Tempting Fortune season 1: release date, contestants, locations and an exclusive interview with Paddy McGuinness

In Tempting Fortune season 1 a dozen strangers agree to a grueling 18-day trek in South Africa in the hope of sharing £300,000 at the finish line. However, this being a Channel 4 challenge show with a big prize pot, delicious and eye-wateringly expensive temptations are thrown in their path. 

What To Watch talks to Tempting Fortune presenter Paddy McGuinness to get the inside story on the twists and turns in store for contestants…

Tempting Fortune season 1 — release date

Tempting Fortune kicks off on Sunday, March 26 2023 at 9 pm on Channel 4. 

Showing weekly on Sundays and Mondays, the six-episode series will also be available on All4.

Is there a trailer for Tempting Fortune season 1?

Yes, the tantalizing trailer for Tempting Fortune season 1 has been posted on Twitter by production company Voltage TV. Enjoy!

There is also an exciting clip of the first episode below where you can see the contestants discover what they have really let themselves in for... 

Tempting Fortune — the premise

From C4: “Paddy McGuinness presents as 12 strangers give up all luxuries to endure a grueling 18-day trek across the South African wilderness, to reach a shared £300,000 prize at the finish line. 

"The competitors will be given only the most basic equipment and rations to help them on their tortuous journey. But there's a catch: along the way, they'll face a series of incredible temptations designed to entice them into spending their collective prize money on their innermost desires. 

"Who will give in? And more importantly, will they tell their teammates they've spent a chunk of the loot on themselves? When a single shower costs £1000, the bill can rack up quickly…”

As well as expensive temptations, there’s another twist — if anyone leaves the competition, a whopping £25,000 is removed from the prize fund.

Even so, resolve crumbles from the get-go as the reality of living in basic campsites and surviving on basic rations (I’m a Celeb's infamous rice and beans diet) sinks in, and there are ructions over £500 milkshakes, £3000 beds, and much more!

In our interview with Paddy he explained: “Money gets knocked off the £300,000 prize pot every time someone spends something. If anyone leaves the competition £25,000 is taken off!

“It's really tricky for the contestants trying to stick it out when you've got people going on luxury spa breaks and knocking back £500 milkshakes. The trouble is they’ve got to bottle it up in case the person leaves. You see them biting their lip.”

Tempting Fortune season 1 contestants

There’s a varied bunch of contestants taking part in season one of Tempting Fortune, with very different values about how to approach the competition, which makes for compelling viewing. 

Who’s who

Carolynn, 65, a retired trauma nurse.

Lani, 33, a graphic designer.

James, 50, an ex-professional basketball player.

Charlie, 25, a fish and chip shop worker.

Ashton, 28, an event singer. 

Trelwey-Precious, 22, an influencer. 

Tahira, 39, a field organizer. 

Dee, 44, an event caterer. 

Michelle, works in sales. 

Dan, 31, a social worker.

Jack, 22, a content creator. 

Speaking about the contestants Paddy tells us: “In the first episode Lani stands out straight away. She causes drama because she goes against the grain, but when you sit back you do see her side of it. 

"The social experiment side of the show is interesting. Dynamics shift and people’s thought processes change as it goes on. That's why it’s important to have loads of different people from different backgrounds and ages in there because we have different ways of looking at it then. 

"What makes this show different is there’s no element where people get voted off. It’s the opposite, they want them to stay in even if they can’t stand what they’re doing!”

The temptations…

Among the temptations on offer are swapping a shared tent in favor of sleeping in an £8000 Winnebago, reducing the grueling treks by taking a quad bike to the next campsite for a mere £3000 each, £200 cups of tea and coffee, £1000 burgers, or a trip to a safari lodge for £4000 — to name a few!

Paddy reveals some of the temptations are more enticing than others: “There are amazing things like spa hotels, safaris, or being driven to the next destination instead of doing a three-hour trek. Yet the temptations that really divide the group are simple things, like tea and coffee. 

"When you’re in the wilderness on minimal calories and are offered a £600 cup of coffee, it’s like manna from heaven. There’s one particular character, who staunchly said they were never taking a temptation, and what brings them down is a tea bag. No one can resist a cup of tea!”

Rubbing surreal salt into the wound, Paddy often rocks up to the contestants in a black cab!

When we ask Paddy what the thinking behind the cab is he jokes: “I'm still asking the producers and I still haven't got the answer to that. I was like, What's this for?! I think the idea is the temptation is, we'll send a cab to pick you up to drive you to the next destination. But I was the same, what is this black cab doing here?”

Paddy McGuinness on what tempted him to host the series

We’re used to seeing Paddy McGuinness behind the wheel of a flash motor in Top Gear or in a studio presenting A Question of Sport, but the popular TV personality is miles away from his usual work setting in Tempting Fortune…

Paddy says: “It’s strange going from shiny floor entertainment-style shows to Top Gear and now to this, which is a real juxtaposition to pretty much everything I’ve done. For me it's been a different way of making TV. When you’re hosting a show like this, you don’t see a lot of it until later. The contestants are off on their challenges. It’s all unscripted so whatever happens happens. Every day was a surprise. I really enjoyed it.”

Will Tempting Fortune become a viral sensation?

There are expectations that Tempting Fortune will light up social media when it airs.

At the time of talking to Paddy, both he and What To Watch had seen the first episode of Tempting Fortune, but from here on he’s planning on watching the rest of the series as it goes out.

Paddy: “Talking to the producers when we are out there about what people were doing when we were filming, I thought, ‘this is going to get people talking!

"I’m going to watch it with everyone else and then jump on my socials to chat about it!”

The location is an important part of the format

Tempting Fortune was filmed in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, and this beautiful but tough environment is an essential element of the series. 

Paddy explains more: “For viewers I hope it will be an amazing visual experience, but it wasn’t nice for the people taking part; they were roughing it. Getting there involved landing in Johannesburg, taking another flight to a place called East London, followed by a two-hour car drive.  [During filming] a giraffe would walk past you or a horse would go galloping up the beach. It was fantastic.”

Tempting Fortune season 2 — is it in the works?

While a second series of Tempting Fortune has been neither confirmed or denied, Paddy reveals he’s up for more. But it’s not because he was living it up in a hotel while the contestants were trekking, climbing, partying and arguing…

Paddy explains: “I wish that was the case, but we were right out in it, not near anything touristy. I was told if I saw anything crawling about just don’t go near it because it could be poisonous. One night I was in bed reading some scripts when I heard scraping, scurrying and scratching under my mattress. They got the team in to strip the bed - like totally break it apart - and found a family of geckos. For some reason they found comfort in there, and because they’re not doing any harm, I got used to them running around underneath the divan as I was sleeping. So that was my experience!”

But all in all, it’s not put him off a second series…

“Geckos in the bed aside, it was fantastic. I hope that transfers on screen and that it’s nice to see that bit of sunshine on the telly on Sunday and Monday nights. I really enjoyed it and would be up for a second series.”

Tempting Fortune is available to watch on Channel 4 and All4 from 9pm on Sunday, March 26, 2023

WTW verdict: With the human drama, treachery, unexpected alliances and playfulness (host Paddy McGuinness turning up in a black cab, anyone?) the first episode of Tempting Fortune leaves us hungry for more. A worthy rival to The Traitors — which we also loved!

Additional information 

Executive Producer — Sanjay Singhal (Inside the Factory, Amanda and Alan’s Italian Job). Production company — Voltage TV and Roku Originals.