The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: ITSBRY on January 14, 2004, 12:37:45 PM
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Having never seen a game show taping, I've always wondered if I would be wow'd or dissappointed. Things seem so cool on TV, but would the "real thing" live up to my expectations?
So...for those of you that have seen a game show taping or have been on a game show, what did you think was cool about it and what did you find disappointing?
I'd really like to hear from Randy West regarding his experience on PYL. I met Mr. West back in May and over lunch, he described how the PYL set looked in person and how the board worked. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about that conversation so I'd LOVE to hear more! :-)
ITSBRY
itsbry@juno.com
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Hollywood Squares was neat when I went there. I don't know if they have the same warm up guy, but when I attended, Whoopi was still with the show.
If you attend a 3 show taping, expect to stay 3 hours, because there's a LOT of audience warmup action going on between commercials. The warmup guy was kind of corny, prank calling people that placed Pennysaver ads, challenging audience members to a dance contest. Overall, it was fun, but exhausting.
I also saw Card Sharks 01. Let's say, the warmup was more interesting than the gameplay itself. Gary Kroeger did a good job considering the circumstances. Once, they stopped tape when Pat proceeded with Money Cards without asking the contestant for a wager. As a result, he actually won MORE money than he would've on the card accidentally revealed.
Jeopardy!- Surprisingly fun! Alex is far more loose, and funnier than he is on camera. He also appears more personable. Johnny Gilbert was also fun.
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My one and only so far was catching a taping of JOKER back in '79 at KCOP 13. By the time my wife and I got there, Bob Hilton was wrapping up the audience warm-up, which on that day seemed to be a bit of a struggle. He talked about the door prizes, asked if anybody wanted to tell a joke - then the taping started. I was surprised at how small the studio and set was. The use of black drapes in the back gave the studio an expansive look. It always looked huge on tv. Had a front row seat, and what also was funny was how shabby the walls with the logos in front of the audience were. Small dents and paint scuffs in the front, bent nails and cracked wood in the back. It showed me how forgiving cameras are. We stayed for all five shows. The staff was cordial, and Jack took audience questions after the second show. Things moved right along. The only problem occurred when Jack and the staff had to figure out how to deal with a situation where a contestant gave the correct answer to a mystery category question after the time limit buzzer. They decided to give the opponent their choice of a new mystery question. It was a fun experience, and showed that with the right tricks, what some would call a dumpy set looks like a million bucks on the small screen.
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[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Jan 14 2004, 09:58 PM\'] It was a fun experience, and showed that with the right tricks, what some would call a dumpy set looks like a million bucks on the small screen. [/quote]
Nope...it looked dumpy on screen as well. ;-)
Seriously, I actually liked the neon set, but it looked a bit cluttered.
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...okay...how about "looks like a thousand bucks"...?
Gotta laugh at something. That Pyramid news bites!
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[quote name=\'ITSBRY\' date=\'Jan 14 2004, 12:37 PM\'] Having never seen a game show taping, I've always wondered if I would be wow'd or dissappointed. Things seem so cool on TV, but would the "real thing" live up to my expectations?
So...for those of you that have seen a game show taping or have been on a game show, what did you think was cool about it and what did you find disappointing?
I'd really like to hear from Randy West regarding his experience on PYL. I met Mr. West back in May and over lunch, he described how the PYL set looked in person and how the board worked. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about that conversation so I'd LOVE to hear more! :-)
ITSBRY
itsbry@juno.com [/quote]
I attended J! tapings followed by TPIR the next day. J! wasn't as much of a thrill for me because I am not really a fan of the show, but going for the experience was cool. The set is a lot smaller than actually appears on t.v. But, as someone else pointed out, Alex Trebek is less of a pompous know-it-all off camera when he's talking with the audience. TPIR was the ultimate thrill. The set is tiny compared to how it appears on television. This experience actually made me more knowledgeable about the program as far as minor technical things. For example, when I watch the show with my wife, I am able to point out little factoids to her about the process for taping, etc. I actually had a question of mine answered by Bob. It was so cool. I also attended a taping of WoF when they taped at CBS. That was not such a big deal, but it was good for the experience. It was my first trip to L.A. and I knew I wanted to see a game show tape. I wanted to see FF, but clearly it wasn't taping that day (since both shows taped in the same studio). My father bought me a TPIR shirt as a souvenir and I put it on before going in to the studio. When Vanna was talking to the audience, she noticed that and walked up to me and said "Wrong show, Mister!"
