Author Topic: DoND's Howie Mandel: Master of Ceremonies (Read 4329 times)

MrBuddwing · « **on:** December 22, 2005, 09:10:58 PM »

Having done three episodes of the show, Howie Mandel seemed even better tonight (night #4): He came across as more relaxed, more playful; his banter (at least some of which, I'd like to believe, was non-scripted) appealing as well as engaging. He seemed to genuinely like the schoolteacher - maybe he has a soft spot for teachers in general.

But having the teacher's first-grade class in the audience? That was kinda spooky, IMHO. (Who paid for all those kids to travel all the way from Texas, anyway? NBC?)

byrd62 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 22, 2005, 09:50:29 PM »

[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' date=\'Dec 22 2005, 09:10 PM\']Having done three episodes of the show, Howie Mandel seemed even better tonight (night #4): He came across as more relaxed, more playful; his banter (at least some of which, I'd like to believe, was non-scripted) appealing as well as engaging. He seemed to genuinely like the schoolteacher - maybe he has a soft spot for teachers in general.

But having the teacher's first-grade class in the audience? That was kinda spooky, IMHO. (Who paid for all those kids to travel all the way from Texas, anyway? NBC?)

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And why wasn't the minimum age rule for admission to a TV taping enforced?

DrJWJustice · « **Reply #2 on:** December 22, 2005, 10:21:47 PM »

[quote name=\'byrd62\' date=\'Dec 22 2005, 09:50 PM\']And why wasn't the minimum age rule for admission to a TV taping enforced?

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Two bucks, I'll give you a ten that "ratings" is the answer.

Deal or No Deal? lol

PYLdude · « **Reply #3 on:** December 22, 2005, 10:30:15 PM »

[quote name=\'byrd62\' date=\'Dec 22 2005, 10:50 PM\'][quote name=\'MrBuddwing\']But having the teacher's first-grade class in the audience? That was kinda spooky, IMHO. (Who paid for all those kids to travel all the way from Texas, anyway? NBC?)

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And why wasn't the minimum age rule for admission to a TV taping enforced?

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Oh, come on. I expect that from Mark, and I doubt even he would go that far.

Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but for Christ's sake, there's a lot more pressing issues in the world. Personally, I thought it was kinda cool that she brought her class with her, but that's my own opinion.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #4 on:** December 22, 2005, 10:34:39 PM »

[quote name=\'PYLdude\' date=\'Dec 22 2005, 10:30 PM\']Oh, come on. I expect that from Mark, and I doubt even he would go that far.

Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but for Christ's sake, there's a lot more pressing issues in the world. Personally, I thought it was kinda cool that she brought her class with her, but that's my own opinion.

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I don't think byrd meant to be snide about it, it seemed like a legit question, at least to me. Is there some exception to the age limit if the person/people are in your "rooting section"?

tvrandywest · « **Reply #5 on:** December 23, 2005, 12:44:14 AM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Dec 22 2005, 07:34 PM\']Is there some exception to the age limit if the person/people are in your "rooting section"?

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There are no rules about the age of audience members set by the FCC, SEC, FTC, P&G, the DNC, 7-11, The New York Taxi and Limousine Commission, Ryan Seacrest, Les Moonves or Condalisa Rice. It's all at the discretion of the production company, the network and the studio facility. I've had scout troops in audiences that have otherwise maintained a higher minimum age. In my experience it's dependent upon how well a group of kids is wrangled... that is, the adult to child ratio.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #6 on:** December 23, 2005, 11:23:33 AM »

The more they can get Howie doing what he does so well in his stage routine -- that spontaneous give-and-take with audience members -- the more this show can break out of its predictability and be worth watching, even in the earlier rounds. I think that's why so many of us wish that the Banker was heard and Howie could do more than say, "I'll tell her." If we can get some of that interaction by bringing some well-behaved kids into the audience, so much the better.

CaseyAbell · « **Reply #7 on:** December 23, 2005, 11:52:42 AM »

Beg to differ on the predictability of the show and the watchability of the early rounds. Of course, I'm an actuary, so as soon as the odds and expectations start whirring - in other words, as soon as the first suitcase is opened - I'm hooked.

I'm cranking the mathematical expectations on the board and how much the banker can lowball them and still hit the sweet spot on the contestant's utility curve. Sometimes I start playing the game from the banker's standpoint, figuring how close I have to get to the actual expected value of the board to pry that suitcase loose from the contestant's sweaty little palms.

You can tell I need help.

For people who don't need help, a little variety won't hurt. The kids were cute, after all.

By the way, the starting expectation of the game is just over $131,000. You can see how severely the banker lowballs the early offers. (Of course, they don't want anybody accepting an early offer.) As the game goes along he - well, his computer program - has to bring the offers up closer to the actual mathematical expectation of the board to tempt the contestant.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #8 on:** December 23, 2005, 03:47:06 PM »

[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Dec 23 2005, 12:52 PM\']Beg to differ on the predictability of the show and the watchability of the early rounds. Of course, I'm an actuary, so as soon as the odds and expectations start whirring - in other words, as soon as the first suitcase is opened - I'm hooked.[/quote]
As you might imagine, "actuaries" is not a particularly large demographic. Yes, math geeks can have fun twisting the numbers around from the first pick, but by and large, the first two or three rounds aren't going to mean a lot to a lot of people, and that's where Howie's talents will have to come into play.

FOXSportsFan · « **Reply #9 on:** December 24, 2005, 02:42:47 AM »

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Dec 23 2005, 12:44 AM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Dec 22 2005, 07:34 PM\']Is there some exception to the age limit if the person/people are in your "rooting section"?

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There are no rules about the age of audience members set by the FCC, SEC, FTC, P&G, the DNC, 7-11, The New York Taxi and Limousine Commission, Ryan Seacrest, Les Moonves or Condalisa Rice. It's all at the discretion of the production company, the network and the studio facility. I've had scout troops in audiences that have otherwise maintained a higher minimum age. In my experience it's dependent upon how well a group of kids is wrangled... that is, the adult to child ratio.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

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Randy, you've tempted me to ask: Was that message brought to us by authority of the office of the commissioner of Major League Baseball and intended for the private use of our audience? Will any reuse or rebroadcast of the descriptions made without the expressed federal consent of the office of the commissioner of Major League Baseball be strictly prohibited?

DrJWJustice · « **Reply #10 on:** December 24, 2005, 02:52:24 AM »

[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Dec 23 2005, 12:44 AM\']I've had scout troops in audiences that have otherwise maintained a higher minimum age. In my experience it's dependent upon how well a group of kids is wrangled... that is, the adult to child ratio.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

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If you can't trust a Scout troop, then who can you trust?

(Of course, I'm just a little bit biased about that!)