Celebrity Tipping Point NZ launches Monday with a star-studded lineup and a machine that its own host Daniel Faitaua describes as moody.
It stands 3.1m high, was custom-built in New Zealand, and loaded with 160 counters shipped in from Spain. And according to Faitaua, it has a personality problem.
"Are you going to be nice?" Faitaua asked the machine before filming.
"I need you to be nice. We're giving away ten thousand, possibly twenty thousand dollars. Please."
Based on the long-running British format, Celebrity Tipping Point NZ combines general knowledge and physics. Contestants answer trivia questions to earn counters, then feed those counters into the signature coin-pusher machine — choosing a drop zone and hoping to nudge the pile over the edge.
Faitaua talks charity stakes, celebrity game faces, and keeping Jason Gunn under control ahead of Monday's premiere. (Source: Breakfast)
Get the question wrong and you're out of luck. Choose the incorrect drop zone and watch your chances disappear.
Here, every celebrity is playing for charity, with up to $20,000 on the line per episode.
"You can see everyone walk in with their game face on," Faitaua told Breakfast this week.
"They want to win that money for their charity."
The season features a mix of well-known New Zealand faces — comedian Chris Parker, TV veteran Jason Gunn, Shortland Street stars Claire Chitham and Michael Galvin, actress Matilda Green, league player Luke Metcalf, and comedian-actor Tammy Davis, among others.
There are also several special episodes — a Christchurch edition, a Shortland Street special, and a World Cup episode featuring familiar football players.
Monday's episode, the first to air, features an all-Cantabrian line-up — Jason Gunn, Chris Parker and TVNZ's Ali Pugh.
"Everyone on set is from Christchurch, including myself," Faitaua said.
Demand among celebrities to appear has been high enough that the producers have assembled a reserve list for future episodes.
For viewers who know Faitaua primarily from the news desk, the show offers something different. He said the shift was natural.
"News readers seem so straight, because you're just reading that autocue. But this allows us to have a bit of personality, a bit of humour."
TVNZ's chief news and content officer Nadia Tolich said the format had proven popular internationally and was well suited to a local version.
"Tipping Point is a hugely successful format around the world, and we know Kiwi audiences love seeing their favourite international hits brought to life locally," she said.
"A New Zealand celebrity edition lets us take everything audiences love about the show and give it a distinctly Kiwi flavour.
"Daniel is a fantastic presenter, and with him at the helm – alongside a raft of well-known faces playing for charity – Celebrity Tipping Point NZ will be a fun, entertaining and competitive new addition to our primetime lineup."
Celebrity Tipping Point NZ premieres Monday at 7pm on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+, with episodes continuing on subsequent Mondays at 7.30pm.
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