While the contestants on Rush have all their senses suppressed when arriving at their new destination, the new worldwide travel show aims to inspire viewers to maximise their senses by seeing what the world has to offer, and maybe motivate their own Rush adventure.
In the new globe-trotting odyssey, three teams of Aussies are put to the test in nine different countries including Brazil, Turkey, Jordan, India, Thailand, Ireland, France, Kenya and South Africa. The teams have one mission: be the first to get out and move on to the next destination.
Each team is dropped into the middle of some of the most pulsating cultural festivals, huge events and exotic locations on Earth, including Carnival in Rio, St Patrick’s Day in Dublin, the colourful Holi festival in India and the head-banging techno moshpit of Tomorrowland in France.
At each new drop-off, the travellers are deprived of sight and sound and once their noise-cancelling headphones and blackout goggles are removed their first task is to find their host, David Genat, waiting for them with mission instructions.
See also: How a practical joke catapulted Nine’s Rush host David Genat into international stardom
Trojan Horse Statue in Cannakale, Turkey – Featured in Episode 2 of Rush
Travellers immerse themselves in the chaos of the local culture before locating an extraction point and rushing to the escape zone. However, the last team to arrive at each escape zone in every country will need to eliminate one traveller from their team.
Only one winner will emerge from the havoc to win $100,000 and two first-class, around-the-world airline tickets.
Mediaweek caught up with the director of content at Endemol Shine Australia, Tara McWilliams about the new show and how it inspires viewers to see the world after the perils of COVID lockdowns.
The premise of Rush was born out of the simple idea of dropping someone somewhere without their two senses that most take for granted.
“Imagine if you clicked two fingers and ended up somewhere you had never been before, and that shock of not knowing where you are, not knowing your surroundings and being completely out of your comfort zone, that’s where the idea for Rush really grew from there,” McWilliams said.
“Then it developed as a concept by asking questions during the development stage such as how do we make it interesting? How do we make it culturally immersive? How do we bring these countries to life, as opposed to just racing through them?”
When it came to casting for the show, the priority was to gather a variety of individual travel experiences. While the average once or twice-a-year travellers are featured, the show also highlights those who have never been out of the country.
“It was important to have a good mix of different people and different travel experiences to really see reactions from different angles and to see experiences differently. When you watch the show, you will notice some people are really comfortable in any setting or environment you put them in, while others are completely out of their comfort zone.”
Carnivale in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Featured in Episode 1 of Rush
The travel show format isn’t new to anyone tuned in on free-to-air TV and Rush aims to differentiate itself through its authenticity.
McWilliams expresses that nothing in the show is set up and didn’t even have an art department that travelled with them during production. Every person the contestants interact with is someone they approached on the street and were not part of the production at all.
“The whole mantra of the show was like if the contestants decide they’re gonna go 10 hours in the wrong direction, then the crew and producing team would follow them and capture them going 10 hours in the wrong direction.
“We’re not gonna go off camera like ‘Listen guys, this is gonna throw out our schedule, you’re not going the right way, you’re getting this completely wrong’ – none of that was going on. Authenticity was key, and I think it’s what makes the show really special.”
In a post-lockdown world, the question that Endemol Shine set out to conquer was how do they bring the world in a fascinating way to people’s loungerooms? McWilliams hopes Rush is the catalyst to inspire viewers to travel and go to places just as vibrant and awe-inspiring as the one’s the contestants frolic in.
“After the first episode, I walked into the office the following morning and the number of people coming up to me saying ‘I really want to go where they went last night’ was great to see.
“I think travel resonates with everyone, and if you get to sit in your lounge room and experience that feeling of travelling and inspiration in your own life, I think that means the show’s doing its job.”
Rush is an original concept developed by Endemol Shine Australia (a Banijay Company) and Nine and will be represented internationally by Banijay.
Episode 4 of Rush premieres Monday, July 10 at 7:30 pm on Nine and 9Now.