# Rise and Fall (TV series)

Rise and Fall is a British reality television series broadcast on Channel 4, which premiered on 19 March 2023 and was hosted by Greg James.
Sixteen contestants divided themselves into the "Rulers" and the "Grafters". While the Rulers lived in a luxury penthouse making the decisions, the Grafters lived in the basement, carrying out tasks to win money for the prize pot. In each episode, the Rulers voted on one of their number to be eliminated from the game and one (or more) of the Grafters had a chance to move up to the penthouse to join them. The winner was chosen from the Rulers at the end of the series to win the prize pot of up to £100,000.
The first episode was broadcast at 9pm on Sunday 19 March 2023; subsequently episodes were broadcast at 10pm on weekday evenings before being available for streaming on All 4.

## Format

Sixteen contestants arrive at a building in central London and, after briefly getting to know one another, have to decide amongst themselves who becomes a "Ruler" and who remains as a "Grafter". Rulers take the lift to a luxury penthouse, while the Grafters remain in the no-frills basement. The series winner will be eventually chosen from the Rulers to win the prize pot of up to £100,000.
The Rulers are responsible for making decisions about how to get the best from the Grafters, who complete tasks to make money for the prize pot. Two Rulers also face an additional challenge to pick four Grafters to do overtime, motivating their teams by each setting a production target in the overtime task.
At the end of each second episode, the Rulers have to vote on which ruler leaves the game. One or more of the Grafters then has a chance to join the Rulers and move to the penthouse. New "Grafters" regularly join the Basement as the series goes on, to make up the numbers.

## Production

Channel 4 ordered Rise and Fall from production company, Studio Lambert, in August 2022. An application was made in November 2022 to film the series at Southbank Tower in central London, but filming eventually took place in London's 1927 55 Broadway tower.
Presenter Greg James made a telephone call to The Traitors' presenter, Claudia Winkleman, for advice about how to approach the presentation of the series.
During the series, contestants were filmed 24 hours a day.
The soundtrack for the series was composed by Patrizio Knight, who had previously worked on Studio Lambert franchise The Circle. Voice-over artist Emma Clarke provided the voice of The Lift.
In June 2023 Channel 4 announced they were considering axing a second series, citing the cost of filming, mistakes made filming with a fast turnaround and the show's lack of success in comparison with BBC's The Traitors. This was confirmed in January 2024.

## Contestants

Rise and Fall contestants :
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Entered | Exited | Status |
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Entered | Exited | Status | Eddy Fulford | 27 | Devon | Account manager, from an aristocratic family | Episode 1 | Episode 18 | Winner |
| Sydney Nicholson | 24 | West Lothian | Delivery driver and student | Episode 1 | Episode 18 | Runner-up |
| Matt Tacey | 32 | Midlands | Nurse | Episode 1 | Episode 18 | 3rd Place |
| Moses Ldn | 24 | London | Physical trainer | Episode 5 | Episode 18 | 4th Place |
| Ramona Shabla | 34 | London | Chief executive of hospitality and technology businesses | Episode 1 | Episode 2 | 5th Place |
| Ramona Shabla | 34 | London | Chief executive of hospitality and technology businesses | Episode 9 | Episode 18 | 5th Place |
| Rossi Woods | 39 | Shipdham | TikTok star | Episode 2 | Episode 18 | 6th Place |
| Rachel Salvador | 27 | London | Social media influencer | Episode 1 | Episode 18 | Finished in basement |
| Connor Fisher | 27 | Kent | Working with the elderly and disabled | Episode 1 | Episode 18 | Finished in basement |
| Sam Larbi | 30 | London | Software engineer | Episode 12 | Episode 18 | Finished in basement |
| Isaak Dalglish | 24 | Standish | Paralympic badminton player | Episode 5 | Episode 17 | Eliminated |
| Sophie Corcoran | 21 | Essex | Student and member of the Young Conservatives. GB News commentator. | Episode 1 | Episode 16 | Eliminated |
| Joas Neto | 38 | London (originally Brazil) | PR researcher | Episode 12 | Episode 14 | Ejected |
| Jack Woods | 28 | Hertfordshire | Construction worker and semi-professional footballer | Episode 1 | Episode 14 | Eliminated |
| James Allen | 26 | Newport (Wales) | Employment coach | Episode 1 | Episode 12 | Eliminated |
| Jeff Salmon | 69 | London | Art dealer and businessman, an expert on the TV programme Four Rooms. | Episode 1 | Episode 12 | Eliminated |
| Cheryl Roberts | 40 | Liverpool | Student and former support worker | Episode 1 | Episode 10 | Eliminated |
| Joanna Henderson | 50 | Suffolk | Interior designer | Episode 1 | Episode 9 | Walked |
| Marina Pownall | 18 | London | Aspiring actor | Episode 1 | Episode 8 | Eliminated |
| Rishika Bhalla | 26 | Birmingham | Running a charity | Episode 1 | Episode 6 | Eliminated |
| Prince Sho | 39 | Hertfordshire, originally from Sierra Leone | Postal worker | Episode 1 | Episode 4 | Eliminated |
| Ali Melin | 45 | Essex | Restaurant owner and businessman | Episode 1 | Episode 1 | Walked |
Sixteen contestants initially entered the building:
Ali left in episode 1, after finding out he was to become a Grafter.
Joanna left the show in episode 9 on medical grounds, after suffering a trapped nerve in her arm.
Ramona, who had been the first Ruler to be voted out of the game in the first few days of the show, re-entered the game as a Grafter in episode 9.
In episode 13, after walking away from the show, Connor rejoined the show as a Grafter the morning after his departure.
Joas was ejected from the show in episode 14, after throwing a glass of water over Sophie during an argument.