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[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Jan 14 2004, 09:58 PM\'] The only problem occurred when Jack and the staff had to figure out how to deal with a situation where a contestant gave the correct answer to a mystery category question after the time limit buzzer. They decided to give the opponent their choice of a new mystery question. [/quote]
The opponent should've been given a shot at that same question. When time is up, time is up. And if you answer anyway when time is up, then too bad for you. Hope the opponent got the back-up question correct.
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The set is a lot smaller than actually appears on t.v.
That's what I noticed when I saw "Battlestars" in 1983. When you see the opening on TV, the set looks huge, but in actual fact there were only a few feet between Alex and the celebrities.
The magic of TV!
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Don -
I agree. Jack did not confirm that the answer given was correct, and the opponent could have had another answer in mind - now it would be up to the opponent to agree or disagree. The opponent did answer his new question correctly, so the producers dodged the bullet. Looking back at it now, I think the error was on Jack's part. Once he hesitated and said, "let's see what we're going to do about this", it seemed to confirm the answer was correct. However, IIRC, in the early days of JOKER (CBS), I thought I heard Jack mention that the time signal just indicated that thinking time was over and a contestant must now either give an answer or give up. Can anyone confirm that?
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Hollywood Squares was neat when I went there. I don't know if they have the same warm up guy, but when I attended, Whoopi was still with the show.
That would have been Bob Perlow, no longer with the show. Current warmup is named Tom Riles, who has also done some episodes of Funniest Home Videos.
First game show taping for me (other than opening the door to the Concentration when at NBC on a kids show as a 5 year old) was a taping of Moneymaze. Freezing cold December day, and we're waiting outside the studio on West 66th St. The pages came out to apologize for the delay in letting us in, because "the celebrities were still rehearsing". Whaaaa? Celebrities? Moneymaze isn't a celebrity show! Well it was this week. I got to see the Monday show of the week where Soupy Sales and Anita Gillette were celebrity teammates to the civilians.
The set blew me away when we got inside, climbing up the stairs to the bleachers, I just got chills seeing it in person. It looked huge. And I remember the lights being very very bright (amazing how much less light is used these days for video).
And how cool the theme sounded when it blared into the studio.
Years later, visiting a friend who worked at ABC in New York, he was taking me around the building, into the various studios there. When we got to TV-1, which was set up for PrimeTime Live with an audience, I saw the stairway in the back that Nick Clooney went up after the taping, to get to his dressing room. It brought back all the cool memories of that first taping.
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That's what I noticed when I saw "Battlestars" in 1983. When you see the opening on TV, the set looks huge, but in actual fact there were only a few feet between Alex and the celebrities.
The magic of TV!
Indeed...when I saw TPiR in 1997, my first thought was how much smaller Studio 33 looked in person. :-)
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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My 1st show to see was when I was a youngster was Camouflage with Don Morrow. I was so in awe of just being there that I really don't remember much except the contestant won the car in the bonus round.
I have seen Jeopardy! twice: The Million Dollars Masters Tourney(2 tapings)at Radio City Music Hall and the College Tourney in Columbus(about a 3 hour drive from here in Huntington, WV). Alex was much looser than on-camera which really surprised me. Johnny Gilbert was lots of fun. I went up to the stage after the 2nd taping and talked to him and got his autograph. The winner of the Masters Tourney and I now work together at the National Academic Tournament as moderators. Brad Rutter is a class act.
I had tickets for TPIR in Feb. '02, but didn't even get in because of the over-distribution of the tickets. I flew all the way there JUST for that show. I had a friend in radio in San Diego at the Jefferson Pilot stations group who invited me to go with him. He had been in twice before and never experienced the disappointment I had. He told me I'd be disappointed at the "set size."
I can relate, because, for 14 years I hosted "High Q," the high school version of "College Bowl" here on our local CBS affiliate--until it was cancelled in 1998--not that I'm bitter." All the students who played remarked how small the studio was in person compared to seeing it at home.
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[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 11:17 AM\'] First game show taping for me (other than opening the door to the Concentration when at NBC on a kids show as a 5 year old) was a taping of Moneymaze. Freezing cold December day, and we're waiting outside the studio on West 66th St. The pages came out to apologize for the delay in letting us in, because "the celebrities were still rehearsing". Whaaaa? Celebrities? Moneymaze isn't a celebrity show! Well it was this week. I got to see the Monday show of the week where Soupy Sales and Anita Gillette were celebrity teammates to the civilians.
