The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: ezbidder on February 13, 2004, 11:20:46 PM
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Anyone here ever been to a taping where portions of the show were recreated due to mistakes made? When did this practice start? I notice it in the credits of shows like The Weakest Link, and Millionaire. What's the most you've seen recreated, and how long does the audience have to wait around after the end of the tapings to do these re-creations? What are the most common reasons why a portion must be recreated?
I can theorize a few: question reading screwups, possible offensive material, something wrong with the contestant's and/or host's appearance, someone in the audience in the background shouts something. Technical failure (sound, camera, etc). Feel free to add to the list.
eZb
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[quote name=\'ezbidder\' date=\'Feb 13 2004, 08:20 PM\'] Anyone here ever been to a taping where portions of the show were recreated due to mistakes made? When did this practice start? I notice it in the credits of shows like The Weakest Link, and Millionaire. What's the most you've seen recreated, and how long does the audience have to wait around after the end of the tapings to do these re-creations? What are the most common reasons why a portion must be recreated?
I can theorize a few: question reading screwups, possible offensive material, something wrong with the contestant's and/or host's appearance, someone in the audience in the background shouts something. Technical failure (sound, camera, etc). Feel free to add to the list.
eZb [/quote]
You're right on with the most common reasons tape is stopped. A lot of folks here can help answer that one. I'll give you a quickie, general response.
Most brief recreations are necessary to make a smooth edit after tape has been stopped usually because of either a technical problem (camera, etc), a game electronics problem (score keeping, clock, etc), or a judging error. Sometimes it's because an audience member yelled an answer (right or wrong), or the director has a weak bladder! ;-)
"Weakest Link" could be tough at times needing the host to immediately call an answer right or wrong as the clock is running. When there was a question, tape would be stopped, the answer given by the contestant researched, and the round would resume with the players and clock reset to where they had been (tape is rewound to check), and there would often be a repeat of the answer and/or the judgement call (the recreation) to make it all fit together. Standards and Practices runs out on stage during the stop to make sure players don't discuss the questions or answers (on WOF players turn away from the puzzle board) so that stopping the game does not substantially affect the outcome of the competition.
Oh, and the warm-up guy gets off his ass to keep the audience entertained as this process can take anywhere from about 3 minutes to a half hour, or more!
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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So Randy, how often do you do pickups for Zim's Crack Creme? :-)
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At my week of wheel tapings, the Wednesday episode (not mine) had a situation whereby the wrong screen lit up. The players turned their backs, and they quickly rectified the situation. Pat Sajak quipped that "America will never know if you don't tell them!".
I also remember reading something in the rules that if they have to throw out the puzzle each contestant gets $100 (on the side; not on their score). Anyone care to confirm or deny?
Cheers,
Ryan :)
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In her book, Maxene Fabe told of a Wheel incident where a light blew just as a woman hit "BANKRUPT." The voice of the director came over the speaker telling her 'we got the wheel but we lost you. Look disappointed."
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In response to the following query from "vtown7" in this thread:
I remember reading something in the [Wheel of Fortune] rules that if they have to throw out the puzzle each contestant gets $100 (on the side; not on their score). Anyone care to confirm or deny?
There was a book about Wheel of Fortune I purchased about 15 years ago at a time when my mother was getting ready to try out for the show. It had the full rules to the studio game in it at that time.
Although this may have since changed, the rule at that time regarding thrown-out puzzles was as follows: If the puzzle for Game #1 on a show is thrown out, the entire show up to that point is thrown out and the taping for that show starts anew, with no contestant receiving anything from the aborted program. Otherwise, each contestant receives a $200 gift certificate in addition to whatever they receive on the show (whether in game winnings or "parting gifts"), the aborted game is edited from the program tape, and a new game with a new puzzle is started to replace the aborted game.
Michael Brandenburg
(Unless this happened on one of the early Woolery episodes -- then the contestants received, or so I understood, something called a "tift cergificate!")
