The Cube (Australian game show)

Last updated

The Cube
Genre
Created by Adam Adler
Based on The Cube
Directed byGary Deans
Presented by Andy Lee
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Elaine May
  • Josie Steele
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time45—50 minutes
Production company ITV Studios Australia
Original release
Network Network Ten
Release24 February (2021-02-24) 
14 April 2021 (2021-04-14)

The Cube is an Australian television game show competition based on the British series of the same name that premiered on Network Ten on 24 February 2021. [1] It is hosted by comedian Andy Lee.

Contents

Format

The game is played in teams of two people with a pre-existing relationship and occurs within a 4m × 4m × 4m transparent Perspex cube. The goal is to complete a series of seven games, each of which awards an increasing amount of prize money, before failing a total of nine times. Games are preselected for each individual contestant before the show to test their mental and physical faculties in various ways. A typical episode consists of two contestants' games; depending on how successful the contestants are and on editing, a contestant's game may split across two episodes.

The contestant begins with nine lives, and loses one for every unsuccessful attempt at a game. The contestant must repeat the game until they either complete it or run out of lives; in the latter case, the game ends and the contestants leave with nothing. When a contestant succeeds, they are shown a preview of the next game and can decide to either stop playing and keep their winnings, or continue and risk the money. During a preview, the game is named and described by a female computer voice and demonstrated by a figure dressed in a full-body jumpsuit and featureless metal mask.

Lee occasionally comments on the difficulty that past contestants have had with a game and notes the average number of lives lost while playing it, in order to help the contestant decide whether to continue or stop. Friends and family members in the audience may offer advice on decision-making and techniques for playing the games. Certain games have specific restrictions added to increase their difficulty, such as a time limit or allowing the use of only one hand. If the contestant violates any such restriction, they immediately lose a life.

The contestant is given two forms of assistance, each of which may be used once. "Simplify" reduces the difficulty of a game, such as by allowing more time or increasing the size of a target zone – though the precise nature of the change is not revealed until after the contestant chooses to use Simplify. Simplify may be used after any unsuccessful attempt. The simplification remains in effect until the contestant either completes that game or runs out of lives. "Swap" allows the contestant to switch places when playing a single-player game. This assistance becomes available after they complete the first game, and can only be used upon the introduction of a new one.

The seventh and final game is worth a jackpot of $250,000; contestants who complete this game are said to have "beaten the Cube".

Production

In December 2020, it was announced that Network Ten had commissioned the series to air in early 2021. [2] [3]

Auditions were open between November 2020 and January 2021. [4] [5] The first series was filmed in January 2021 [6] by ITV Studios Australia. [3] It premiered at 7:30 pm on 24 February 2021. [7] [1]

Prize money

Since the first episode, The Cube has had a prize money structure starting at $2,000 and ending at the $250,000 jackpot. Below is a breakdown of the prize money structure, showing the game number and amount of prize money that can be won for successfully completing that game. If a player loses all their lives at any point during the game, they lose all the money they have accumulated to that point.

StageAmount
Game 1$2,000
Game 2$5,000
Game 3$10,000
Game 4$20,000
Game 5$50,000
Game 6$100,000
Game 7$250,000

Ratings

No.TitleAir dateTimeslotOvernight ratingsConsolidated ratingsTotal
viewers
Ref(s)
ViewersRankViewersRank
1Episode 124 February 2021Wednesday 7:30 pm567,000958,0009626,000 [8] [9]
2Episode 23 March 2021Wednesday 7:30 pm351,0001728,00017379,000 [10] [11]
3Episode 310 March 2021Wednesday 7:30 pm402,0001537,00014438,000 [12] [13]
4Episode 417 March 2021Wednesday 7:30 pm317,0001737,00017354,000 [14] [15]
5Episode 524 March 2021Wednesday 7:30 pm312,0001919,00018328,000 [16] [17]
6Episode 631 March 2021Wednesday 7:30 pm307,0001824,00019330,000 [18] [19]
7Episode 76 April 2021Tuesday 7:30 pm272,000>20272,000 [20]
8Episode 87 April 2021Wednesday 7:30 pm299,00019299,000 [21]
9Episode 913 April 2021Tuesday 7:30 pm219,000>20219,000 [22]
10Episode 1014 April 2021Wednesday 7:30 pm268,000>20268,000 [23]

