TF1 is launching a new show called Gladiators. In this competition, “challengers” will come and face highly trained gladiators in physical challenges.. Does climbing a climbing wall, putting balls in baskets or crossing a bridge seem easy to you? Imagine yourself doing the same thing pursued by gladiators ready to do anything to prevent you from achieving your goal! “We are in a real sporting competition with real rules, it’s physical but there is also a very humorous tone”slips producer Matthieu Grelier. Here is all the information on this new entertainment, a sort of mix between Ninja Warriors et Fort Boyard.
What is the release date of Gladiators on TF1?
La Une announces that its new program will be broadcast every Friday in prime time, at 9:10 p.m.from December 27. We do not know how many episodes are planned but we already know that each selection episode will have four challengers and four challengers. At the end of each episode, one man and one woman will qualify for the final stages.
Gladiators : what is the concept of the new TF1 show?
The principle of Gladiators is simple: eight muscular men and eight women (the gladiators) must prevent the challengers (over-motivated amateurs aged 21 to 47) from succeeding in the tests. The gladiators all embody a character, with a heroic name (Titane, Phoenix, Electra, Féroce, Comète…), their own costumes, their music, etc. The production focuses on a universe inspired by superheroes and sought out remarkable profiles: cross-fit champions, gymnasts, athletes, etc. “It’s a bit like the myth of David against Goliath revisited”laughs the producer who recalls that in this program “everything is XXL, the arena, the game, and the gladiators”. The French version of Gladiators offers ten different gameswhich may require agility, endurance or speed and in which women compete against each other and the same goes for men. There will therefore be not one but two winners of Gladiatorsa man and a woman who will share the sum of €50,000. “They don't all have the right size, some are athletic, others less so, but they say to themselves that with mentality, with will, they are capable of challenging these Gladiators”asks producer Matthieu Grelier.
Denis Brogniart, Jean-Pierre Foucault and Hélène Mannarino: a new trio of animators to embody Gladiators on TF1
The candidates will be supported by a duo of presenters in the arena, composed of Jean-Pierre Foucault and Hélène Mannarino. “I did Interville for five yearsand there It is Interville without the cows“, estimated the flagship presenter of TF1. Denis Brogniart will be responsible for commenting on the match from his cabin. “We have the dream trio. We respected the original format: a duo of animators in the arena, who launch the game and collect impressions. There is also a commentator who explains the rules and who deciphers, makes live history. We immediately thought of Denis Brogniart in this role, who is both a great entertainment presenter and a great sports journalist, announcer of the Olympic Games.specifies producer Matthieu Grelier. And to add: “Between the three of them, they represent all generations and as it’s a show that we want to be very family-friendly and very broad, it’s perfect”.
Where was filmed Gladiatorsthe new entertainment from TF1?
The Cergy ice rink, in the Paris region, was completely transformed to accommodate a major film shoot at the end of the summer. It is in this sporting venue that ITV production decided to install its cameras for six days for its new game entitled Gladiators. Between each take, the teams rush to install the new game in the ice rink, a constraint which is not easy as the events are impressive. “We had an imperative to have a place with floor dimensions that would allow the installation of the games”says Matthieu Grelier, the producer. This is why he chose the Aren'Ice in Cergy, an ice rink where “the best hockey players in France” train. “It's 60 by 30 meters. The rink offers the dimensions we needed, no TV set had that”he congratulates himself. In total, it is therefore 1,300 m2 “who breathe sport”filmed by 21 cameras and two cranes, and monitored by three professional referees (including Virginie Guillin, who was elected Miss Midi-Pyrénées in 2016!).
Gladiators (TF1): a cult show in the United States and a real hit in the United Kingdom
The production decided to adapt this well-known game across the Atlantic which had never been launched in France. “It's an absolutely cult show in the United States, it's become an incredible phenomenon, this show over there is legendary. In the United Kingdom, they've had several versions for 25 years and the version relaunched this winter has was a huge success. It was the biggest prime time launch on BBC One in 7 or 8 years“note Matthieu Grelier.
