TV games - big playground on set

I have had the most awesome week on the set of a new Gladiator-style tv programme, which will be shot in January 2010 and aired pre-FIFA2010.

I've been part of the Dream Team, which tests some of the games for the show. The producion team uses us as guinea pigs to test the lighting on set, the camera angles and also duration, difficulty and rules of the games. They'll make a test episode, which will never be aired, from the week's action as a demo of the show.

One thing I can say is that this show will make for awesome viewing. The games are way more physically challenging than Gladiators (I was a contender in the first South African Gladiator series in 1999 so this comparison is fair). It takes just over a minute to complete one of the big obstacle courses and when you're finished you can hardly talk from the effort. And you may have to go around again. And then there's the second half and another challenging obstacle course. Upper body strength is a big element especially on the cargo nets, which are a killer! And then there's the team thing; the show features teams, not individuals, so the team combinations are going to be key.

The show includes a soccer shooting component. My team, which wasn't as fast as the other, won 3-2 purely on our soccer goals. They were faster and had more scoring opportunities, but we scored the needed goals. I even scored a goal - Woohhooo!

Francois, one of my teammates for Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, was on set with me so we got to spend the week together. It was a great opportunity to get to know him better in this fun, playful and relaxed environment.

The secon round of selections takes place this next weekend and there are a number of adventure racers in the running for a place on one of the eight teams that will make it on to the show. I'm rooting for them!