''The Phone'' is an Australian reality television show, based on the
Dutch version of the same name.
Format
The Phone is a reality series that finds contestants right off the street. The two contestants are two people who answer one of two ringing phones placed in separate locations. Once a person answers the phone, they are asked by the 'Cluemaster', played by
Justin Melvey
Justin Melvey (born 7 May 1969) is an Australian actor who has appeared in a number of television series in Australia and the US.
Career
Melvey is best known to Australian audiences for his role as Harry Reynolds in the evening soap opera ''Ho ...
, if they would like the chance to win
$25,000.
If they accept they are a contestant in the game which starts immediately. The contestant is given instructions to go to a nearby location and complete a task. It is usually at their first task they meet the other contestant who has answered the other phone. From that point, the two strangers become a team.
The team must complete a series of tasks in order to gain four
memory card
A memory card is an electronic data storage device used for storing digital information, typically using flash memory. These are commonly used in digital portable electronic devices. They allow adding memory to such devices using a card in a so ...
s, which are used later. They learn of their tasks by following instructions the Cluemaster gives them via phone calls or
SMS. Once the tasks have been completed the team is told to insert all the cards they have collected into a computer with each card revealing an image on screen showing their final destination. Therefore, the more memory cards the team has, the more pictures they receive and the easier it is to work out their final location.
If the team has difficulty completing a task, or wish to buy another memory card, the Cluemaster can take away money from the briefcase, which can range from $1,000 to $5,000.
Once they have reached the final destination the two contestants are told they are no longer a team and only one of them can win the cash inside a briefcase. The first to answer three multiple choice questions correctly can get the briefcase. Once a contestant has the briefcase of cash the Cluemaster asks them if they would like to share the money with their former teammate. In some episodes the Cluemaster will only allow an even split of the money.
Broadcast
The Phone began airing on subscription channel
FOX8 on 19 January 2009. The first episode premiered to 108,000 viewers, the tenth highest rating show for the week on subscription television, and eighth highest rating non-sport program. Its rebroadcast 2 hours later on FOX8+2 was watched by 43,000 viewers.
Similarities to other programs
The Phone has been compared to
The Bourne Identity,
24,
The Mole and
The Amazing Race
''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...
based on the tasks performed and how teams go about completing them.
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phone, The
2000s Australian game shows
2009 Australian television series debuts
2009 Australian television series endings
2000s Australian reality television series
Fox8 original programming
Telephony in popular culture
Television shows set in Sydney
Television shows set in Melbourne
Television shows set in Gold Coast, Queensland
Television shows set in Tasmania