The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Jeremy Nelson on May 18, 2010, 01:01:46 AM
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This topic popped in my head as I was thinking about the Newlywed Game....a show which I've only actively watched all the way through on a few occasions. Seeing how this genre really doesn't get that much airtime on this forum, I thought it'd be a good question to ask. I always liked watching Tattletales reruns on GSN, and I was kinda fond of Bzzzz!, so those two shows top my list. How about yours?
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Newlywed Game is my favoritte. I just can't help but think how many times I've heard Bob Eubanks mentioned the word whoopie. It's just as funny to watch the couples' reactions to missed questions. The one thing that I liked about the game is the tiebreaker element. When the fellas lifted those huge cards revealing how well they might've done, I've always wondered when they wrote down their predictions in case there was a tie. I've seen 2-way ties, but have there benn 3-or 4-way ties?
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My favorite was "Love Experts" because Bill Cullen hosted it. Lange DG and Eubanks NG were good.
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I enjoyed Bzzz! a lot when I was in high school. Was a cute little game.
I remember watching a lot of Love Connection as a child (my mom loved the show).
Never been a big Dating or Newlywed fan. I watched it if it was on, but never really went out of my way to watch it...
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TATTLETALES for me. Always got a kick out of the banana section.
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'241036\' date=\'May 18 2010, 01:56 PM\']TATTLETALES for me. Always got a kick out of the banana section.[/quote]Agreed. I was rather disappointed when BCI folded before this set was released. Love Connection ranks second.
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[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' post=\'241018\' date=\'May 18 2010, 04:19 AM\']Newlywed Game is my favoritte...The one thing that I liked about the game is the tiebreaker element.[/quote]
I've never liked this tiebreaker format. It has nothing to do with the core format of predicting your spouse's response. I always thought tiebreaker questions like "Before the show we asked your spouse what their waist size/dress size/etc. is...couple who comes closest blah blah blah" would be more applicable.
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A thumbs up for Singled Out. If you're going to be trashy and over-the-top, at least be honest and fun about it.
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[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'241042\' date=\'May 18 2010, 04:56 PM\']A thumbs up for Singled Out. If you're going to be trashy and over-the-top, at least be honest and fun about it.[/quote]
Forgot all about that one. I think I'd put that as my favorite, mainly because it didn't take itself too seriously.
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existing couples: Tattle Tales, because the questions were more interesting to discuss with my wife
matchmaking: Singled Out, for the same reasons noted above
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I never liked the genre until I was out of high school (this is 2004 we're talking about), but BZZZZ! was always enjoyable, not to mention unique.
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No love for Studs ? ;)
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[quote name=\'SteveR\' post=\'241069\' date=\'May 18 2010, 08:14 PM\']No love for FREAKIN' Studs ? ;)[/quote]
I, for one, was too young to remember it...
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[quote name=\'jmangin\' post=\'241040\' date=\'May 18 2010, 01:50 PM\']I've never liked this tiebreaker format. It has nothing to do with the core format of predicting your spouse's response.[/quote] Sure it does. Essentially you're predicting how well the two of you will do. (yay meta!) and it was a damn sight better than what Love Buffet did. "Congratulations, Dora and Donald! Since you pulled the higher-numbered ping-pong ball out of the bowl, you're through to the bonus round!" What a pile of fail THAT was. Would I rather they play another question of some sort? Sure. But I understand why they went the way they did.
I always thought tiebreaker questions like "Before the show we asked your spouse what their waist size/dress size/etc. is...couple who comes closest blah blah blah" would be more applicable.
That sounds like it would be terribly uninteresting.
[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'241042\' date=\'May 18 2010, 01:56 PM\']A thumbs up for Singled Out. If you're going to be trashy and over-the-top, at least be honest and fun about it.[/quote]They certainly went in a welcome different direction. By golly, if I want to take out on the town a tall, pert, perky brunette who went to college, then I think I should be able to cut to the quick and say so, rather than having to wade through innuendo written by people fishing for laughs.
[quote name=\'Strikerz04\' post=\'241056\' date=\'May 18 2010, 04:19 PM\']I never liked the genre until I was out of high school (this is 2004 we're talking about), but BZZZZ! was always enjoyable, not to mention unique.[/quote]The genre was certainly vicarious fun for me, and again, I liked that BZZZ! was able to turn the dating game concept around by showing the date-er his prospects before play began in earnest, as opposed to having to wait until the big reveal.
