The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: barker5000 on December 11, 2007, 10:41:02 PM
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What do you think are the most heartbreaking moments in game show history, including biggest losses, worst decisions, etc. in game show history?
Thanks,
barker5000
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I can think of a few...
Dan Avila's 1 million dollar loss on Greed (and his subsequent loss on a second appearance). Granted it was "greed" that got him, but still heartbreaking.
The "agony of defeat" puzzle on WOF, where a contestant could've won $60k and bought out the whole studio! She hits bankrupt and loses everything!(the total amount a player could win in prizes was at least $50k then) How ironic! (and yes, I am using the term properly!)
There was also a heart stopping moment on the short lived Winning Lines. A contestant could've bailed out, but instead wipes out entirely. Even Dick Clark seemed genuinely saddened by the whole thing. You could tell he was thinking "this is the part of the game I HATE"
Deal or No Deal- Well, that show is ABOUT heartbreaking moments, enough said.
I also think that the expose of the game show scandals had to be heartbreaking for faithful viewers that watched Twenty One, Dotto, and $64k Question.
There was a female clown on LMAD that had a choice between $500 and a curtain. Granted, $500 isn't life changing money, but when she got zonked she was clearly saddened. Monty gave her a second chance at the end and gave her $300 for correctly naming the material the 3 pigs houses were made of.
While I wouldn't say it was heartbreaking for the viewing audience, I can recall a couple moments on Fun House where there was one token that decided the game that made the contestants emotional. I recall one moment where one team was trying really hard not to cry when they lost. JD Roth tried to pep them up with the usual "you guys were awesome" speech, but one kid could be heard saying "Man, we SUCKED!"
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What popped into my mind were the few times on Pyramid in the WC, where the contestant would win, we'd hear the win cues, and then we'd hear buzzers and it turned out to be a non-win because of some arcane rule break.
Those were pretty bad. Worse yet were the ones where the viewers didn't find out until after the commercial break that the win didn't count.
My favorites were the ones where Dick Clark would run out himself and declare a non-win. "We'll check right after the break."
On the flipside, some of the greatest moments were after a close WC, and Clark would draw out the reveal after the commercial break. "Well, we checked the tape, yadda yadda...and you've just won ten thousand dollars."
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[quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'171857\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 09:19 AM\']
The "agony of defeat" puzzle on WOF, where a contestant could've won $60k and bought out the whole studio! She hits bankrupt and loses everything!(the total amount a player could win in prizes was at least $50k then) How ironic! (and yes, I am using the term properly!)
[/quote]
You should go and find and watch the actual clip. It can be found at least a few places online, I recommend Brad Francini's WOF Timeline.
She (Terri "nolastnamegiven") didn't hit Bankrupt, she called a wrong a letter, an S IIRC. Many audience groans later, Nikki solves the puzzle for $1100. Tragic moment, indeed, but the puzzle was almost readable, I can't say I feel overly sorry for Terri. Nevertheless, a tragic series of events.
The biggest loss to date on 1vs100 (contestant's name escapes me) was quite heartbreaking, IMHO. I don't remember exactly how much he lost either, but the look on his face when the correct answer was revealed was heart-wrenching...
*According to Wiki* Raul Torres: $263,000 lost to Mob, episode aired 2/16/2007
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Some may not consider this a heartbreaker, but it stands out as an example of me knowing something the contestant--and audience--didn't, and that had I been playing I might have cleaned up:
On the Dennis James version of TPIR, a contestant played the Grocery Game. This was back when $7.00 was the amount not to go over. One of the grocery items was Di-Gel antacid which in 1973 was a dollar a box for the tablet version. Most audience members knew this--sort of--and kept shouting at her to take seven of them at the outset. So she did...and went over $7.00 and lost. How could this have happened? Because they had the LIQUID version on display that night, which I knew cost more than a dollar.
Since that mistake brought the GG to such a quick end, they had more time to elaborate on the showcases, and there was a long announcement by one of the models that there was this new movie in production called "The Sting" and a winning bidder would get to visit the set and maybe get a small part in the film, IIRC.
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Like Mr. Johnson, my example is a time when I knew something the contestant didn't. Specifically, it was from Eddie Timanus's semi-final game in the 2000 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, which I attended. Much of the material went right past me, but the one friggin' time I knew the correct response and he didn't happened to be the second Daily Double in the Double Jeopardy round... and it ultimately cost Eddie the game. :-(
I even remember the category -- Middle Initials -- and the clue: "Kennedy Defense Secretary 'S'". (Correct response: Who was Robert S. McNamara?) Randy Amasia, who was sitting near me, could tell from the look on my face that I knew; as he admitted later, he thought I was planning to try to get the clue thrown out by yelling out the answer, and that's why he whispered "I know what you're thinking, don't you dare!" Of course, even if I'd wanted to do that, I can't believe it would have worked anyway; I suspect that they'd probably have just thrown me out.
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Cathy and Lori's spin battle on PYL. Yeah, the part of the game they were playing was complete luck-based, but for it to drag on and on like it did....
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If lottery shows count, the most heartbreaking moment may never even have aired. On California's Big Spin show back in the early days of the state lottery, a contestant spun the wheel (it consists of a ball inside of a wheel that has 100 posts arranged on the front face of the wheel near its edge; eventually, the ball comes to rest between two of the posts, which back then had dollar amounts from $10,000 to $2 million), and as the wheel was slowing down, the ball landed in one of the $2 million slots; the music started playing, balloons and confetti started dropping, the contestant's family came out to celebrate with her - and then the host (I think it was Geoff Edwards) had to announce that "the ball did not stay in the $2 million slot for the required five seconds" (the wheel was still moving and the ball popped out after about 4 1/2 seconds) and eventually landed in a $10,000 space. Back then, there were 20 spinners per week, and the show was only 30 minutes long, so they only aired about half of each week's spinners; presumably, this spin was one of the ones cut from the broadcast.
