Hosted by former Test cricketer Mike Whitney and co-hosted by Tania Zaetta, the show has been screened in over 50 countries around the world.
An unsuspecting contestant, previously nominated by a viewer of the show, is ambushed by Whitney and dared to partake and complete the stunt successfully to win a major prize (usually a holiday and spending money).
This may range from sticking a hand into a container full of cockroaches or having all their hair shaved off, to more complex dares such as tightrope walking above a mall foyer, or diving off a ten-metre platform into a pool.
[1] Despite Australian production of the show ending in 1998, Who Dares Wins continues to be popular around the globe on cable television networks such as AXN.
In particular, the show's massive success in India even led to a series of India-based specials hosted by Whitney and Zaetta in 2002, and later an Indian spin-off called Extreme Dhamaka in 2003.