Head 2 Head
Encyclopedia
Head 2 Head was a sports quiz show
that aired on ABC TV
in Australia
between 18 February and 9 December 2006 and broadcast on Saturday evenings initially at 6 pm, then at 5 pm. The show was hosted by Ashley Bradnam and produced by Nick Price
.
In the first quarter, competitors would answer ten general questions, all of which were either multiple choice
or 'true or false'. One point was awarded for a correct answer and there was no penalty for an incorrect answer.
In the second quarter, competitors would answer up to twenty questions on a specialty topic in a maximum period of two minutes. The topics would be chosen by the contestants several weeks prior to the show. As with the first quarter, one point was awarded for a correct answer and there was no penalty for an incorrect answer.
The third quarter lasts two minutes and is a more traditional quiz show 'buzzer round', again with general sports questions. One point is awarded for a correct answer but one point is now lost for an incorrect answer.
In the first six episodes of Pool A, the third quarter contained longer "Who am I?" questions. For these questions only, if a contestant answered incorrectly, the other player was given the rest of the clues and the chance to answer.
The fourth quarter is identical to the third except that two points are awarded for a correct answer and two points are deducted for an incorrect answer.
If points were equal after four quarters, there was to be a tie-breaker system similar to a football penalty shootout, however none of the games finished in a tie.
The hot seat was a red chair on a platform in which the competitor would sit during the first and second quarters.
At the end of each game, the losing contestant would be sent back down the challenger's tunnel while the winner would hold up the Championship Belt and show it to the crowd.
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
.
The winner of Pool B (29 July - 2 December 2006) won a trip for two to the 2007 Australian Open
tennis men's and ladies singles finals at Melbourne Park.
The winner of the Grand Final (9 December 2006) won a trip for two the 2007 Wimbledon Championships
men's and ladies singles finals.
Every contestant on the show received a $50 ABC Shop voucher.
who defeated George Magoulias of New South Wales
48-37. Viles won 7 games during the series and Magoulias won 5.
The Pool B Final was won by Rob Caskie of the ACT
who defeated Shane Jackman of Victoria
52-39. Caskie won 6 games during the series and Jackman won his only appearance before the Pool B Final.
In the Grand Final, Caskie defeated Viles 46-33.
, the same town in which cricketer Don Bradman was born.
Pool A Champion Daniel Viles is a regular guest of Richard Fidler
on 612 ABC Brisbane
.
Paul Lorraway, who lost to Viles during Pool A, was the series winner of Sport in Question, ABC TV
's previous attempt at a sports quiz show
in 1986.
Jonathon Makai who also lost to Viles in pool A went on to become host of the "Jono and Von Breakfast Show" on Magic 89.9 in Port Lincoln. He is currently a freelance writer and broadcaster based in London.
Despite the Head 2 Head Grand Final being promoted as happening on "the famous first Saturday in December", it eventually aired on the second Saturday in December after the ABC chose to broadcast a netball Test match in October during Head 2 Head's timeslot, thus pushing the entire schedule back one week.
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
that aired on ABC TV
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
between 18 February and 9 December 2006 and broadcast on Saturday evenings initially at 6 pm, then at 5 pm. The show was hosted by Ashley Bradnam and produced by Nick Price
Nick Price
Nicholas Raymond Leige Price is a South African-Zimbabwean Professional golfer and an inductee in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Background:...
.
Quiz format
The show format was for two contestants to answers sports trivia questions over four 'quarters'.In the first quarter, competitors would answer ten general questions, all of which were either multiple choice
Multiple choice
Multiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
or 'true or false'. One point was awarded for a correct answer and there was no penalty for an incorrect answer.
In the second quarter, competitors would answer up to twenty questions on a specialty topic in a maximum period of two minutes. The topics would be chosen by the contestants several weeks prior to the show. As with the first quarter, one point was awarded for a correct answer and there was no penalty for an incorrect answer.
The third quarter lasts two minutes and is a more traditional quiz show 'buzzer round', again with general sports questions. One point is awarded for a correct answer but one point is now lost for an incorrect answer.
In the first six episodes of Pool A, the third quarter contained longer "Who am I?" questions. For these questions only, if a contestant answered incorrectly, the other player was given the rest of the clues and the chance to answer.
The fourth quarter is identical to the third except that two points are awarded for a correct answer and two points are deducted for an incorrect answer.
If points were equal after four quarters, there was to be a tie-breaker system similar to a football penalty shootout, however none of the games finished in a tie.
Competition format
Each pool would consist of 17 games with the winner returning to defend their title the following week. The 18th week of each series was the Pool Final in which the carryover champion would play against the person with the most wins during the series. The winners of the two Pool Finals would then play off in the Grand Final.Show features
After the opening monologue from Ashley Bradnam, the defending champion would walk down his or her tunnel with the Championship Belt, a large boxing or wrestling style belt with the Head 2 Head logo emblazoned on it. The challenger would then enter from the other tunnel.The hot seat was a red chair on a platform in which the competitor would sit during the first and second quarters.
At the end of each game, the losing contestant would be sent back down the challenger's tunnel while the winner would hold up the Championship Belt and show it to the crowd.