(Note that, years later, she sued the lottery commission for $2 million and won, in part because she had tapes of other spinners where they did not apply the "five-second rule".)
Here are some others I can think of:
A number of times on the syndicated version of Let's Make A Deal, during the big deal, Monty would reveal one contestant's door, and then open the door nobody chose, to the delight of the other contestant, who thought they had won the Big Deal, only for that second door to have the Big Deal behind it.
A descendant (I don't know if she was a direct descendant or not) and namesake of Susan B. Anthony was on The $128,000 Question and got the last part of the $64,000 question wrong - and then immediately realized what the correct answer was.
Back in the days of the isolation booth and the "$100,000 Mystery Tune" on $100,000 Name That Tune, the contestant and a sizable chunk of the crowd (and myself as well, watching on TV) thought the money was in the bag when the pianist started playing the first song from Guys & Dolls ("I've got the horse right here / The name is Paul Revere / And here's a guy that says if the weather's clear...") and the response was "Can Do" - unfortunately, the actual title is "Fugue for Tinhorns" (although they would have accepted "I've Got the Horse Right Here" as well).
However, the most heartbreaking moments of all are probably the "contestants" on Fox's The Rich List who won hundreds of thousands of dollars finding out that Fox cancelled the show before their episodes aired so they wouldn't be receiving any money. (I thought some of the laws passed after the 1950s scandals prevented this sort of thing.)
-- Don
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[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' post=\'171891\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 12:25 PM\']
(Note that, years later, she sued the lottery commission for $2 million and won, in part because she had tapes of other spinners where they did not apply the "five-second rule".)
[/quote]
Ahh! So that's why Pat Finn like mentioning the five-second rule on just about every spin.
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[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' post=\'171891\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 03:25 PM\'] and as the wheel was slowing down, the ball landed in one of the $2 million slots; the music started playing, balloons and confetti started dropping, the contestant's family came out to celebrate with her - and then the host (I think it was Geoff Edwards) had to announce that "the ball did not stay in the $2 million slot for the required five seconds" [/quote]
Larry Anderson, not Geoff Edwards. Larry told the story at one of the Game Show Congresses. To hear him tell it, that incident led to him being let go by the program. My understanding all along was that the spin DID air, but I could be wrong.
Meanwhile, as many people in this forum can tell you from first-hand experience, the most heartbreaking moment in game show history is when YOU lose.
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That woman on that "TPIR" episode with the "Sting" walk-on wasn't one of the models (Janice and Anitra had yet to be allowed to talk yet), but was Eileen Brennan, who was actually in the film. OK, so she wasn't Newman or Redford, but do you honestly think they could've gotten either one of them to go on a game show to plug their movie?
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[quote name=\'dzinkin\' post=\'171886\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 01:44 PM\']
... and it ultimately cost Eddie the game. :-(
I even remember the category -- Middle Initials -- and the clue: "Kennedy Defense Secretary 'S'". (Correct response: Who was Robert S. McNamara?)
[/quote]
Close. It was Middle Names/Strange.
http://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=1302 (http://\"http://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=1302\")
Interestingly, that clue reappeared in an almost identical form last year. Not as a Daily Double, tho'.
http://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=871 (http://\"http://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=871\")
-M
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In one of the first J! ToCs, a player hit a Daily Double, bet it all, and had the right response cold... and forgot to use the correct phrasing. What would have been a nail-biter turned into a blowout.
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[quote name=\'MyronMMeyer\' post=\'171907\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 06:00 PM\']
Close. It was Middle Names/Strange.
[/quote]
Great. It was so traumatic I've suppressed some of the details. ;-)
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'171899\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 02:25 PM\']
Larry Anderson, not Geoff Edwards.[/quote]
Then there was more than one such incident (unlikely considering what it cost them the first time), or ol' Larry was full of what makes the grass grow green, because I saw that when it happened, and it was most definitely Geoff Edwards at the helm.
(FWIW, I'm fairly certain that the 90's Edition of The Book of Lists also has an entry confirming that it was Edwards. Yep, page 246, "20 Unusual Lawsuits." Happened December 30, 1985...definitely the Edwards regime, because the lottery was still fairly young at the time, and Chuck Woolery hosted it for a brief period at the start before Edwards came in.)
(And I have a fin for anyone who gets him to tell that story on "Anyone Can Play" and then calls him on it.)
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she had tapes of other spinners where they did not apply the "five-second rule"
So if the ball lands in a $10,000 slot and in less than five seconds "jumps" to a $1,000 slot, and they award the $10,000 anyway, they deserved to lose the lawsuit. What do they award if the ball jumps after five seconds, the first amount or the second amount?
The way to write the rule is that the ball must stay in the slot for five seconds after the wheel stops moving.
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Heartbreaking moment? Watching the premiere of "Temptation: The New Sale of the Century."
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[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' post=\'171891\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 12:25 PM\']
Back in the days of the isolation booth and the "$100,000 Mystery Tune" on $100,000 Name That Tune, the contestant and a sizable chunk of the crowd (and myself as well, watching on TV) thought the money was in the bag when the pianist started playing the first song from Guys & Dolls ("I've got the horse right here / The name is Paul Revere / And here's a guy that says if the weather's clear...") and the response was "Can Do" - unfortunately, the actual title is "Fugue for Tinhorns" (although they would have accepted "I've Got the Horse Right Here" as well).
