The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: cmjb13 on November 08, 2003, 08:03:46 PM
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Are there 9 different keys or 9 similar made ones? (in which case there might be a latch that locks and unlocks the safe/trunk remotely)
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Are there 9 different keys or 9 similar made ones? (in which case there might be a latch that locks and unlocks the safe/trunk remotely)
The nine keys are all different; only one unlocks the lock being used.
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Would I be correct in guessing that, when trying for the car, all nine keys are dummies, and the winning or losing sound effects are simply played based on which was picked?
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[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' date=\'Nov 9 2003, 06:35 PM\'] Would I be correct in guessing that, when trying for the car, all nine keys are dummies, and the winning or losing sound effects are simply played based on which was picked? [/quote]
Probably not, seeing as the lock is physically unlocked by the player in the process, and it strikes me that it would be cheaper to just use a real lock instead of some kind of remote control mechanism.
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But does the car on stage in fact start? In an ep I saw a couple days ago, the car turned over, but after an extraordinary amount of--oh, what's the word, "churning"? Seemed to me if I won that Brand New Car, I'd want to get its battery checked!
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Would I be correct in guessing that, when trying for the car, all nine keys are dummies, and the winning or losing sound effects are simply played based on which was picked?
The sound of the car turning over and/or starting is indeed a sound effect, due to regulations prohibiting starting a car with an audience present. However, the cars do actually start, they are driven very slowly into the studio from the balcony area behind the studio. They have only about half a gallon of gas in them.
Depending on the type of car offered, sometimes the keys are all dummies; the Mercedes (or was it the BMW?) for example has a "key" that looks sort of like a Zippo lighter with a short blade sticking out. Not very aesthetic for the keyrack, nor would they fit in the rack in some cases.
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If the keys are all different, wouldn't losing keys not fit in the lock?
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[quote name=\'whoserman\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 06:05 PM\'] If the keys are all different, wouldn't losing keys not fit in the lock? [/quote]
That wouldn't be the case at all. They will all fit; only one will turn.
Try putting a car key into the same model car that's not yours. It'll fit, but it won't turn.
Brandon Brooks
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i guess that makes sense
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[quote name=\'whoserman\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 04:21 PM\'] i guess that makes sense [/quote]
It does if you know how (most) locks work. The key goes in the hole, and the bumps on the key cause the tumblers to be raised to a certain level, depending on how big the bump is. If you have the right key, this will cause all of the tumblers to rise to the same (and correct) level, and the lock turns. Otherwise, the tumblers are out of line, and the lock doesn't turn.
Kinda the same idea with those old-skool keys they use with the safe, except in that case the little teeth on the key act as a lever to turn over the tumblers, which will only throw the lock if turned in the right combination. The REALLY old-skool keys only flipped a single tumbler, which is why you see old locks picked with hairpins in movies like "Misery". You just need to flip the tumbler over so the knob is unlocked.
(I imagine it's much the same with those "switchblade" keys that Bricon refers to (which are also used in the new Volkswagens), and I can see leaving those off the board for aesthetic reasons. I'd guess that the contestant is briefed in advance of this and asked to "make it look good", since the whole "engine turning over" thing is canned anyhow.)
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I'd guess that the contestant is briefed in advance of this and asked to "make it look good", since the whole "engine turning over" thing is canned anyhow.
Yes, they all get a group lesson in Locks 101, as well as the winner getting a fast refresher right before the bonus game (there is a stop tape right before the keys are revealed at the top of the bonus, where Tom also looks over the material).
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The sound of the car turning over and/or starting is indeed a sound effect, due to regulations prohibiting starting a car with an audience present.
This is probably heading toward off-topic territory, but what is this regulation? I've never heard of it before, and you've tickled my interest.
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[quote name=\'Little Big Brother\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 11:10 PM\']This is probably heading toward off-topic territory, but what is this regulation? I've never heard of it before, and you've tickled my interest.[/quote]
Fire Department regulations. They differ, but are tight in every city in places of "public assembly". The rules started to be strengthened after a series of horrendous fires during the first half of the 20th century in which many lives were unnecessarily lost... The Ringling Bros. circus' outdoor big top tent went up in flames in Hartford, Connecticut, the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston had blocked exit doors, etc.
New York City used to be very different than LA, and may still be. There you COULD start a car on stage with the audience present if there was less than a gallon of gas... but it couldn't be in the car's tank, it had to be in a storage vessel under the hood that was rigged directly to the carburetor. In New York those guys who juggle fire or have flaming hoops (!) for dogs to jump through had to have air-tight metal containers in the shape of the flaming objects to smother the fire if the act got out of control. Proper extinguishers had to be at the ready, and a permit had to be issued in advance by a fire department inspector who checked-out the whole set-up. The Ed Sullivan Show used to notify the NYFD whenever any fire act was booked so a permit could be issued.
Then there are many differences between the 2 adjacent cities of LA and Burbank. In LA it is not necessary to have a fire marshall on the premises for all tapings with an audience, but in Burbank the production must pay a fire marshall to be on hand whenever an audience is present in any unusual configuration or whenever the use of the previously audience rated stage is varied at all from the approved use. An off-duty Burbank Fire Department representative is almost always in attendance. In Burbank all audience seats must be anchored to the floor or at least strapped to each other to make the movement of individual loose chairs impossible. That is apparently not the case in LA as "Price" has loose chairs in the center rear of the audience. In ALL cities there are specific requirements for fire exit signs, multiple means of egress (exiting), all curtains must be flameproofed regularly, and all sorts of other very specific stuff.
