The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link is a television reality/game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August, 2000. The original British version of the show airs around the world on BBC Entertainment and BBC America. The format has been licensed across the world, with many countries producing their own series of The Weakest Link. Unless otherwise noted, all foreign titles translate to (The) Weakest Link. As with the original British version, all of the hosts wear black clothing (or sometimes dark colours with black). Most versions also have disciplinarian female hosts, again similar to the British original.
Not all the international versions share the title The Weakest Link. The format is distributed by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC. Australia was the first country to adapt the BBC show, and versions have also been produced in Belgium, Chile, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Panama, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States of America.
The Link franchise is the second most popular international franchise, behind only the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise, which also originated in the United Kingdom.[1]
Contents |
Format
The original format featured a team of nine contestants who take turns answering general knowledge questions. The object of each round is to answer a chain of consecutive correct answers to earn an increasing amount for a single communal pot within a certain time limit. However, just one incorrect answer wipes out any money earned in that chain. However, before their question is asked, a contestant can say "Bank" and the money earned thus far is safely stored and a new chain is initiated from scratch.
Banking money is the safe option, however, not banking, in anticipation that one will be able to correctly answer the upcoming question, allows the money to grow as each successive correct answer earns proportionally more money.
When the allotted time for each round ends, any money not banked is lost, and if the host is in the middle of asking a question, or has asked a question but the contestant has yet to answer, the question is abandoned (and on certain versions, gives the correct answer whether or not the contestant is able to answer the question correctly). The round automatically ends if the team successfully reaches the maximum amount for the round before the allotted time expires, and the next person says, "Bank".
Voting and elimination
At the end of each round, contestants must vote one player out of the game. Until the beginning of the next round, only the television audience knows (via an announcer's narration) exactly who the "strongest link" and sometimes the "weakest link" are statistically, unless there is a tie, in which case the strongest link is revealed, and they must decide who goes. While the contestants work as a team, they are encouraged at this point to be ruthless to each other. Voting presents somewhat of a tactical challenge for canny players seeking to maximise their chances of winning, and maximising the payoffs if they do. Voting off weaker players is likely to increase the payoff for the winner, but stronger players may be more difficult to beat in a playoff. After the revealing of the votes, the host will interrogate the players on their choice of voting, reasons behind their choice, and as well, insult the players on their lack of intelligence, their background, and their interests. After interrogation, the player with the most votes is given a stern "You are the weakest link. Goodbye!" and must walk off the stage in what is called the Walk of Shame. In the event of a tie, the Strongest Link has the final say on who goes. If they voted for a tied player, they may have the option of sticking with their vote, or changing their mind. If the Strongest Link is part of a two-way tie, for mocking purposes, the Strongest Link is still asked who they wish to rid.
Strategies
Some players may consider incorrectly answering some questions so as not to appear so much of a threat — however, such a strategy is risky. One study suggested that the optimal percentage of questions to answer correctly is 60%. If you do worse, you risk being voted off for being too weak; if you do better, you are perceived as a threat in the final showdown. Mathematical analysis of the expected payoffs provided by various banking strategies suggest that the optimum strategies are to either attempt to go for the highest payoff, or bank after every question. Few teams adopt either — most choose to bank after three or four questions.
Versions
Australia
- Further information: The Weakest Link (Australian game show)
In Australia, the game show aired on the Seven Network and was produced from February 2001 until its cancellation in April 2002. Presented by Cornelia Frances, it featured 9 contestants competing for the $100,000 grand prize. It aired twice weekly in a primetime slot. The show attracted a lot of criticism from viewers complaining that Cornelia was too rude. After Seven toned down the show, it continued to receive modest ratings until its cancellation in April 2002.
The show also featured several special versions. One included a show that linked with another reality TV show The Mole where the Mole contestants were part of the show. In this episode, Bob Young won the playoff over Thao Nguyen and became the winner of this episode, where the prize was a free pass to the next episode on The Mole (aka exemption) and all money won went to the kitty. According to Cornelia Frances, they won $14,100, the lowest amount won in any Australian episode of the Weakest Link. However, Grant Bowler, the host of the Mole rounded up to $15,000 since all kitties of the Mole have been rounded by $1,000.