[/quote]
I remember another Mystery Tune - I'm not sure if it was on the nighttime or daytime show - where they played "Morning" by Edvard Grieg. It's a familiar classical piece - you've heard it a million times. Anyway, the contestant said "Morning Glory", and there was a huge sort of groan from the audience when Tom Kennedy said the title was "Morning", and it had to be exact.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'171923\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 06:02 PM\']
she had tapes of other spinners where they did not apply the "five-second rule"
So if the ball lands in a $10,000 slot and in less than five seconds "jumps" to a $1,000 slot, and they award the $10,000 anyway, they deserved to lose the lawsuit. What do they award if the ball jumps after five seconds, the first amount or the second amount?
The way to write the rule is that the ball must stay in the slot for five seconds after the wheel stops moving.
[/quote]
I've worked "Big Spin" for a bunch of years now and know that the rules are clearly written and well judged by the lottery commission's equivalent of S&P. Working with those folks and the Jonathan Goodson team now producing the show, I can't imagine anything like that happening today. But what a story of past sloppiness!
Randy
tvrandywest
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Some moments are heartbreakers because of the rules, while some are heartbreakers on game play alone.
The five-second incident above is an example of a rules-based heartbreaker. I'd add the tie game during Kids Week on Jeopardy![/i[ a couple years ago, because the loser of the tiebreaker got the second-place prize, whereas an adult in the same situation would have been a co-champion and won the same cash amount as the other player.
Pure game play:
1. Ya gotta feel bad for the woman on the wrong end of Hal Shears' three jokers.
2. The P+ contestant who had nine of ten in Alphabetics. The one he missed was "imitation," and he had already said "imitate."
3. any J! game where the leader going into FJ got it right but lost because his/her wager wasn't enough
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'171919\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 09:44 PM\']
(And I have a fin for anyone who gets him to tell that story on "Anyone Can Play" and then calls him on it.)
[/quote]
Only $5.00 to "Call Larry's Bluff"?? :-P
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[quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'171857\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 10:19 AM\']
The "agony of defeat" puzzle on WOF, where a contestant could've won $60k and bought out the whole studio! She hits bankrupt and loses everything!(the total amount a player could win in prizes was at least $50k then) How ironic! (and yes, I am using the term properly!)[/quote]
No, you're not. It's a coincidence. Irony is what happens when, for instance, someone demonstrating gun safety shoots himself with his own gun.
For me, the most heartbreaking moment in game show history was when Richard Karn began hosting Family Feud.
\Sorry, labeling a coincidence as irony is a pet peeve of mine.
\\Shame on you, Alanis Morissette.
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Looks right to me..."The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat" costs a player $62,000. That's not irony?
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[quote name=\'whoserman\' post=\'171936\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 09:47 PM\']
Looks right to me..."The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat" costs a player $62,000. That's not irony?
[/quote]
I think that's a coincidence. A brutal one, but just a coincidence.
/attempting to channel George Carlin
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I think it's in irony's neighborhood, but two specific points against:
1) "The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat" covers both sides of the coin. If it's ironic that she failed to win that huge total, it would be equally ironic had she won it, and I doubt that description would come to mind as easily in the latter situation.
2) Wheel of Fortune, being a game show played for fairly high stakes, features the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat all the time.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'171923\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 06:02 PM\']
What do they award if the ball jumps after five seconds, the first amount or the second amount?[/quote]
The first amount. Basically the rule was that they paid off the first slot the ball stayed in for five seconds following three complete revolutions of the wheel.
The way to write the rule is that the ball must stay in the slot for five seconds after the wheel stops moving.
All fine and good, but IIRC what happened was that the jumping up and down and cavorting about was what disloged the ball. That would have happened if the wheel were moving or stationary.
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[quote name=\'whoserman\' post=\'171936\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 10:47 PM\']
Looks right to me..."The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat" costs a player $62,000. That's not irony?
[/quote]
Irony would be if, for example, she were wearing a T-shirt that read "The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat," or the phrase was emblazoned on her family's coat of arms, or she worked for Wide World of Sports for twelve years. Irony is an incongruity in a sequence of events. Coincidence is a random connection made between two things. The fact that she suffered an agonizing loss on a puzzle that mentioned agonizing loss is a coincidence.
\I knew I'd hear back about this eventually.
\\Oh well, at least I'm beefing up the post count.
\\\Why that's important, I haven't the foggiest.
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My personal choices...
- The "Famous Losers" heartbreaker from the $20K Pyramid (which would repeat itself just 3 years later during the 2nd week of the $25K...Jay Johnson offers "Things from a newspaper" as a clue for Things You Clip - a HUGE no-no - but the judges don't catch it until they're celebrating the apparent $25K win!)
- Shatner's major slip-up on the $20K Pyramid that led to his chair-tossing incident
- $otC: Dawn McKellar goes for $99K in March 84...only to lose by *$2*!
- TJW: A 1982 ep where the champion's down by more than $200 over his opponent's $500, but Fast Forward's a category, which Jack reminds him of...he takes his final spin and gets 2 jokers and a non-FF category, so what does he choose? The non-FF category showing on the wheels.
- TJW: Hal Shear is on the verge of a huge comeback after getting FF Spelling on his final spin, but w/only 2 more correct answers to go before tying his opponent, misspells "Schenectady".
- MG-HS: Contestant is faced w/this Head-to-Head phrase: "______ Pizza"...partner Jon Bauman writes an answer down, but then discards it, and writes down another one that he decides to go with...contestant's answer is "Pepperoni Pizza"...guess what Jon had written down before discarding it in favor of "Large Pizza"?
- FF: On a Combs daytime show from 1989, the winning family has 199 points after the next-to-last question in Fast Money...last question is "Name the month when you use your AC the most", to which they answered June...guess how many points it (surprisingly) got?