Additional segments
- Degrees from the Don - often humorous segment based on the Six Degrees of SeparationSix degrees of separationSix degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer...
theory. Various celebrities are linked to Don Bradman through often spurious links. - What Happened Next? - a famous (or infamous) piece of sporting footage is played, the film is frozen, rewound slightly and then played forward revealing what happened next.
- That's Not Right - footage and explanation for historic controversial sporting events
Celebrity matches
In between the Pool A Final and the start of Pool B, five shows featuring celebrities, sporting and otherwise, were shown.- Tamsyn LewisTamsyn LewisTamsyn Carolyn Lewis is an Australian athlete and middle-distance runner, who has won a total of seventeen Australian Championships at 400 metres, 800 metres and 400m hurdles....
v Clinton HillClinton Hill (athlete)Clinton Hill is an Australian athlete. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, his family moved to Australia in 1997. He became an Australian citizen in June 2000 and was selected for the national 400 metres team.... - Luke DarcyLuke DarcyLuke Darcy is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Western Bulldogs who now juggles roles in media and administration.-Early life:...
v Wil AndersonWil AndersonWilliam James "Wil" Anderson is an Australian comedian, writer, performing stand-up, and television and radio presenter and personality.- Early life :... - Mikey RobinsMikey RobinsMikel Mason "Mikey" Robins is an Australian media personality, comedian and writer. He is best-known for the satirical game show Good News Week, which ran on the ABC and Network Ten between 1996 and 2000, and returned again when the series was resurrected in February 2008.-Personal life/health...
v Steve Abbott - Jason StevensJason StevensJason Anthony Stevens is a former professional rugby league footballer who represented his country and state. He primarily played at prop...
v Kevin WaltersKevin WaltersKevin David Walters is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant coach for NRL club Melbourne Storm. He joined them from French club Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League as their head coach. Before that he was head coach of the... - Tony SquiresTony SquiresTony Squires is an Australian media personality, currently presenting the sport report on Seven News in Sydney. He is perhaps best known as the presenter of the comic sport news show The Fat, which ran on ABC television from 2000 to 2003....
v Rebecca WilsonRebecca WilsonRebecca Wilson is an Australian media personality, known mainly for her reporting on sport.-Career:Wilson has worked in both the newspaper and television industry for over 20 years...
Prizes
The winner of Pool A (18 February - 17 June 2006) won a trip for two to the 2006 AFL Grand Final2006 AFL Grand Final
The 2006 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 2006. It was the 110th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, staged to...
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
.
The winner of Pool B (29 July - 2 December 2006) won a trip for two to the 2007 Australian Open
2007 Australian Open
The 2007 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australia from 15 January until 28 January 2007.The total prize pool was set at exactly A$20 million, with the winners of both the men's and women's singles competition each receiving A$1,281,000. Over 500 players...
tennis men's and ladies singles finals at Melbourne Park.
The winner of the Grand Final (9 December 2006) won a trip for two the 2007 Wimbledon Championships
2007 Wimbledon Championships
The 2007 Wimbledon Championships were held between 25 June and 8 July 2007. For the first time there was equal prize money for the men's and women's singles champions. Reconstruction work on Centre Court was in progress and thus it had no roof....
men's and ladies singles finals.
Every contestant on the show received a $50 ABC Shop voucher.
Winners
The Pool A Final was won by Daniel Viles of QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
who defeated George Magoulias of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
48-37. Viles won 7 games during the series and Magoulias won 5.
The Pool B Final was won by Rob Caskie of the ACT
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
who defeated Shane Jackman of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
52-39. Caskie won 6 games during the series and Jackman won his only appearance before the Pool B Final.
In the Grand Final, Caskie defeated Viles 46-33.
Contestant Information
Head 2 Head Champion Rob Caskie was born in Cootamundra, New South WalesCootamundra, New South Wales
Cootamundra is a town and Local Government Area in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. At the 2006 census, Cootamundra had a population of 5,566. It is located on the Olympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, between Junee and...
, the same town in which cricketer Don Bradman was born.
Pool A Champion Daniel Viles is a regular guest of Richard Fidler
Richard Fidler
Richard Fidler is a well-known Australian Republican and Australian ABC TV and radio presenter. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as a member of the Doug Anthony All Stars , an Australian musical comedy group also comprising Tim Ferguson and Paul McDermott...
on 612 ABC Brisbane
612 ABC Brisbane
612 ABC Brisbane is an ABC Local Radio station in Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of the largest stations in the network, serving as a base for Queensland programming - many programs are broadcast across the ABC Local Radio network in regional and rural areas of Queensland when those stations are...
.
Paul Lorraway, who lost to Viles during Pool A, was the series winner of Sport in Question, ABC TV
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
's previous attempt at a sports quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
in 1986.
Jonathon Makai who also lost to Viles in pool A went on to become host of the "Jono and Von Breakfast Show" on Magic 89.9 in Port Lincoln. He is currently a freelance writer and broadcaster based in London.
Despite the Head 2 Head Grand Final being promoted as happening on "the famous first Saturday in December", it eventually aired on the second Saturday in December after the ABC chose to broadcast a netball Test match in October during Head 2 Head's timeslot, thus pushing the entire schedule back one week.