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TATTLETALES for me. Always got a kick out of the banana section.
As I have mentioned before in one of my earliest posts, Tattletales is a good example of how a "relationship" show should be done. Which is more than I can say for any of the Studs and Singled Out clones that came during the 1990s.
Also, the ORIGINAL Dating and Newlywed Games from the ABC era were great.
Cordially,
Tammy
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'241044\' date=\'May 18 2010, 04:15 PM\'][quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'241042\' date=\'May 18 2010, 04:56 PM\']A thumbs up for Singled Out. If you're going to be trashy and over-the-top, at least be honest and fun about it.[/quote]
Forgot all about that one. I think I'd put that as my favorite, mainly because it didn't take itself too seriously.
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Forgot that one, too. Wasn't there an ugly Cupid on the gameboard that somewhat resembled Chucky?
Maybe it's just me, but I'd much rather see this show back than the dating shows that MTV has cranked out since (Room Raiders, Date My Mom, Next, etc.).
/Remote Control would be nice, too
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Tattletales. These shows don't interest me as a rule, so give me some celebrity interplay or I'm bored silly.
Runner-up: The Love Experts. Same reason. Plus Bill.
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[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'241079\' date=\'May 18 2010, 11:44 PM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'241044\' date=\'May 18 2010, 04:15 PM\'][quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'241042\' date=\'May 18 2010, 04:56 PM\']A thumbs up for Singled Out. If you're going to be trashy and over-the-top, at least be honest and fun about it.[/quote]
Forgot all about that one. I think I'd put that as my favorite, mainly because it didn't take itself too seriously.
[/quote]
Forgot that one, too. Wasn't there an ugly Cupid on the gameboard that somewhat resembled Chucky?
Maybe it's just me, but I'd much rather see this show back than the dating shows that MTV has cranked out since (Room Raiders, Date My Mom, Next, etc.).
/Remote Control would be nice, too
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Yup they had that ugly bastard who spoke on occasion on the board. Matter in fact they also had a live Cupid on there as well. SO was ok for it's time it after Beavis and Butthead and Oddities. (State as well) However Jenny Mac. was just grating on the nerves. (Carmen didn't help either.)
Now as for my best In my honest opinion, and will prolly sound dumb is Love Me, Love Me Not.
ok ok Maybe Not as a Relationship game. but as a pseudo Hollywood Squares like game. Provided it wasn't played to death ( I and I mean that the front game goes on forever that the daisy round is never played.)
But then again I'm partial to Studs!
Edited for annoyance.
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[quote name=\'William_S.\' post=\'241081\' date=\'May 18 2010, 11:17 PM\']But then again I'm partial to Studs!
/ that's Freakin!![/quote]
Am I the only one whose grown weary of the obligatory "Freakin" anytime someone mentions Studs?
/That's Numberwang!
//Yoooooooo Wiiiiiiiiiiin!
///Slashies!
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[quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'241083\' date=\'May 18 2010, 09:31 PM\']I'm I the only one whose grown weary of the obligatory "Freakin" anytime someone mentions Studs?[/quote]
Even I'm a little tired of it, and I'm the one who COINED it. :)
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Heck, I'd even say I'm freakin' tired of it.
/Sorry, had to do it once
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I'm surprised that there aren't many mentions of The Dating Game. I'd say the '78-80 version of this show was probably my favorite. From my early teenage memories, most of the women on that show seemed hot, the questions were risque and the music was very catchy.
I was also a big fan of Tattletales, and enjoyed The Love Experts for the brief time we had it. Unfortunately, the latter was cancelled in my area just before Christmas in 1978. I guess the ratings on that show weren't great, but we didn't even get it for the full season.
I also liked Bzzzz! I think it should have lasted a bit longer.
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Relationship Shows for Singles: Dating Game, with Love Connection a close 2nd.
Relationship Shows for Married Couples: Newlywed Game (Anything Pre-Paul Rodriguez).