The set blew me away when we got inside, climbing up the stairs to the bleachers, I just got chills seeing it in person. It looked huge. And I remember the lights being very very bright (amazing how much less light is used these days for video).
And how cool the theme sounded when it blared into the studio.
[/quote]
I went to a Money Maze taping a few weeks after this (because the celebrity episodes hadn't aired yet, but Alan Kalter mentioned them in the warmup). The great thrill was being able to sit around the maze, so nearly everybody got some camera time. Also, during a technical delay in one of the shows, Nick Clooney took questions from the audience, and assured us the hair on his head was all his. (He got a perm for the series, if I remember correctly -- all the pictures on my page (http://\"http://www.curtalliaume.com/moneymaz.html\") are from the pilot.)
The first taping I ever went to, however, was What's My Line? in 1970, at the old Ed Sullivan Theater (heck, Ed was still using it at that point!). We were in the upper level for the first show, then the lower level closer to the stage for the next two. And confirming what everyone has said, the set doesn't take up that much room -- it looked absolutely tiny on that stage.
Bennett Cerf and Arlene Francis were on the panel (don't remember the other two panelists or the Mystery Guests), but the main attraction was, of course, Johnny O. What a nice, nice guy.
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[quote name=\'gameshowhost1\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 11:39 AM\'] I can relate, because, for 14 years I hosted "High Q," the high school version of "College Bowl" here on our local CBS affiliate--until it was cancelled in 1998--not that I'm bitter." All the students who played remarked how small the studio was in person compared to seeing it at home. [/quote]
Holy smoke!! I know who you are! I used to watch that. WOWK Channel 13, right? Could this be Ernie G. Anderson?
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Don Howard----yes, the one and only, the lovely & talented, the most powerful broadcaster in Huntington, Wv, heck the the tri state for that matter, the rivercities most beloved entertainer(have I stolen enough of Letterman's lines?)
Then, are you from here? Do I know you?
Actually, I'm in preliminary talks with the new ownership at WOWK and their family of stations for a "revival" of "High Q." Wish me well
Ernie
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[quote name=\'calliaume\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 12:00 PM\']
The first taping I ever went to, however, was What's My Line? in 1970, at the old Ed Sullivan Theater (heck, Ed was still using it at that point!). [/quote]
Was it called the Ed yet, or was it still CBS Studio 50 (I think that's what it was called ,I could be way off)??
EDIT: Wow....250 posts. Where can I exchange that for a ceramic dalmation?
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[quote name=\'gameshowhost1\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 01:50 PM\'] Yes, the one and only, the lovely & talented, the most powerful broadcaster in Huntington, WV, heck the the tri state for that matter, the rivercities most beloved entertainer(have I stolen enough of Letterman's lines?)
Then, are you from here? Do I know you?
Actually, I'm in preliminary talks with the new ownership at WOWK and their family of stations for a "revival" of "High Q." Wish me well
Ernie [/quote]
My word, the brushes with greatness never stop around here. Ernie, I first caught your show in 1986--you still had the perm. Good luck reviving High Q. From what I hear, the return of Academic Challenge last month, cancelled one year after your show, in Cleveland has been met with nothing but positive response.
We'll chat later through personal e-mail. Thanks for writing back.
Back on topic, I got to see three Super Password episodes taped in 1985
with guests Pat Sajak and Lauri Hendler from Gimme A Break. While it was a thrill to see those two and Bert Convy do their stuff right there just feet away, all persons in the crowd would agree with me that for us the star of the taping session was Gene Wood.
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Was it called the Ed yet, or was it still CBS Studio 50 (I think that's what it was called ,I could be way off)??
It was renamed for Ed Sullivan on 12/10/67.
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[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 01:26 PM\'] It was renamed for Ed Sullivan on 12/10/67. [/quote]
It was raining that night. Ed had a black umbrella.
But don't ask me where I left my keys last night! ;-)
Hey, those first times seeing a game show tape are unforgettable for me. The impression was so deep that they changed my life's goals. I have moved a dozen times and have always taken the art card from a Final Jeopardy answer circa 1971.
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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The only real game show taping I've seen so far was J!'s 2002 College Tournament at OSU; my companion for the taping was the world famous Ernie Adnerson, who was recognized by a fan earlier in this thread. :-)
Johnny Gilbert did an awesome warm-up, about which three things stand out: #1. "I'd like to remind all of you that we will be panning the audience during the closing credits, so if you are here with another man's spouse, for your own safety, please get the hell out now!" #2. When Johnny read the slate (which, somehow, I was surprised game shows still do) he paused and turned the audience and said, "God, this is exciting, isn't it???" #3. He told a story about reading a commercial on Bill Cullen's TPIR for psoriasis treatment. The problems facing him were he hadn't read the copy beforehand, and while he was familiar with the ailment, he had never actually SEEN the word "psoriasis" before, so he ended up announcing, "An exciting new breakthrough for people with sorry asses!"