- Treasure Hunt: Despite wanting to take the box, Michelle listens to her husband and keeps the $899 instead...which costs her $46,000!! (Her distraught husband left the studio as they went to commercial)
- WWtBaM: Katie Knudsen's $218K loss, after agonizing for an eternity whether or not to answer the $500K question
- Any Perry CS ep. where a contestant bet it all in the Money Cards, only to lose it all on a double
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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Back in the days of the isolation booth and the "$100,000 Mystery Tune" on $100,000 Name That Tune, the contestant and a sizable chunk of the crowd (and myself as well, watching on TV) thought the money was in the bag when the pianist started playing the first song from Guys & Dolls ("I've got the horse right here / The name is Paul Revere / And here's a guy that says if the weather's clear...") and the response was "Can Do" - unfortunately, the actual title is "Fugue for Tinhorns" (although they would have accepted "I've Got the Horse Right Here" as well).
A similar instance ALMOST occured again...a contestant was played "The Bus Stop Song", but answered "If You Will Marry Me" and was ruled incorrect, but was brought back (and won) after it was discovered that there existed a song w/the latter title that had the same music.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' post=\'172176\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 04:00 PM\']
- WWtBaM: Katie Knudsen's $218K loss, after agonizing for an eternity whether or not to answer the $500K question[/quote]
That was a tough one, especially since she came close to locking in the right answer within the first minute or two.
- Any Perry CS ep. where a contestant bet it all in the Money Cards, only to lose it all on a double
There's also one where the contestant bet the lot, over $10k, with a King showing, only to have the last card be not just an ace, but the third ace of the game.
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[quote name=\'whoserman\' post=\'172180\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 07:32 PM\'][quote name=\'ChuckNet\' post=\'172176\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 04:00 PM\']- WWtBaM: Katie Knudsen's $218K loss, after agonizing for an eternity whether or not to answer the $500K question[/quote]That was a tough one, especially since she came close to locking in the right answer within the first minute or two.[/quote]
Not that it can't qualify for this discussion, but she "came close to locking in" every one of the four answers at some point.
[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' post=\'172176\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 07:00 PM\']- TJW: A 1982 ep where the champion's down by more than $200 over his opponent's $500, but Fast Forward's a category, which Jack reminds him of...he takes his final spin and gets 2 jokers and a non-FF category, so what does he choose? The non-FF category showing on the wheels.[/quote]
As 13-letter words go, instead of picking "heartbreaking", I'm gonna go off the board and take "schadenfreude" for this one. :)
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[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'172181\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 04:41 PM\']
[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' post=\'172176\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 07:00 PM\']- TJW: A 1982 ep where the champion's down by more than $200 over his opponent's $500, but Fast Forward's a category, which Jack reminds him of...he takes his final spin and gets 2 jokers and a non-FF category, so what does he choose? The non-FF category showing on the wheels.[/quote]
As 13-letter words go, instead of picking "heartbreaking", I'm gonna go off the board and take "schadenfreude" for this one. :)
[/quote]
Jack steps away from the podium and the screen doors open to reveal:
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/673/hairaftersk5.jpg (http://\"http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/673/hairaftersk5.jpg\")
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'172182\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 08:30 PM\']Jack steps away from the podium and the screen doors open to reveal:
http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6084/hairafterwr2.jpg (http://\"http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6084/hairafterwr2.jpg\")[/quote]
Was that for me? I honestly can't tell, since my reply was so goofy.
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How about the woman who bid $12,000 on an $11,999 Showcase on The Price is Right a couple years ago?
Especially when you note it was the first showcase that was under $12,000 for about five years...
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We had a heartbreaking moment on Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old? Daytime Edition last week. A contestant decided to play the £50,000 jackpot question on Ancient History but ended up giving the incorrect answer, thus losing £23,500. His wife and young daughter were sitting in the audience.
Deal or No Deal and In It to Win It are the real killers for heartbreaking moments over here. Many times on In It to Win It we see contestants build up the share of the prize fund, only to end up answering the final (and all important question to secure their share) question wrong. Also there are few times where none of the five contestants win anything on the show.
Deal or No Deal speaks for it's self. The ultimate heartbreaker is dealing but ending up with £100K & £250K in the final two. We've seen that about four/five times now.
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[quote name=\'TravisP\' post=\'172205\' date=\'Dec 16 2007, 09:01 AM\']
Deal or No Deal speaks for it's self. The ultimate heartbreaker is dealing but ending up with £100K & £250K in the final two. We've seen that about four/five times now.
[/quote]
See, that wouldn't be a heartbreaking moment for me. Maybe a little more so if I had the top amount in my case. But you've always got to remember that the contestant might have picked those last case amounts in any order. That 100K case might have been eliminated on the next pick.
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I submit Trevor Bruce's game from UK DoND. His highest bank offer came in the third to last round, £9,900.
His penultimate round was a decent one, but the Banker chose to not raise the offer, instead sticking at £9,900. At this point, Trevor was left with the £250k, 1p, and three other blues.
He turned down the £9,900 again, and played on. His next two picks were blue. His final choice...the £250k.
His final offer is £99. With 1p and £250 left, he plays on and leaves with 1p.
Sure playing on with only the £250k left on the right might not have been wise, but to be honest, that's quite a low offer for a board with such potential. I could understand him playing on.
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I'd probably go with the Pyramid "late buzz" losses. It's hard to get more heartbreaking than having the celebration interrupted.
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[quote name=\'whoserman\' post=\'172212\' date=\'Dec 16 2007, 10:29 AM\']
I submit Trevor Bruce's game from UK DoND. His highest bank offer came in the third to last round, £9,900.