/Interesting that if we divided all relationship games into just those 2 categories, "Perfect Match" would be listed in both categories.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'241086\' date=\'May 19 2010, 02:32 AM\'][quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'241083\' date=\'May 18 2010, 09:31 PM\']I'm I the only one whose grown weary of the obligatory "Freakin" anytime someone mentions Studs?[/quote]
Even I'm a little tired of it, and I'm the one who COINED it. :)
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Meh I guess I was "Following the F&&" on that one. really it just studs.I also don't see why it needs to be called freakin.
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[quote name=\'William_S.\' post=\'241139\' date=\'May 20 2010, 06:52 AM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'241086\' date=\'May 19 2010, 02:32 AM\'][quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'241083\' date=\'May 18 2010, 09:31 PM\']I'm I the only one whose grown weary of the obligatory "Freakin" anytime someone mentions Studs?[/quote]
Even I'm a little tired of it, and I'm the one who COINED it. :)
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Meh I guess I was "Following the F&&" on that one. really it just studs.I also don't see why it needs to be called freakin.
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It came from GSN deciding it was one of the Top 50 game shows of all time. Even though it was a very low entry (bottom five IIRC), the fact that it still ranked caused some (understandable) discontent.
I enjoyed the show as a child in all its sleaziness, but wouldn't put it on a Top 50 list of favorites. Guilty pleasures, maybe...
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Never was much for the Barris stalwarts. Newlywed always had pretty much the same formula: Bob reads a question that tries to be titillating but doesn't have the guts to actually pull it off. Then, the husband and/or wife gives a response that's a bald-faced single entendre and/or so far off the mark that it wasn't even funny, just painful ("What's your husband's favorite rodent?" "The saxophone." -- *shudder*). Sure, sometimes there were genuinely funny moments, but for the most part, both of those shows just make me cringe. Not to mention that Dating, at least to me, feels like it barely even needs a host.
Love Connection, on the other hand, was just too low-key for the most part. There just wasn't much of anything on it that made it all that interesting, save for Mr. Two and Two himself. That, and coming up with theories as to how John Cervenka found his way into the announcer's booth.
I saw all the votes for Bzzz! here and thought I'd check it out, since I had never really heard of it until well after the fact. This is just about the right balance for me: it's a little campy and silly (that totally radical, Bonkers-esque "bouncy" font looks more like something out of 1992 than 1997), but it just feels more natural and fun, not calculated and cheesy. Also, it has a more interesting and varied format than most.
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[quote name=\'Twentington\' post=\'241198\' date=\'May 21 2010, 10:47 AM\']Never was much for the Barris stalwarts. Newlywed always had pretty much the same formula: Bob reads a question that tries to be titillating but doesn't have the guts to actually pull it off.[/quote]
Well in all fairness, it was the 60s and 70s. Game shows couldn't be but so risque.
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I may be alone in a boat here, but I actually liked the '97 variants of The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game better than their classic counterparts.
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[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'241214\' date=\'May 21 2010, 01:49 PM\']I may be alone in a boat here, but I actually liked the '97 variants of The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game better than their classic counterparts.[/quote]
The '97 variant of NEWLYWED was okay, but it helped having Eubanks still at the helm. The format change for DATING was awful, and bringing back the classic format but having Woolery host wasn't that much better.
Didn't really love either show in any form, but I grew up with the classic versions, so I'd still probably take them over the more contemporary versions (including Carnie's).
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'241213\' date=\'May 21 2010, 02:46 PM\'][quote name=\'Twentington\' post=\'241198\' date=\'May 21 2010, 10:47 AM\']Never was much for the Barris stalwarts. Newlywed always had pretty much the same formula: Bob reads a question that tries to be titillating but doesn't have the guts to actually pull it off.[/quote]
Well in all fairness, it was the 60s and 70s. Game shows couldn't be but so risque.
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I'm well aware of that. I still think there's something about Newlywed questions that, even taking into mind 1970s standards, just doesn't sit well with me.
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'241216\' date=\'May 21 2010, 02:16 PM\']The '97 variant of NEWLYWED was okay, but it helped having Eubanks still at the helm.[/quote]
Gary Kroeger hosted the Newlywed Game with the format change....when they brought back Eubanks, they reverted back to the classic format.
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[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'241231\' date=\'May 22 2010, 01:01 AM\'][quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'241216\' date=\'May 21 2010, 02:16 PM\']The '97 variant of NEWLYWED was okay, but it helped having Eubanks still at the helm.[/quote]
Gary Kroeger hosted the Newlywed Game with the format change....when they brought back Eubanks, they reverted back to the classic format.
