Splash! (British TV series)

Format

Main article: Celebrity Splash!

The show was broadcast live on ITV on Saturday evenings, and was presented by Gabby Logan and Vernon Kay. In the show, celebrities competed against each other, performing dives in order to impress a judging panel and the viewing public. The series consisted of heats where two celebrities from each go into the semi-finals, and then followed by a live final on successive Saturdays.

Series overview

Two series were broadcast, as summarised below.

Main series results

Series 1 (2013)

Main article: Splash! (British series 1)

The first series began airing on 5 January 2013 and ran for 5 weeks ending on 2 February 2013.

The contestants for the first series were:

Series 2 (2014)

Main article: Splash! (British series 2)

On 4 February 2013, a second series was confirmed; it began airing on 4 January 2014 and ran for 7 weeks, ending on 15 February 2014.

The contestants for the second series were:

Reception

The show received generally poor reviews from critics after its premiere, including "utterly awful", "a new low for television" and "probably the worst programme ever screened in primetime". Despite the negative critical response, it achieved reasonable ratings and was recommissioned for a second series, before being cancelled in 2014.

Concern was shown for Daley's role in the show by the head of British Swimming David Sparkes, who claimed that Daley was in danger of putting his media work before his sporting career, and possibly hampering his chances of a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Andy Banks, Daley's coach at Plymouth Diving and British Swimming and judge on the show, disagreed with Sparkes' criticism, stating his concerns that such negative comments might take the fun out of diving for Daley and indeed drive him away from the sport altogether to pursue his media career. Daley eventually won a bronze medal in the men's synchronized platform dive in the 2016 Games.

Heat 3 contestant Tina Malone made negative comments in an interview with Liverpool radio station Juice FM several days before her appearance on the show. She called Splash! and other reality shows "garbage", as well as stating that "it's the big fat cheques that make me happy", in reference to the fact she appears in such TV shows only for the financial reward.

International versions

A US version, under the title Splash, premiered on 19 March 2013, from the Riverside Aquatics Complex at Riverside City College and Pasadena's Rose Bowl Aquatics Center on ABC television. The US version features 2012 Olympic 10m diving champion David Boudia and American diving legend Greg Louganis as judges. The Seven Network in Australia also commissioned Celebrity Splash! which aired in 2013. In 2015, a Lithuanian version of the show, called Šuolis, premiered on TV3.

References

References

1. (31 October 2012). "Olympic star Tom Daley launches celebrity diving show". [[Newsbeat]].
2. (4 January 2013). "Celebs making a splash with Tom". Luton Today.
3. Sweney, Mark. (7 January 2013). "Tom Daley proves he's chairman of the board with solid debut for Splash!". [[The Guardian]].
4. Walker-Arnott, Ellie. (4 February 2013). "Splash! secures second series". [[Radio Times]].
5. "ITV's Splash! gets the axe after two series". Tellymix.
6. "Celebrity Splash". [[Eyeworks]].
7. "Sterren Springen Op Zaterdag". [[SBS6]].
8. Nissim, Mayer. (4 February 2013). "'Splash!': Tom Daley reality show to return for second series in 2014". [[Digital Spy]].
9. (9 December 2013). "ITV's Splash! 2014 start date set for January 4".
10. Dowell, Ben. (7 January 2013). "Splash! Some TV is so bad it's good". guardian.co.uk.
11. Bryant, Tom. (6 January 2013). "Tom Daley's belly flop: ITV diving show Splash! sunk by fans – yet 6.1m still tune in". [[Daily Mirror]].
12. Jardine, Stephen. (9 January 2013). "Saturday night flop Splash has me diving bored already". [[Daily Record (Scotland).
13. Heritage, Stuart. (5 February 2013). "Splash! returns for a second series - hurrah!". [[The Guardian]].
14. (8 January 2013). "TV show 'could cost Daley medal in Rio'". ESPN.co.uk.
15. Hart, Simon. (9 January 2013). "Tom Daley's coach fears diver may quit sport after latest row over his media commitments". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
16. (9 January 2013). "'Splash!' Contestant Tina Malone Calls Tom Daley's Show 'Garbage'". [[HuffPost]].
17. Grosvenor, Carrie. (26 October 2012). "Stars in Danger: High Diving and Celebrity Splash – Upcoming Shows Full of Awesome". Unreality TV.
18. Patrick Kevin Day. (19 March 2013). "ABC, Louie Anderson take the plunge with 'Splash'". [[Los Angeles Times]].
19. Goldberg, Lesley. (29 November 2012). "Olympian David Boudia to Judge ABC's Celebrity Diving Series (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
20. Knox, David. (16 October 2012). "Seven set to Celebrity Splash into 2013". [[TV Tonight]].