Power of 10 (Australian game show)

Power of 10

Company type	Television program
Industry	Television entertainment
Founded	March 31, 2008 (2008-03-31)
Headquarters	Melbourne , Australia
Products	Game show

Power of 10 was a brief Australian game show adapted from the American format developed by Michael Davies. Participants attempted to estimate the correct percentage range of survey results for an opportunity to win prizes up to one million dollars.

The Australian version debuted on 31 March 2008 at 7:30 pm on the Nine Network, with production taking place at Melbourne's GTV-9 studios. Hosting duties were undertaken by Today weather presenter Steven Jacobs. While the game adhered to the original U.S. rules, it featured distinct guaranteed prize thresholds: $100, $1,000, $10,000, $100,000, and $1,000,000, notably excluding the ten million-dollar question.

Although a total of eight episodes were filmed, only two were broadcast before the program was "indefinitely shelved" on 8 April 2008 due to poor audience numbers. The second episode recorded a viewership of merely 521,000 across five major metropolitan areas, losing its Monday night slot to Channel Seven.

History

Steven Jacobs was invited by David Gyngell, CEO of Nine Network, to become the host of Power of 10. His acceptance marked his debut as a solo host in a primetime slot.

Format

The show consisted of two main segments per episode. In the first round, two contestants predicted the percentage of respondents who answered "yes" to nationwide survey questions. The participant whose guess was closest earned a point; the first to reach three points proceeded to Round Two, while the other contestant left empty-handed. The second round provided an opportunity to win up to one million Australian dollars through a series of five comparable questions. For the initial four questions, contestants had to estimate percentages within progressively tighter margins—from ±20% on question one down to ±5% on question four—with prize amounts increasing tenfold for each correct response. Players could choose to stop and take their winnings at any stage; however, an incorrect guess ended the game and forfeited any accumulated prize money. The final question required an exact percentage prediction to claim the million-dollar prize. For every question except the last, an exact match resulted in an immediate $1,000 bonus.

Reception

Debi Enker from The Age delivered a critical assessment of the show, labeling it as a "flawed version of Millionaire" characterized by trivial queries and insignificant answers. While she acknowledged Jacobs as an enthusiastic and personable host, she found the overall format lacking in effectiveness.