Related Research Articles

<i>Australian Survivor</i> Television series based on the reality show Survivor

Australian Survivor is an Australian adventure reality game show based on the international Survivor format. Following the premise of other versions of the Survivor format, the show features a group of contestants, referred to as "castaways" as they are marooned in an isolated location. The castaways must provide food, water, fire, and shelter for themselves. The contestants compete in various challenges for rewards and immunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted off the island by their fellow castaways. The final castaway remaining is awarded the title of "Sole Survivor" and the grand prize of A$500,000.

<i>The Farmer Wants a Wife</i> (Australian TV series) Australian television series

The Farmer Wants a Wife is an Australian reality television series based on the British reality show Farmer Wants a Wife. The first eight seasons, hosted by Natalie Gruzlewski, aired on the Nine Network between 2007 and 2012, with a ninth season, hosted by Sam McClymont broadcast in 2016. A tenth season aired on the Seven Network when the series was revived for the second time in 2020.

<i>Married at First Sight</i> (Australian TV series) Australian reality television series

Married at First Sight is an Australian reality television adaptation of the Danish series Gift Ved Første Blik. The show features a group of strangers who participate in a social experiment and are paired together by experts. Due to the legal requirement to give one month's notice of marriage in Australia, participants in this installment are not legally married, instead proceeding with an unofficial commitment ceremony. The series first premiered on 18 May 2015 on the Nine Network. The show has had ten seasons between 2015 and 2023, plus a two-part reunion special which was broadcast before the eighth season in 2021.

<i>First Dates</i> (Australian TV series) Australian TV series or program

First Dates is an Australian reality dating television show. The format is based on a British program of the same name. The first four seasons previously aired on Seven Network and were narrated by Sam Mac. The fifth season aired on Network 10 and was narrated by Tommy Little. The sixth season is set to return to Seven in 2024.

The fourth season of The Bachelor premiered on 27 July 2016. This season features Richie Strahan, a 31-year-old Rope Access Technician from Perth, Western Australia, courting 25 women. Strahan previously appeared on the first season of The Bachelorette Australia featuring Sam Frost, where he finished in third place.

<i>Hard Quiz</i> Australian game quiz show

Hard Quiz is an Australian television comedy quiz show which premiered on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on 19 October 2016. Hosted by Tom Gleeson, the show is a spin-off of his "Hard Chat" segment on the satirical television news program The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. It is filmed at the ABC Melbourne studios in Southbank in front of a studio audience.

<i>Australian Survivor</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of Australian Survivor is a television series based on the international reality game show franchise Survivor. It is the second season to air on the Network Ten, following the network acquiring the broadcast rights to the Australian Survivor franchise in late 2015. Jonathan LaPaglia returned to host the series for his second season.

The fifth season of The Bachelor Australia premiered on 26 July 2017. This season features Matty Johnson, a 29-year-old marketing director from Sydney, New South Wales, courting 22 women. Johnson previously appeared on the second season of The Bachelorette Australia featuring Georgia Love, where he was the runner-up.

<i>Instant Hotel</i> Australian TV series or program

Instant Hotel is an Australian reality television series which began airing on the Seven Network on 7 November 2017. The series follows homeowners who have transformed their homes into hotels and are individually judged by each other to receive the highest scores with the winner to win an ultimate prize.

The first season of Bachelor in Paradise Australia premiered on 25 March 2018.