His penultimate round was a decent one, but the Banker chose to not raise the offer, instead sticking at £9,900.[/quote]
I realize that the appeal of the UK DoND is that there is no sizzle and a lot of steak, but I do wish there was a *little* more sizzle. Their Banker is *brilliant*.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'172218\' date=\'Dec 16 2007, 02:13 PM\']
[quote name=\'whoserman\' post=\'172212\' date=\'Dec 16 2007, 10:29 AM\']
I submit Trevor Bruce's game from UK DoND. His highest bank offer came in the third to last round, £9,900.
His penultimate round was a decent one, but the Banker chose to not raise the offer, instead sticking at £9,900.[/quote]
I realize that the appeal of the UK DoND is that there is no sizzle and a lot of steak, but I do wish there was a *little* more sizzle. Their Banker is *brilliant*.
[/quote]
...and a great example of creating drama without throwing around huge amounts of money at every opportunity.
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[quote name=\'whoserman\' post=\'172212\' date=\'Dec 16 2007, 01:29 PM\']
I submit Trevor Bruce's game from UK DoND. His highest bank offer came in the third to last round, £9,900.
His penultimate round was a decent one, but the Banker chose to not raise the offer, instead sticking at £9,900. At this point, Trevor was left with the £250k, 1p, and three other blues.
He turned down the £9,900 again, and played on. His next two picks were blue. His final choice...the £250k.
His final offer is £99. With 1p and £250 left, he plays on and leaves with 1p.
Sure playing on with only the £250k left on the right might not have been wise, but to be honest, that's quite a low offer for a board with such potential. I could understand him playing on.
[/quote]
After watching that moment for the first time, you think about it for awhile. I think that was the moment when it was realized that the UK DOND has made the game perfect. They just took the game added just some music and a brillant host, everything else was added by the emotion of the contestants, the atmosphere created the particular game, and letting the game flow. The one reason why that moment keeps being heartbreaking is because of the quote Trevor said before the last round, " Don't believe in luck. I think you make your own luck. You think about other people first, and help other people when you can. One day it will all come back round. That's why I've had so much happiness. It all comes back round."
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[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'172181\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 07:41 PM\']
[quote name=\'whoserman\' post=\'172180\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 07:32 PM\'][quote name=\'ChuckNet\' post=\'172176\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 04:00 PM\']- WWtBaM: Katie Knudsen's $218K loss, after agonizing for an eternity whether or not to answer the $500K question[/quote]That was a tough one, especially since she came close to locking in the right answer within the first minute or two.[/quote]
Not that it can't qualify for this discussion, but she "came close to locking in" every one of the four answers at some point.
[/quote]
A fellow lost $218K when his phone-a-friend (the comedian Will Durst) said he was 100% sure of the wrong answer. That was heartbreaking.
Since "Survivor" came up on the board, there's this heartbreak. A really sweet deaf woman was playing, up against the "wicked stepsisters," as she called them. One was the model Jenna, who won. The moment came when she finally had some power in the game; she was the swing vote between two battling alliances. She dithered so long that the alliances agreed to vote her out. Probst wasn't the least bit sympathetic, the heel.
-
[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'172272\' date=\'Dec 17 2007, 08:00 AM\']
Since "Survivor" came up on the board, there's this heartbreak. A really sweet deaf woman was playing, up against the "wicked stepsisters," as she called them. One was the model Jenna, who won. The moment came when she finally had some power in the game; she was the swing vote between two battling alliances. She dithered so long that the alliances agreed to vote her out. Probst wasn't the least bit sympathetic, the heel.
[/quote]
I fail to see why that is the least bit "heartbreaking," even by the asinine definition of "heartbreaking" put forward by this thread.
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'172274\' date=\'Dec 17 2007, 01:04 PM\']
[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'172272\' date=\'Dec 17 2007, 08:00 AM\']
Since "Survivor" came up on the board, there's this heartbreak. A really sweet deaf woman was playing, up against the "wicked stepsisters," as she called them. One was the model Jenna, who won. The moment came when she finally had some power in the game; she was the swing vote between two battling alliances. She dithered so long that the alliances agreed to vote her out. Probst wasn't the least bit sympathetic, the heel.
[/quote]
I fail to see why that is the least bit "heartbreaking," even by the asinine definition of "heartbreaking" put forward by this thread.
[/quote]
I'm not telling it well, but the girl was sweet and overcoming a serious disadvantage. She could read lips, but didn't want to admit she was deaf so as not to appear weak. It was sad to see her go, especially at a moment when the game appeared to be going her way (at last). She wasn't so heartbroken, I guess, but it was heartbreaking for us at home (at least at my home).
But I realize, it's no hitting a pair at the Money Cards.
-
[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'172290\' date=\'Dec 17 2007, 01:50 PM\']
I'm not telling it well, but the girl was sweet and overcoming a serious disadvantage. She could read lips, but didn't want to admit she was deaf so as not to appear weak.[/quote]
I'm sure she was delightful. But:
1) the highest compliment her opponents could have paid her was to treat her like everyone else, and that means not giving her special dispensation for being deaf, and
2) She screwed up. She had power, she fumbled when she had the chance to use it, and as a result she got bounced. I just have a hard time feeling sorry for that. At ALL.
But I realize, it's no hitting a pair at the Money Cards.
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/9759/picardbv6rw9.jpg (http://\"http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/9759/picardbv6rw9.jpg\")
-
[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'172189\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 07:32 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'172182\' date=\'Dec 15 2007, 08:30 PM\']Jack steps away from the podium and the screen doors open to reveal:
http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6084/hairafterwr2.jpg (http://\"http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6084/hairafterwr2.jpg\")[/quote]
Was that for me? I honestly can't tell, since my reply was so goofy.
[/quote]
Oh, eep. No, that was for the dude who failed to call Fast Forward Proctology.
