“Red or Black” Returns This Autumn, Ditches Roulette Wheel

Thanks to Bother’s Bar for tipping us off on this one.  ITV’s troubled game show Red or Black, as we’ve mentioned previously, will be returning for a second series.  The game, the most expensive ever with a reporter £15 million budget, ended up seeing audiences of less than four million.  Producer Simon Cowell is planning a revamp of the show in order to bring back the millions of people who tuned out after the first show.  The biggest change, though, is ditching the show’s reason for existence and it’s major identifying mark: the roulette wheel.

After a mild controversy with the Gambling Commission, the giant roulette wheel which gave contestants a 50/50 shot at winning life changing cash is being replaced by a new final game called “The Vortex”.  In “The Vortex”, quoting The Sun, “contestants will have to predict how long a ball will take to descend a “mini velodrome”.”  If a contestant wins they will receive a rolling jackpot starting at £500,000 and carrying over each show if not won.  This means the final show could be for £3.5 million.

Red or Black will also no longer be live.  Ant and Dec return to the set this coming week to tape the new series of seven episodes.  The last series had further controversy after discovering criminals had slipped through casting.  Producers believe taping the show allows them more time to cast more efficiently.  Also, they will now perform the games used to narrow contestants down to one survivor in-studio.  Currently signed on to appear are Robin Van Persie, Kevin Pieter-sen, and Mark Ramprakash.

I’m a bit disappointed to see the wheel go.  That was the identifying mark of the show, the reason it was even on the air, and the only really exciting part of the show.  I’d have found some way to keep that around, but let’s just see how The Vortex goes.  Recording start this week so I’m sure something will leak out.  Any thoughts?

Source : The Sun