| Blow Up | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality |
| Presented by | Stephen Curry Becky Lucas |
| Judges | Chris Adamo |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Production location | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Production company | Endemol Shine Australia |
| Original release | |
| Network | Seven Network (episodes 1-2) 7flix (episodes 3-8) |
| Release | 15 May (2023-05-15) – 6 June 2023 (2023-06-06) |
Blow Up is an Australian reality television show based on a Dutch format, in which ten artists compete to create the best balloon artworks for a $100,000 prize. It is hosted by Stephen Curry and Becky Lucas and judged by professional balloon artist Chris Adamo. The series premiered on 15 May 2023 on the Seven Network.
The programme is produced by Endemol Shine Australia and was first announced in August 2022. It commenced filming in the same month in Melbourne, and was officially confirmed at Seven's 2023 upfronts in October 2022.
After the first two episodes drew disappointing ratings, the series was moved to 7flix from its third episode.
Contestants
| Contestant | Age | State | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Williams | 31 | VIC | Winner |
| Matt Falloon | 38 | NSW | 2nd place |
| Donna Cochrane | 42 | QLD | 3rd place |
| Chloe Lim | 40 | ACT | 4th/5th place |
| Tammie Timmers | 37 | VIC | |
| Nicole Brusic | 50 | SA | |
| Robbie Kay | 34 | SA | |
| Michelle Ferron | 33 | VIC | |
| Brendan Ord | 49 | VIC | |
| Trevor Timmers | 37 | VIC |
Reception
Viewership
Although highly advertised for weeks, the series debuted to 288,000 viewers, coming third in its timeslot behind MasterChef Australia and The Summit, respectively, and ranking 19th for the night. The second episode fared no better, with only 224,000 viewers, losing more than 40,000 from its debut and coming fifth in its timeslot, and ranking below the top 20 programs of the night. After the series was moved to 7flix, the third episode drew 30,000 viewers. The final episode drew just 16,000 viewers.
Critical
The show has been unfavourably compared to the similar television show Lego Masters (also produced by Endermol Shine and airing on the rival Nine Network), which had concluded its fifth season just a week before the premiere of Blow Up. Hamish Blake, the host of Lego Masters also poked fun at the premise of the show, stating in an episode of Lego Masters that "Balloons are good for a part of one episode of a show. No, I don’t think there’s a series in them."
References
- Knox, David (8 May 2023). "Airdate: Blow Up". TV Tonight. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- Knox, David (21 August 2022). "Seven to Blow Up balloon series". TV Tonight. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- "Seven Upfront 2023: New and Returning shows". TV Tonight. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- Knox, David (18 May 2023). "Bumped: Blow Up". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- Christmass, Pip (12 May 2023). "Channel 7 announces line up for brand new show Blow Up: How to watch and cast revealed". 7news. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ Bond, Nick (17 May 2023). "Seven's balloon show Blow Up slides further in ratings on night two". News Corp. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- Knox, David (23 May 2023). "Farmer Reunion tops entertainment, HYBPA? leads demos on Monday". TV Tonight. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- Knox, David (7 June 2023). "Justin Williams wins Blow Up". Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- Knox, David (15 May 2023). "Blow Up". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- Kukuljan, Samantha (14 May 2023). "Will new reality show Blow Up Australia float to the top of the rankings charts?". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 22 May 2023.