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Completely forgot about that version. And apparently so did most everyone else while it was running. :)
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'241216\' date=\'May 21 2010, 12:16 PM\']The format change for DATING was awful, and bringing back the classic format but having Woolery host wasn't that much better.[/quote]Newlywed Game isn't going to be much better whether you have video-recorded answers, or the relatively uninteresting either-or questions, it still adds up to knowing your partner.
What I liked about Dating '97 is that they changed things up for the better. If I'm going out on a date, I really don't care much about the Bachelorettes answers to prepared questions that are written more for the laughs and less for information. When I get to choose between "I pogo-sticked the Boston Marathon" or "I adopt puppies and give them to wheelchair kids", that's an interesting choice and I get to find out something substantive about my prospective datemate. The chooser is allowed to make a judgment based on the tidbits presented, as opposed to being chained to the cue cards in his hand.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'241243\' date=\'May 22 2010, 01:52 PM\'][quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'241216\' date=\'May 21 2010, 12:16 PM\']The format change for DATING was awful, and bringing back the classic format but having Woolery host wasn't that much better.[/quote]Newlywed Game isn't going to be much better whether you have video-recorded answers, or the relatively uninteresting either-or questions, it still adds up to knowing your partner.
What I liked about Dating '97 is that they changed things up for the better. If I'm going out on a date, I really don't care much about the Bachelorettes answers to prepared questions that are written more for the laughs and less for information. When I get to choose between "I pogo-sticked the Boston Marathon" or "I adopt puppies and give them to wheelchair kids", that's an interesting choice and I get to find out something substantive about my prospective datemate. The chooser is allowed to make a judgment based on the tidbits presented, as opposed to being chained to the cue cards in his hand.
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When put that way, you have a point. Perhaps that could have been worked in while maintaining the "Bachelor #1/#2/#3" format as opposed to "Sam/Murray/Ed".
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'241254\' date=\'May 22 2010, 06:59 PM\']When put that way, you have a point. Perhaps that could have been worked in while maintaining the "Bachelor #1/#2/#3" format as opposed to "Sam/Murray/Ed".[/quote]I will freely admit that I'm not terribly crazy about keeping the bachelors hidden behind a partition until the big reveal. (And since the Looks round was just 1-2-3, it didn't really affect the Personality round all that much) I understand that if you don't have a safety net and just let the chooser have complete freedom, you either have lots of dead air or possibly the FCC on the horn asking just what is the meaning of all of this, but in the time I watched the "original recipe" version, it didn't seem that the chooser had a whole helluva lot to go on when choosing. (And it didn't seem like Barris et al would throw in a dingus or goop. The three chosen (?) bachelor/ettes seemed to be decent young people, so the chooser wasn't ever at any sort of risk. I don't think it would be all that terrible to have the host, the chooser and the potentials in a living room setting around a coffee table, and the chooser has a stack of questions to draw from, and the potentials have each brought some personality factoids to discuss, and you let 'em go. But that's just me.
All that said, I find it much more difficult to defend the changes made to Newlywed Game.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'241255\' date=\'May 22 2010, 09:06 PM\']The three chosen (?) bachelor/ettes seemed to be decent young people, so the chooser wasn't ever at any sort of risk.[/quote]
Unless your choice was a serial murderer. (http://\"http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/convicted-serial-killer-wins-dating-game-in-1978/\")
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[quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'241257\' date=\'May 22 2010, 09:23 PM\'][quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'241255\' date=\'May 22 2010, 09:06 PM\']The three chosen (?) bachelor/ettes seemed to be decent young people, so the chooser wasn't ever at any sort of risk.[/quote]
Unless your choice was a serial murderer. (http://\"http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/convicted-serial-killer-wins-dating-game-in-1978/\")
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Perhaps those would be the times Chuckie himself acted as chaperone, potentially killing two birds with one stone (so to speak).
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[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'241091\' date=\'May 19 2010, 11:35 AM\']The Dating Game. I'd say the '78-80 version of this show was probably my favorite. From my early teenage memories, most of the women on that show seemed hot, the questions were risque and the music was very catchy.[/quote]
I second that emotion. Plus, Jim Lange seemed to me to be a bit more on the mischievous side on this version.