even get terrified, even though there's no reality of jail.
Bizarre but very believable considering how often it happens in social experiments. Two real life examples that I've heard of:
:0 A group of university students were divided into "prisoners" and "prison wardens" and had to roleplay their roles for a couple of days. Things got so hectic and violent the experiment had to be stopped 'cos the "wardens" went so mad with power.
:0 Children in a class were divided into two groups: those with blue eyes and those with brown eyes. The ones with blue eyes were told that they were "better" than the ones with brown. Within a very short space of time they started to believe it and also went mad with power.
This is exactly the sort of thing the show deals with, with the added intrigue of how to pull off the ultimate hide.
Should one of our channels get it for us?
Definitely! Not only that but we need our own version too. It would be beyond cool seeing our cities become a safe house. It's such a new format that I reckon it'll defs be syndicated to other countries.
Where would you hide it? What would your strategy be?