This was published 3 years ago
New show is a game of skill but packs emotion that makes Matt Shirvington cry
ULTIMATE TAG
Tuesday 7.30pm, Seven
Of all the athletes in the Olympic stadium, sprinters are the most confident. They have to be, says sports broadcaster, Matt Shirvington, Australia’s second fastest runner (after Jack Hale), and co-host, along with his Seven Sports colleagues, Abbey Gelmi and veteran Bill Woods, of Seven’s latest obstacle game show, Ultimate Tag.
Ultimate Tag hosts Abbey Gelmi and Matt Shirvington.Credit:
“In a 100-metre race, you can’t get anything wrong,” says Shirvington. “It’s a 10-second race. If you make one mistake, it’s over. So you have to be supremely confident in your ability. If you go in with any lack of confidence or any insecurity, you’ll be exposed.”
The same applies, he says, to the players up against the “Pro Taggers” in Ultimate Tag, an American concept based on the perennial playground game, filmed at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.
“In this game, if you take a wrong step, if you hesitate, you’ll get caught and exposed, and that’s exactly what happens a number of times. The confident ones, the ones who think positively, that react quickly, are the successful ones. Our tagline is, ‘It’s the fastest show on television’. Being an ex-sprinter – I was on the Australian team for 15 years – it was great to be involved in a show that blurs the lines between sport and entertainment and reality. The speed element of it is critical. The players themselves are so athletic. The Pro Taggers are elite. They do things with their bodies that you just have not seen before and it will blow your mind. There’s an element of parkour, which is a freedom to be able to do whatever you want in an urban environment.”
A snapshot of the players includes a single mother, a bank manager and a disability care worker. The Pro Taggers, with names like Avalanche, Cyclone, Fire Starter and the Dominator, typically have gymnastics and parkour experience. The David and Goliath subtext cannot be underestimated; the players’ personal incentives an overriding factor in the commentary.
“I won’t single anyone out, but there are a handful [of players] that definitely resonate with their storylines. I’ll be brutally honest: I cried more than half a dozen times. Down on the competition floor, I struggled to hold the tears back. There are some unbelievably emotional stories and motivations for people, and not for just themselves or their own challenges, but for friends and family.”
Shirvington credits US actor, Rob Riggle (Modern Family) his co-commentator on Seven’s recently concluded mini-golf game show, Holey Moley, with teaching him the tricks of the light entertainment trade.
“[Riggle] is an absolute lunatic. I learnt a lot of humility from him. He could have been a real diva, but to be honest, I was just awestruck by his humility. He’s a regular guy.”
After their first meeting at the fitting for their “mustard yellow jackets”, the pair spent the next six hours at the pub watching the NRL.
“It couldn’t have been better than that. What I learnt from him was, he has such good timing. He can really read a situation well and apply his comedy to it. His greatest skill set is his improvisation. That’s why my job was easy, because I just kept prodding him and asking questions and peeling back the layers, and he would just keep coming back with comedy gold every time I opened the gates for him.”
With his newfound comedy skills and his sprinter’s confidence, Shirvington’s foray into presenting is unlikely to end with Ultimate Tag.
“It’s like anything: experience and preparation breed confidence. When I was an athlete, the thing I took most pride in was working harder than my competitors. I apply the same thing here. I like to be prepared. Especially in television, the more experience you have, the more depth of understanding of the industry, the better it serves you.”
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