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[quote name=\'ezbidder\' date=\'Feb 13 2004, 11:20 PM\'] Anyone here ever been to a taping where portions of the show were recreated due to mistakes made? When did this practice start? I notice it in the credits of shows like The Weakest Link, and Millionaire. What's the most you've seen recreated, and how long does the audience have to wait around after the end of the tapings to do these re-creations? What are the most common reasons why a portion must be recreated?
I can theorize a few: question reading screwups, possible offensive material, something wrong with the contestant's and/or host's appearance, someone in the audience in the background shouts something. Technical failure (sound, camera, etc). Feel free to add to the list.
eZb [/quote]
When I went to TPIR five years ago, they had to do something like this. They played the Hi Lo game and I believe Bob revealed the price cards for the items too quickly so the camera never got it. So, while the stage was being set up for the Showcase, they brought the Hi Lo board back out and shot Bob slowly revealing the cards to be placed in post-production. Also, the day before when I went to see Jeopardy, there were points where Alex had apparently fumbled or not read an answer correctly to the contestants. So, during stop tapes, they asked him to re-read the answers he fumbled on to be placed in post-production. So, he isn't always so perfect!
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What had to be one of the funnier stop-tapes in history was recorded for posterity on Naturally Stoned. A Lingo contestant came up with an interesting guess: W-E-A-L-D. Sort of looks like a word, but nobody was really sure. So the tape stopped (for Lingo, not for Naturally Stoned) and Phil Gurin went into a cursing fit with just about everybody on the set as they tried to figure out if the guess was a real word or not. Finally, a very bored-looking Chuck Woolery said they would just end up tossing the puzzle and playing another one.
Which is what they eventually did.
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Don't know if this counts as a recreation, but tape had to stop for a good couple minutes in late 2002 on TPIR. I read on golden road that after the woman won Ten Chances and Bob appeared to duck behind the board, he actually fell down. Luckily he wasn't injured, but we never saw the fall, but a quick edit told that something happened for sure.
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[quote name=\'passwordplus\' date=\'Feb 14 2004, 11:39 AM\']Don't know if this counts as a recreation, but tape had to stop for a good couple minutes in late 2002 on TPIR. I read on golden road that after the woman won Ten Chances and Bob appeared to duck behind the board, he actually fell down. Luckily he wasn't injured, but we never saw the fall, but a quick edit told that something happened for sure.[/quote]
Here's the real story from a person who was there. Myself.
After the contestant won, she went towards the car. Barker then followed when he saw she was in the car and the coast was clear. She then got out of the car and began to chase Bob. She chased him behind the 10 Chances board. She grabbed him by the arm and started to pull him away from the game. In the commotion of him trying to fight her off, he fell to one knee. And that's not a soft floor.
That is what you didn't see. Bob falling to one knee. There was no stoppage of tape/show any longer than there normally is for a taping after a game is over. Unfortunately some things are reported as fact when they are not.
Funny story to this was that I was in the booth for that particular episode.
Shortly thereafter, Bob mentioned that he wanted to take a look at the tape after the show was over. The message was passed from Bob Chic to the director's booth. After the show had ended I said "Thank you" and said if Barker's coming in I better get out.
So as I'm leaving I run into Roger and said, "I'd better leave." He said I should stay. Needless to say I was pretty uncomfortable, as I know when I shouldn’t be somewhere. I asked, "Are you sure?" twice. So I stayed.
I can't recall all the people that came in, but Barker comes in. He actually wanted to leave in the whole segment as is. Bart convinced him to let him try to make it look better. What you saw on TV was his result. Bart's perspective was that when you saw the segment, you knew something happened, but didn't know what.
Later, I was asked if it should have been left in or taken out. I agreed it should have been taken out. It just looked bad.
That's the true story.
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Memo to Phil Gurin:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=weald (http://\"http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=weald\")
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[quote name=\'whewfan\' date=\'Feb 14 2004, 02:29 AM\'] So Randy, how often do you do pickups for Zim's Crack Creme? :-) [/quote]
Good news..... Zim's crack is healing!