During a break, I asked Alex about THE suspicion regarding the "High Rollers" finale. Alex, until that point had been the cordial, genial, warm and friendly guy he's been described as being when the J! cameras are off. When he heard my question, he turned into TV Alex, which surprised the hell out of me, and answered, "Not true" and didn't come back to my section. He had been going down the row asking people questions and I realized much later that if I hadn't asked him that, he probably would have continued with my row and Ernie could have asked his question. Sorry I screwed you, Ernie.
Discrepencies: There was a questionable call about the French name for French Fries (apparently it carries two different names, depending on what food it's served with) and the taping stopped for 45 minutes while the staff telephoned several experts (Johnny G. explained that J! basically has a reference of people in the LA area with fields of expertise) whose job it was to just stay home on taping days and wait for the phone to ring if a problem came up. There was another problem with a response that held up taping another 20 minutes, but Johnny and Alex both did a phenomenal job keeping the crowd "awake" the whole time.
I'd recommend a game show taping to anyone, especially if it's "The New High-Q" which all of us in the Huntington area are hoping gets launched soon, especially Ernie, who enjoyed
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 03:24 PM\'] Super Password episodes taped in 1985
with guests Pat Sajak and Lauri Hendler from Gimme A Break. While it was a thrill to see those two and Bert Convy do their stuff right there just feet away, all persons in the crowd would agree with me that for us the star of the taping session was Gene Wood. [/quote]
Lauri Hendler was a damn good celeb player, especially given her age(early 20s) when she did them. Bert mentioned how he was in awe of her gameplay on that week of SP IIRC. Whatever became of her anyway, she's still fairly young(late 30s I guess now)
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[quote name=\'gameshowhost1\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 01:50 PM\'] yes, the one and only Ernie Anderson, the lovely & talented, the most powerful broadcaster in Huntington, Wv, [/quote]
Ernie may well be tied for most powerful broadcaster from Huntington with a certain host born Pierre Lacock in that town in 1927, i.e. Peter Marshall
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[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 06:56 PM\']During a break, I asked Alex about THE suspicion regarding the "High Rollers" finale. Alex, until that point had been the cordial, genial, warm and friendly guy he's been described as being when the J! cameras are off. When he heard my question, he turned into TV Alex, which surprised the hell out of me, and answered, "Not true" and didn't come back to my section.[/quote]
It wouldn't have surprised me. I certainly wouldn't want to be asked about my potential inebriation on national TV while in front of an audience of hundreds.
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 07:16 PM\'] [quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 03:24 PM\'] Super Password episodes taped in 1985
with guests Pat Sajak and Lauri Hendler from Gimme A Break. While it was a thrill to see those two and Bert Convy do their stuff right there just feet away, all persons in the crowd would agree with me that for us the star of the taping session was Gene Wood. [/quote]
Lauri Hendler was a damn good celeb player, especially given her age(early 20s) when she did them. Bert mentioned how he was in awe of her gameplay on that week of SP IIRC. Whatever became of her anyway, she's still fairly young(late 30s I guess now) [/quote]
Just checked IMDB -- she was 19 when she taped her first episodes.
I remember her best from a Pyramid tournament week, when she decided to prove she was an adult (even though she was playing a high schooler on TV), and so wore a black strapless party dress on one show. She looked great, but no doubt her chest was a hell of a distraction to the contestants.
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[quote name=\'calliaume\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 07:22 PM\']
Just checked IMDB -- she was 19 when she taped her first episodes.
I remember her best from a Pyramid tournament week, when she decided to prove she was an adult (even though she was playing a high schooler on TV), and so wore a black strapless party dress on one show. She looked great, but no doubt her chest was a hell of a distraction to the contestants. [/quote]
Lauri won the $100K for Mary Money on her first time in the Winner's Circle during a tournament week. It was the sixth day of the tournament. Dave Mackey said he was in the audience(and popped out of it upon the big win) for the taping.
Interesting tidbit: Dec 25, 2000 saw the 6-7PM EST hour on GSN feature Mary's $100K win followed by an MG77 episode in which she was the champion.
