Who Wants to Have a Heart Attack?

When was the last time you had your heart rate checked?

Would you believe this is the premise for a new television game show being developed and soon airing on ABC television?

I swear, I have not been drinking too much spiked eggnog. This story was all over the wires this week, most notably on Reuters and the Hollywood Reporter. And the executive producer for this show is none other than the actress Julie Christie, who was so fantastic in Dr. Zhivago.

The Chair is the working title for this new quiz show, for which ABC has committed to 13 episodes. The premise is simple: contestants have to control their heart rate while they answer general knowledge questions for money. Eight contestants will compete in a type of qualifying round to have the honor of sitting in a special seat rigged up to a monitor. (You thought it would be an electric chair, now didn’t you?) The premise is that as many as five contestants can make it to the chair in a half hour television show.

Once in the this chair, contestants can earn money for every question they answer correctly. But here is the caveat – their heart rate has to stay constant. If it should go up past a certain predetermined limit they loose their winnings. The contestant has to calm down and wait for their readings to normalize before they can get a chance to answer another question. The contestants will have their rate monitored three hours prior to the show, to determine what the limits should be. I assume this will be done by a trained medical professional. The contestants leave this chair once their money runs out or they get a question wrong. Contestants will also be screened in advance for drugs and other things that might interfere with their heart rate.

It's a new kind of drama,'' said Julie Christie. “It's a quiz show where you have to control your mind and your body, and that's what makes it unique.”

ABC senior VP of alternative series, Andrea Wong, said the network “loved the idea immediately” after hearing about the concept shortly after Christie began selling the show internationally at last October's Mip TV convention. She also stated, “There hasn’t been anything like this on TV.” You can say that again, Andrea. What are you going to do if the contestant has a heart attack when they start losing their earnings?

Not only will this show be shown in the U.S., but Christie also said it is also being developed for New Zealand, Australia, and Germany.

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