Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge


Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge is a children's game show, based on the French show Fort Boyard, which aired on both CITV and Disney XD. The show is a challenge game where six teams consisting of teenagers compete against each other in a tournament-style competition to become the "Ultimate Conquerors Of The Fort" at the series' finale. It is an updated version of the original French format, which inspired an earlier British version from 1998 to 2003.
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History

The series was announced on 7 July 2011 as a two season commission from UK broadcaster CITV and US broadcaster Disney Channels Worldwide, who secured global pay rights to the series to air on Disney XD channels except in France and Nordic territories. The series would be co-produced by franchise owners Adventure Line Productions and The Foundation, both subsidiaries of the Zodiak Media Group, with Zodiak handling global distribution rights. The series would feature teenage contestants from the United Kingdom and the United States, while American actor Geno Segers and English TV presenter Laura Hamilton were hired as presenters. The series was filmed in August 2011 and made its global debut on Disney XD in the United States on 17 October 2011.
In June 2012, CITV commissioned a third series of ten sixty-minute episodes, with Disney once again acquiring pay-TV rights in MENA and APAC territories. From this series onwards, the series solely became a British production with Segers being replaced with former Blue Peter presenter Andy Akinwolere as co-presenter alongside Hamilton. The third series began on 8 December 2012 and was simulcast on the ITV network.
CITV commissioned the show for a fourth series in 2013 which began airing on 20 October.
The fifth series began airing on 15 October 2014. The series ended on 17 December 2014 after five series.

Format

Six teams compete against each other in a tournament. In every episode, two teams face each other in a battle to see who is the strongest and toughest team. The challenges are based on toughness, fear and speed. In each season, the teams play three times each; with the two teams which have the most gold coins returning for the final round of the tournament at the series' finale.
In every level, the teams fight to get a key which helps them in the final level of the game in the Treasure Chamber. If they get three keys or more at the end of the game, they get the maximum amount of time in the Treasure Chamber ; but if they get two keys or less, a time penalty will be dealt out. If a team wins a 4th key, they receive an extra 150 bonus coins per key which are added to their final total.

Challenges

Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge uses exactly the same games like in the original show; but with different names, no lock-ins and may also be slightly adapted to suit the show. For example, in Boiler Room the contestant is not handcuffed to the pipe; instead must move a chain with the key on through the maze and out to the exit within the time limit.
Each solo team challenge is against the water timer usually set at either 1:30, 2:00 or 2:30 minutes. Some games require a code to open the box containing the key, which is outside the room or nearby the other team members. Games involving members of both teams are not against the water clock and are known as "duels".

Regular challenges

In order of first appearance:
Introduced in Series 1:
; Duels:
  • Caterpillar
  • Terror Walk
  • Key To The Sea
  • Hanging Tough
  • Shrinking Room
  • Power Pull
  • Rapid Ascent
  • Ladder Race
  • Ocean Plunge
  • Raft Race
  • Tension Bridge
  • Raging Sea
;Solo games:
  • Slot Machine
  • Dark Descent
  • Pots of Fear
  • Human Catapult/Leap Of Faith
  • Running Water
  • Creature Count
  • Tight Rope
  • Sky Bike
  • Candy Roll
  • Giant Chopsticks
  • Boiler Room
  • Giant Loom
  • Power Pedal
  • Spiders and Scorpions
  • Sunken House
  • Mission Impossible
  • Spider's Web
Introduced in Series 2:
  • Punch Ball
  • Unstable Chair
  • Turnstile
  • Snake Pit
  • Leap of Faith Version 2
  • Infernal Ladder
Introduced in Series 3:
;Duels
  • Trapdoor
  • Poles Apart
  • Monkey Ladder
  • Balancing Balls
  • Vertical Ascent
  • Giant Catapults
;Solo games
Introduced in Series 4:
;Duels
  • Key To The Sea Ver. 2
  • Stand Tough
  • Shrinking Room Ver. 2
  • Underwater Balloons
  • Hammocks
  • Pedal Pump
  • Deadly Drop
;Solo games
  • Dizzy Dash
  • Ring Run
  • Haunted House
  • Spin Cycle
  • Pressure Tank
  • Library
  • Balancing Brollies
Introduced in Series 5:
;Duels
  • Blind Faith
  • Tug of Four
  • Pressure Pull
  • Equilibrium
  • Sunken Spheres
  • Joust
;Solo games
  • Tiger Terror
  • Ketchup Factory
  • Balance Bike /
  • Garbage Grinder
  • Giant Spring
  • Ocean Climb
  • Sea Spin
  • Flooded Prison

Council duels

Before the teams go to the Treasure Chamber, the last challenge in every episode is a non-timed duel in the Council "hallway" between both teams.
Tests usually involve a level of skill and speed; such as building a tower with shaped blocks, using chopsticks to write the word "Boyard" on a pole or hammering nails into a piece of wood. The whole team take part in the duel and the winners receive the final key of the day. Games played so far include:
In order of first appearance:
  • Surface Tension
  • Tipping Point
  • Tower Build
  • Balance of Forces
  • Letter Pick
  • Hammer Time
  • Reflex
  • Weights
  • Hang Nail
  • Floating Towers
  • Dominoes
  • Shape Stack
  • Roach Race

The Treasure Chamber

The Treasure Chamber is the climax to every episode of Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge. The gold is stored here, which is guarded by the fort's tigers.