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'172293\' date=\'Dec 17 2007, 05:36 PM\']
[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'172290\' date=\'Dec 17 2007, 01:50 PM\']
I'm not telling it well, but the girl was sweet and overcoming a serious disadvantage. She could read lips, but didn't want to admit she was deaf so as not to appear weak.[/quote]
I'm sure she was delightful. But:
1) the highest compliment her opponents could have paid her was to treat her like everyone else, and that means not giving her special dispensation for being deaf, and
2) She screwed up. She had power, she fumbled when she had the chance to use it, and as a result she got bounced. I just have a hard time feeling sorry for that. At ALL.
[/quote]
But she really was delightful! And her opponents were really rotten!
-
[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'172323\' date=\'Dec 17 2007, 07:28 PM\']But she really was delightful! And her opponents were really rotten![/quote]What show are YOU watching?
Seriously. Survivor isn't about being a peachy guy, it's about winning a million dollars. Christy had a chance to get in with one of two alliances, dallied, and got punted. That's not rotten, that's getting rid of a potential liability.
You can bang the "she was screwed!" drum all you want, but you're wrong. And her elimination was no more "heartbreaking" than any other elimination. (I submit that the original question is flawed anyway, but I'm not going to pee in the sandbox any more than is necessary to make my point.) And your calling Probst a heel for refusing to coddle her mistake proves that you don't watch the show nearly enough: he calls things the way they are.
-
[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'172324\' date=\'Dec 17 2007, 10:35 PM\']
You can bang the "she was screwed!" drum all you want, but you're wrong. And her elimination was no more "heartbreaking" than any other elimination. (I submit that the original question is flawed anyway, but I'm not going to pee in the sandbox any more than is necessary to make my point.) And your calling Probst a heel for refusing to coddle her mistake proves that you don't watch the show nearly enough: he calls things the way they are.
[/quote]
I didn't say she was screwed, but she was a rare player to root for--especially with the rotten eggs she was playing against--and it was sad to see her go, much sadder than other eliminations.
Probst isn't exactly Howard Cosell, either. He was right to bring up the mistake, but he said nothing positive about her having the nerve to compete, while he had no trouble lauding other players who lost who overcame far less.
And what's up asking the guy last night if he's still a virgin?
-
For any edition of Survivor after the first, you know exactly what you're getting into, so I don't think any elimination could be considered heartbreaking.
-
For any edition of Survivor after the first, you know exactly what you're getting into, so I don't think any elimination could be considered heartbreaking.
Personally, I thought the infamous "purple rock incident" from season 4 was quite the heartbreaker...I know my entire fam gasped in shock when when we saw Paschal draw it.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
-
Larry Anderson, not Geoff Edwards. Larry told the story at one of the Game Show Congresses. To hear him tell it, that incident led to him being let go by the program.
That'd be one reason for his sudden departure...you'd think they could've found a better replacement than Jack Gallagher, though.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
-
I have this great clip of what I have always believed to be the quintessential game show heartbreaker.. :D
Betty White is giving the clues in Alphabetics on Super Password (I think they just called it "the end game" there, though, didn't they?) where the jackpot was $15,000 .. Letters B through K.. Contestant nails the first 9 words beautifully, about 11 seconds left on the clock, and the last password is "KARATE" .. Betty starts to stammer, gets a little flustered, and then yells out "KUNG FU!" .. Contestant guesses "Karate", audience goes nuts, lights flash, cue starts to play, and then you hear that distinct SP "eh-eh-eh-eh! eh-eh-eh-eh!" illegal clue noise about four seconds into the celebration.. Betty turns around to the judge's desk (?) and Bert confirms she gave a two-word clue, so in disgust and shock, she ends up flinging her glasses across the set!
Contestant gets $900 instead of $15,000 and you could tell Betty felt genuinely horrible about it.. Confesses she was trying to come up with "Jujitsu" but couldn't think of the word .. ah, the pressure of timed word game bonus rounds... gotta love that stuff..
I'll find it and u/l it :D
LObs
-
That's a great one...not only because of the interruption of the celebration, but because it was Betty. Even the pro of the pros can goof it up sometimes (and then everyone in the room except the guy who cares (the judge) thinks it's gold because SHE never screws up.)
-
What's unfortunate about that is I can remember at least one other occasion where the judge missed a two-word clue the first time, and let the win stand because of it.
-
There was also an ep early in the show's run where Jon Bauman offered the clue "Jack-O" for the final word, "lantern"...once again, the judges didn't catch it until he and his partner were celebrating their apparent $30K win.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
-
[quote name=\'GameShowFan\' post=\'171915\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 06:58 PM\']
In one of the first J! ToCs, a player hit a Daily Double, bet it all, and had the right response cold... and forgot to use the correct phrasing. What would have been a nail-biter turned into a blowout.
[/quote]
I can add to that what happened in the 1995 ToC, when David Siegel forgot to phrase a Daily Double response correctly in game one of that tournament's final, and it ultimately cost him, because he wagered $800 on that DD, and he lost to Ryan Holznagel by $1301, less than the $1600 turnaround that would have happened had he phrased that response properly. (Someone on the J! message board finally agreed with me on this, essentially.)
-
So if you forget to phrase it correctly, does Alex immediately call you wrong, or does he pause, giving you a chance to correct yourself? I know I've seen him do the latter for some regular clues.
-
[quote name=\'whoserman\' post=\'172821\' date=\'Dec 22 2007, 02:06 PM\']
So if you forget to phrase it correctly, does Alex immediately call you wrong, or does he pause, giving you a chance to correct yourself? I know I've seen him do the latter for some regular clues.
[/quote]
IIRC (and maybe this has changed), he will prompt you in the first round, but in the second round, he'll give you a moment to see if you realize your error, and then call you wrong.