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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[quote name=\'ezbidder\' date=\'Feb 13 2004, 10:20 PM\']Anyone here ever been to a taping where portions of the show were recreated due to mistakes made? When did this practice start? I notice it in the credits of shows like The Weakest Link, and Millionaire. What's the most you've seen recreated, and how long does the audience have to wait around after the end of the tapings to do these re-creations? What are the most common reasons why a portion must be recreated?
I can theorize a few: question reading screwups, possible offensive material, something wrong with the contestant's and/or host's appearance, someone in the audience in the background shouts something. Technical failure (sound, camera, etc). Feel free to add to the list.
eZb[/quote]
I guess I'm 2 for 2 on this: when I did "Jeopardy" in '85, there was a consistent problem with some of the TV monitors not revealing the answers quickly. We had to turn around and stare at the big neon "Jeopardy" sign while they fixed them. It was only for a few minutes, but on the show that taped before mine, they stopped tape at one point for about 15 minutes, which really threw off the rhythm of the fellow who had control of the board. He never quite regained it.
On "Millionaire," there was a tape stop for the contestant before me in the hot seat. She gave the correct answer to a question (a low-level question) but Regis called her wrong. Seems the wrong answer flashed up on his monitor. It got caught quickly...particularly when the audience started shouting, "That's not right." They stopped tape, caught the error, she retaped her answer and he called her right. Fortunately, she regained her composure amazingly well.
In both these cases, the retakes were done right at that point, not afterward.
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I've heard of one other situation where they'll change it. Somewhere I heard that if you sing too much of a song as a clue on Pyramid, they'll have you go back and say the line straight so that they don't have to pay a royalty.
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At the first Millionaire taping I attended--back in the Regis era--they taped all six acts (as always, taping way more than an hour's worth of material) and then had to go back for to fix a couple of Reege's misreads. Worst part of that was putting the contestants back in the Hot Seat, particularly for one woman who missed a question. bad enough she lost (I've forgotten how much), but to have to recreate the experience of losing...
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I've heard of one other situation where they'll change it. Somewhere I heard that if you sing too much of a song as a clue on Pyramid, they'll have you go back and say the line straight so that they don't have to pay a royalty.
That has happened several times on Squares. Occasionally the show will try to clear the song, royalty and all, but generally the straight read is used.
One severe instance of recreation from HS was from the Q & A bonus of a few years back. That one was done several *weeks* after it was originally taped, and was due to a celebrity's shirt not being cleared legally (it had a company name on it). We had to bring the contestant back, and play the tape several times so she could memorize the answers given, both right and wrong. Amazingly, we got it on one take, and the audience got a lesson in Re-creation 101 :)
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[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 11:16 AM\']That one was done several *weeks* after it was originally taped...and the audience got a lesson in Re-creation 101 :) [/quote]
Wow, that's amazing. If it's the celeb's shirt not being cleared, are you saying all the celebs came back for this re-creation, or did the contestant re-create his/her answers using the current group of celebs (instead of the ones he/she originally played with)?
Thanks everyone for all your memories - it appears this happens quite often.
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Various Millionaire tapings Regis and Meredith would misread or misprounounce a question.
At a recent Millionaire taping they had to start a contestant all over when his tie was deemed unaceeptable (he had already started chatting with Meredith in the hot seat) because it was a Three Stooges tie (copyright issues probably).
But my favorite pickup has to be when they edited out Merle Glickman shouting at Meredith after she missed her Malaysia question. After the situation died down and they took Merle away, they taped Meredith saying, we'll be right back.
Also, during a NY WOF Best Friends Week, I saw one member of a team mispronounce a puzzle. (He mispronounced two in total). One of them Pat didn't pick up the misprounciation, and they had to do the whole round over.
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Wow, that's amazing. If it's the celeb's shirt not being cleared, are you saying all the celebs came back for this re-creation, or did the contestant re-create his/her answers using the current group of celebs (instead of the ones he/she originally played with)?
