Germany’s Sat.1, Endemol Shine start Fridge Wars with Canadian format

Fridge Wars debuted on the CBC in 2020

German free-to-air channel Sat.1 has commissioned a local version of culinary format Fridge Wars.

Banijay-owned Endemol Shine Germany, which optioned the format rights last year, will produce the German version of Fridge Wars, which was co-created and first produced by The Gurin Company and Canadian pubcaster the CBC.

The German show translates as Fridge Open Sesame and will run as six 95-minute episodes, debuting on the ProSiebenSat.1-owned channel in April.

The Sat.1 deal marks the first local adaption of the Canadian format, said the CBC’s director of global distribution Gwen Jones McCauley, adding: “We believe it has enormous potential in localised versions.”

The show, in which two celebrity chef battle against one another to create meals from ingredients taken from the ordinary fridges of typical families, first premiered on the CBC in 2020, before being picked up by US broadcaster The CW shortly afterwards.

The deal with Sat.1 was done directly with CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution and The Gurin Company, and the format is otherwise distributed globally by UK-based distributor Magnify Media.