‘School camp for adults:’ Hobart born engineer takes on Aussie version of global hit game show
‘I felt at a bit of a loose end in my life and applied on a whim:’ A Hobart born engineer made lifelong friends while filming for a hit new game show.
Tasmania
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Ever wondered how you make it onto a game show?
For Hobart born Patrick Neasey it was as simple as responding to an Instagram advertisement.
“I was scrolling through Insta and an ad came up looking for Australian contestants for a hit new game show,” Mr Neasey said.
“I felt at a bit of a loose end in my life and applied on a whim.”
Mr Neasey is a structural engineer who grew up in Hobart and has lived in the Netherlands for eight years.
After multiple interviews which included a test similar to the format of the game show Mr Neasey was selected along with 80 other Australian contestants for the Aussie iteration of global hit game show The Floor.
“It probably helped that I’m from Tasmania – there are only two of us on the show!”
The other is Renusha, from Devonport.
Filming the show was like a “school camp for adults” for Mr Neasey who says he made lifelong friends in the process.
“We were all in it together. Most of the contestants quickly formed bonds with each other because we were going through this new and unique experience together.”
The group arrived from across Europe and Australia at a location in the Netherlands for five days of filming.
Mr Neasey said the contestants spent a lot of time backstage getting into outfits and makeup, having pictures taken, doing interviews, studying topics and hanging out, so the first day of the competition was a shock.
“In a way, it was a sudden shock when we finally went on set to film the first episode and by the end of it we’d already lost nine of our new friends,” he said.
“It was a reminder that we were there to compete against each other for the prizes, even though we were close with each other.”
The Floor Australia is the second English speaking iteration of the Dutch game show from the media entity John de Mol and his company Talpa, who also created other world wide hit franchise shows including Big Brother, The Voice and Deal or No Deal.
In The Floor contestants compete in trivia “duels” for cash prizes including a $10,000 daily bonus and a major prize of $200,000.
“It was hectic and it was high pressure but we just bonded over that,” Mr Neasey said.
The Floor Australia airs at 7.30pm, Monday and Tuesday on Channel 9.
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