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[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 05:21 PM\'] [quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 06:56 PM\']During a break, I asked Alex about THE suspicion regarding the "High Rollers" finale. Alex, until that point had been the cordial, genial, warm and friendly guy he's been described as being when the J! cameras are off. When he heard my question, he turned into TV Alex, which surprised the hell out of me, and answered, "Not true" and didn't come back to my section.[/quote]
It wouldn't have surprised me. I certainly wouldn't want to be asked about my potential inebriation on national TV while in front of an audience of hundreds. [/quote]
Yeah, that struck me as being in incredibly bad taste, too.
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You might not want to ask him about "Pitfall" either.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 08:35 PM\'] You might not want to ask him about "Pitfall" either. [/quote]
Or about his dancing :)
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[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 11:17 AM\']
That would have been Bob Perlow, no longer with the show. Current warmup is named Tom Riles, who has also done some episodes of Funniest Home Videos.
[/quote]
Question for you Brian...
Did Bob ever get into any real trouble for those prank calls (or CBS) ?
Surely caller ID or a phone operator could've traced those calls, and apparently he did call some of those Pennysaver ads more than once. (It's one thing to prank call someone once and get a cheap laugh, but more than once to me is just plain harassment)
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 07:31 PM\'][quote name=\'calliaume\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 07:22 PM\']
I remember her best from a Pyramid tournament week, when she decided to prove she was an adult (even though she was playing a high schooler on TV), and so wore a black strapless party dress on one show. She looked great, but no doubt her chest was a hell of a distraction to the contestants. [/quote]
Lauri won the $100K for Mary Money on her first time in the Winner's Circle during a tournament week. It was the sixth day of the tournament. Dave Mackey said he was in the audience(and popped out of it upon the big win) for the taping.[/quote]
Popped out of? . . . oh, out of the audience. Darn.
Watch what phrases you're putting in near proximity to other phrases, Zach. =P
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[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 06:56 PM\'] During a break, I asked Alex about THE suspicion regarding the "High Rollers" finale. Alex, until that point had been the cordial, genial, warm and friendly guy he's been described as being when the J! cameras are off. When he heard my question, he turned into TV Alex, which surprised the hell out of me, and answered, "Not true" and didn't come back to my section. [/quote]
Well, what did you expect? Did you expect him to say "Yes, I had had way too much to drink that day" in front of the entire audience? Do you think he even remembers that day in 1980 when they taped it? I doubt it. But, I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that momen.
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[quote name=\'Card Shark\' date=\'Jan 16 2004, 06:59 AM\']
Well, what did you expect? Did you expect him to say "Yes, I had had way too much to drink that day" in front of the entire audience? Do you think he even remembers that day in 1980 when they taped it? I doubt it. But, I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that momen. [/quote]
Someone from our newsgroup did an interivew with Becky Price, HR78-80 co-host, and she disproved Trebek's drunkenness, saying he was just "goofy" IIRC.
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 16 2004, 06:00 AM\'] Someone from our newsgroup did an interivew with Becky Price, HR78-80 co-host, and she disproved Trebek's drunkenness, saying he was just "goofy" IIRC. [/quote]
I wouldn't call that "disproved", I'd call that "not throwing Trebek under the bus over a matter that isn't her business."
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When Wheel came to George R. Brown Convention Center, I saw the Thursday & Friday finals episodes of College Week!
I wish I would've been there when Richard terrorized Pat Sajak! He was the "male Rose" (Jamaica mistake $50,000 Treasure Hunt winner).
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OK, for the record, I didn't ask the question with the intent of being an ass. In fact, I used the term "urban legend" in my question thinking that Alex would be more receptive to it, and I was wrong. My thought process at the time was that either I'd get a chuckle and a "no" answer, a sarcastic "yes", or "yes" with an antecdote like so many that you hear in old showbiz documentaries. My mistake was thinking that Alex was a short comedian in a checkered hat named Morty, not Alex Trebek.
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[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' date=\'Jan 16 2004, 11:10 AM\'] OK, for the record, I didn't ask the question with the intent of being an ass. [/quote]
Nobody's saying you were an ass. Just incredibly insensitive. :)
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 03:24 PM\'] From what I hear, the return of Academic Challenge last month, cancelled one year after your show, in Cleveland has been met with nothing but positive response. [/quote]
I watch it every Saturday night as there's nothing else on TV at 6:30 PM. It's a tolerable show even though it doesn't hold a candle to the original version. It's too 21st century for my tastes.
