The Weakest Link is an Australiangame show based on the UK format, which aired from 5 February 2001 until 22 April 2002 and was originally 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 show was produced in the Seven Network's South Melbourne headquarters.
5 February 2001 (2001-02-05) – 22 April 2002 (2002-04-22)
Revival:
25 May 2021 (2021-05-25) – present
A revival of the show with actress Magda Szubanski as host was announced for the Nine Network began airing from 25 May 2021. [2][3][4][5][6] TVNZ 1 airs the revival in New Zealand.
The format of the Seven Network iteration 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.[7]
The money tree is the same figures as in the British version, but ten times larger, and in Australian dollars rather than pound sterling.
2021-2022
The format of the Nine Network iteration saw some major changes to the format; similar to the 2020 US revival, eight contestants (as opposed to nine on the original Seven Network iteration) begin the game, and play begins with the player in the first position (as opposed to the player whose name is first alphabetically). The top prize increases in each round, making for a potential top prize of A$250,000. Additionally, the contestants are interrogated about their roundly performances before the revealing of votes, as opposed to afterwards. As is convention, in the event of a tie, the strongest link casts the deciding vote. After round six, the game moves straight to the final round; if the strongest link in the preceding round had been voted off, the second-strongest link decides who receives the first question.
Question
Prize
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$30,000
$75,000
$100,000
7
$5,000
$7,500
$10,000
$15,000
$50,000
$75,000
6
$3,000
$5,000
$7,500
$10,000
$25,000
$50,000
5
$1,500
$3,000
$5,000
$7,500
$15,000
$25,000
4
$750
$1,500
$2,500
$5,000
$7,500
$10,000
3
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,500
$5,000
2
$250
$500
$750
$1,000
$1,500
$2,500
1
$100
$200
$250
$500
$750
$1,000
Additionally, several minor additions to the game were introduced:
A buzzer was added to each contestant's podium. It is used both to bank money (contestants not only have to say the word "bank" before being asked the question but must also press the buzzer), as well as to reveal the contestant's vote at the end of each round.
A touch screen was also added to each contestant's podium. It is used to present visual information for visual questions – where the host asks the contestants to identify items that appear on the screen – as well as to cast their vote for the weakest link at the end of each round.
Special Editions
The show also featured several special editions throughout its run.
Seven Network iteration (2001–02)
On 11 March 2002, a special episode included contestants from reality game showThe Mole, as part of the show's third season.[8] The episode featured the remaining nine players participating in a game of The Weakest Link as part of a challenge on The Mole, with the winner earning immunity from the next elimination and the money won going to the kitty - the grand prize of The Mole. 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 a folder containing the question and answer sheet). On The Mole, the prize money was rounded up to $15,000 as all money amounts were rounded up to the nearest $1,000. This episode was watched by a nationwide audience of 1.312 million, a little bit under what Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? achieved that night, with 1.51 million.
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.[12] The episode was the highest-rated show of the week.[13]
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 in a standard episode was $56,300,[7] whilst the lowest was $14,800.
Nine Network iteration (2021–present)
The first episode of Nine's iteration saw the team bank a grand prize of $14,300 – at the time the lowest for a regular episode of the show across both versions (despite the potential for a higher prize on Nine’s version). This record was broken in a later episode with a final bank of $10,750.
A Christmas special featured unsuccessful contestants from previous episodes returning to compete against each other.
^"BBC Studios to produce Weakest Link for Australia's Channel Nine" (Press release). BBC. from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
^Faithfull, Eden (9 March 2021). "Weakest Link returns with new host Magda Szubanksi". Nine.com.au. from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
^Knox, David (24 April 2021). "Airdate: The Weakest Link". TV Tonight. from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
^Knox, David (28 April 2021). "Nine delays The Weakest Link premiere". TV Tonight. from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^Knox, David (17 May 2021). "New date for The Weakest Link premiere". TV Tonight. from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
^ abelissaeast (14 June 2013). Weakest Link (Australia) - First Group With $10,000 Round. YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
^"Cornelia's mole". NT News. 11 March 2002. p. 118. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
^Englund, Vicki (9 August 2001). "Television Reviews". The Courier-Mail. p. 26. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
^ abCerabona, Ron (26 November 2001). "Special end-of-year links". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
^Doherty, Megan (9 September 2001). "Footballers say goodbye to stadium for brief stint on television sets". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
^Bigbrotheroz (10 April 2020). The Weakest Link - Housemates Revenge - 2001 (HD). Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2020 – via YouTube.
