Show of the Week: Upgrade

Upgrade is the Israeli game show that sees contestants gamble household items, which can either be replaced by shiny new appliances or frozen from use for 30 days.

The format, which first aired in 2009, sees a host approach randomly selected contestants at their home and offer them the chance to participate in a game show without leaving their house.

If contestants answer five trivia questions correctly they are able to upgrade their home appliances. If they fail to do so, their household items are locked and they can’t use them for a month.

Created by Israel’s Tanin Productions, it has gone on to broadcast in over 20 territories, including Norway (TV2), China (CCTV), Russia, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, India, Turkey and more recently in Italy, Spain and Brazil.

The format’s distributor Global Agency says it picked up the show due to its unique format, which eschews a traditional studio.

Global Agency’s Gili Golan adds: “The format has remained fresh thanks to improvements that Tanin keeps implementing into the format. For example: in the first version of Upgrade, if the contestant lost in the game, the show will take the item he risked and donated it to charity.

“In the recent versions in Italy, Spain and Brazil, the show would lock the item for 30 days instead, so they cannot use the item they risked for a limited time.”

The producer: Tanin Productions
The distributor: Global Agency
The concept: Contestants gamble household items for the chance to win shiny new appliances