Remember, this was the bonus game where the contestant picked one celebrity to come down and help answer the questions. The celeb with the questionable T-shirt was Bruce Vilanch, and he was there anyway, as the head writer. We put eight staffers in the squares, and with the lighting effect, no one could really tell the difference, except for the parents and/or loved ones of the eight said staffers :)
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[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 01:17 PM\']
Wow, that's amazing. If it's the celeb's shirt not being cleared, are you saying all the celebs came back for this re-creation, or did the contestant re-create his/her answers using the current group of celebs (instead of the ones he/she originally played with)?
Remember, this was the bonus game where the contestant picked one celebrity to come down and help answer the questions. The celeb with the questionable T-shirt was Bruce Vilanch, and he was there anyway, as the head writer. We put eight staffers in the squares, and with the lighting effect, no one could really tell the difference, except for the parents and/or loved ones of the eight said staffers :) [/quote]
Ah, but did you have to pay the staffers actors' scale for appearing on camera? :-p
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[quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 11:09 AM\'] Ah, but did you have to pay the staffers actors' scale for appearing on camera? :-p [/quote]
You may have to wait a long time for that answer! Although kudos to Henry, Michael, Steve, Brian, et. al. for hiring UNION actors as stand-ins during rehearsals!
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 02:34 PM\'] [quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 11:09 AM\'] Ah, but did you have to pay the staffers actors' scale for appearing on camera? :-p [/quote]
You may have to wait a long time for that answer! Although kudos to Henry, Michael, Steve, Brian, et. al. for hiring UNION actors as stand-ins during rehearsals!
Randy
tvrandywest.com [/quote]
Am I missing a joke here? I guess that's what I get for not being part of the glitterati like you, Randy! ;-)
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[quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 11:57 AM\'] [quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 02:34 PM\'] [quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 11:09 AM\'] Ah, but did you have to pay the staffers actors' scale for appearing on camera? :-p [/quote]
You may have to wait a long time for that answer! Although kudos to Henry, Michael, Steve, Brian, et. al. for hiring UNION actors as stand-ins during rehearsals!
Randy
tvrandywest.com [/quote]
Am I missing a joke here? I guess that's what I get for not being part of the glitterati like you, Randy! ;-) [/quote]
No glitterati intended ;-)
I don't know how to mealy-mouth it any other way so as not to put anyone involved with producing the show in a bad light - many at HS are valued friends. So I'll just restate my mini-point a whole lot less vaguely:
Silly as it may sound to some, sitting in a square or otherwise appearing on set while a show is rehearsing or taping is technically a union job (stand-in and extra respectively). There are many reasons why non-union staffers are so much easier (no advance scheduling and multiple phone calls) and cheaper (free) to use. And I'd be tempted to do the same as a producer.
But decades from now when the important people at the two corporate giants that run all 1,000 channels are all tired of hearing my voice, when I'm hopefully very old, when I've yelled "Come on Down" a few jillion times and introduced the next 17 people to host "Price" after Mr. Barker, I may be trying to scrounge enough AFTRA covered employment to have some medical insurance.
Some of the union folks who might otherwise sit in those squares for this tiny recreated moment are out of work performers who sometimes are scrounging between jobs to keep food on the table and maintain medical coverage for their familes. And then again, some others who work as extras are embarrassments to the profession.
No, don't start crying for the hungry actors (is that redundant?). And this isn't a telethon ("look at us we're walking, look at us we're talking"). But as the question of compensation for the show's staff members was raised, I felt compelled to respond. Hopefully this won't spark a whole debate about unions and organized workers... that would give us all "labor pains" ;-p
Randy
tvrandywest.com
P.S. Watch the SAG Awards this weekend. We have a proud heritage going back to when SAG founders, including Jimmy Cagney, said that the dancers in those wonderful Warner Bros. Busby Berkeley musicals deserve to go home after 18 hours of straight work in a day. Even though they were expected back 6 hours later for another day, with no day off for weeks until their scenes were done. They danced and smiled until their feet bled. They were then bandaged and danced again until the blood was visible. Truth.
