Think Tank

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Paul McDermott returns to ABC to host new quiz show Think Tank

  • What do tram drivers know about Ancient History?

  • What do medieval scholars know about Pop Trivia?

  • What do educational psychologists know about the Animal Kingdom?

Welcome to Think Tank…Hosted by grandmaster Paul McDermott, Think Tank is an exciting new nightly quiz show at 6pm on ABC TV. Each episode sees three contestants go head to head, pitting their general knowledge and their general luck against each other. To win the game, they need to pass five, challenging rounds. Helping or maybe hindering them in their pursuit of game show glory, is the Think Tank.

The Think Tank features eight relatively ordinary Australians with an extra-ordinary love of trivia and general knowledge. The eight form a ‘repository of wisdom’ from which our contestants on Think Tank can draw.

But be warned…Our Think Tankers – like Australia itself – are made up of a diverse mob of people plucked from all walks of life. They are there to help but sometimes they get it wrong.

What happens then? Do you trust your instincts or trust the masses? Do you tag along with popular opinion or strike out on your own? The excitement, drama and brain-twisting fun of Think Tank comes in these moments of interaction between our contestants and the Think Tankers.

The ringmaster for this cavalcade of mind-expanding madness will be the shy, self-effacing Paul McDermott.

“Australia is about to meet eight wonderfully funny, warm and intelligent people,” McDermott remarks. “Oh, and I’ll be there too, The Marvellous Mr Me! How could anyone resist?”

This is game show with a difference, one the whole family can enjoy. Join us for the battle of brains, the thrill of victory, the hilarity of defeat. Come for the competition, witness the wonder, meet the Think Tankers and who knows – you might just learn a thing or two.

An ITV Studios Australia Production for the ABC.

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Is this exactly the same as the British game show Think Tank which started in 2016 on the BBC?

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First graphics

image

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Weeknights from Monday 5 Feb 6.00pm

Hosted by Paul McDermott, Think Tank is an exciting new nightly quiz show, each episode
sees three contestants go head to head, pitting their general knowledge and their general
luck against each other. Helping or hindering them along the way is the Think Tank.

Production details
An ITV Studios Australia Production for the ABC.

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Goes head to head with FF.

A bit of a bad time to do it tho :confused:

Australia’s quiz show landscape is about to get a shake-up, when Think Tank launches Monday 5th February on ABC and ABC iview. Hosted by grandmaster Paul McDermott, Think Tank will air nightly Monday to Friday, at the family friendly time of 6pm.

Each hour-long episode sees three contestants go head to head, pitting their general knowledge and their general luck against each other. To win the game, they need to pass five, challenging rounds. Helping or maybe hindering them in their pursuit of game show glory, is the Think Tank.

The Think Tank features eight relatively ordinary Australians with an extra-ordinary love of trivia and general knowledge. The eight form a ‘repository of wisdom’ from which our contestants on Think Tank can draw.

But be warned…Our Think Tankers – like Australia itself – are made up of a diverse mob of people plucked from all walks of life. They are there to help but sometimes they get it wrong.

What happens then? Do you trust your instincts or trust the masses? Do you tag along with popular opinion or strike out on your own? The excitement, drama and brain-twisting fun of Think Tank comes in these moments of interaction between our contestants and the Think Tankers.

This is game show with a difference, one the whole family can enjoy. Join us for the battle of brains, the thrill of victory, the hilarity of defeat. Come for the competition, witness the wonder, meet the Think Tankers and who knows – you might just learn a thing or two.

What an attractive bunch :wink:

Have they taken this a bit far? You’re going to appear on a prime time TV show - dress for it!

My god Paul looks ridiculous! :joy:

To be fair, you can’t see them below the waist on the show so they won’t look too scruffy. Although, Craig’s Western shirt should be banned from television as a “fashion don’t”. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Are there any names for the contestants in the 2nd pic?

Just “think tankers”

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Think tank has been on air for a while now.
Verdict - the bones of a good show, but it needs tightening, desperately.

Far too many pregnant pauses. Paul has no idea how to fill in a gap. He is embarrassing to look at. His prattle sounds like someone who doesn’t know how to answer a question at a job interview.
In the round where contestants consult with a think tanker, Paul’s screaming, screeching and carry on about the time left is horrendous - it descends into utter chaos, with the audience left with WTF moment.

To fix the show ::
Replace Paul.
Get a new director.
Consult with a producer that knows what they are doing.

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And cut it to 30 mins.

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From Mediaweek this morning based on an article from Colin Vickery from the Herald Sun.

ABC’s early evening schedule: The future of Think Tank is under a cloud

The future of Think Tank is under a cloud with insiders saying there are no immediate plans to film any more episodes of the ABC quiz show, reports News Corp’s Colin Vickery.

The potential axing comes as the ABC looks at a range of ways to improve the ratings of its 7pm news, which has suffered a sizeable drop since last year.

The ABC originally commissioned 75 episodes of Think Tank, hosted by Paul McDermott, for the 6pm weeknight slot. The show launched on February 5.

Now the ABC appears to have run out of first-run episodes and is currently screening repeats of the program, which is based on a British format.

The article is behind a paywall but can be found here:
https://twitter.com/colvick/status/1011474645462048768?s=21

More of a dig at ABC News.

Think Tank ratings were improving so they should stick with it.

I’ve only recently been watching and this is what I’ve found really let’s it down. Get rid of the fuse, just shut up and let Think Tanker and contestant confer with a clock running and no manic distractions. I can’t hear half of what they’re saying.

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Compared to Pointless, this is a great quiz show.

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