Another special show was the "Worst Loser Special" where eliminated contestants from previous shows came back to play the game again. Also, there were two shows, one in mid-2001 and one in late-2001 where winners of previous shows played again for a chance to win more money. In the latter show, known as "The Best of the Best", a record $72,900 prize money was earned.
Germany
- Further information: Der Schwächste fliegt!
Der Schwächste fliegt! is the German version of the game show. In German, The Weakest Link would translate to Das schwächste Glied, but this could also be read as The Weakest Virile Member (in a sexual sense). Consequently, this may be the reason why the show was called Der Schwächste fliegt!, meaning The Weakest Gets Booted (literally the weakest one flies). It was first broadcast on March 19, 2001, on RTL. The show premiered weekdays at 3pm and was hosted by Sonja Zietlow (who was already known for her tough-talking styles on her self-titled talk show from previous years). Just like the British version, the show pitted nine contestants against each other for a pot of DM 50,000. But by September of that year, the show was sinking fast in ratings, so in order to gain ratings, Sonja treated the contestants with more respect. Previously, Sonja bullied the contestants with insults such as "Da wollen wir doch mal sehen, wer unsere kostbare Studioluft lang genug weggeatmet hat!" (Let's take a look, who breathed our valuable studio air too long!). However the change in Sonja's behaviour did not sufficiently revive the show, and it was cancelled in December. However, in February 2002, the show was given another chance in the late-night Saturday slot, this time with a newly revamped studio, that now featured an audience, and a higher prize of € 50,000. But there have been rumours that after the first few episodes actors were paid to be contestants on the show, in order to attract more viewers. These changes were unsuccessful in boosting the show's ratings, and was cancelled for good in March.
Hong Kong
- Further information: Weakest Link (Hong Kong)
一筆OUT消 or "The Weakest Disappears" was the Hong Kong edition of The Weakest Link, presented by Hong Kong actress Carol Cheng in the Cantonese language. 一筆OUT消 was licensed and started quickly by TVB to air on TVB Jade, after rival ATV took the lion's share of ratings with the Cantonese language version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The top prize was HK$3,000,000. It premiered in August 2001. As per the licensing agreement, hostess Carol Cheng initially had to act just like Anne Robinson, complete with the same "cold" style of voice and facial expressions. Since Chinese culture typically does not value this kind of attitude toward people, TVB received many complaints about the show. Bowing to public pressure, the broadcaster changed the style of the show, softening Carol Cheng's "character," after five episodes of being "mean." As a result, the show became more acceptable to the viewers and the ratings went up, and eventually, albeit occasionally, beat Millionaire a few times in ratings. Since TVB ordered only 108 daily weekday shows, the series finale aired sometime in January 2002.
United Kingdom
- Further information: The Weakest Link (UK game show)
The United Kingdom is the country where the show originated, and found a large audience. It was aired on BBC Two, but moved to BBC One on 11 February, 2008 in the place of Australian soap opera Neighbours which moved to Five. It was devised by Fintan Coyle and Cathy Dunning, and developed for television by the BBC Entertainment Department. The UK version, hosted by Anne Robinson, voiced by Jon Briggs reached its 1,000th episode on 18 December, 2006. With the huge success of the show in its early evening BBC Two slot, there was soon a version made for prime-time BBC One.
United States
- Further information: Weakest Link (US game show)
The American version of the game show aired on NBC from April 16, 2001 to July 14, 2002 (with several episodes left unaired until some appeared on PAX in 2002, with the remainder eventually airing on GSN). The show also aired in syndication from January 2002 through September 2003. Reruns of both versions aired on PAX for a short period of time, but can currently be found on GSN. Like the British version, Anne Robinson served as host for the NBC Weakest Link. George Gray, whose most notable hosting experience to that point had been on Extreme Gong, hosted the syndicated version as one of the only male hosts of The Weakest Link. The format was essentially the same as the European format. On the NBC version, the team size was eight, with the potential top prize being $1,000,000. In syndication, the top prize was $75,000, but in its second season that was raised to $100,000. Both syndicated seasons saw six players playing for the prize.
