Distraction Delivers Reality, Game Show Formats

MONTREAL, October 5: In addition to its ready-to-air
programming such as Hollywood Connection,
Distraction will be showcasing a varied selection of reality and game show
formats at MIPCOM next week.

The Big Experiment,
originally produced by Rouge Productions for TVNZ, sees four participants transformed
by make-up and special effect artists so they can see what it’s like to live as
another gender or race, or with a disfigurement or disability. “This series was
designed to get people to appreciate what others go through, thus testing their
own boundaries and confronting their own fears,” says Michel Rodrigue, the
president and CEO of Distraction. “The structure of the series and the format
is very well developed and we are convinced that it will be an eye opener for
new emotions.”

Man Maid is a hidden
camera comedy reality format that aired on FoxLife in Italy, and Seduction presents a celebrity’s visit to an obscure rural
town.

On the game show end, Distraction is highlighting All
Against One, The Last Word, Pop Club
and Alter Ego. Télé Québec’s All
Against One is a live, interactive daily
show based on that day’s biggest news, sports and entertainment stories. The
Last Word was originally launched back in
the late 1980s by Merrill Heatter, co-creator of Hollywood Squares. Pop Club
is a music game show where six celebrities are separated into two competing
teams, where they face off in challenges like “Killer-Karaoke.” It first aired
on ProSieben, running for two seasons. Rounding out the slate is Alter
Ego, in which a computer-generated face
becomes the most wanted person in town, and viewers are encouraged to upload
photos of people they think resemble the mystery face.

“Game show formats are staple of Distraction’s catalogue and
these four new properties allow us to offer a lot of diversity to producers and
broadcasters,” said Rodrigue. “Each one has a specific value: I am pleased to
have found such a strong music quiz show as Pop Club for the catalogue. The Last Word represents the very best of classic, simple game
show mechanics. Also, the participation of the viewers via Internet and cell
phones and the mixing of contestants in Alter Ego and All Against One is certainly on-trend and perfectly in line with our
desire to use new media to reach a new type of viewer.”