## Episodes

Six episodes were broadcast in the first week Sunday 19 March to Friday 24 March. These would be followed by four shows a week, at 10pm Monday to Thursday, for a further three weeks; there will be 18 episodes in total.
The final would be broadcast on Thursday 13 April.

### The Final

For the final, all the previous eliminated Rulers returned to the programme to take part with the remaining Grafters.
Six rulers were in the penthouse for the final: Ramona, Rossi, Eddy, Moses, Sydney and Matt. Rossi was the first to lose his place, following a task which involved the other contestants becoming 'bricklayers'. Each ruler chose someone to work for them, filling six boxes with coloured bricks. Rossi lost by one brick.
The remaining five rulers gradually eliminated one another from the game. Ramona was voted out next, but in a surprise twist found she had the power to vote out the next Ruler. She chose Moses, who was then given the power to choose who came third. He chose Matt. Eddy and Sydney were left as the final two. Ramona, Moses and Matt had to decide between them who deserved to be the winner. They chose Eddy, who walked away with the £85,610 prize pot.

## Voting history

Votes took place amongst the Rulers in every other episode, to decide which one of them would leave the game.
| Episode | 1/2 | 3/4 | 5/6 | 7/8 | 7/8 | 9/10 | 11/12 | 11/12 | 13/14 | 15/16 | 17/18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Ruler Voted out | Ramona | Prince | Rishika | Rachel | Marina | Cheryl | Matt | Jeff, James | Jack | Sophie | Isaak | Ramona | Moses | Matt | none |
| Vote | 3-2-1 | 3-3 | 3-2-1 | Connor's Choice | 2-2-1 | 4-2 | Rossi's Choice | 3-3 | Grafter's Choice | 3-2 | 5-1-1 | 3-1-1 | Ramona's Choice | Moses' Choice | none |
| Nominated Grafters | Marina, Connor | James, Jeff | Connor, Jeff | none | Jack, Jeff, Sydney | Moses, Rossi | none | Sydney, Sophie | Eddy, Sophie, Isaak | Isaak, Ramona, Matt | none | none | none | none | none |
| Eddy | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Rossi | Isaak | Moses | No vote | No vote | Winner (Episode 18) |
| Sydney | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | No vote | Sophie | Isaak | Ramona | No vote | No vote | Runner-up (Episode 18) |
| Matt | Ramona | Prince | Rachel | No vote | Marina | Connor | Demoted (Episode 11) | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Isaak | Ramona | No vote | No vote | Third place (Episode 18) |
| Moses | Not in Game | Not in Game | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | No vote | James | No vote | Sophie | Isaak | Ramona | No vote | Matt | Fourth place (Episode 18) |
| Ramona | Rachel | Eliminated (Episode 2) | Eliminated (Episode 2) | Eliminated (Episode 2) | Eliminated (Episode 2) | Returned (Episode 9) | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Matt | Matt | Moses | Fifth place (Episode 18) | Fifth place (Episode 18) |
| Rossi | Not in Game | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Matt to Demote | Jeff | No vote | Sophie | Isaak | Sixth place (Episode 18) | Sixth place (Episode 18) | Sixth place (Episode 18) | Sixth place (Episode 18) |
| Isaak | Not in Game | Not in Game | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Nominated to Rise | Rossi | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) |
| Sam | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) |
| Connor | Nominated to Rise | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Rachel to Demote | Matt Marina | Cheryl | No vote | James | Returned to Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) |
| Rachel | Ramona | Cheryl | Marina | Demoted (Episode 7) | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) | Eliminated (Episode 17) |
| Sophie | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Nominated to Rise | Rossi | Eliminated (Episode 16) | Eliminated (Episode 16) | Eliminated (Episode 16) | Eliminated (Episode 16) | Eliminated (Episode 16) |
| Joas | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | Not in Game | In Basement | In Basement | Ejected (Episode 14) | Ejected (Episode 14) | Ejected (Episode 14) | Ejected (Episode 14) | Ejected (Episode 14) | Ejected (Episode 14) |
| Jack | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Cheryl | No vote | Jeff | No vote | Eliminated (Episode 14) | Eliminated (Episode 14) | Eliminated (Episode 14) | Eliminated (Episode 14) | Eliminated (Episode 14) | Eliminated (Episode 14) |
