Is Seven's new show a Celebrity Splash or a bomb?

EVEN before the first contestant has jumped, Channel 7's reality series Celebrity Splash has already taken a dive with the critics.

Celebrity Splash

EVEN before the first contestant has jumped, Channel 7's reality series Celebrity Splash has already taken a dive with the critics, after confirming stars best described as the shallow end of the talent pool.

With little to lose, those ready to take the plunge in arguably the car crash television event of the year include socialite Brynne Edelsten, former cricketer Andrew Symonds, track diva Tamsyn Lewis, comic Josh Thomas, retired swimmer Leisel Jones, big-wave surfer Koby Abberton, soap starlet Demi Harman, TV veteran Denise Drysdale, Melbourne radio host Adam Richards, AFL identity Andrew Welsh, TV presenter Laura Csortan, pageant queen Renae Ayris, actor Paul Fenech and male model Nick Bracks.

The series will depend heavily on the audience's care factor as celebrities are pushed to attempt dives from platforms up to 10m tall.

The show's executive producer Steve Murray defended the casting choices, acknowledging A-list talent were not the "types to risk their image and give in to the challenge the way we need contestants to in this show". "There's their image. Then there's their body image, not to mention the fear factor ... if it goes wrong the reality is it's extremely dangerous. It's asking a lot of our talent," he said.

The cast of 14 begin training in Melbourne this week, with the show's judging line-up yet to be confirmed but expected to include Olympic gold medal diver Matthew Mitcham. The format was hot property at the international TV sales market last year, with versions launching in Holland, France, Spain, Britain and most recently the US.

While the potential for physical injury is part of the jeopardy, one US celebrity, Chelsea Lately's Chuy Bravo was forced to pull out before the show's first episode aired after fracturing his foot jumping on a table on set.

The "eclectic mix of talent," Murray said, hit a number of casting objectives from the usual "eye candy" (Edelsten, Ayris, Bracks) to the "oh my god they're doing what?" selections (such as Drysdale, Symonds, Welsh).