{"id":4787,"date":"2016-03-14T11:04:32","date_gmt":"2016-03-14T15:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/natural-puts-overall-athleticism-test\/"},"modified":"2016-03-15T09:44:44","modified_gmt":"2016-03-15T13:44:44","slug":"the-natural-puts-overall-athleticism-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/the-natural-puts-overall-athleticism-to-the-test\/","title":{"rendered":"The Natural Puts Overall Athleticism to the Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rive Gauche Television’s Bryan Gabourie and\u00a0Marine Ksadzhikyan discuss\u00a0the sports-themed\u00a0competition format<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The genres of sports and reality collide in the elimination competition\u00a0The Natural\u00a0<\/em>(The Search for Your Country\u2019s Greatest Athlete<\/em>), a new format that Rive Gauche Television will be launching at MIPTV. The concept behind the show is to find the country\u2019s greatest athlete, with amateurs being mentored by sports celebrities until an ultimate winner is crowned.<\/p>\n

From five regional tryouts around the country, the top 25 men and 25 women will compete in a series of competitions combining skills from a multitude of sports. Four celebrity athletes will serve as \u201cmanagers,\u201d helping to guide competitors along the way. Each drafts a team of ten, narrowing the field to 40. Competitors are tested in overall athleticism across many sports.<\/p>\n

\"***Image***\"The Natural\u00a0<\/em>came out of an idea from Bill Garnet, who has 30-plus years of experience as an executive producer, director and broadcast executive, specializing in sports, reality \u00a0competition series\u00a0 (such as World\u2019s Strongest Man<\/em> and Battle of the Network Stars<\/em>), documentary, concerts and live events (such as the Olympics, Wimbledon, Super Bowl, etc.). \u201cWe were lucky enough to develop a relationship with him and partner on taking the concept out as an international, adaptable format,\u201d explains Bryan Gabourie, the VP of distribution and development at Rive Gauche.<\/p>\n

Gabourie says he saw the format potential in the show right away. \u201cSports [is a genre that] transcends; every culture can relate to it in one way or another. Every culture has a sporting identity. It could be vastly different in the AsiaPac Rim than it is in the U.K. or in the U.S., but every culture can identify with sports, athleticism and competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marine Ksadzhikyan, Rive Gauche\u2019s senior VP of distribution and development, says that one of the series\u2019 key selling points is its adaptability. \u201cThe best part about the format is that you can tailor it to each country for whatever their popular sports are,\u201d she notes. \u201cYou don\u2019t necessarily have to include American football; in Europe you could put in soccer or rugby. Every country and broadcaster can tailor it to their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both executives point out how the format can also be made in a way that is gender-neutral. \u201cWe\u2019re really trying to represent male and female athletes,\u201d says Ksadzhikyan. \u201cIt\u2019s not just targeted to men. In our mindset, there would be a point in the competition where the male and female athletes are combined. There are also many different versions you could do. For example, you could put kids up against each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The use of well-known athletes also adds to the show\u2019s appeal, Gabourie points out. \u201cThe dynamic of having these celebrity athletes, who are coaching and mentoring, working with everyday people who are taking part in the competition really makes them relatable on a level that the audience hasn\u2019t seen before. That\u2019s exciting for us, and for the audience it will be exciting to see these guys interacting with everyday people we all can relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabourie highlights the fact that the show isn\u2019t about any one sport in particular\u2014it is about athleticism overall. \u201cCompetitors will come with varying backgrounds,\u201d he explains. \u201cThere will be people who are amazing swimmers, there will be people who are natural basketball players or amateur soccer stars. The show seeks the greatest athlete. Those people will have to have skills that can transcend that sport and make them successful in a wide range of activities. It\u2019s about athleticism and that\u2019s a crucial piece of the puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another crucial puzzle piece for international adaptations is tapping into the \u201cemotional and heartwarming stories\u201d that can play out, according to Ksadzhikyan. \u201cThese are athletes who maybe can\u2019t get tryouts with the professional teams and this is the way they\u2019re going to succeed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The Natural\u00a0<\/em>is being positioned as a prime-time format. \u201cThis is a big concept with really broad reach,\u201d Gabourie says. This is why Rive Gauche believes it\u2019s suited for major terrestrial broadcasters globally. Ksadzhikyan points out that \u201cany size broadcaster can scale this format.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the company has been involved in selling formats for a while now,\u00a0The Natural\u00a0<\/em>marks the \u201cbiggest idea we\u2019ve ever gone out with,\u201d says Gabourie. \u201cWe want to continue in that direction. We\u2019re always open to great, original ideas. We think this is a perfect example [of that] and we\u2019re going to carry the ball forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rive Gauche Television’s Bryan Gabourie and Marine Ksadzhikyan discuss the sports-themed competition format.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":350,"featured_media":4792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,69],"tags":[317,318],"class_list":["post-4787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-rive-gauche-television","tag-the-natural","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Natural Puts Overall Athleticism to the Test - TVFORMATS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/the-natural-puts-overall-athleticism-to-the-test\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Natural Puts Overall Athleticism to the Test - 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