| James | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Rishika | No vote | Marina | Cheryl | No vote | Jeff | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) |
| Jeff | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Nominated to Rise | In Basement | Nominated to Rise | Cheryl | No vote | James | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) | Eliminated (Episode 12) |
| Cheryl | Rachel | Prince | Rishika | No vote | James | Connor | Eliminated (Episode 10) | Eliminated (Episode 10) | Eliminated (Episode 10) | Eliminated (Episode 10) | Eliminated (Episode 10) | Eliminated (Episode 10) | Eliminated (Episode 10) | Eliminated (Episode 10) | Eliminated (Episode 10) |
| Joanna | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | In Basement | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) | Walked (Episode 9) |
| Marina | Nominated to Rise | Prince | Rishika | No vote | Matt | Eliminated (Episode 8) | Eliminated (Episode 8) | Eliminated (Episode 8) | Eliminated (Episode 8) | Eliminated (Episode 8) | Eliminated (Episode 8) | Eliminated (Episode 8) | Eliminated (Episode 8) | Eliminated (Episode 8) | Eliminated (Episode 8) |
| Rishika | Ramona | Cheryl | Marina | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) | Eliminated (Episode 6) |
| Prince | Cheryl | Cheryl | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) | Eliminated (Episode 4) |
| Ali | In Basement | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) | Walked (Episode 1) |
Key
    Remained in the basement.
    Nominated to go up to the penthouse.
    Was asked to go down to the basement.
    As the new Ruler, the contestant could not be voted for but could still vote. Received the casting vote Changed vote
    Received the chance to pick who was to fall to the basement.
    Did not receive a vote due to vote being given to one person only.
Notes
* ↑ As the new ruler, Marina decided which contestant to eliminate.
* ↑ As the new ruler, Connor decided which contestant to eliminate.
* ↑ Rossi and Sydney tied for second in the rise vote. As the person with the most rise votes Moses got to decide who would go up with him. He chose Rossi.
* 1 2 Eddy and Sophie, despite being new rulers, were not immune in the elimination vote.
* ↑ Matt became the last Grafter to rise by cleaning the most plates in the final work shift.
* 1 2 Following Ramona's elimination, she joined the Board and had to choose one Ruler to eliminate and join her. She chose Moses, who then chose Matt to also sit on the Board. The three Board members had to collectively decide who would win.

## Critical reception

The Guardian reviewer described the series as "The Apprentice Traitors Big Brother" and gave 3 out of 5 stars, concluding that "so far there are no revealing interactions between the proles and the blinged-up bosses, nothing to compete with the psychological subtlety and strain of The Traitors’ extended bluffs. Beneath that shiny veneer of newness is an old-fashioned, backstabbing bunfight between unlikable people – entertaining, yes, but business as usual."
The reviewer from The Telegraph described Rise and Fall as "The Traitors’ garish little cousin", adding that "contestants in the The Traitors had to do mean things but it was always just a game; here, you suspect that some of them just aren’t very nice people." The Telegraph gave the show 2 out of 5 marks.
The Lancashire Post concluded that Rise and Fall was "not immediately gripping, but as time goes by the dynamic becomes more and more fascinating, and especially after this week, you can’t help hoping for a revolution".
At the end of the first week, The Observer described Rise and Fall as trying to be "a primetime TV treatise on capitalism and power". It criticised it for too many of the contestants being "hyper-camera-aware wannabes" and the tasks as "Torture TV" that would put off families from watching.
After the end of the second week, The Tab highlighted the lack of diversity amongst the Rulers, suggesting that 'unconscious bias' was having an effect. All four ethnic minority rulers had been voted out, followed by the remaining two women, leaving all six rulers as white men. The Tab concluded that "the show right now has a real problem and looks questionable".

## Polish version

It was revealed in July 2023 that TVN Warner Bros. Discovery Group had obtained the rights to the Rise and Fall format and Constantin Entertainment Polska had begun looking for contestants for a Polish version of the show, called Na szczyt (meaning To the Top).