I went to see It's Academic in 1994 or 1995, when my sister's best friend played for my alma mater. My first impressions were "Wow, this set is really small" and "We have to sit on bleachers?!" The pace was hectic, as WEWS taped 3 or 4 shows on a Sunday afternoon. We'd be rushed into the studio, the game would be played, and we'd be on our way home.
I must agree with Chuckie Baby about TPiR. When I attended two shows in October 2001, I was shocked as to how small 33 is and to how frigid it was in the studio. TPiR was surreal because it was one of the two main reasons for going to LA. The whole TPiR experience is one I'll never forget and can't wait to take part in again.
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That would have been Bob Perlow, no longer with the show. Current warmup is named Tom Riles, who has also done some episodes of Funniest Home Videos.
Question for you Brian...
Did Bob ever get into any real trouble for those prank calls (or CBS) ?
Surely caller ID or a phone operator could've traced those calls, and apparently he did call some of those Pennysaver ads more than once. (It's one thing to prank call someone once and get a cheap laugh, but more than once to me is just plain harassment)
Depends on your definition of "trouble" :) I never cared for that bit, they made me very uncomfortable. If I was a parent whose kid was a part of that, being told their kid was now dancing at an adult club (another bit that he did), I'd have raised holy hell.
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[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Jan 16 2004, 01:25 PM\'] [quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 15 2004, 03:24 PM\'] From what I hear, the return of Academic Challenge last month, cancelled one year after your show, in Cleveland has been met with nothing but positive response. [/quote]
I watch it every Saturday night as there's nothing else on TV at 6:30 PM. It's a tolerable show even though it doesn't hold a candle to the original version. It's too 21st century for my tastes.
[/quote]
Oh, dear. Mike, what have they gone and done? And how is Adam Shapiro as a host?
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 16 2004, 02:35 PM\'] Oh, dear. Mike, what have they gone and done? And how is Adam Shapiro as a host? [/quote]
The new Academic Challenge is reminiscent of the old show. The set's too blue, with a blue backdrop with the Westfield Insurance (show sponsor) and Academic Challenge logos behind each team. I'd rather have the brown and tan hexagons from the 70s and 80s. There are also too many cutesy graphics for each round. The round isn't just introduced like old times. There's some accompanying graphics I don't like.
AC has gotten a great amount of publicity, between ads on WEWS and several write-ups in The Plain Dealer. WEWS aired a half hour Academic Challenge retrospective the Sunday before AC's return. (Got it on tape for those interested.)
Adam Shapiro...bleech. A cardboard cutout of Adam Shapiro has more personality than Shapiro himself. The second show had a number of gaffes, most importantly Shapiro skipping a question in the 2nd round. This error wasn't caught until the 4th round. It's partially Shapiro's fault but the judges and/or the producer should've caught this much earlier.
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I've been lucky enough to see 5 ("technically" 6) game show tapings in my young lifetime.
The first one was experienced filled - as I was playing as a contestant on Wheel in '97. I was lucky enough not to be selected until the Thursday show, so I could soak up the experience. I actually found that the set was a reasonable size.
I didn't get a chance again until I lived in Europe. I saw the French game show "Questions pour un champion" this time two years ago, and I have to say it was my fave experience. I got to see four shows being taped, and in between shows the audience (50 or so) got to get up and mingle around, have a bite to eat, wander onto the set, and take some pictures :) I found that it was a very relaxed atmosphere. I think they've got it figured out - very calm people that work there. Although they did think it was bizarre that Canadians were in their audience!
I saw two BBC game shows in 2002 as well : Weakest Link (primetime) and Liar (soon to be in the US?). WL was cool because I got to see Anne in person. Also I had a bit of a rapport with the warm up guy (former host of UK Double Dare). My only wish is that I would have brought something for Anne to sign. Liar, taped at White City (more central to the city than Pinewood Studios) is a very nice atmosphere as well. There's a full restaurant/bar there (so yours truly had a drink before the taping to loosen up) and they let you wander around somewhat after the show is done, talking to the contestants.
I finally saw TPIR this past summer (mid-July; and Rod was taping that day). It's an experience unlike the others because you have to be there ridiculously early. And the energy inside that studio is unlike anything I've ever seen. I found that the set, like many others, was small! I was lucky enough to ask Bob a question during the commercial which was a personal thrill. I hope to go back again sometime in 2005.
And, the "technically" taping: Canadian Idol. But that really doesn't count, does it? :)
Cheers,
Ryan :)