Show of the Week: Tempting Fortune

Contestants must choose between cash and comfort in this new 6 x 60-minute adventure competition format, which follows 12 strangers who are dropped in the heart of a remote wilderness to compete for an epic prize fund.

“It’s an arduous journey through the hostile terrain of the Eastern Cape in South Africa,” reveals Sanjay Singhal, CEO of show producer Voltage TV, the firm behind the DNA Journey and Inside The Factory franchises.

“They’ll tackle steep, giant sand dunes the height of a multi-storey building; long, bruising treks through thicket; wading through rivers up to their chests in cold water; and rope climbs up a rocky cliff face,” shares the exec.

Winning the prize money sounds simple enough – all the travellers must do is reach their destination without spending it. However, there’s one extra catch: while the contestants battle increasing hunger and exhaustion during their 18-day trek, they will come across some of the most tantalizing creature comforts on Earth, all offered at the world’s most exorbitant prices. And every time someone caves, there’s that much less for everyone to share.

Singhal reveals some of the fiendishly expensive items on offer at waystations that have been purpose-built in the African wilderness to tempt the weary adventurers.

“An American diner offers burgers and shakes while a vending machine has chocolate bars at just £400 ($481) each. A luxury spa brings massages, hot tubs and power showers – and we’ve even built a quintessential British living room, complete with (British TV series) EastEnders on the TV and takeaway pizza for that much-needed night on the sofa.”

As their journey progresses, the contestants face moral dilemmas, peer pressure and extreme temptation in a show that is much about coping with willpower as it is the wilderness.

“Internationally successful formats which return season after season are what every distributor looks for, and Tempting Fortune has that potential,” adds Richard Life, head of acquisitions at Cineflix Rights, who sees great opportunity in the format for international adaptation.

“We really love Tempting Fortune because it is doing something different and comes with such a strong commissioner and production pedigree. It’s a totally authentic social experiment which taps into the moral dilemmas that confront us all, wherever we live around the world, in a highly entertaining format with scale, impact and mischief.”

Producer: Voltage TV
Distributor: Cineflix Rights
Broadcaster: Channel 4 (UK) & Roku (North America)
Logline: Contestants embark on an 18-day trek in the wilderness, where they are tempted by luxuries that will deplete their prize fund