The Floor is a ratings smash, with audiences around Australia tuning in each week to test their own knowledge on categories from past TV WEEK Logie winners to kid’s cartoons. We spoke with Nine Network executive Andrew Peace all of our burning questions when it came to the show – from details about the host Roger Corser, to where it was filmed to whether the contestants hung out with one another off set.
If you haven’t watched the show before (and why haven’t you?!) the game is based around a floor divided into a grid of squares. Each contestant commands their own square which represents their own expertise in a different trivia category. The contestants compete with their neighbours in head to-head trivia duels with the winner’s territory expanding into the surrounding squares each time they take out an opponent.
While Andrew reveals that each contestant comes with “four or five” topics they can cover, generally their most unique one is chosen for them to represent on The Floor. Read more behind the scenes secrets below!
Where was The Floor filmed?
Despite being an Australian production, it may come as a surprise to some that The Floor is filmed in a unique European location – Amsterdam.
“This is because the absolutely epic set is very difficult for different markets to have,” Andrew tells TV WEEK. “John de Mol who created the show in Holland has the set as a huge hub, and we get to go in and take advantage of that set.”
Andrew can also reveal the jam-packed series is filmed over just one week, with two episodes shot each day, and a cast made up of a lively mix of Australians on holiday, Aussie expats living abroad, and of course, a bunch of Aussies flown over especially for the production.
Why Rodger Corser returned as host of The Floor
Rodger Corser, popularly known as Dr Hugh Knight for his starring role in Doctor Doctor, is host of the series, and the acclaimed actor was a no brainer to return to host, according to Andrew.
“Why would we not have him back?” Andrew declares.
“He’s a part of the show; he’s the success of the show. He’s not the games master, he’s not the quiz host, he doesn’t ask the questions, he’s the master of ceremonies. He invites people along, encourages them and then he spectates, he’s like a viewer. So, he’s got a really unique role, and his charm and personality are made for this. We love him and we would be very lucky and honoured to have him come back for the second season.”
Do the contestants get to spend time with each other outside of filming?
The contestants do in fact get to hang out with each other off set and even more shockingly they can share vital information with their fellow contestants if they choose.
“They get the opportunity to do research which is part of the show,” Andrew says. “It’s either a break overnight or a break in-between filming and they’ve got a couple of hours to learn their new categories of who they think are their potential new duals.”
“They’re all put together in a hotel where they become real friends,” he adds. “There is something about the Aussie spirit where people stick together and it was a really friendly competition.”
Andrew even went as far to say the contestants become so close that when filming the American version of the franchise two people even fell in love.
“On the first version of the American series a relationship actually formed,” Andrew reveals. “There was actually a couple, so a bit of romance. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen on our series, or if it did, no one told us.”
The Floor Australia airs on Sundays at 7pm and Mondays at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
