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Author Topic: Game Rule Changes  (Read 11885 times)

The Pyramids

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Game Rule Changes
« Reply #30 on: August 18, 2012, 02:22:28 PM »
Actually in the last set of episodes, contestants' Phone-a-Friends were sequestered backstage.
That's because those episodes were live.

What episodes of 'Millionaire' were live?

dmota104

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Game Rule Changes
« Reply #31 on: August 18, 2012, 02:55:20 PM »
My votes...

\ "Password Plus": When opposites were outlawed for clues.  Yes, it had to make for creative clue-giving -- but you had to scratch your head when the clue "winters" got the dreaded illegal clue sound for the password "Somers" (as in the last name of "Three's Company" actress Suzanne).  Thank goodness the opposites were allowed when SP started.

\ "Play The Percentages": When they moved the progressive jackpot element from the bonus game to the main game (Adam Nedeff noted on Game Show Utopia a malfunction on a digital readout in the huge percentage sign, that rose from the stage ahead of the bonus round, resulted in this rule change).  Winning $36,000 in the main game is exciting -- but then playing for a piddly $2500 in the bonus game?  Where's the fun in that?  If you followed PT% throughout its original run or reruns (I followed the latter), you know that was only the beginning of a series of rule changes -- with a complete overhaul about midway through the run.  I'll just let GSU take it from here.

\ "Tic Tac Dough": The (thankfully short-lived) rule which forced the champion to bank exactly $1000 or find TIC and TAC to win the prizes.  Going over $1000 was as much of a loss as finding the dragon at any time.

Kevin Prather

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Game Rule Changes
« Reply #32 on: August 18, 2012, 02:59:21 PM »
What episodes of 'Millionaire' were live?
Since the UK version went back to doing special weeks instead of series, they have been live.

That Don Guy

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Game Rule Changes
« Reply #33 on: August 18, 2012, 09:08:41 PM »
How do you get this far into a thread of "game show changes for the worse" without mentioning JackPot! switching from riddles to straight questions at the end of its NBC run?
(IMO, getting rid of the target number at the same time was almost as bad.)

While I'm at it:

1980s Dream House changing from three-choice questions to two.

Celebrity Sweepstakes getting rid of contestants having to write down answers - while it did get rid of the possibility of two celebrities giving the same wrong answer, it also prevented questions from being scratched.

1970s Sale of the Century switching to a two-couples format.

Getting rid of the "moneyball", and then getting rid of the prize for hitting all seven bumpers, on The Magnificent Marble Machine - it made the whole point of playing the machine anti-climactic.

Password modifying its all-star format to use regular players; they should have just gone back to the original format.

Speaking of adding celebrities to a show, sometimes it works (I think Monty Hall Beat the Clock was better with celebs), and sometimes it's a headscratcher (All-Star Baffle, where what the celebrities did really meant nothing as each pair was playing for a studio audience member who then played the end game).
« Last Edit: August 18, 2012, 09:28:07 PM by That Don Guy »