-
[quote name=\'mbclev\' post=\'172796\' date=\'Dec 22 2007, 02:28 PM\']I can add to that what happened in the 1995 ToC, when David Siegel forgot to phrase a Daily Double response correctly in game one of that tournament's final, and it ultimately cost him, because he wagered $800 on that DD, and he lost to Ryan Holznagel by $1301, less than the $1600 turnaround that would have happened had he phrased that response properly. (Someone on the J! message board finally agreed with me on this, essentially.)[/quote]
And who was it who agreed with him? Drumroll, please . . .
Ta-da! (http://\"http://boards.sonypictures.com/boards/showthread.php?p=674575#post674600\") (Also note the opinion of Holznagel himself, a little further down the page.)
But remember, it doesn't matter that there was more than an entire game of Jeopardy! between that missed Daily Double and the end of the final. 1600 > 1301, and if you don't see that that makes the missed Daily Double the one and only factor in the outcome of the tournament, you will eventually GET YELLED AT.
====
Chris: From what I've gathered, that's essentially right, except that I don't think Alex is supposed to prompt on the first round's Daily Double, either. How long Alex gives a contestant to correct themselves can vary widely, as well.
-
I've noticed recently that it's always a "reminder" in round 1 and usually your entire time bank in round 2.
-
My picks for most heartbreaking moments in game show history, in no order:
* The Thrill of Victory... on WoF -- Uninspired choice, I know, but geez, losing nearly $65K...
* Any Winner's Circle where the judge starts buzzing once the music plays (Famous Losers for instance)
* Any Final J! where a contestant has misspelled a word or written it illegibly (I have an ep on tape somewhere where the judges couldn't read what the contestant had written, yet it looked totally legible to me)
* A TJW90 I saw on YouTube where a contestant zipped through a bunch of categories, getting up to $950... only to stumble and then end up with an opponent (who was at $100 or so before) taking over and trumping him
* I seem to recall a CS Money Cards round once where a guy called for "lower", and ended up getting zinged by an Ace. THREE times.
-
[quote name=\'TenPoundHammer\' post=\'174280\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 11:46 AM\']
* I seem to recall a CS Money Cards round once where a guy called for "lower", and ended up getting zinged by an Ace. THREE times.
[/quote]
I might be on the same wavelength here...might be the same.
I remember a contestant who made two trips to the Money Cards...busted out on doubles twice in both tries.
-
[quote name=\'dale_grass\' post=\'171935\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 09:46 PM\']
For me, the most heartbreaking moment in game show history was when Richard Karn began hosting Family Feud. [/quote]
Karn might not have been the best host, but at least he acted like he wanted to be there.
I would say Louie Anderson hosting FF was a bigger heartbreaking moment. Add to that
John Davidson hosting Hollywood Squares and Pyramid - he REALLY screwed up on
Pyramid. Here's some others:
The guy who lost $260k on 1 vs. 100
The lady who ended up with a PENNY on DOND.
Ogi Ogas, on Merideth's Millionaire, who decided to keep $500K, but would have won
a million if he trusted his instincts and had gone with his answer - it was right
On a recent TPIR with Drew Carey, a contestant overbid on their showcase by $4.
Any family who got 199 points in Fast Money on Family Feud
Ken Jennings losing to Nancy Zerg, who beat him on a fairly easy Final Jeopardy:
Most of this company's employees work for only four months out of the whole year
(the wording is the equivalent of that). Nancy said the correct answer - H & R Block.
Ken said Fed Ex.
ABC airing Set For Life. In Jimmy Kimmel's defense, he should get a shot at a
better show to host.
One final one - the guy on last week's Power of 10, who missed the $1,000
question by just ONE PERCENT - as a result, he left with nothing.
-
I find it difficult to feel "heartbroken" for Ken Jennings.
-
[quote name=\'ChrisLambert!\' post=\'174318\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 12:11 PM\']
I find it difficult to feel "heartbroken" for Ken Jennings.
[/quote]
Or Ogi, for that matter.
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'174319\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:16 PM\']
[quote name=\'ChrisLambert!\' post=\'174318\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 12:11 PM\']
I find it difficult to feel "heartbroken" for Ken Jennings.
[/quote]
Or Ogi, for that matter.
[/quote]
OK, Ken made off like a bandit, I'll give you that one. But Ogi struggling
with himself as to whether to go for the $1M was exciting, if you saw the
episode or the You Tube clip. You wanted him to go for it, especially
since Millionaire hasn't had a millionaire in quite some time.
-
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174317\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:02 PM\']
[quote name=\'dale_grass\' post=\'171935\' date=\'Dec 12 2007, 09:46 PM\']
For me, the most heartbreaking moment in game show history was when Richard Karn began hosting Family Feud. [/quote]
Karn might not have been the best host, but at least he acted like he wanted to be there.
I would say Louie Anderson hosting FF was a bigger heartbreaking moment.[/quote]
I agree with you on Karn -- he seemed to love his job, but he was rather stiff. Anderson wasn't horrible at all, in my opinion. I tend to see Louie as being one of those people who looks and acts bored even when he's not. I saw him smile and crack jokes occasionally on his version of the Feud -- although, just like Karn, Anderson wasn't really meant to be a game show host.
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174317\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:02 PM\']ABC airing Set For Life. In Jimmy Kimmel's defense, he should get a shot at a better show to host.[/quote]
Ah yes, the game for people that find "Deal or No Deal" too confusing...
-
[quote name=\'TenPoundHammer\' post=\'174323\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:29 PM\']
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174317\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:02 PM\']ABC airing Set For Life. In Jimmy Kimmel's defense, he should get a shot at a better show to host.[/quote]
Ah yes, the game for people that find "Deal or No Deal" too confusing...
