German Weekend Replay: The Perfect Minute
This weekend we have for you one of the first European countries to import NBC’s Minute to Win It. In 2010, German network Sat 1 picked up the rights to produce their own version and called it Die perfekte Minute (The Perfect Minute). The format is exactly the same as the US version, up to ten games and three lives are played with various household objects. The top prize is a nice €250,000. Due to the show being popular in 2010, it returned in 2011 with a longer series, introducing a second safe haven for completing level eight €100,000, introducing pairs/couples and having new games that have been invented for their show and have yet to be shown on the NBC version.
Unlike the NBC version, The Perfect Minute runs for two hours per episode. Although it might seem a slog, the Germans can get through the show at a steady pace, Friday nights episode (siblings special) featured no less than three pairs with twenty different games played.
The clip we have for you today is from last night’s siblings special, where brother and sister Sina and Max Braasch have completed level seven to win €75,000 and decide to play level eight to secure a guaranteed €100,000. They have all three lives intact but if they fail completing level eight then they drop back to €25,000.
I am surprised that nobody has commented on this clip until now. This is especially true considering the large pool of anti-”Minute To Win It” feeling that exists among game show fans.
The set reminds me of that used for the early episodes of MTWI, back when it could be fairly accused of flattering (and most sincerely) “The Cube”.
The hostess is a heck of a lot easier to take than Guy Fieri, who can be grating at times.
The audience seems particularly well-behaved, saving the soccer-fan ravings for after the contestant (or “candidate”–interesting usage!) has won his or her challenge. None of this counting down from ten en masse or the other antics of both the American and the Australian audience (as seen in clips on YT).
I cannot help but wonder if the folks over at FridayTV are watching this version, to see if the Germans have come up with any likely games. Both of the games seen here seem to be just the sort of things you’d expect to see on MTWI.
It will be interesting to see the German version of “The Cube” in a few weeks’ time. Of course, as most of the technical work is being done by the same Objective Productions crew, the results should be at least as good as found on both the Saudi and the Portuguese versions of the show. I look forward to seeing clips, or even whole shows!