The power-hungry contestants can win up to £100,000 on this new Channel 4 show.

By Lauren Morris

Published: Sunday, 19 March 2023 at 12:00 am

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Making its Channel 4 debut tonight is Rise and Fall – a brand new reality competition hosted by Greg James and created by the makers of The Traitors.

Described as “a reality version of the movie Parasite”, Rise and Fall tests how far a group of 16 contestants would go to hold power, with the group being split into Rulers and Grafters.

While the Grafters will be building the prize pot by competing in gruelling challenges, just one of the Rulers will be taking home up to £100,000 at the end of the process.

Airing every week night this week, the show is set to explore inequity over the course of 18 episodes – but how does the game work?

Here’s everything you need to know about the rules of Rise and Fall ahead of its premiere tonight.

Rise and Fall rules 

Rise and Fall takes 16 ordinary people and asks them to sort themselves into two groups: the Grafters – who’ll be living in a dingy basement and must take part in challenges to build the prize pot – and the Rulers, who make decisions affecting their underlings and will ultimately win the money.

Throughout the show, Grafters will be given opportunities to join those at the top, while the Rulers will vote for which of their fellow players in the penthouse should leave the competition for good.

“The cash prize starts at zero and only builds if challenges devised by those in power are completed by those who are not,” Channel 4 teases.

“Those at the bottom must find a way to make it to the top, as only the most powerful and influential can win the game.”

The show is filmed in a central London high rise building, with the Grafters living in squalor in the basement with little sunlight, prison-style beds and cold showers, while the Rulers live in a luxurious apartment, complete with a hot tub, picturesque views of the city skyline and champagne.

How do you win Rise and Fall? 

While there will undoubtedly be twists and turns along the way, those hoping to leave the show with the prize money will need to make it to the Rulers’ penthouse first.

Once they’re there and in the Red Room – where all the decisions are made – they must manage to hold onto their Ruler status until the end of the show, at which point one Ruler will be the recipient of the money.

Rise and Fall prize money 

The Grafters will need to build up the prize pot over the course of the show, however they can accumulate up to £100,000 over the course of several weeks.

While it’s the Grafters who are taking part in challenges to raise money, they won’t be receiving it, with just one Ruler taking home the prize pot at the end of the show.