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On the box

On the box

We’re only one month into the new year and the cracks are already starting to show in the networks’ programming schedules – with the first casualty of the year coming from the Nine Network.

Excess Baggage barely lasted three weeks on Channel Nine before being relegated to one of its digital-only stations, ‘GO!’ this month. The digital stations have almost become a dark corner of airspace where failed programs go to live out their seasons in relative obscurity.  

Despite Excess Baggage playing out like a blatant rip-off of The Biggest Loser (now in its seventh season on Network Ten) the program took eight regular Australians and paired them with eight relatively well-known people – the word celebrity need not apply here – and let them loose in the outback in order to solve their problems.

Its biggest weakness was that it didn’t emulate the parts that actually made The Biggest Loser work. It wasn’t the feel-good tale of the underdog that we wanted to see, and was more concerned with showcasing the antics of series pest Darryn Lyons than it was sending the messages of self-empowerment.

That said, if you’re already a fan in spite of these things be sure to watch out for one unlucky “celebrity” who has another health scare (hint: it’s Britney’s ex-husband). The transformations on the final show should also prove more interesting than the actual show itself and host Kate Cebrano is said to be dropping a surprise of her own.

It is a rare thing of late to see a new program on commercial television actually flourish and capture an audience. That said, when this unlikely event does occur, you can expect a raft of imposters flooding the market on the other networks  trying to recreate some of the “magic” usually unsuccessfully (see above).  

In order to do so, production companies borrow ideas from one another and change just enough to keep the case out of the legal system. This can sometimes bear positive results. Unlike Masterchef, My Kitchen Rules offers something its predecessor lacks (and no, I’m not referring to a certain French chef).

Channel 7’s foray into the wonderful world of competitive tv-cooking has found the missing ingredient: it has venom.  

For the most part, the contestants are blatantly honest with one-another to the point where meal time comes dangerously close to an all out melee and, as a result, it makes for entertaining television. Be sure to see how its second round unfolds, with a new doctor and lawyer team set to polarise viewers with their incredibly toxic feedback.

Bear in mind – the mixed messages from your television about losing weight and then putting it back on with your new recipes will only last a few more weeks.

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