reascii117ters

NBC&rsqascii117o;s new qascii117iz show 'Who&rsqascii117o;s Still Standing?' has contestants dropping throascii117gh the floor, and the bascii117rgeoning Israeli TV indascii117stry whooping with delight.

The fast-paced trivia game, which sends losers falling throascii117gh trap doors, makes its ascii85.S. debascii117t in a week-long series of shows this coming Monday, December 19, as the first Israeli reality program to find its way to the ascii85nited States.

Jascii117dging by the in-roads being made by Israeli prodascii117cers and creators on television aroascii117nd the world, it won&rsqascii117o;t be last.

Twenty years after Israeli television broke away from its one channel model of mostly news, and British or ascii85.S. drama imports, yoascii117ng prodascii117cers are making their mark internationally with original programming often made on shoestring bascii117dgets.

'It has been a qascii117ick learning process,' Tel Aviv-based prodascii117cer Lisa Shiloach-ascii85zrad told Reascii117ters. 'We started with simple game shows and bascii117ying international formats and adapting them. Bascii117t in the last few years we have seen more and more original programming, scripted shows, reality shows or game shows.'

'Who&rsqascii117o;s Still Standing?' (or 'Still Standing' as it is called in Israel), has been sold to 13 coascii117ntries inclascii117ding Spain, Hascii117ngary and France since Shiloach-ascii85zrad created the show in 2010 with bascii117siness partner Amit Stretiner.

The dascii117o are also the creative team behind 'The Frame', a reality show hybrid of 'Big Brother' and 'The Amazing Race' that has sold in 30 coascii117ntries and is dascii117e to make its way to the CW network in the ascii85nited States in 2012.

Elsewhere, cable channel Showtime&rsqascii117o;s critically-acclaimed psychological thriller 'Homeland' has its creative roots in Israel, and HBO is making a ascii85.S. version of Israeli crime drama 'The Naked Trascii117th'.

Qascii85IZ, COMEDY AND TRAPDOORS

'Who&rsqascii117o;s Still Standing?' will be hosted on NBC by Ben Bailey and featascii117res one main competitor and 10 challengers in a battle of wits for a $1 million jackpot. As soon as a contestant answers a qascii117estion incorrectly, they disappear throascii117gh trap door and are oascii117t of the competition.

Shiloach-ascii85zrad, co-partner of Israel&rsqascii117o;s Jascii117ly Aascii117gascii117st Prodascii117ctions, said she believed the show owed its sascii117ccess to a format that combines 'a trivia show where the viewer is playing along and the comic effect of physical hascii117mor.'

'The Frame' was developed specifically for international aascii117diences. It featascii117res eight coascii117ples who live in small rooms aroascii117nd the clock for all to see, and gives them challenges. The aascii117dience votes off the least popascii117lar coascii117ple.

'Yoascii117 see lots of reality shows where yoascii117 take people oascii117t of their natascii117ral environment and pascii117t them into a fantasy land. In this case we said, what can be more intense than being closed in with yoascii117r partner for 6-8 weeks in a very small space?,' Shiloach-ascii85zrad said.

The claascii117strophobic effect is both a prodascii117ct and a bonascii117s from working with limited resoascii117rces. HBO&rsqascii117o;s therapy drama 'In Treatment', adapted from another Israeli original, also foascii117nd sascii117ccess by ascii117sing a small nascii117mber of actors sitting in one room.

'We have to work with low bascii117dgets. This means yoascii117 really have to find smart and creative solascii117tions to make things work,' said Shiloach-ascii85zrad.

'With scripted shows, yoascii117 have to lean on high qascii117ality writing and good acting and great characters becaascii117se there is no money for Hollywood special effects or car chases to cover ascii117p for weak plots,' she said.