Reflex (game show)
Reflex | |
---|---|
Created by | Objective Productions |
Original release | |
Network | BBC One |
Release | 11 January 29 March 2014 | –
Related | |
The Cube |
Reflex is a BBC television game show hosted by Shane Richie and aired from 11 January to 29 March 2014 on BBC One.[1]
Overview
Each episode consists of two families of three competing over a number of challenges in order to win their place in the final round and play for up to £20,000. Although most of the games are completed within mere seconds from the starting trigger, viewers watch them almost exclusively in slow motion.[2] The real-time attempts are shown mostly as replays after the heat has finished, which is the reverse of the typical game show practices. All games require from contestants excellent hand-eye coordination, composure and, above all, the titular reflex. The show makes extensive use of both 2D and 3D computer-generated imagery, using for example 3D motion tracking to attach statistics graphics to contestants, or 3D wireframe animations to present the rules of a game.
The teams are
Gameplay
Round 1 – Duels
Three head-to-head challenges are played, each involving one member of both families. Each player must take part in exactly one challenge. The first to complete a stated objective scores one point for his/her team.
Challenges in this round included: crawling to press a button after smashing through a pane of stunt glass, observing a sequence of exploding objects and pressing buttons on a podium to re-create it,[3] and running through a stack of cans in order to retrieve a single yellow one and place it on a target.
Round 2 – Two vs two
Two players from each family compete in a single challenge during this round, with two points awarded to the winners.
Challenges in this round included: catching ping-pong balls in a designated color from a stream of them pouring down an incline, and filling a container with water as it is randomly shot from jets placed all around the studio floor.
Round 3 – Quiz
All six players participate in this round. Each player has two buttons in front of them: an inactive one on which they must place a hand, and an active one set further away. The players are shown a series of photos or graphics and given a condition to watch for, such as a word that is a palindrome. The first player to hit their active button when the condition is met scores one point for their team; however, hitting the button when the condition is not met gives the point to the opponents. Each condition remains in play until someone correctly hits their active button. Players may only use one hand throughout the round.
The first family to reach 10 points wins the game and advances to the Moneyball round, while their opponents leave with nothing.
Round 4 – Moneyball
One player from the winning family is chosen to play the round. That team member then stands on an elevated 3-metre tall platform in the centre of the studio, with the entire floor padded for safety, and faces three high-speed cannons located to either side of him/her and directly in front. The family's score is reset to zero.
Fifteen large green
Any family that wins the £10,000 is then given the option to end the game at this point and keep the money, or risk it in a double-or-nothing gamble. If the family takes the gamble, the same player returns to the platform and must attempt to touch a single golden ball fired by one of the cannons at a random moment. Successfully doing so doubles the family's winnings to £20,000, while a failure forfeits the £10,000. The speed and angle of the shot are set in such a way that the player will have to leap off the platform in order to touch the ball.
Production
The series and host were announced in January 2013.
Technology
Reflex relies heavily on the use of
References
- ^ "Reflex". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ^ "Reflex uses slo-mo techniques in game show first". Objective Productions. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ^ "Reflex Programme information". The BBC. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ^ "Shane Richie to host new BBC gameshow 'Reflex'". Digital Spy. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ^ "Richie to present new Reflex show". 25 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ^ "Hot pick: Reflex, All3Media Int'l's follow up to Cube". TBI Vision. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ^ "Objective tests reactions of BBC1 gameshow rejected by C4". Broadcast. 12 July 2012.
- ^ "Pre-registration for REFLEX hosted by SHANE RICHIE from SRO Audiences".
- Objective Productions. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2014.