Grant Denyer hits back at claims 'Game Of Games' contestants are actors

GRANT Denyer has hit back at claims the contestants on Game Of Games are paid actors.

Only a couple of episodes of the new show have aired on Network Ten so far, and the extremely animated contestants have raised more than a few eyebrows on social media.

Denyer assured news.com.au the contestants who have been featured on the show aren’t professionals.

“They’re not actors, they’re just Aussies,” he said.

“Sometimes when you put a call out to contestants, obviously the most animated ones become more attractive or appealing to you.”

Denyer also said the contestants’ behaviour is partly down to the fact Game Of Games is a show concept that was created by Ellen DeGeneres.

“I think because Ellen has such a massive international reputation and her show is so globally known and loved, that I think everybody came with that Ellen spirit,” he told news.com.au.

“You know how her show is OTT and all her fans and people in the audience just go crazy, so I think people kinda came with the same spirit.”

The Gold Logie winning host said he noticed how extreme the contestants were and even told them to reign it in at one stage.

“We definitely noticed it because Australian contestants aren’t like American contestants, but they were really full on and just gave it 1000 per cent. Some we were a little concerned about,” he joked.

“I just think they wanted to put on the biggest possible show they could and they watched so much American television they thought that’s how you had to act.

“We had a little word to them and just said, ‘It’s OK, you can be yourself, it’s fine. You’re in a safe place.’”

If you haven’t seen Game Of Games yet, here’s a taste of the contestants who have appeared on the show so far:

Another explanation for the ‘next level’ contestants is down to fear of the unknown, Denyer said. All of the Game Of Games episodes were filmed before the first one aired on Network Ten.

“There’s a lot of nervous energy,” the host said.

“The set is so big that it’s quite overwhelming and the challenges they face are also quite nerve-racking.

“We stress them out. Yes we give them a chance to win $50,000 per show but we make them work for it. They could be three stories in the air … and we drop them through a random trapdoor of which they have no idea where it goes. Or we shoot them in the face with a giant cannon full of explosives and paint. They’re intimidating situations.

“We’re seeing really crazy and whacky responses from the contestants. It surprised us a lot.”

Apart from the criticisms about the contestants, Game Of Games has received a mostly positive reaction on social media.

“In this world where everything is dark and angry and frightening, there’s more room for this on television now than ever,” Denyer told news.com.au about the show.

“There’s enough people making serious television shows in this world … Why can’t we just make a show where people fall down stuff or get shot up stuff or get shot in the face with stuff?

“It is so simple, it’s brilliant,” he said.

Game Of Games airs Sunday nights at 7.30pm on Network Ten and on the WIN Network

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