Don’t laugh. Thinkfactory Media has announced that Larry the Cable Guy will host a new comedy game show, Hide the Smile.
The variety show is based on a popular Finnish game show.
Hide the Smile will feature contestants trying not to laugh amid a series of games and sketches for the goal of a cash prize. Neither a network nor a premiere date for the show has been announced yet.
Read the announcement below:
Los Angeles, CA (January 5, 2016) – Thinkfactory Media today announced that it has finalized a U.S. licensing deal for the successful international game show format HIDE THE SMILE. To be hosted by superstar comedian Larry the Cable Guy, the program will be executive produced by Thinkfactory Media’s Adam Reed, Adam Freeman, Leslie Greif, Larry the Cable Guy and Maggie Houlehan.
Through a unique mashup of game show, stage entertainment and comedy sketches, HIDE THE SMILE challenges contestants to keep a straight face and hold back laughter in an effort to win cash, as they are put in the midst of scripted sketches performed by a professional comedy troupe. Taped in front of a live studio audience, the show features bizarre scenarios, outlandish costumes and surprise celebrity guests, all designed to ratchet up the comedy pressure and make it harder for contestants not to crack a smile.
A long-running mainstream success on Finland’s main television channel, YLE, HIDE THE SMILE has also been adapted for a tween audience in Canada for youth channel Vrak, and was licensed in Ukraine. Thinkfactory licensed HIDE THE SMILE from London-based, Small World IFT Distribution and the format was created by Yellow Films/Story Of… out of Finland.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Larry the Cable guy to bring HIDE THE SMILE to U.S. audiences after the format has received so much success in other territories,” said Adam Reed, Executive Vice President, Thinkfactory Media. “We all know how hard it can be to keep a poker face, and this program will test the stamina and determination of contestants in a way that is sure to have audiences breaking their own smiles and bursting with laughter.”
What do you think? Would you watch Hide the Smile? Are you a fan of Larry the Cable Guy?