While doing some research on Orlando, I came across an animal based dinner show attraction (there are actually 4 locations) called "Dolly Partons Dixie Stampede" ( http://www.dixiestampede.com/ , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Stampede ) It seems our Australian Outback Spectacular seems to be based on this concept (which is entirely possible considering the Dixie Stampede first opened in 1988...John Menzies from reportedly hatched the idea for AOS in around 1997 ( http://outbackspectacular.myfun.com.au/The...ohn-Menzies.htm ) But there were a few things that stuck out to me as being very similar,

....pitting sections of the audience against each other in a good-natured way as "the South" and "the North" battle to win various horse riding competitions.

Each location has a different opening act; in TN there is a live band, Wild Oats playing bluegrass and country music,

Have a look at the show footage video on the official site http://www.dixiestampede.com/showtime.php# , there are some really wierd similarites, (I spotted kids chasing chickens, packs of horse riders carrying the national flag, carriage races etc) What do you think?

Australian Outback Spectacular's director Ignatius Jones also directed the Dixie Stampede shows, so you can expect there to be significant similaries between the two. That said, I do think it's unfortunate that they've evidently lifted so many of the concepts straight from Dixie Stampede. It blemishes what is otherwise a very solid production and entertaining show. Also of interest is that there were plans to build a Dixie Stampede on the Gold Coast back in around 2000.

Ah well, the common director explains a lot then, thanks. I guess a Dixie Stampede on the GC would have made sense too, it would have fitted right in with the tourist trap franchises currently there.

There are quite a few shows that all run on this similar format, medievil (how the hell do you spell that??) times is another example. The concept of an arena with animal/horse action, coupled with audience seated in a diner theatre type arangement is by no means new, but it works well. Seems crazy to re-invent the wheel just to be different for the sake of it. From what I'm told by people who have seen both AOS is more of a solid theatrical show with a competition segment, where as the dixie stampede runs for an our is pretty much all balls out, fast action and audience screaming the entire time... Both shows have proved extremely successful