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 11:38 PM\'] [quote name=\'Little Big Brother\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 11:10 PM\']This is probably heading toward off-topic territory, but what is this regulation? I've never heard of it before, and you've tickled my interest.[/quote]
Fire Department regulations. They differ, but are tight in every city in places of "public assembly". New York City used to be different than LA, and may still be. There you COULD start a car on stage with the audience present if there was less than a gallon of gas... but it couldn't be in the car's tank, it had to be in a storage vessel under the hood that was rigged directly to the carburator. Proper extinguishers had to be at the ready.
In New York those guys who juggle fire or have flaming hoops (!) for dogs to jump through had to have air-tight metal containers in the shape of the flaming objects to smother the fire if the act got out of control.
In LA it is not necessary to have a fire marshall on the premises for all tapings with an audience, but in Burbank the production must pay a fire marshall to be on hand whenever an audience is present. In ALL cities there are specific requirements for fire exit signs, all curtains must be flameproofed, and all sorts of other stuff.
Randy
tvrandywest.com [/quote]
So then were the Split Second folks fined or something when the car actually started? Or was the regulation not in effect then?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 07:13 PM\'] ( I'd guess that the contestant is briefed in advance of this and asked to "make it look good", since the whole "engine turning over" thing is canned anyhow.) [/quote]
One thing puzzles me:
On Friday's show when Alana went for the car, when she put it in and tried to turn it over, she had a look on her face like she knew she didn't win, and then all of a sudden the car started and had a look of genuine surprise and happiness.
Was that made to look good?
And how does the car "start" when the contestant successfully chooses the correct key?
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[quote name=\'Brakus\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 10:28 PM\'] And how does the car "start" when the contestant successfully chooses the correct key? [/quote]
Well, assuming the key does fit the lock (and isn't a dummy replacement), it would still click over to the start position, indicating that it was the right key. A bad key wouldn't click out of the home position.
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On Friday's show when Alana went for the car, when she put it in and tried to turn it over, she had a look on her face like she knew she didn't win, and then all of a sudden the car started and had a look of genuine surprise and happiness.
Was that made to look good?
No, it was just her thinking she was going to hear "oh no!", and then the car "started".
And how does the car "start" when the contestant successfully chooses the correct key?
We have a chart with the key rack, the order in which to kill the bad keys, and of course which one is the winning key. Word also comes down from the booth "bad key", or "good key". The appropriate sound effect is triggered based on that.
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[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Nov 11 2003, 10:42 AM\'] Word also comes down from the booth "bad key", or "good key". The appropriate sound effect is triggered based on that. [/quote]
Well, it's more like "Bad Key" "Bad Key" "Bad Key"
Tom also looks to one of the crew members, who plays as the contestant during rehersal, after the contestant picks a key. Tom sees either a nod (yes) or a shake of the head (no). I wonder why they tell Tom. Couldn't it be a suprise?
I'm waiting for one of these days for a contestant to look to the crowd and briefly see the guy shaking his head (bad key) and say something about it. Of course, that would probably be edited out.
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I wonder why they tell Tom. Couldn't it be a suprise?
Why? It serves the production no purpose for Tom to be surprised. If he knows, he gets to be ready for what happens next. As a professional broadcaster, he can make a win sound just as exciting even if he already knows it's coming.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Nov 11 2003, 01:11 PM\']As a professional broadcaster, he can make a win sound just as exciting even if he already knows it's coming.[/quote]
I don't know... as a regular viewer, I figured out a while ago that Tom is told whether the key is a winner before the reveal, and I've noticed that when the key is the correct one, he tends to say something while the contestant is inserting the key that will lead to a proclamation of victory (made-up example: "He says it's absolutely gotta be the middle key... [open] ...and he's absolutely right!" Pretty much any time Tom says something that ends with an ellipsis, I know that the contestant is about to win. Okay, so I only figure it out two seconds before the win actually happens, but still, it kind of takes the fun out of it.
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Scott Robinson
On the other hand, being told in advance whether the chosen key is a winner can come in handy... I remember an episode where the contestant turned the key but didn't push on the trunk, so Tom gently pulled the trunk open from where he was standing to move things along.
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Okay, so I only figure it out two seconds before the win actually happens, but still, it kind of takes the fun out of it.
And once again I am reminded that there are people who take their game shows a lot more seriously than I do.
Next thing, I guess, will be for the internet to get to a sufficient speed that people will be posting SPOILERS in that two-second interval. (Zach's pretty close to that now.) Followed, naturally, by the backlash from people upset that the results were spoiled.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Nov 12 2003, 08:29 PM\']
Next thing, I guess, will be for the internet to get to a sufficient speed that people will be posting SPOILERS in that two-second interval. (Zach's pretty close to that now.) Followed, naturally, by the backlash from people upset that the results were spoiled. [/quote]
I don't think my four year old computer can post something in two seconds, but maybe in the near future.
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Nov 12 2003, 06:32 PM\'] I don't think my four year old computer can post something in two seconds, but maybe in the near future. [/quote]
Don't let that stop you from trying, tho, by God.