1 vs. 100 (Australian game show)

Format

The Australian version of 1 vs. 100 is very closely related to the American version of the same name, with the only change being the prize structure. One contestant competes against a "mob" of 100 people for a top prize of $1 million.

Contestants are given a question with three possible answers. The mob has to answer the question within six seconds, and then the contestant has to answer it. When the contestant is happy to answer the question, he/she then pushes the button that corresponds with the answer. If he/she answers the question correctly, any player in the 100-person mob who answered the question incorrectly is eliminated from play. Players add a specific amount to their bank for every member of the mob they eliminated on a particular question (see table, left). If after any correct answer and the entire 100-person mob eliminated, the contestant wins the grand prize of $1,000,000.

After 90 members have been eliminated, the contestant can look at the question - but not the answers - for three seconds before he/she decides to choose either the money or the mob. The mob also gets to see the question as well. This rule was added to the US version on 9 March 2007.

Contestants have three forms of assistance, or "helps" available to use at any point during the game:

Contestants have the option of using multiple helps on a single question, but are restricted to using each help only once during the game. Unlike the American version, the contestant cannot ask any member from the mob when using Poll the Mob.

As in the US version, a player must successfully answer three questions on the first prize level ($500) before he or she has the option of leaving the game, taking all money earned after this round. If he or she continues, he must answer successfully two questions on the second level ($1,000) before the player may leave the game and take the money. Starting with the third level ($1,500), a player may stop after any successful question. If there are more than 10 mob members left, contestants must make that decision before seeing questions; once they see a question, they are committed to answering it. With 10 or fewer mob members, the contestant (and the mob) sees the question, but not the answers, for three seconds before making his or her choice to continue. When contestants quit and take their winnings, remaining mob members win nothing, but can compete in the next game.

When a contestant answers incorrectly, however, they leave with nothing; any mob members who correctly answered that question split the contestant's earnings, and can continue the next game without putting their winnings at risk. (Mob members who answer that final question incorrectly are eliminated, and win nothing; they do not contribute to the prize pool.)

If the contestant answers the first question incorrectly, or the entire mob and the contestant answer the same question incorrectly, no money is awarded to anybody.

The maximum amount of winnings after eliminating all but one member of the mob is $495,000. In order for this to happen, everybody including the contestant has to get the first twelve questions correct.

In the Australian version, the podiums count up 1-100 from the top row, not the bottom row, as in the US version.

Launch and Preshow Controversy

The Australian version of the show was officially launched on 18 January. The Nine Network approved a season of 15 episodes. The first show was scheduled to be shot on Friday, 19 January and air from Monday, 29 January. However, controversy began before the cameras started rolling.

The controversy started amongst confirmed and potential contestants, when taping of the first episode was delayed less than 12 hours before it was scheduled to start. The given reason was a problem caused by Melbourne's power blackouts three days earlier. However, speculation is that producer Michael Healy was asked a question at the Thursday night launch party, which was assessed as incorrect, despite the fact that he was right. Producers were not willing to chance problems at their first taping, hence inconveniencing the players, many of whom had taken time off work to attend the show. It is believed that around 30 contestants turned up to the taping on Friday, unaware that they were not required.

When taping did get under way on Sunday 21 January, a contestant in the first episode answered a question incorrectly: What is the unit of time equivalent to 60 seconds? Due to a technical glitch relating to the Mob, the question had to be asked again as if the question had never occurred (since the Mob must be asked the question first before the contestant gives his answer). The second time around, the contestant gave the correct answer, robbing the Mob of a chance at just over $100,000. This procedure would be different than in the US version, where a question would be replaced, and a disclaimer would run stating "because of a production problem, a question was replaced". (This question would eventually be asked as a home viewer question during the second episode).

A season of 15 episodes has been approved for production and the first show was shot on 20 January 2007. A total of 33 episodes were produced for season one. The sound stage for the show is located at Central City Studios on sound stage 3.

Ratings

The 29 January debut of 1 vs. 100 did extremely well in the ratings, and was the most watched program of that particular night. A peak audience of 2.4 million viewers and an average audience of 1.95 million watched the show in Australia's capital cities. The second episode went to air on 5 February and narrowly lost in viewers to the season 3 premiere of Desperate Housewives in a competition for viewers against the Seven Network. With 1.43 million viewers, the second episode was well down on the premiere, but still a pleasing number for McGuire.

The ratings for each episode are as follows:

Contestants and their winnings

¹ indicates the contestant is still playing, therefore, the total winnings and mob members may change.

² no episode was broadcast on 26 February, due to the broadcasting of the 79th Academy Awards.

³ no episode was broadcast on 2 July, due to the broadcasting of the Concert for Diana.

⁴ The 9 July episode was a special episode with 100 teenage mob members instead of 100 adults.

⁵ no episode was broadcast on 27 August, due to the broadcasting of The King.

Total prize money given away to contestants: $1,969,000

Total prize money given away to members of the mob: $502,390

Total prize money given away overall: $2,471,390

Pods

Pods is the Australian term used for groups of mob members who share the same careers or hobbies. In the Australian version, there are three pods for each new contestant to play. If there are two or three members are in a pod, they'll all be in a line. If four, five or six members are in a pod, they'll be in two rows.

¹ Indicates the pods are still playing and therefore the numbers of pod members remaining and for what time period may change.

² The 9 July episode was a special episode with 100 teenage mob members instead of 100 adults.