'Weakest Link' hit by cheating claims

TVB says it will make contestants sign a letter promising to stick by the rules

HONG KONG, China -- Contestants on the Hong Kong version of the hit game show The Weakest Link are being investigated for cheating, reports said Wednesday.

According to the South China Morning Post, TVB, the production company behind the Hong Kong show is looking at claims that four players conspired to oust opponents so they could share the prize money.

TVB, which only launched the show on Monday, said it was examining video recordings of the show to see if the allegations could be substantiated.

The accusation came from a 42-year-old civil servant who said he overheard the backstage plotting between four of the eight contestants about to take part in the show.

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The man, who was himself auditioning for an appearance as a contestant, says the four hatched a plot in which the winner among them would take half the prize money and the other three would share the remainder.

He said the group later voted the other players off.

In the game eight contestants play against the host voting off one player after each round.

Huge hit

Confirming that an investigation was underway, a TVB spokeswoman told the Post new regulations would be put in place and contestants would be made to sign a letter promising not to break the rules.

The Weakest Link has been a huge hit for the BBC in the UK, which devised the concept and has sold the rights to produce local versions to television companies around the world.

Recently a special episode of the show -- famous for the "ice-maden" image of its female hosts and the caustic trademark saying "you are the weakest link, goodbye" -- won more viewers than the opening of the UK football Premiership broadcast on the BBC's main domestic rival.

The charges come as ratings for the first show give it a head start over the Hong Kong version of another global game show phenomenon, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, pulling in about a quarter of the viewing audience.

Both shows are broadcast in the same prime time slot by rival TV channels.

'Too tense'

However, despite the show's initial success in Hong Kong, several viewers said they were put off it by the severe personality of host, Hong Kong movie star Dodo Cheng Yue-ling.

"The atmosphere was too tense," the Post quoted one viewer as saying, "and the host was a bit harsh on the contestants, which made me feel uneasy."

A sociologist quoted by the paper on Tuesday said he expected that Who Wants to be a Millionaire? might in the end prove to have the winning formula for Hong Kong because it has a positive message and because it shows adventurous players 'taking the plunge to answer a difficult question."

"The spirit is what is needed in a financial city like Hong Kong" Dr Chan Kin-man was quoted as saying.

He said The Weakest Link, on the other hand, with its emphasis on player voting out their rivals might ultimately turn viewers off because it reminded them of the dark side of a competitive society.