The sixth season of The Bachelor premiered on 15 August 2018. This season features Nick Cummins, a 30-year-old former professional rugby player from Sydney, courting 28 women.

The second season of Bachelor in Paradise Australia premiered on 9 April 2019.

The seventh season of The Bachelor premiered on 31 July 2019. This season features Matt Agnew, a 31-year-old astrophysicist from Melbourne, Victoria, courting 28 women.

Australian Survivor: All Stars is the seventh season of Australian Survivor which aired on Network 10. For the first time, the season features 24 returning contestants from the four previous seasons that have aired on the network. The season premiered on 3 February 2020, and concluded on 30 March 2020, where David Genat was named the winner over Sharn Coombes, winning the grand prize of A$500,000 and title of Sole Survivor.

Holey Moley is an Australian reality game show based on the international U.S.-based Holey Moley format. Following the premise of the original version, the series features contestants competing against each other in a series of head-to-head, sudden-death matchups on a supersized miniature golf obstacle course. Greg Norman stars as the resident golf pro, alongside expert commentators Rob Riggle and Matt Shirvington, along with host and sideline correspondent Sonia Kruger.

The eighth season of The Bachelor premiered on 12 August 2020. This season features Locky Gilbert, a 30-year-old adventure tour guide from Perth, Western Australia. Gilbert previously appeared on the fourth and seventh seasons of Australian Survivor, where he finished in fifth and twelfth place respectively.

The third season of Bachelor in Paradise Australia premiered on 15 July 2020. Osher Günsberg reprised his role as host from the previous two series and the Bachelor Australia franchise.

<i>Big Brother</i> (Australian TV series) season 13 Season of television series

Big Brother Australia 13, also known as Big Brother 2021, is the thirteenth season of the Australian reality television series Big Brother. It began airing on 26 April 2021 on Seven Network. Sonia Kruger returned as host of the series. The concept for this season is More Than Meets The Eye.

SAS Australia: Who Dares Wins, also known as SAS Australia, is a reality quasi-military training television programme based on the original British SAS: Who Dares Wins that is broadcast on Seven Network since 19 October 2020. Upon release of the first season, the show's name was changed to simply SAS Australia. The series features four ex-Special Forces soldiers acting as the directing staff (DS), with Ant Middleton as the chief instructor.

References

  1. 1 2 Knox, David (1 February 2021). "Airdate: The Cube". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  2. Knox, David (2 December 2020). "Andy Lee to host The Cube for 10". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Network 10 commissions ITV to make The Cube with Andy Lee hosting". Mediaweek . 20 December 2020. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  4. Knox, David (19 November 2020). "Auditions: New Game Show". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  5. "Apply: The Cube Australia". MyCastingNet. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  6. "The Cube". That's the Ticket. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  7. "The Cube with Andy Lee coming to 10 on February 24". Mediaweek . 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  8. Knox, David (25 February 2021). "Wednesday 24 February 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  9. Knox, David (5 March 2021). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 24 February 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  10. Knox, David (4 March 2021). "Wednesday 3 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  11. Knox, David (12 March 2021). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 3 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  12. Knox, David (11 March 2021). "Wednesday 10 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  13. Knox, David (19 March 2021). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 10 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  14. Knox, David (18 March 2021). "Wednesday 17 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  15. Knox, David (26 March 2021). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 17 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  16. Knox, David (25 March 2021). "Wednesday 24 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  17. Knox, David (5 April 2021). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 24 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  18. Knox, David (1 April 2021). "Wednesday 31 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  19. Knox, David (9 April 2021). "Timeshifted: Wednesday 31 March 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  20. Knox, David (7 April 2021). "Tuesday 6 April 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  21. Knox, David (8 April 2021). "Wednesday 7 April 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  22. Knox, David (14 April 2021). "Married at First Sight, Old People's Home win Tuesday slots". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  23. Knox, David (15 April 2021). "Wednesday 14 April 2021". TV Tonight . Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.