It has been a long time since there’s been a gameshow that has really grabbed my attention before it even started, but The Colour Of Money has really got me looking forward to its debut on Saturday. I mean, yes, it is on ITV so it could be a total wreck of a show and it does have Chris Tarrant (6:35pm), but I’m willing to keep optimistic. Here is the premise, described by Tarrant to Digital Spy:
Basically you get 20 massive cash machines, each with significant amounts of money inside, ranging from £1,000 to £20,000 – there must be about £250,000 altogether. You then swipe a card and a big sum of money comes up, which tends to be around £80,000. It’s not Millionaire money, but it’s very serious stuff. You then go through picking ten machines trying to get your total up to £80,000. It’s like the Bong Game [a similar game on his old Capital FM breakfast show] because if you get too greedy the machine will blow up and you don’t get any money from that machine.
Like Deal Or No Deal, there is no strategy other than knowing when to stop and the rest is all about luck. But the real selling point might the ‘drama factor’:
Of all the things I’ve done, it’s the most emotionally draining. All these hard-faced cynical people who work in the show’s production were in floods of tears, crying ‘ooh, that poor woman!’ You leave the set feeling completely battered. I’ve never seen so many people crying on a show. The place was awash.
So this could go either way really – another ITV program that is axed after the first series or a potential multinational hit. The only problem I can see it having right now is that it is essentially Deal Or No Deal except that instead of boxes you have cash machines and instead of a member of the Monster Raving Loony Party (Noel Edmonds) you get Chris Tarrant. If it can not try to overcomplicate things, not feel too dissimilar to other shows and not have contestants are sheer fruitcases like you see on those National Lottery gameshows like In It To Win It, this might have a chance of surviving the first series.
