Diving, a main attraction during TV coverage of summer Olympics, will return to primetime way before the Rio games in 2016. ABC has picked up what is being described as television’s first diving, reality competition show from Eyeworks USA (formerly 3 Ball Prods.) The project, ordered straight to series, is based on the Dutch format Celebrity Splash and ill be executive produced by JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson and Brant Pinvidic.
According to the producers, in Celebrity Splash, celebrities perform dives from dizzying heights, which increase in difficulty each week, including backflips, somersaults and other gymnastic feats. Leading up to the competition, a professional diving instructor gives each celebrity weeks of training. The set up echoes ABC’s veteran Dancing With The Stars and its short-lived spinoff Skating With The Stars.
Celebrity Splash, called Sterren Springen in the Netherlands, the country that gave us Big Brother and The Voice, was a breakout hit for broadcaster SBS when it debuted there in August, reaching a 26.5% market share during the show’s Saturday primetime broadcasts and dominating the competition. (Watch a clip below. No knowledge of Dutch necessary.) The August launch date probably benefited from viewers’ interest in diving sparked by the London Olympics. Eyeworks already has sold the format to major broadcasters in the UK, France, and Australia, with additional sales expected at next week’s MIPCOM.
And we thought NBC had the bad programming
Is it just me or does it seem like the world is going completely ape shit…
I’m from the Netherlands and thus knowing this show I feel I have to explain a few things.
First of all, the show isn’t about big, fat people without any talent jumping in the water, as can be seen in the video. There were also celebrities who made very nice jumps. The best four or six of a show continued on in the series. That’s why I disliked the first episodes, since people like Jaap on the video participated then. Further on in the show, the best remained.
From then on, the quality of the show gets better and makes it quite nice to watch, though I still don’t really like celebrity shows at all.
I hope this explains a bit for you all.
Can’t wait for the TLC or CMT version of redneck celebrities belly flopping into mud…oh, wait, that already exists and is on the air – assuming Honey BooBoo’s momma is a celebrity.
How will the producers obtain insurance for this very dangerous show? As we learn during every Olympics, divers leaping from the 10 meter platform hit a maximum speed of 34 mph. Divers train for years to become proficient. This isn’t the Foxtrot . . .