^"Locals link up for sport". Gold Coast Bulletin. 4 September 2001. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
^Knox, David (26 May 2021). "Weakest Link debut battles Love on the Spectrum". TV Tonight. from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
^"Logie Awards - 2002". Australian Television Information Archive. from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
weakest, link, australian, game, show, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, weakest, link, australian, ga. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Weakest Link Australian game show news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Weakest Link is an Australian game show based on the UK format which aired from 5 February 2001 until 22 April 2002 and was originally 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 show was produced in the Seven Network s South Melbourne headquarters Weakest LinkGenreGame showBased onThe Weakest Linkby Fintan CoyleCathy DunningPresented byCornelia FrancesMagda SzubanskiNarrated byMarcus IrvineComposerPaul FarrerCountry of originAustraliaOriginal languageEnglishNo of series2 Seven Network 2001 02 1 Nine Network 2021 No of episodesapprox 120 Seven Network 14 Nine Network ProductionProduction locationsMelbourne VictoriaRunning time60 minutesProduction companiesOriginal Red Heart Seven Network Revival BBC Studios Australia amp New Zealand Nine NetworkReleaseOriginal networkSeven Network 2001 02 Nine Network 2021 Picture formatPALHDTV 1080iAudio formatStereoOriginal releaseOriginal 5 February 2001 2001 02 05 22 April 2002 2002 04 22 Revival 25 May 2021 2021 05 25 presentA revival of the show with actress Magda Szubanski as host was announced for the Nine Network began airing from 25 May 2021 2 3 4 5 6 TVNZ 1 airs the revival in New Zealand Contents 1 Format 1 1 2001 02 1 2 2021 2022 2 Special Editions 2 1 Seven Network iteration 2001 02 2 2 Nine Network iteration 2021 present 3 Notable contestants 3 1 Original series Seven Network 4 Reception 4 1 Nine s iteration 5 Awards 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksFormat Edit2001 02 Edit The format of the Seven Network iteration 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 Prize9 10 0008 8 0007 6 0006 4 5005 3 0004 2 0003 1 0002 5001 200The voice over was Marcus Irvine while the adjudicator and question researcher was Alan Mason the contestant revealed as The Mole in 2000 7 The money tree is the same figures as in the British version but ten times larger and in Australian dollars rather than pound sterling 2021 2022 Edit The format of the Nine Network iteration saw some major changes to the format similar to the 2020 US revival eight contestants as opposed to nine on the original Seven Network iteration begin the game and play begins with the player in the first position as opposed to the player whose name is first alphabetically The top prize increases in each round making for a potential top prize of A 250 000 Additionally the contestants are interrogated about their roundly performances before the revealing of votes as opposed to afterwards As is convention in the event of a tie the strongest link casts the deciding vote After round six the game moves straight to the final round if the strongest link in the preceding round had been voted off the second strongest link decides who receives the first question Question Prize1 2 3 4 5 68 10 000 15 000 20 000 30 000 75 000 100 0007 5 000 7 500 10 000 15 000 50 000 75 0006 3 000 5 000 7 500 10 000 25 000 50 0005 1 500 3 000 5 000 7 500 15 000 25 0004 750 1 500 2 500 5 000 7 500 10 0003 500 1 000 1 500 2 500 5 0002 250 500 750 1 000 1 500 2 5001 100 200 250 500 750 1 000Additionally several minor additions to the game were introduced A buzzer was added to each contestant s podium It is used both to bank money contestants not only have to say the word bank before being asked the question but must also press the buzzer as well as to reveal the contestant s vote at the end of each round A touch screen was also added to each contestant s podium It is used to present visual information for visual questions where the host asks the contestants to identify items that appear on the screen as well as to cast their vote for the weakest link at the end of each round Special Editions EditThe show also featured several special editions throughout its run Seven Network iteration 2001 02 Edit On 11 March 2002 a special episode included contestants from reality game show The Mole as part of the show s third season 8 The episode featured the remaining nine players participating in a game of The Weakest Link as