Promising Game Show Canceled, Insider Reveals

The U.K. game show The Void will probably never get an American adaptation. ITV reportedly canceled the show after just one season this weekend. ITV has canceled several game shows in recent months, including the long-running The X Factor in July. The network is home to the U.K. version of The Masked Singer, which has been as big a hit there as the American version is in the U.S.

The Void debuted in July and was hosted by Fleur East and Ashley Banjo. It involved contestants putting themselves through physically and mentally demanding challenges, while also trying not to fall into the titular void, a giant tank of water in the show’s studio. The winner of the main challenges then has to succeed in one more challenge for a shot at a £25,000 (about $34,300) prize, reports The Sun. The show was produced by the same team that made The Cube, which did get an American version that aired on TBS with Dwayne Wade hosting.

While The Cube ran 10 seasons, The Void was not as lucky. “After some discussions, bosses have decided not to commission another series of The Void,” an insider told The Daily Star. “There are currently no plans to bring the show back.” The new show’s season premiere drew 2.4 million viewers, but it continued to decline as the season went on. “Technically it could come back at some point, but that seems pretty unlikely,” the insider added.

The Void follows other recent game show failures on U.K. television, including ITV’s Five Gold Rings, Channel 4’s The Crystal Maze, and the BBC’s Bank Balance. In July, insiders told The Sun that Simon Cowell’s The X Factor is also getting the axe after its last seasons earned declining ratings. The X Factor last aired in 2018 and there are no plans to bring it back. Cowell’s next U.K. series is Walk The Line, which will also air on ITV and features contestants showing off their talents for a panel of judges. At the end of each episode, the top contestants can either take home a cash prize or move on in the hopes of winning big. An ITV source described the show as a “musical version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.”