Ten’s reality veteran sees Australian Survivor as opportunity to do it right, as big name sponsors buy in
An Australian version of Survivor never quite cracked it a decade ago. But Ten has put one of Australia’s most experienced reality show producers on the job and three big name sponsors are coming along for the ride. Mumbrella speaks with the man charged with making Australians fall in love with the home-grown version.
When the Ten Network took a deep breath and bought the Australian rights to a local production of Survivor, it turned to one of its most successful reality producers to get the project across the line.
Stephen Tate has, to his own surprise, been at the Network for 16 years, and has had a hand in pretty much every reality success story the network has produced. From his early days working alongside then head of programming, David Mott, he helped drive an audience addiction to shows such as Big Brother, MasterChef and X-Factor.
More recently, working with Beverley McGarvey on The Bachelor and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, he has been part of its entertainment resurgence.
Tate, head of entertainment and factual programs, was there at the beginning of reality TV as we know it today, working on Seven’s Who Dares Wins created by Becker in the mid 1990s – one of the the precursors to everything that has come since.
At least they are staying true to the U.S predilection for very white castings.
Just wondering if the home grown version will be slow motion as well.
I can’t wait for the next generation of storytellers who; in the next 50 years.
It will end by all the males being voted off early and the blond females then running around in their skimpy swimsuits showing as much of their implant’s as possible, how bitchy they can be, and won’t be a program that the whole family could watch.
Love it!! hahaha! Gold!!
Not surprised to hear it’s the same producer as Masterchef – it’s exactly the same over dramatic and distracting music being played CONSTANTLY. Stop telling me how to feel by playing stupid over-the-top music that practically drowns out the sound of the people talking at times! So annoying that may be the reason I stop watching. And Jonathan sure as hell ain’t no Jeff!