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The Last Temptation …
Editorial ReviewEditorial Review
If you're bored stupid by choices at 7pm, TV is about to get a shake-up next week when summer ratings begin. For most of the year viewers have had to choose between a soap, an American sitcom and whatever the hell TEN has at any given moment. That's helped ABC News to pick up a lot of viewers this year.Finally, Channel Nine is returning an old favourite to screen. Temptation hasn't been on air for 12 months, due entirely to the ongoing success of Charlie Sheen and co. He rated so well in repeats that Nine were too nervous to change anything.
That spelled bad news for Ed Phillips and Livinia Nixon. Episodes of Temptation filmed mid-year sat on the programming shelf at Nine. Finally, with the end of ratings, Nine has found room.
“We're certainly coming back with a bang, making contestants sweat on the buzzers over summer,” says Ed Phillips. “The race is on to be the first big winner in 2008 and we always find someone with that special magic, knowledge and speed to take the mantle as our next grand champion. I can't wait until it's game on.”
Temptation has featured more than 1200 contestants and given away more than $12.5 million in cash and prizes, including 22 Volvos.
The trusty quiz show, which returned in 2005, was a revamp of the long-running Sale of the Century - which itself was a revamp of both Temptation and Great Temptation from the 1970s. Sale did so well it was copied around the world, right down to Tony Barber's bouncy entrance. Similarly, the Americans came to watch Phillips/Nixon for a daytime version on cable station MyNetworkTV (that one was half game show, half shopping network format).
But the network hasn't filmed any more episodes since mid year signalling an unlikely future. If history teaches us anything, it is that this well-oiled machine should be back to quiz us again one day.
Temptation returns Monday, 1 December at 7pm on Nine.
David Knox for Citysearch, November 2008
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