If you’re eager to get on ‘the floor’, then listen up!
Amid rumours that Season 2 of The Floor is in the works, Channel Nine’s Andrew Peace, who is the network’s creative director of programming and production, tells New Idea that, when it comes to casting, they search for “a cross-section of people to really represent the Australian public”.
Andrew says the casting team take into consideration a wide variety of ages, genders and jobs when looking at applications.
In terms of categories (which Andrew said made things “complicated” while casting Season 1), they like trivia topics that appeal to different groups of people.
“I would invite everybody to come on board. Let’s get New Idea readers on the floor!” Andrew says.
Find out more below about all of the behind-the-scenes secrets you need to know about The Floor.
What is The Floor?
The Floor sees 81 players battling to take over a giant quiz grid by winning head-to-head duels. Although it’s marketed as a local product, only about 40 per cent of the cast was sourced directly from Australia.
With filming done last year in Amsterdam, many of the contestants were recruited from nearby European countries and England to keep costs under control.
All Australian expats were chosen for their charisma, competitive edge and category expertise.
Where is The Floor Australia filmed?
The decision to shoot in the Netherlands was strategic.
The complex set (which has a massive digital floor serving as the playing battleground) has already been used for international versions, so it was significantly cheaper to rent the existing facilities than build a replica Down Under.
A handful of familiar Australian faces did make the journey to Amsterdam for filming, including 2019 Married at First Sight alum Jules Robinson, whose appearance sparked conversation among eagle-eyed viewers.
Production crews already familiar with the format were also engaged to further streamline budgets. Despite whispers that Channel Nine might invest in building a local version of the set, our insider believes that Seasons 2 and 3, if greenlit, will likely be filmed in Amsterdam.
Moving forward, producers are keen to recruit more reality stars to boost the show’s appeal. The hunt is about to begin for more expats residing in neighbouring European countries.
Who is the host of The Floor Australia?
In the US, The Floor is hosted by Rob Lowe. There were rumours that Nine tried to recruit a Hollywood star to host the Aussie version, with our source claiming, “Rodger was not the first choice.”
However, with Rodger at the helm, The Floor Australia has become a ratings hit and looks set to become a fixture on Nine’s schedule for years to come.
Our source added: “Nine would be talking [big] dollars to have Rodger back on The Floor.”
Are The Floor contestants friends?
Host Rodger Corser said all of the players became close during the week-and-a-half of production, and they would even hang out away from the set.
“[That] sometimes made it even more tragic, when they had to go against one of their good buddies on the show,” he told New Idea.
“They had these bonds formed.”
Is studying allowed on The Floor?
The show’s producers encouraged contestants to hit the books when they weren’t filming.
Rodger reveals they’d tell the players: “If you know you are next to a geography person on the squares, go home and study it. Like, you are probably going to be up against that person if they’re close to you on the board, so you may as well go cram.”
