CyberMaster

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CyberMaster
Studio: Ecofilmes, Astrolábio - Produção de Televisão, S.A., Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Number of seasons: 2
Original airdate: 1995-12-02 — 1997-xx-xx
Original channel(s): RTP1
Running time: approx. 23 minutes
Language: Portuguese

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CyberMaster was a Portuguese, challenge-based television show focused exclusively on Sega Saturn and Sega Mega Drive video games, jointly produced by Ecofilmes, Astrolábio - Produção de Televisão, S.A. (a renowned Portuguese TV production house working in many Portuguese television shows for many broadcasters) and the Portuguese public service broadcasting organisation Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, that aired every Saturday mornings, from December, 2 1995 until late 1997 on Portuguese television channel RTP1.

Recorded at the old Rádio e Televisão de Portugal studios Estúdios do Lumiar, in Lisbon and co-hosted by Portuguese fashion models Gabriela Luís and Beto in the roles of Princess Terra and her loyal cyborg Kronos and with João D'Ávila (stage name of Portuguese actor João António Trindade Lopes) appearing in pre-recorded inserts mocking players as the Evil CyberMaster and the commentaries of Portuguese voice over legend Rogério Brás Gil (the voice of RTP from 1986 to 2011, he gave his voice to many Portuguese TV commercials of the time including many Sega commercials aired on Portuguese television) the show was based in challenges where game players would compete against one another.

Following a cyberpunk plot, in which, in a distant future, mankind was enslaved by an evil being called CyberMaster (João D'Ávila) which transformed them in emontionless machines, a group of rebels (the audience and the game players) led by Princess Terra (Gabriela Luís) and her loyal cyborg Kronos (Beto), hidding in their top-secret base located in the undergrounds of the city of Lisbon, organized a video game contest once a week, to elect the best of four game players, which would serve in the elite army that would fight the evil CyberMaster, all of this under the encouraging war cry "Ar!"..."Ar!"..."Ar!"... ("Air!"... "Air!"... "Air!"... forced to live underground, freedom and fresh air were their motivation and ultimate goal).

Four game players, wearing black outfits with colored (Green,Yellow, Red and Blue) collars and cuffs competed under their chosen nicknames, in four preselected games with the two players with the best scores classifying for the final, held in a special domelike area of the studio called "Arena do CyberMaster" (CyberMaster's Arena), competing on a fifth game.

The winners of the contest were rewarded with a Sega Saturn and the rest of the participants received a Sega Mega Drive II as a consolation prize during which time Princess Terra, following the plot of the show, would say farewell to the defeated players, wishing them good luck and warning them, with her deepest sorrow that once they left the base, she could no longer protect them from the claws of the evil CyberMaster, which would easily spot and hunt them, and offering them a Sega Mega Drive II for their protection was the best she could do for them.

In the second season of the show after the departure of co-host Beto (Kronos the cyborg) which was replaced by another actor playing a cyborg which sole purpose was to entertain the audiences, Portuguese fashion model and businesswoman Karina Barbosa[1] (Ana Karina Barbosa Garcia de Carvalho[2]), currently CEO[3][4] of Angolan Modeling agency "STEP Models" which she founded in 2001 (married[5] with Angolan rapper Emanuel de Carvalho Nguenohame a.k.a. Big Nelo Karina was born[6] in Lisbon, Portugal to Guinean[6] parents on June 12, 1972[2] and has a degree in Public Relations and Advertising which later paved the way for her successful career in the entertainment industry and as the first runner-up of the "Elite Model Look of the Year"[4] competition in 1993[6], Karina started a successful career as a model[6] in Portugal, that earned her the title of "The Portuguese Naomi"[7], and later led her to the small screen as the host[4] of a weekly African music TV Show called "Made in África"[8] for the Portuguese national TV channel, RTP1 after[9] her debut on TV in the show CyberMaster) was hired to co-host the show in the role of a female cyborg.

The black outfits used by the contestants were also changed for colored sleeveless jackets featuring the new RTP1 logo (On September 17, 1990, RTP1 was renamed to RTP Canal 1 and had a logo that consisted of a permanent, opaque and coloured DOG which was stylized as "C·1" and was stamped on the black outfits), and short Sega video game previews were screened between challenges.

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