Show of the Week: Unbeatable

Among the latest in Endemol’s formats production line is Unbeatable, an unashamed entertainment studio show featuring contests between seemingly undefeatable champions and specially selected challengers in front of a live audience.

It is billed as being unlike anything seen before – the twist is the new pretenders don’t even have to be human. In the German original, which broadcast as a 1x160mins special on RTL in March, an elephant was able to defeat a woman thought to be the world’s best at wringing out wet cloths. Another contest saw a teenage girl defeat a Capuchin monkey at speed climbing only to then be beaten by another challenger.

“It’s very entertainment-focused, with comedy elements that really work well. That style of programming really works well in this region,” says Endemol’s CEO for CEE and MENA Marina Williams. It’s for this reason Your Face Sounds Familiar has sold to broadcasters in Russia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Turkey and Romania.

Endemol will seek to produce the formats in local territories where it has production bases: Russia, Poland, Turkey and the Middle East. “I believe in a targeted approach, which the past tells me creates rewards. We’re planning to get it on air in spring or fall 2014,” says Williams.

The show: Unbeatable

The producer: Endemol Germany

The distributor: Endemol

The broadcaster: RTL

Concept: Contestants seemingly undefeatable in their disciplines go up against their toughest challengers