Sábado Sensacional
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sábado Sensacional is a Spanish variety show created in Venezuela's Venevisión network in 1972. In recent years, the show was renamed Súper Sábado Sensacional.
[edit] Overview
This variety show has been shown on a weekly basis, every Saturday from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm – sometimes longer during special occasions –, and is viewed internationally throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States. It is considered one of Venevisión's most successful shows which has lasted over 30 years and is still going strong. The show mostly consists of musical performances, mainly national and international artists. Eventually, the show invites national comedians, magicians, circus performers, and frequently American actors and other international celebrities.
Some of the most memorable moments of the show were the arrival of Hervé Villechaize following the success of the Fantasy Island TV-series in the late 1970s; The Jackson 5 performance; various interviews with the Backstreet Boys during their tour through Latin America around 1999-2000, and a live interview with pop singer Mariah Carey, who was searching for her family origins since her father was of Afro-Venezuelan descent and her grandfather was a full blooded Venezuelan.
Throughout its run, there have been three major hosts: Amador Bendayán (1972 - early 1980s), Gilberto Correa (early 1980s - mid 1990s) and Daniel Sarcos (mid 1990s - present).
[edit] Other segments
- Besides musical performances and interviews, the show producers also created special game show based events. The first was called Mega Match and it consisted of national high school teams competing for minutes, not points, like other game shows, to later use them up for a special House of Prizes event. During this event, a student is picked from the school to participate. He or she is given a large keyring with around 20 keys, and with it, the student has to open the eight locked doors in the two story house and complete certain tasks in each room; for example, hanging a picture frame on a wall or searching for a lost pair of shoes in a room filled with shoe boxes to obtain additional prizes. The student is given the time that his team has won during the game. If the student completes all tasks before time runs out, he or she will win 30 million Venezuelan bolívars (around $15,000) in prizes, including a new car. The money eventually goes to the school and not just the contestant who participated in the event. This segment has gotten so popular that it has gotten its own time slot on Venevisión, separating itself from the original show in which was created. Other popular segments are Bailando con las Estrellas (Dancing with the Stars) and La Guerra de los Sexos (Battle of the Sexes), which involve three males and three females, both teams of celebrities, and they prove through the show who is the best after completing certain games.