[/quote]
LOL!! I love it. Coincidentally, they're both produced by the same comnpany, Endemol.
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'174319\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 02:16 PM\']Or Ogi, for that matter. [/quote]Agreed. I don't see how it's "heartbreaking" when he has complete control over his fate. He made the decision not to go for it. So he would have been right, and he still won money. Not much heartbreak to me.
-
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174317\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 02:02 PM\']
The guy who lost $260k on 1 vs. 100
The lady who ended up with a PENNY on DOND.
[/quote]
Didn't both those people kinda earn their fates, especially the lady who won the penny?
-
[quote name=\'ChrisLambert!\' post=\'174318\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:11 PM\']
I find it difficult to feel "heartbroken" for Ken Jennings.[/quote]
Me either, strangely enough.
-
[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'174330\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 04:07 PM\']
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174317\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 02:02 PM\']
The guy who lost $260k on 1 vs. 100
The lady who ended up with a PENNY on DOND.
[/quote]
Didn't both those people kinda earn their fates, especially the lady who won the penny?
[/quote]
Yes, they earned it, but it was still heartbraking to see. At least I thought it was.
-
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174317\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:02 PM\']
The guy who lost $260k on 1 vs. 100
The lady who ended up with a PENNY on DOND.
On a recent TPIR with Drew Carey, a contestant overbid on their showcase by $4.[/quote]
Point 1 I really don't see as heartbreaking...he got a question wrong.
Point 2 was probably due to the gal being too damn greedy...I refuse to put "hearbreaking" and "DOND" in the same sentence. (except there to prove a point.)
Point 3...is it less hearbreaking if it's $1? (http://\"http://youtube.com/watch?v=RfSEYjSK_FU\")
-
[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'174338\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 04:46 PM\']
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174317\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:02 PM\']
The guy who lost $260k on 1 vs. 100
The lady who ended up with a PENNY on DOND.
On a recent TPIR with Drew Carey, a contestant overbid on their showcase by $4.[/quote]
Point 1 I really don't see as heartbreaking...he got a question wrong.
Point 2 was probably due to the gal being too damn greedy...I refuse to put "hearbreaking" and "DOND" in the same sentence. (except there to prove a point.)
Point 3...is it less hearbreaking if it's $1? (http://\"http://youtube.com/watch?v=RfSEYjSK_FU\")
[/quote]
I think if the late Rodney Dangerfield was here, he would say "Boy, this is a tough crowd!!"
-
[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'174338\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 03:46 PM\']
Point 1 I really don't see as heartbreaking...he got a question wrong.
Point 2 was probably due to the gal being too damn greedy...I refuse to put "hearbreaking" and "DOND" in the same sentence. (except there to prove a point.)
[/quote]
You could make the same argument for Point 1. Choosing to play on with $260,000 in your hip pocket smacks of greed as well.
-
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174321\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 12:27 PM\']
But Ogi struggling with himself as to whether to go for the $1M was exciting, if you saw the
episode or the You Tube clip.[/quote]
It probably was. (Haven't seen either.) But I'm sorry, watching someone win "only" $500,000 as opposed to a million dollars just isn't heartbreaking.
-
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174336\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 04:42 PM\']
[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'174330\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 04:07 PM\']
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174317\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 02:02 PM\']
The guy who lost $260k on 1 vs. 100
The lady who ended up with a PENNY on DOND.[/quote]
Didn't both those people kinda earn their fates, especially the lady who won the penny?[/quote]Yes, they earned it, but it was still heartbraking to see. At least I thought it was.[/quote]How much were her bank offers again? Zero sympathy from me.I think if the late Rodney Dangerfield was here, he would say "Boy, this is a tough crowd!!"
I recognize your username from the GSN boards. Assuming you are the same person, you will realize we are slightly more discriminating then what is permitted there.
-
In the Italian 90s revival of Jeopardy a contestant was caught trying to cheat the show out of 120 million lire ($170,000). I felt very bad when I watched it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPdTHkLpdqo (http://\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPdTHkLpdqo\")
-
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174321\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 12:27 PM\']OK, Ken made off like a bandit, I'll give you that one. But Ogi struggling with himself as to whether to go for the $1M was exciting, if you saw the episode or the You Tube clip. You wanted him to go for it, especially since Millionaire hasn't had a millionaire in quite some time.[/quote]I didn't 'want' him to do anything. It was exciting, true enough, but I can't possibly feel bad for a guy who left a game with $500,000.
[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'174340\' date=\'Jan 9 2008, 02:04 PM\']I think if the late Rodney Dangerfield was here, he would say "Boy, this is a tough crowd!!"[/quote]Yeah, you probably will. Losing on a game show isn't "heartbreaking." They got a chance to be on television with a try at thousands of dollars in cash or prizes. Where's the bad? That's more to blame on the original questioner, who had a habit of astroturfing the joint with questions like "What game shows aired at what time in all American media markets?"
If the question was asked as "memorable losses?" you might have something, but at least for me, no moment on a game show has ever been heartbreaking.
-
[I think if the late Rodney Dangerfield was here, he would say "Boy, this is a tough crowd!!"[/quote]I recognize your username from the GSN boards. Assuming you are the same person, you will realize we are slightly more discriminating then what is permitted there.
[/quote]
Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it. All righty then!!
-
No, someone getting a penny on "DOND" is not heartbreaking--and if I were Howie, I would pull a penny out of my pocket, give it to the contestant and tell them to get the hell out of my studio immediately.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what would've made "Set for Life" entertaining--give Kimmel carte blanche to mock, put down and tear apart the dumbo contestants. Some may call it cruel and heartless--I call it great television.