Part of the reason why the second season of Weakest Link failed was due to the clearance issues many stations had with the show. At the start of the 2002-2003 TV season, a syndicated version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire began airing on many of the same stations that Weakest Link had been airing on, in some cases in the same time slot that Link had previously occupied. The drop in ratings was enough to get Link cancelled. (Millionaire continues to air in syndication.)
All versions
| Country | Name | Host | TV station | Top prize in local currency | Number of contestants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
Weakest Link | Cornelia Frances | Seven | $100,000 | 9 |
 Azerbaijan |
Zəif Bənd | Kamila Babayeva | Lider TV | AZM100,000,000 | 9 |
 Belgium |
De Zwakste Schakel | Goedele Liekens | VTM | 2,000,000F | 8 |
 Chile |
El Rival Más Débil | Catalina Pulido | Canal 13 | $40,000,000 | 8 |
 China |
汰弱留强·智者为王 | Chen Lu Yu (Season 1) | Nanjing TV | ¥200,000 | 8 |
| 智者为王 | Shen Bing (Season 2) | ||||
| Xia Qing (Season 3) | |||||
 Croatia |
Najslabija karika | Nina Violić (Season 1) | HRT1 | kn90,000 | 8 |
| Daniela Trbović | |||||
 Czech Republic |
Nejslabší! Máte padáka! | Zuzana Slavíková | Nova TV | Kc.1,000,000 | 9 |
 Denmark |
Det Svageste Led | Trine Gregorius | DR1 | KR200,000 | 8 |
 Estonia |
Nõrgim Lüli | Tuuli Roosma | Kanal 2 | KR500,000 | |
 Finland |
Heikoin Lenkki | Kirsi Salo | MTV3 | €15,000 (season 1) | 9 (season 1) |
| €18,000 (seasons 2, 3, 4) | 8 (seasons 2, 3, 4) | ||||
 France |
Le Maillon Faible | Laurence Boccolini | TF1 | 150,000F (2001) | 9 |
| €20,000 (2002/2003) | |||||
| €50,000 (2003-2007) | |||||
 Germany |
Der Schwächste fliegt! | Sonja Zietlow | RTL Television | DM50,000 (2001) | 9 |
| €50,000 (2002) | |||||
 Greece |
Ο Πιο Αδύναμος Κρίκος | Elena Akrita | MEGA | €15,000 | 9 |
 Hong Kong |
一筆OUT消 | Carol Cheng | TVB Jade | $3,000,000 | 8 |
 Hungary |
A Leggyengébb Láncszem | Krisztina Máté | TV2 | 3,000,000 ft | 9 |
| Nincs Kegyelem | 6,000,000 ft | 5 | |||
 India |
Kamzor Kadii Kaun | Neena Gupta | Star Plus | Rs.25,00,000 | 9 |
 Ireland |
Weakest Link | Eamon Dunphy | TV3 | €10,000 | 9 |
 Israel |
החוליה החלשה | Pnina Dvorin (Season 1) | Channel 10 | ₪100,000 (Season 1) | 9 (Season 1) |
| Hana Laszlo (Season 2) | ₪90,000 (Season 2) | 8 (Season 2) | |||
 Italy |
Anello Debole | Enrico Papi | Italia 1 | €15,000 | 9 |
 Japan |
ウィーケストリンク☆一人勝ちの法則 | Shiro Ito | Fuji Television | ¥16,000,000 | 8 |
     |
الحلقة الأضعف | Rita Khoury | Various (produced by Future Television) | $16,000 | 8 |
 Mexico |
El Rival Más Debil | Montserrat Ontiveros | Azteca Trece (2003-2007) | $200,000 | 8 |
| Azteca Siete (2008) | |||||
 Netherlands |
De Zwakste Schakel | Chazia Mourali | RTL 4 | €10,000 | 9 |
 New Zealand |
Weakest Link | Louise Wallace | TV3 | $20,000 | 9 |
 Norway |
Det Svakeste Ledd | Anne Grosvold | NRK | KR200,000 | 8 |
 Philippines |
Weakest Link | Edu Manzano (Season 1) | IBC | ₱1,000,000 | 8 |
