TVB Infotainment
TVB Reality Show. "Profession Impossible"
To boost public recognition of the construction industry and encourage novices to join the sector, the Hong Kong Construction Industry collaborated with TVB to craft the reality TV show "Profession Impossible". Five celebrities were invited to get hands-on with various construction processes. Under the guidance of seasoned professionals, they undertook a 'construction internship', culminating in the task of bridge building. Having started from scratch, they embarked on a range of construction training sessions at the Hong Kong Institute of Construction (HKIC), where they learned about materials preparation, timber formwork erecting, bar-bending, and concreting. Together, they constructed a bridge sturdy enough to support a small truck, achieving the impossible mission!
The three-episode series "Profession Impossible" is designed to highlight the professionalism of the construction industry and to encourage all those who are interested to join the industry. Regardless of your understanding and knowledge level of the construction industry, or even if you're completely new to the field as the celebrities were, all you need is confidence, passion, and commitment to the training. Under the mentorship, you can become part of the construction industry, playing a crucial role in shaping the future of Hong Kong.
Episode 1 - Challenge to Construct a 'Bridge' Using Spaghetti to Support 700g of Weights
Before the celebrities officially started their bridge-building mission, they headed to the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Hong Kong for a warm-up challenge set by Professor Au, Francis T.K.. The celebrity team and a team of nine elementary school students competed to build a 'spaghetti bridge' capable of supporting 700 grams of weights within 30 minutes. Both teams' creatively engineered 'bridges' met the weight-bearing criteria, but the spaghetti bridge built by the celebrity team had a slight structural advantage, making them the ultimate winners.
Episode 2 – Visit to the Hong Kong Institute of Construction (HKIC) to Learn How to Use a Semi-automatic Cut and Bend Machine
After grasping the fundamental concepts of bridge building at university, the celebrities proceeded to the HKIC to learn hands-on construction methods and techniques. Under professional guidance, they learned to operate a semi-automatic cut and bend machine and a stirrup bar bending machine. Despite a few hiccups during the learning process, they eventually succeeded in fabricating the rebar components, priming themselves for the bridge-building task.
Episode 3 – Successful Completion of Bridge-Building, Small Truck Safely Crosses
The bridge-building challenge officially kicked off! Using their newly acquired skills, the celebrities collaborated under the instructors' guidance to complete tasks such as timber formwork erecting and concreting, and finally creating a bridge. For the final load-bearing test, the celebrities split into two groups. Three of them personally rode a small truck for the bridge crossing test, while the other two directed on site. The small truck successfully navigated across the concrete bridge, marking the completion of the 'impossible mission' by the five celebrities.