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On the 1983 premiere of Dream House, Johnny Gilbert announced during the end credits that because of a technical problem, the Golden Doors reveal had to be re-created.
Also, History IQ ALWAYS opened w/a "re-created" segment...the opening question was actually played before they went on the air so that, on the off-chance it was missed, another question could be asked...Marc explained that the producers wanted each show to start on a "high note", which is why you never saw a player miss the opening question on the actual show.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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Apologies, Randy, but since I didn't make myself clear, I'd like to point out for the record that I asked if there was a joke I was missing because of your comment that "You may have to wait a long time for that answer!"
I suppose it could be worse: producers could make all the staffers wait until 60-90 days after the show airs to get paid, just like the contestants.
And for what it's worth, you glitter a heck of a lot more than I do. :-)
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[quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 08:01 PM\'] And for what it's worth, you glitter a heck of a lot more than I do. :-) [/quote]
Merely lingering fallout from Rod's jackets. ;-)
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 01:17 PM\']
Wow, that's amazing. If it's the celeb's shirt not being cleared, are you saying all the celebs came back for this re-creation, or did the contestant re-create his/her answers using the current group of celebs (instead of the ones he/she originally played with)?
Remember, this was the bonus game where the contestant picked one celebrity to come down and help answer the questions. The celeb with the questionable T-shirt was Bruce Vilanch, and he was there anyway, as the head writer. We put eight staffers in the squares, and with the lighting effect, no one could really tell the difference, except for the parents and/or loved ones of the eight said staffers :) [/quote]
Wouldn't these be the same people they used for the mock game at contestant tryouts?
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[quote name=\'Terry K\' date=\'Feb 17 2004, 04:15 AM\'][quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Feb 16 2004, 01:17 PM\']
Wow, that's amazing. If it's the celeb's shirt not being cleared, are you saying all the celebs came back for this re-creation, or did the contestant re-create his/her answers using the current group of celebs (instead of the ones he/she originally played with)?
Remember, this was the bonus game where the contestant picked one celebrity to come down and help answer the questions. The celeb with the questionable T-shirt was Bruce Vilanch, and he was there anyway, as the head writer. We put eight staffers in the squares, and with the lighting effect, no one could really tell the difference, except for the parents and/or loved ones of the eight said staffers :) [/quote]
Wouldn't these be the same people they used for the mock game at contestant tryouts?[/quote]
It seems that at the contestant interviews, Fern's assistant would play all nine celebs--or so I've read.
And to Brian: Fern's been with the show all six years, IIRC. Who else above-the-line besides Tom, Steve and you have been doing this current run of "H2" from the start?
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It seems that at the contestant interviews, Fern's assistant would play all nine celebs--or so I've read.
That is true. We call him "Sybil" :)
And to Brian: Fern's been with the show all six years, IIRC. Who else above-the-line besides Tom, Steve and you have been doing this current run of "H2" from the start?
Tom, Steve, myself, Fern, writers Dave Boone and Jon Macks, director Chris Darley and associate director Greg Schowengerdt. A bunch of lucky mofos:) Also, most of the studio crew has been there the whole time. Steve, Fern, Chris, and I go back to day one of development.
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[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Feb 17 2004, 03:38 PM\']
It seems that at the contestant interviews, Fern's assistant would play all nine celebs--or so I've read.
That is true. We call him "Sybil" :)
And to Brian: Fern's been with the show all six years, IIRC. Who else above-the-line besides Tom, Steve and you have been doing this current run of "H2" from the start?
Tom, Steve, myself, Fern, writers Dave Boone and Jon Macks, director Chris Darley and associate director Greg Schowengerdt. A bunch of lucky mofos:) Also, most of the studio crew has been there the whole time. Steve, Fern, Chris, and I go back to day one of development. [/quote]
As of the last time I was there Nancy and Maryann from Price still work there.
Wayne Getchell worked camera there until I asked him if he still worked on Squares at Price. He said he was cut due to the budget. But he said he was happy because he had weekends off.
I know Hope, who now works on Price, used to work (or still may work) on Squares. That's one interesting character.