The BBC’s big-money gameshow Prized Apart, hosted by Emma Willis and Reggie Yates, has been axed after one series.
It struggled to draw more than 3 million viewers, despite being scheduled in a prime BBC1 Saturday night slot.
The show involved 10 pairs of contestants being separated, with one remaining in the studio to answer questions and the other being flown to Morocco to take part in “all-action” challenges.
If the jet-setting partner failed their challenge they were sent back to the studio until their other half got enough points to send them back out again.
The ultimate prize was a “life-changing” £100,000.
Prized Apart’s launch was reportedly delayed to avoid a clash with ITV’s ratings juggernaut Britain’s Got Talent, which regularly attracts more than 10 million viewers.
Its debut on 13 June attracted 3.1 million viewers, dipping to 2.5 million three weeks later and finishing with 2.9 million for the final on 25 July.
The show received a mixed reception, with some critics attacking it for lacking thrills, while some viewers claimed it involved excessive travel and was a waste of licence-fee payers’ money.
Its axing comes after the BBC agreed to cover the cost of providing free television licences for the over-75s in a surprise deal that will cost it £750m by 2020, almost a fifth of its current annual income.
A BBC spokeswoman said: “We are proud of Prized Apart and would like to thank everyone involved for their ambition and hard work, but it will not be returning for a second series.”
• This article was amended on 4 August 2015. It originally stated that contestants travelled by private jet but the BBC has said all travel was booked with scheduled airlines.
