The weekly news quiz that pairs everyday Australians with a local celebrity and blends current news with a dose of humour is back for a second season.
ABC’s quiz show, Win the Week, puts three teams, each captained by an average Aussie paired with a media personality, to the ultimate test of news knowledge and loyalty, where contestants must know the news and betray their teammates to win.
Hosted by Alex Lee and joined each week by regular panellist Craig Reucassel, the quiz show covers topics from politics to world events, to sport, celebrity gossip or viral videos on social media. No topic is off limits so long as it was in the news in the last seven days.
Mediaweek spoke to Lee ahead of the season two premiere on ABC TV and ABC iview on August 3.
The benefits of a new format
Season two of the weekly quiz show is shaping up to be vastly different from last year’s production. Produced at the peak of 2021’s COVID wave, season one had to forgo a live studio and was cut short by two episodes.
Despite the challenges that season one afforded, Lee says she’s looking forward to bringing in people from interstate, a luxury they didn’t have last season.
“Last year, we had a great time, but we couldn’t fly anyone in from interstate, so I’m definitely looking forward to getting that full diversity of the country back.”
A live studio audience and a bigger pool of contestants aren’t the only change to the season. This year, contestants can ‘betray’ their celebs at any time, instead of only at the end of each round – a change that Lee says will make the show “more chaotic.”
“It’s all a bit looser, and I think it’s a bit easier to play along at home. The format will be a bit more chaotic.”
As well as a more interactive format, players now only need to know the headlines, instead of the entire news story, to be in with a winning chance.
“Instead of having to know an entire news story to get the answer right, you can just name aspects of a news story, which I think is good because the way we read the news these days is so scattered.
“Sometimes I think I know a whole news story to then realise I’ve only read the headline as I’ve scrolled past it on social media.”
Alex Lee and Craig Reucassel
The production process
Lee has a much more integrated role than just being the face of the show. She spends a hefty part of her week rummaging through news outlets, writing questions and scripting her own jokes.
“I really love being part of that process, almost as much as hosting because you get to work with so many talented people.
“I’ve always done stuff where I’ve written what I’ve said, and I write everything that I present – I like things to be in my voice and writing my own jokes, as well as having jokes written by the other very talented comedy writers that I work with.”
Showcasing a different side
Win the Week shows a side to Australian celebrities the public doesn’t often see – an aspect of the show Lee says is her favourite.
“Seeing these ABC personalities like Annabel Crabb and Ellen Fanning, put in a position that they wouldn’t normally be in and getting to see how funny they are and getting to see how they relate to the everyday Aussie – I think that’s such a nice part of the show.”
Celebrities joining this year include Wendy Harmer, Mark Humphries, Tony Armstrong, Nazeem Hussain and returning champion Ellen Fanning, among others.
“People can be sort of pigeonholed into certain roles or personas throughout their career, so I love being able to see the playful side of a more serious journo.
“Or on the flip side, seeing a comedian who we maybe always thought of as a bit goofy to turn out that they’re a big nerd,” Lee said.
The biggest takeaways
This year’s prize is the coveted ‘golden betray button.’ In each episode, the winner will take home a physical betray button to betray people in their own life.
“We’re hoping that people can take it home and just betray people in their everyday life, or just make those awkward conversations a little bit easier by just slapping out that big betray button.”
Lee hopes people learn something new each week in a show that provides a lighthearted wrap of the week that was.
“I’d really love for people to come away having learned something, we really put a lot of effort into our questions to make sure that it’s not just about the gameplay.”
Win the Week premieres Wednesday, August 3 on ABC TV and ABC iview at 8:00pm.