part of a challenge on The Mole with the winner earning immunity from the next elimination and the money won going to the kitty the grand prize of The Mole 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 a folder containing the question and answer sheet On The Mole the prize money was rounded up to 15 000 as all money amounts were rounded up to the nearest 1 000 This episode was watched by a nationwide audience of 1 312 million a little bit 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 9 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 26 November 2001 an All Saints special of the show was televised 10 Ben Tari Joy Smithers Martin Lynes Georgie Parker 10 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 football edition of the show aired 11 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 future coach of the club Justin Leppitsch North Melbourne player David King and Melbourne Storm foundation player Rodney Howe who won 46 300 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 12 The episode was the highest rated show of the week 13 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 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 in a standard episode was 56 300 7 whilst the lowest was 14 800 Nine Network iteration 2021 present Edit The first episode of Nine s iteration saw the team bank a grand prize of 14 300 at the time the lowest for a regular episode of the show across both versions despite the potential for a higher prize on Nine s version This record was broken in a later episode with a final bank of 10 750 A Christmas special featured unsuccessful contestants from previous episodes returning to compete against each other Notable contestants EditOriginal series Seven Network Edit Brydon Coverdale he went on to win 307 000 on Million Dollar Minute and as of 2021 is one of the Chasers on The Chase Australia where he is nicknamed The Shark Reception EditNine s iteration Edit The first episode of the Nine Network s iteration of the show scored a nationwide audience of 423 000 14 Awards EditAwards and nominations for The Weakest Link Year Award Category Nominee s Result Ref 2002 Logie Awards Most Popular Game Show The Weakest Link Nominated 15 See also EditShafted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Millionaire Hot Seat Deal or No Deal The Master It s Academic The Chase Australia Million Dollar Minute Go Go StopReferences Edit The bitch is back The Sydney Morning Herald 29 January 2001 p 46 Retrieved 3 March 2018 via Newspapers com BBC Studios to produce Weakest Link for Australia s Channel Nine Press release BBC Archived from the original on 6 March 2021 Retrieved 6 March 2021 Faithfull Eden 9 March 2021 Weakest Link returns with new host Magda Szubanksi Nine com au Archived from the original on 9 March 2021 Retrieved 10 March 2021 Knox David 24 April 2021 Airdate The Weakest Link TV Tonight Archived from the original on 24 April 2021 Retrieved 24 April 2021 Knox David 28 April 2021 Nine delays The Weakest Link premiere TV Tonight Archived from the original on 30 April 2021 Retrieved 29 April 2021 Knox David 17 May 2021 New date for The Weakest Link premiere TV Tonight Archived from the original on 17 May 2021 Retrieved 17 May 2021 a b elissaeast 14 June 2013 Weakest Link Australia First Group With 10 000 Round YouTube Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 Retrieved 16 February 2020 Cornelia s mole NT News 11 March 2002 p 118 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Englund Vicki 9 August 2001 Television Reviews The Courier Mail p 26 Retrieved 16 February 2022 a b Cerabona Ron 26 November 2001 Special end of year links The Canberra Times Retrieved 16 February 2022 Doherty Megan 9 September 2001 Footballers say goodbye to stadium for brief stint on television sets The Canberra Times Retrieved 16 February 2022 Bigbrotheroz 10 April 2020 The Weakest Link Housemates Revenge 2001 HD Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 Retrieved 24 April 2020 via YouTube Locals link up for sport Gold Coast Bulletin 4 September 2001 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Knox David 26 May 2021 Weakest Link debut battles Love on the Spectrum TV Tonight Archived from the original on 26 May 2021 Retrieved 26 May 2021 Logie Awards 2002 Australian Television Information Archive Archived from the original on 12 February 2022 Retrieved 16 February 2022 External links EditNine Network version site The Weakest Link at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Weakest Link Australian game show amp oldid 1128184154, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
