'Repeat After Me', '500 Questions': Warner Bros. Shows New Formats

Ellen DeGeneres in Ellen's Design Challenge

Warner Bros. International Television Production introduces new formats. Complete MIPTV 2015 line-up.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Warner Bros. International Television Production has introduced a dozen of new formats at MIPTV 2015 in Cannes. The line-up includes shows set for U.S. debut such as '500 Questions' executive produced by Mark Burnett and created by Mike Darnell.

What are new WBITVP formats about?

'500 Questions' Multi-night game show event where the smartest people in the country try to achieve the seemingly impossible task of answering 500 of the most difficult general knowledge questions ever devised. There's only one simple rule: never get three wrong in a row - or you're gone.

'Repeat After Me' sees the host (Wendi McLendon-Covey in ABC version) instruct superstar talent, via a remote earpiece, to interact with everyday people in high-energy, comedic hidden-camera situations. The show is inspired by a signature segment from 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'.

 
'The Gift'. Factual entertainment series that follows the unexpected and heart-warming personal stories of ordinary people given the extraordinary opportunity to be reunited with someone who changed their life forever. From the makers of 'Who Do You Think You Are?'.

 
'Weight for Love' sees the emotional and physical transformation of overweight couples who commit to separate for a long period of time in order to regain their health. The couples will be documented and united in an emotional reveal, as they begin to plan the next part of their new lives. The show is currently in development at NBC.

'Backyard Survival' challenges four famous faces to live and survive without shelter and food in the wilds of the nation’s countryside, revealing personal and touching stories of the stars. From the creators of 'Adam Looking for Eve'.

'Our First Home'. Property renovation show. Part observational documentary and part soap opera, parents sacrifice everything for their kids, as they buy a ‘do-up’ and work together to help them with their first step on the property ladder while competing against the clock.

'Adoption Stories'. In this format consisting of several self-contained episodes, adult adoptees sit down with a therapist to tell their stories and begin their quests for answers. Each episode ends with a concrete resolution, such as finding a relative or taking a DNA test, and a final discussion and reflection with the therapist.

'Bring Back Borstal'. Experimental format. 13 adolescent troublemakers, most with criminal convictions, volunteer to become 'prisoners'. Banged up for four weeks, they'll be force-fed fitness, discipline and hard work.

 
'Back in Time for Dinner' fast-forwards a thoroughly modern family through a culinary revolution in the family's very own kitchen. Starting in 1950 and progressing at one year per day, the family members live through six decades of extraordinary evolution in just 60 days.

'Ellen's Design Challenge'. This design competition format brings together several competitors who must tackle ingenious challenges to sketch, design and build extraordinary furniture in just 24 hours. The participants showcase their creativity and versatility to impress a panel of judges and avoid elimination.

 
'Push The Red Button'. Comedy reality format that sees unsuspecting 'victims' creating the candid situation themselves. How? By pushing a red button. If they don't push it, their normal life continues. But if they do... suddenly the strangest things happen around them. The ensuing events are too rapid and bizarre for bystanders to react, run away or intervene. They're not the ones being pranked in this show - they're just spectators to the consequences of the button pushers' actions.

 
'Soundtrack of Love'. Music entertainment format. In each episode, the show lets people dedicate a song with special meaning for them to a loved one: a friend, a parent, a husband, a grandparent. These love songs range from rap to jazz and rock to folk. During the season, viewers vote for their favorite song, and the winning love song is revealed in the live finale.

'Wanted - A Very Personal Assistant' challenges the public's preconceptions of disability and care, highlighting the lack of young people entering the care profession. After several ambitious, outgoing and fun-loving disabled twentysomethings find young, likeminded caregivers with similar interests to share their lives and manage their daily needs, the pairs embark on a two-week work trial.

(source: WBITVP press release)