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Rise And Fall is a new Channel 4 gameshow, presented by Radio 1’s Greg James, which has a premise which sounds a bit like the recent The Traitors, on BBC1.
Once again, a bunch of self obsessed wannabes turn up on camera, are split into two groups, but have to work together in order to succeed. Over the course of four weeks, they can win up to £100,000, based on achieving power over others.
The 16 contestants are split into 6 rulers, and 10 Grafters, mostly arguing amongst themselves. The rulers – who live in the posh penthouse – manage the grafters, who have to build up the prize fund, so they’re forced to rely on each other. Meanwhile, the grafters live in the basement, but the sensible amongst them will still carry out their tasks while aiming to eventually become rulers and win the money.
Ruler Ramona, 34, since it gives them their age, knows that because she has big breasts, she can push them up for the camera, so everyone knows she has big breasts.
The first task saw them apparently being electricians, connecting power lines, but ‘keeping the circuits connected’ just resulted in them basically just having to stand with their arms in the air for several minutes. Not massively easy, as your limbs will being to feel tired, but over the more of the potential five rounds you complete, the more the money increases.
It didn’t take one of the grafters (not really grafter) long to show themselves up, as one particular clown quit after the first task, because “I’m a leader”. I won’t reveal their name, so you’ll have to find out by watching it, but what they did lose out on is that later it transpired that rulers can give rewards, each costing £100 out of the prized fund, and this is generally nice food and drink.
Rise and Fall is on almost every night, continuing tomorrow, but it’s telling that from day 2, it moves from 9pm to 10pm, so out of primetime, showing they’ve already lost faith in it.
Also, episode 1 did the thing I hate the most: As the rulers decided which one of the six would go down to the basement and trade places with one of the others, it went through the choices each of them had made, resulting in the sixth one having the casting vote, and it was…? Well, it was a ‘to be continued’-type of affair.
I hate this, and it was what put me off Hell’s Kitchen USA, on ITV2, when, after a few enjoyable seasons, they started employing this tactic almost every episode. Each one should conclude by stating who’s being evicted from the kitchen, but not in this circumstance. It’s just shitty clickbait, and lazy as hell.
Rise and Fall continues on Channel 4 tomorrow night at 10pm, and then each weeknight afterwards for god knows how long, and after each episode, they will be on All 4. It’s unlikely to be released on Blu-ray or DVD.
Let the power struggle begin! #RiseAndFall hosted by @gregjames, coming soon to Channel 4 & All 4 pic.twitter.com/sl6GXkgKmN
— Channel 4 (@Channel4) March 7, 2023
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.