Article: Survival of the fittest!!

Survival of the fittest

Star Plus has brought its viewers the ultimate reality formats, whether international or home-grown. It was time for us to present another breakthrough concept - Nitin Vaidya, Business Head, Star India

The idea behind launching the show on Friday in the fiction band and then pushing it to weekends is to ensure a better opening as the Friday fiction band is far more popular than the weekend 9 to 10 pm slot

Some non-fiction shows promise a lot but deliver less or little. Leave aside Bigg Boss, which continues to underperform, one show that immediately comes to mind is Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao. In the show, and for the first time on India TV, celebrities were seen not dancing, singing, cribbing or gossiping or doing stand-up comedy, but living in a jungle for two months in the midst of creepy crawlies and surviving on meagre rations and basic food in Malaysia's oldest rain forest. The show was about living on the edge and surviving against odds. It had elements of Bigg Boss, Fear Factor and Survivor. Supposed to instill fear and danger in the lives of celebrities, it did nothing more than making them eat inedible stuff and perform some disgusting tasks. The show flopped and never got a second season. Now Star Plus is bringing to its viewers a format that's bit similar to it. It's called Survivor which, the channel claims, is the world's most sought- after reality show.

It originated in the USA where it has had more than 20 seasons in 11 years. It has also been replicated in 48 countries. India is probably the 49th country to adapt it. The desi version, Survivor India, promises to send a shudder through the viewers. The show will witness 22 participants, some well-known and some not-so-famous, some trying to prove their mettle, some wishing to push boundaries, but all gearing towards the final challenge. The participants will be divided into two teams in the battle of physical and mental endurance on an uninhabited tropical island. In the battle of survival, the fittest, grittiest and most ruthless will win.

Shot over 45 days in Philippines sometime ago with known faces like Payal Rohatgi, Shilpa Agnihotri, Abhinav Shukla, Karan Patel, Priyanka Bassi, Rajesh Khera, J D Majethia and Munisha Khatwani among others contesting against each other for survival as the battle gets wild and wicked, it was supposed to replace Just Dance in early October. But it was kept on hold for a hurried season 2 of MasterChef India, which wraps up this weekend. Survivor India will go on air on Friday, January 6, and will subsequently be aired on weekends later. The idea behind launching the show on Friday in the fiction band and then pushing it to weekends is to ensure a better opening, as the Friday fiction band is far more popular than the weekend 9 to 10 pm slot. According to producer Niret Alva, Survivor India has elements of everything—drama, relationship politics and plotting of daily soaps, adventure and thrills, the horror of a paranormal show and the best elements of reality shows. "It's a show of shows and it's the biggest one," he adds.

While the contestants are not willing to share their experiences in detail, except saying that it's a life -changing experience for them - every reality show contestant says the same - as they had to live against all odds, Star India's business head, Hindi channels, Nitin Vaidya says that Survivor India is a breakthrough concept on the Indian television and hence a perfect New Year gift for their viewers. "Star Plus has brought its viewers the ultimate reality formats, whether international or home-grown. It was time for us to present another breakthrough concept. We firmly believe and hope that our viewers will live every moment of this exciting journey with our participants," he adds.

Except KBC and Nach Baliye, which was moved from Star One to Star Plus to stem the tide when the going was getting tough for the flagship channel, fiction has been Star Plus' major strength over the past 11 years. In fact, non-fiction and reality shows have never given the kind of numbers that fiction has. Today, Star Plus is once again rocking on weekdays. Starting with rock star Saath Nibhana Saathiya at 7 pm, followed by Sasural Genda Phool,Iss Pyar Ko Kya Naam Doon, Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai, Diya Aur Baati Hum, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Navya and Pratigya, it's prime-time is loaded with some of the best performing shows, delivering 2 to 6 TVRs. With as many as five to six shows in the list of top 10 GEC shows week after week, Star Plus leads the GEC space with 100 GRPs. But its weekend is weak and non-fiction has been an area of concern. Some recent reality formats like Life Bina Wife, MasterChef India and Just Dance did not deliver on promise. Star Plus needs a strong survivor on weekends. Will Survivor India pass the 'survival test'?

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Survival-of-the-fittest/893538/