The Weakest Link is an Australian game show based on the British format that aired from 5 February 2001 until 22 April 2002 and was originally broadcast on the Seven Network. Presented by Cornelia Frances, the show featured nine contestants competing for a potential prize of $100,000. Airing twice weekly in primetime, on Mondays and Thursdays (in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, later extended to nationwide following the conclusion of the 2001 AFL season) or Fridays (in Sydney and Brisbane), it received modest ratings until its cancellation in April 2002. The show was produced in the Seven Network's South Melbourne headquarters. A revival of the show with actress Magda Szubanski as host was announced for the Nine Network, airing from 25 May 2021 to 1 February 2022. TVNZ 1 aired the revival in New Zealand.

Format

2001–02

The format of the Seven Network iteration was identical to that of the British version apart from some slight time differences on rounds. The first round lasted for 2 minutes and 30 seconds as opposed to 3 minutes on the British version, and each round thereafter was reduced by 10 seconds (meaning a time limit of 1 minute and 20 seconds for the triple stakes round). As with the British version, any money banked in round eight was trebled (e.g. if the contestants bank $1,000 then $3,000 is added to the final total). The money tree was as follows: The voice-over was Marcus Irvine, while the adjudicator and question researcher was Alan Mason, the contestant revealed as The Mole in 2000. The money tree is the same figures as in the British version, but ten times larger, and in Australian dollars rather than pound sterling.

2021–22

The format of the Nine Network iteration saw some major changes to the format; similar to the 2020 US revival, eight contestants (as opposed to nine on the original Seven Network iteration) begin the game, and play begins with the player in the first position (as opposed to the player whose name is first alphabetically). The top prize increases in each round, making for a potential top prize of A$250,000. Additionally, the contestants are interrogated about their roundly performances before the revealing of votes, as opposed to afterwards. As is convention, in the event of a tie, the strongest link casts the deciding vote. After round six, the game moves straight to the final round; if the strongest link in the preceding round had been voted off, the second-strongest link decides who receives the first question. Additionally, several minor additions to the game were introduced:

Special Editions

The show also featured several special editions throughout its run.

Seven Network iteration (2001–02)

Nine Network iteration (2021–22)

Notable contestants

Original series (Seven Network)

Reception

Nine's iteration

The first episode of the Nine Network's iteration of the show scored a nationwide audience of 423,000.

Awards

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