''The Shak'' was an Australian children's television program broadcast on the
Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
. Its four hosts, Curio (
Drew Jarvis
Drew Jarvis is an Australian children's television presenter who has appeared on television programmes The Shak and Lab Rats Challenge. He married Lucy Flook in 2009.
Biography
Jarvis grew up in Rockhampton, Queensland and was interested in fi ...
), Nitro (
Beau Walker
Beau Walker (born 13 April 1985) is former junior Australian surfer who has represented Australia in national and international championships. He is also known for his various hosting duties on the Nine Network (Channel Nine) programmes such ...
), Picasso ( Kendal Nagorcka) and Eco ( Jacqueline Duncan) answered viewer questions, queries, dares and challenges in an entertaining and educational manner. Each host's name relates to their personality and the type of stories they present. Viewers sent questions and suggestions to the presenters via the shows website.
Production
The series was filmed, for the main part, at a studio resembling a large shed or shack, hence the name "Shak", it decorated with all manner of objects. The characters arrived via a prop of a wave, and exited through a door on the other side of the shack. They were known as 'Shaksters', as were the viewers. Other filming was done at various attractions and locations on the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
where the Shak was set, with Dreamworld being a regular filming spot.
In 2006, the filming was done at Sea World but in early 2007, filming was moved to the
WhiteWater World
WhiteWater World is a seasonal water park situated in the suburb of Coomera on the Gold Coast, Australia. It is owned and operated by Ardent Leisure and is the sister park to Dreamworld.
After years of planning and a year of construction, Wh ...
theme park. This was explained via an explosion made by Curio, which resulted in the Shaksters moving. and the opening titles were fully animated however in 2007 it was changed to a mix of live action and animation.
Ending
The show ended in mid-2008 so it could make way for the Sequel
The Shak at Home
''The Shak at Home'' (on-screen title ''The Shak'') is an Australian children's television program that was broadcast on the Nine Network from 2009 to 2010. The cast for series one included Drew Jarvis, Beau Walker, Jacqueline Duncan and Kendal ...
which had Curio, Nitro and Picasso living in a share house. Picasso later left the show and was later replaced by another female named Willow. The sequel ended on 13 January 2010
Series summaries
Series 1 - Series 1 first aired in 2006 at 4:00pm weekdays, It replaced Hot Source. The opening was entirely cartoon animated and had the whole original cast which included Eco, Curio, Nitro And Picasso. The show was not very popular, but soon gained a steady audience.
Series 2 - Series 2 aired in early 2007. This series had a lot more comedy and entertaining segments with Drew Jarvis showing his talent with his alter egos. This series had an audience boost and was better received by audiences.
Series 3 - Series 3 aired in late 2007. This added the character "Geordie" as Nitros best friend.
Series 4 - Series 4 aired in January–March 2008.
Series 5 - Series 5 was shown in 2008 with a number of guests, Such as
Bert Newton
Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie award-winning entertainer and radio, theatre and television personality and presenter. Newt ...
as Curio's Grandfather and a number of athletes, dancers and people associated with the themes. All of the cast returned for this series.
Series 6 - Series 6 was shown in November–December 2008.
Series 7 - Series 7 was shown in early 2009 and was the last series of the original format. It was called the best series by audiences. It was the highest rating series at that time. This was Eco's last season.
Series 8'' and beyond - This season changed format into half hour scripted acting where Picasso, Nitro and Curio shared a house together, and the storylines revolved around this. It was a half hour multi cam format.
International airings
Canada
*
TVOntario
TVO Media Education Group (often abbreviated as TVO and stylized on-air as tvo) is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario ...
Papua New Guinea
*
EM TV
EMTV is a commercial television station in Papua New Guinea. Until the launch of the National Television Service in September 2008, it was the country's only free to air television service.The Shak - Episode Guide , LocateTV