Series 1 and 2

Before they enter the treasure chamber, every team is handed a scroll with a plan of the board, which is composed of Georgian letters and the word "Fort Boyard" is also written out on it. On this chessboard, they must place four circular plates of colour, as shown in the plan. These plates are hidden in the decorative elements of the chamber. They must therefore find where they are hidden. Boxes are suspended in the fountain and the key for the coins is on top of a vertical rod above and on either side of the Fountain.
Once a team has found and placed their four plates in the right place, the captain returns his/her hand to a tiger's head located nearby the entrance. If correct, the key is released to open their chest containing the coins. Once the chest is opened, coins fall into the fountain below. The team members must collect as many of these coins as possible and put them into a Plexiglas box near the entrance.
At 0:20 seconds from the end of the 3 minutes, the bell sounds and the gate of the Treasure Chamber begins to descend, meaning that the eight candidates must get out before it closes.
Then it is time to weigh the coins; two candidates from each team take turns placing their container on the scales to set the number of points scored by the team. At the end of the show, the ranking of teams is updated compared to previous results.
Keys for the Treasure Chamber
No. of keysTime awarded
43:00 minutes + 150 bonus coins
33:00 minutes
22:40 minutes
12:40 minutes,
2:20 minutes
02:40 minutes,
2:20 minutes

Series 3 to 5

Several changes were made to the Treasure Chamber in this series, including a new time structure and layout. For example, the crests are not hidden and the floor plan is placed on a board outside and the teams have to memorise it.
Keys for the Treasure Chamber
No. of keysTime awarded
6 or 7
3:00 minutes + 150 bonus coins per key
No time penalty
5No time penalty
410 second time penalty
320 second time penalty
230 second time penalty
140 second time penalty
050 second time penalty

Teams

Each season of the show features over 24 participants divided up into six teams, each featuring a colour and symbol of an animal. The participants wear coloured T-shirts with their colour and symbol to showcase what team they are on. Each team also has a captain. For the first four seasons, the team names were Yellow Scorpions, Red Vipers, Silver Dragons, Green Jaguars, Blue Sharks and White Falcons. In the fifth season, the team names were changed to Silver Rhinos, Orange Tigers, Lime Crocodiles, Black Tarantulas, Golden Eagles and Purple Cobras.
In series 1 and 2, the participants were of 13 to 19 years of age, consisting of two British and American contestants each, with three boys and one girl in each team. In Series 3 to 5, all contestants were British and consisted of 13–18 year olds in Season 3, and 12–18 year olds in Seasons 4–5. This time, there were two boys and two girls in each team.

Series 1 to 4

  • Yellow Scorpions
  • *Series 1: Louis, Shona, Jake, Nathan
  • *Series 2: Shane, Zachary, Billy, Emily
  • *Series 3: Tia, Joe, Charlotte, Jay
  • *Series 4: Ruby, George, Dean, Paige
  • Red Vipers
  • *Series 1: Ashley, Tashi, Jimmy, William
  • *Series 2: Jack, Kalium, Matt, Laura
  • *Series 3: Lauren, Angharad, Jamie, John
  • *Series 4: Tahlia, Jack, Suzanne, Nyv
  • Silver Dragons
  • *Series 1: Charlie, Kennedy, Kyle, Harry
  • *Series 2: Charles, Sashank, Lara, James
  • *Series 3: Megan, Ash, Sam, Sophie
  • *Series 4: Alex, Maddie, Hayden, Maryam
  • Green Jaguars
  • *Series 1: Matt, Ryan, Xavier, Amy
  • *Series 2: Jordan, Jackson, Joseph, Imogen
  • *Series 3: Tom, Izzy, Mike, Célést
  • *Series 4: Sophie, Charlii, Elias, Jordan
  • Blue Sharks
  • *Series 1: Max, Natalie, Shaun, Ivan
  • *Series 2: Simon, Adrienne, Alex, David
  • *Series 3: Alec, Michael, Abi, Shannon
  • *Series 4: Tim, Katie, Rahman, Josie
  • White Falcons
  • *Series 1: Kasey, Katherine, Joe, Peter
  • *Series 2: Mitchell, Julia, Zach, Callum
  • *Series 3: Beth, Jack, Jake, Courtney
  • *Series 4: Jake, Ella, Josh, Daisy

Series 5

  • Grey Rhinos: Sam, Katy, Josh, J'nae
  • Orange Tigers: Claire, Charlie, Alex, Corey
  • Burgundy Cobras: Finton, Olivia, Oli, Scarlet
  • Black Tarantulas: Abi, Harry, Lauren, Charlie
  • Golden Eagles: Ben, Chloe, Brandon, Georgia
  • Green Crocodiles: Katy, Jack, Amelia, Alex

Filming

Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge is set and filmed on the Fort Boyard fortress, on the west coast of France.
From a broadcasting perspective, Fort Boyard itself was refurbished during 1988–89 to become, essentially, a large outdoor television studio. The Fort has its own doctor, catering facilities, as well as production gallery and veterinary centre. The Fort is equipped with 10 portable television cameras, one camera crane for overhead shots, one under-water camera as well as a number of smaller cameras which specifically cover individual games and challenges around the Fort.
Filming took place between 9–15 July 2011; consisting of two seasons of 10 episodes each. A third season was filmed from 7–14 July 2012, with a further 10 episodes made. The fourth was filmed from 18–25 June 2013 and the fifth from 22–27 June 2014.

Episodes

Series 1

  • Conquerors of The Fort: Yellow Scorpions

Series 2

  • Conquerors of The Fort: Silver Dragons

Series 3

  • Conquerors Of The Fort: Green Jaguars
Note: episodes 7–10 were not simulcast on both UK channels as usual; the airdates are for ITV1 only. CITV aired these at a later date, due to schedule changes and to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary.

Series 4

  • Conquerors Of The Fort: Green Jaguars

Series 5