| Allan K. (Season 2) | |||||
 Poland |
Najsłabsze Ogniwo | Kazimiera Szczuka | TVN | 30,000 złoty | 9 |
 Portugal |
O Elo Mais Fraco | Júlia Pinheiro (Season 1) | RTP1 | €10,000 | 9 |
| Luísa Castel-Branco (Season 2) | |||||
 Romania |
Lanţul Slăbiciunilor | Andrei Gheorghe | ProTV | ||
 Russia |
Слабое звено | Maria Kiseleva | Channel One, later Channel 5 | 500,000 руб. (season 1) | 9 |
| 400,000 руб. (seasons 2, 3) | 8 | ||||
| 350,000 руб. (season 4) | 7 | ||||
| Nikolay Fomenko | Channel 5 | 350,000 руб. | 7 | ||
 Singapore |
智者生存 | Cui Lixin | MediaCorp TV Channel 8 | S$100,000 | 8 |
| Weakest Link | Asha Gill | MediaCorp TV Channel 5 | S$1,000,000 | ||
 Slovenia |
Najšibkejši člen | Violeta Tomič | |||
 Serbia |
Најслабија Карика | Sandra Lalatović | BKTV | RSD3,000,000 | |
 Spain |
El Rival Más Débil | Nuria González (Seasons 1 and 2) | TVE1 (seasons 1, 2, 3) | €7,200 | 9 |
| Karmele Aranburu (Seasons 3 and 4) | TVE2 (season 4) | ||||
 South Africa |
Weakest Link | Fiona Coyne | SABC3 | R50,000 (seasons 1, 2, 3) | 9 |
| R100,000 (season 4) | |||||
 Taiwan |
Weakest Link 智者生存 | Belle Yu (Season 1) | STAR Chinese Channel | NT$2,200,000 | 8 |
| Tseng Yang Qing (Season 2) | |||||
 Thailand |
กำจัดจุดอ่อน Weakest Link | Krittika Kongsompong (กฤษติกา คงสมพงษ์) | TV3(ไทยทีวีสีช่อง 3) | ฿1,000,000 | 8 |
 Turkey |
En Zayif Halka | Hülya Uğur Tanriöver | Show TV | TL100,000,000,000 (old Turkish lira) | 9 |
| TL100,000 (new Turkish lira) | |||||
 United Kingdom |
The Weakest Link | Anne Robinson | BBC One (weekdays) | £10,000 (Daytime Version) | 9 |
| BBC Two (weekends) | £50,000 (Primetime Version) | ||||
 United States |
Weakest Link | ||||
| Anne Robinson (Primetime Version) | NBC (Primetime Version) | $1,000,000 (Primetime Version) | 8 | ||
| George Gray (Daytime Version) | Syndicated (Daytime Version) | $75,000 (Daytime Version, Season 1) | 6 | ||
| $100,000 (Daytime Version, Season 2) |
Countries that air other countries' versions
- Australia (Airs the British version on UK.TV)
Brazil (Aired the Portugal version on RTP Internacional)
Bulgaria (Can access the Russian version on the NTV network)
Canada (Aired the NBC USA version on CTV)
Malaysia (Airs the British version on ASTRO Channel 731 BBC Entertainment)- New Zealand (Airs the British version on UK.TV)
Puerto Rico (Aired the USA version)- South Africa (Airs the British version on BBC Prime)
- United Kingdom (Aired the NBC USA version on BBC first, later on Challenge)
- United States (Airs the British version on BBC America)
- Mexico (Aired the USA and the British version)
See also
- List of television show franchises
References
Trivia
- In the first season of the new Doctor Who series, Rose, The Doctor, and Jack were sent to Space Station Reality TV re-creations, like Big Brother, there was a parody of The Weakest Link, in which it was hosted by an android, who disintegrated the "Weakest Links".
- In the seventh season of My Family, the entire family is appearing on "The Weakest Link", with Anne Robinson hosting.