LONDON – British commercial network ITV has commissioned Prize Island, a game show set on a tropical Island, from reality TV powerhouse Endemol’s U.K. production arm Initial.
The series is set to air in 2013. It will see four pairs of contestants, usually friends or family, “compete to uncover and win incredible prizes, which are literally scattered through the sand dunes, coconut palm trees and sweeping grasslands,” the companies said. The pairs will “have their skills, relationships and resourcefulness put to the test in a series of thrilling and challenging games.”
Prizes include travel packages and TV systems, but they will get bigger as another pair gets eliminated in each round. The final game, called Buried Treasure, will be for a new car with £50,000 ($77,600) locked in the trunk.
Alexander Armstrong and Emma Willis will serve as hosts.
Elaine Bedell, ITV director of entertainment and comedy, said: “Prize Island will be fantastic family fun in a stunning, paradise island setting and promises a lot of laughs and thrills for our viewers.”
Said Willis: “It’s going to be a show that will transport the viewer to the other side of the world every weekend.”
Added Nick Samwell-Smith, creative director at Initial: “The entire desert island is our set, from the warm waters of the golden beaches to the towering sand dunes and the mysterious interior, and you can win more awesome stuff than you can shake a coconut at.”
Initial’s other shows include Big Brother.
Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
