I've recently gotten hooked on the British version of what is sometimes considered television's toughest quiz, and when I ran across the Australian version on YouTube I decided to compare the two. The result: not much difference. Four "contenders" face that daunting black chair for two rounds of questions, one in a category of their choice, the other one in general knowledge. But because the Australian version is on five days a week, the highest scorers on Monday-Thursday return on Friday for the week's championship and the right to move on. But there are other differences: the rounds on the Australian version seem to be shorter (unlike the BBC, its network is a commercial one), and Jennifer Byrne spends some time chatting with the players. While John Humphrys does grow on you (I may hear from people in the UK about that one), Jennifer is closer to--if not exactly the same as--an American host (Alex Trebek, perhaps). And she has kept the iconic catchphrase, "I've started so I'll finish." There's a slightly more sense of fun on the Australian show, but if you like the British version, you'll like this one too--nothing has been dumbed down. I'd love to see an American version with somebody like Meredith Vieira asking the questions (sorry, ESPN's "Two Minute Drill" doesn't count), but the questions would have to be a lot easier, which would destroy the intent of the show. Or maybe there's someone out there like me who likes tough quizzes.
