The Money List is a new TV game show hosted by Baz Ashmawy that began earlier this year. Having received positive reviews for its early episodes, it’s time to ask whether it’s got the staying power to become one of our favourite shows.
How the Irish Love Game Shows
Before its launch in October, The Money List had received more than 1,500 applications from people from all walks of life who wanted to compete in the show. Host Ashmawy put this down to the fact that “Irish people love a quiz”. Certainly, a look back at some of the country’s classic TV shows over the years reveals a number of game shows that have evolved thanks to changing technology and tastes.
An interesting modern twist on this genre comes from online casino games like Crazy Time. Created by Evolution, it features a host who spins a wheel with 54 segments on it, including numbers and bonus symbols. Those bonus symbols lead players in special rounds like Pachinko, Cash Hunt, and Coin Flip, where unique ways of winning are presented.
The Most Popular Irish Game Show to Date
What’s the best-lived Irish game show in history? According to the details on the IMDb database, Treasure Island is the most popular, although this was more of a reality show where the contestants were whisked off to Tonga at the start of the century. This was also part of an international franchise, in the same way as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and The Weakest Link.
If we’re looking for Irish shows, many people will fondly remember Who Knows Ireland Best? It only ran for a single season in 2012 but was well-received thanks to its format of asking 1,000 people across the country 100 questions about Irish life. Before that, Where in the World? ran from 1987 through to 1996 and covered six rounds of geography questions.
How Will The Money List Perform?
When asked about the show by the Irish Mirror before its launch, Baz Ashmawy called it “great craic” and pointed out that it was going to include a lot of interesting characters as they had contestants lined up from many different backgrounds. The idea behind this game is that the players need to complete as many lists as possible to win cash prizes.
Each team is made up of two contestants who’ve just met, and they need to predict how many items they can complete on each list so that they can defeat the rival team and move on to the next challenge. This review in the Irish Times points out that the format is based on earlier shows from the US and the UK, with several crucial elements such as a lot of tension and the ability to play along at home.
The Irish love of quizzes and game shows should ensure that The Money List continues to draw good audience figures, but history shows us that shows like this tend to stay on top for a relatively limited time before something new comes along. The presence of online game shows and emerging technology give audiences a different way of playing and will help this market diversify further.
