Israeli Game Shows

In Israel we don't have many choices for TV.  We have a standard cable package which includes some truly terrible movie channels, National Geographic and History (all in English with Hebrew subtitles).  History combines all of its commercials between shows which is very nice, but National Geographic likes to interrupt their own English shows with commercials in Hebrew for upcoming shows--that's one of the reasons I learned the words for days of the week ("rishon be tesha" is Sunday night at 9:00). We also have a bunch of Israeli channels but they are in Hebrew as would be expected.  The English channels usually have semi-decent offerings but occasionally, like last night, the options were dreadful.  That's when I turn to Israeli game shows.  News and stand-up comedy are too hard to follow in a foreign language, but game shows with their standard formats and emotional excitement can be followed without too much trouble.  I can plot the highs and lows in tones of voice and it's clear when someone is winning vs. losing.  Losers usually disappear from the set very quickly.  They don't mince words.  The popular shows are high risk, very public, and unforgiving--but they make for great TV.

Wipeout לחסל
Israeli Wipeout was similar to the US version except that the winner was one of the most athletic men I've seen on t.v. and was able to complete the final course in a blistering 1:23!  No one else came close!  This definitely wasn't the "everyman" vibe that you get from the show in the states.  There was no "I could do that" moment.  It was just fierce and brutal competition.

A Star is Born כוכב נולד
The Israel version of American Idol, called "A Star is Born" was similar in its brutality.  One show featured dueling contestants where one of the two singers got to stay with the show and one was escorted off in front of live t.v.  They sang, the voting lines opened, the judges provided their criticism, and the loser was escorted out (all within 10 minutes!)  Not a show ended without 1 or more contestants permanently eliminated.  For their part, the contestants did not show any hurt feelings or have nervous breakdowns on stage.  They were much less emotional about the competition than their US counterparts.

Who's Still Standing/ Fly Million לטוס מיליון
This spirit of intense but fun competition was definitely on display in the game show I watched last night called "Still Standing."  The game is a new twist on trivia as a person stood in the center of a circle of other people all of which were standing on a trap door.  Each people in the circle has a monetary value which no one knew--there are 2 of each of the following possibilities (50,000; 25,000; 10,000; 500; 1).  The person in the middle selects a person in the circle to play against and then they start a round of trivia.  Each person has 20 seconds to answer the question.  If they answered correctly, their opponent gets a question and another 20 seconds, and they go back and forth like this until someone gets it wrong.  Then, if the person in the circle is wrong, the door beneath their feet opens and they fall through.  The money that their position guarded is revealed and banked by the person in the middle.  This can be anything from 1 NIS to 50,000 NIS.  If the person in the middle wants to continue the game, they call out another person and play for another pot of money.
If, however, the person in the middle fails to answer their question, they go into one more round with the person in the circle.  If the person in the center wins the duel, the trapdoor opens up under the person in the circle and the center person can play on.  If the person in the circle beats the one in the center, the one in the center falls through the floor, forfeits their winnings, and the person left standing gets one more question.  If they answer correctly, they get to find out how much money their number held and then get to keep that amount.  In the game I saw last night, the lucky victor got to keep 50,000 NIS!
It was a very exciting game because it was a battle of wits rather than a multiple choice test.  Both competitors could win any amount of money or end up with a dramatic exit, straight down.  I'm not sure if the lawyers in the states would approve of such an exit in that style, but if they did, it would make a wonderful import.
And apparently I'm not alone in my assessment.  NBC is coming out with a version of it in August: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4080763,00.html

Don't Drop the Millionאל תפיל את המיליון
Apparently dropping through the floor is very popular in Israel, since they use the same principle in a show called "Drop the Money."  In it, two contestants in a team are presented with a trivia question, four possible answers, and a stack of 1,000,000 NIS in cash.  The people have 60 seconds to physically place the piles of money on platforms in front of the correct answer.  Any money placed on the wrong answers falls through the floor when the correct one is revealed.  Also, any money that has not been placed disappears in the same way.  Apparently watching all of this money disappear through the floor is somewhat traumatic which only increases the suspense of the game.  The contestants can gamble and distribute the money across the answers, but they risk losing their hedge if it's wrong.  The next round is played with the remaining money and so on until the final round is just 2 possible answers and the money must be placed all or nothing.  It sounds like a really great show (even if you can't read the questions) as it is easy to identify with the gamble and the emotional highs and lows.  Obviously, they can't opt to stop playing and bank the money.  They have to play through until the end or until they have no money.  The human drama is fantastic in any language.
If you're interested, a full episode is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjJzSKkBLa4&feature=related