Cambodian television audiences will soon be introduced to “Killer Karaoke,” an international reality TV show that requires contestants to sing along to popular tunes while overcoming a series of bizarre obstacles such as water-filled snake pits, after Hang Meas HDTV signed a deal with London-based production company Zodiak Rights to produce a local version of the show, representatives said.
Zodiak Rights also signed format adaptation deals for the extreme singing competition in Vietnam and the Philippines. The show has already aired in Thailand for one season, according to a statement by the company released this week.
This represents the first-ever format deal in Cambodia for Zodiak Rights, a worldwide distributor of successful TV programs including supernatural drama “Being Human” and “Wallander” starring Kenneth Branagh, both for the BBC, and the global reality television hits “Wife Swap” and “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!”
“‘Killer Karaoke’ has enjoyed huge ratings in Thailand…and we are delighted that the series will now be available to audiences in Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines,” Barnaby Shingleton, head of entertainment at Zodiak Rights, said in the statement, adding that the show will begin airing in 2014.
The New York Times described the U.S. incarnation of “Killer Karaoke,” with tongue firmly in cheek, as “the greatest show in television history.” Television critic Neil Genzlinger proclaimed the show to be downright hilarious “in an I’m-ashamed-to-be-laughing-at-this sort of way.”
Cambodians, for whom karaoke is a national pastime, certainly have a lot to look forward to.
The concept of “Killer Karaoke” is simple—brave contestants must sing along to songs while facing extreme, skin-crawling distractions that are designed to tap into their worst fears.
Six contestants will compete in the opening round and the players whose vocal performances receive the highest rankings from the audience earn advantages for the next round, such as picking their opponents’ grisly challenges.
The audience ultimately decides the winner of each episode, and contestants will win a cash prize.
