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The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: goongas on March 03, 2004, 08:22:56 AM

Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: goongas on March 03, 2004, 08:22:56 AM
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...ion_practice_dc (http://\"http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=597&e=3&u=/nm/20040303/tv_nm/television_practice_dc\")
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: gsgalaxy82 on March 03, 2004, 11:23:47 AM
I guess Super Millionaire's starting to rub off on ABC. This is getting good!

David
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: KWJCDon on March 03, 2004, 11:30:45 AM
Sounds like an updated version of 50 Grand Slam to me. I liked the original and thought it had more potential. Hopefully, this time will be even better.

Don
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: clemon79 on March 03, 2004, 11:36:28 AM
[quote name=\'KWJCDon\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 09:30 AM\'] Sounds like an updated version of 50 Grand Slam to me. [/quote]
Actually it sound more like the UK show but without all-time game-show champions, which is good AFAIC.

Why they are electing to call it "64 Grand Slam" is a mystery, though, what with there being 16 contestants and a grand prize of $512K.

(Which, being a factor of 2, suggests to me that the prize money doubles. So the final winner gets 512K, second place gets 256K, the two third place finishers get 128K, and the four fifth place finishers get 64K. That doesn't work either...still comes up a round short. Unless they're suggesting you have to win at least one game to finish in the money.)
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: ChuckNet on March 03, 2004, 11:45:39 AM
Quote
Sounds like an updated version of 50 Grand Slam to me. I liked the original and thought it had more potential. Hopefully, this time will be even better.

We'll see...good thing Ralph Andrews isn't producing this time around, however...he'd prolly need his $$$ for the Dick Clark lawsuit. :-)

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Don Howard on March 03, 2004, 11:46:22 AM
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 11:36 AM\'] Why they are electing to call it "64 Grand Slam" is a mystery, though, what with there being 16 contestants and a grand prize of $512K.

 [/quote]
Why, simple. 16 multiplied by 4 gives you 64.
512 divided by 4 gives you 64..........no, 128.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
I'll be back.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: aaron sica on March 03, 2004, 12:32:42 PM
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 11:46 AM\'] [quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 11:36 AM\'] Why they are electing to call it "64 Grand Slam" is a mystery, though, what with there being 16 contestants and a grand prize of $512K.

 [/quote]
Why, simple. 16 multiplied by 4 gives you 64.
512 divided by 4 gives you 64..........no, 128.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
I'll be back. [/quote]
 Just don't give GameShowGuy2000 the calculator, he's dangerous with that thing!
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: CaseyAbell on March 03, 2004, 01:03:38 PM
Sounds interesting. All of Super Millionaire's eps ended in the top thirty for the week, with a couple cracking the top twenty. That's territory ABC doesn't often occupy.

With Deal or No Deal apparently in limbo, I was expecting some other game show idea to surface on the ratings-starved alphabet.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Chelsea Thrasher on March 03, 2004, 04:23:35 PM
Of all the shows to have a format return from the vast GS graveyard, I NEVER figured they'd go with this one.   OF course, it probably IS one of the formats that would most easily be manipulatable to bring in both the GS fans, *and* draw in Reality fans via the Competing in stunts aspect
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: TravisP on March 03, 2004, 04:49:24 PM
The UK version of Grand Slam each of the 16 Game Show Champions had to pay £1,000 to enter however the overall winner received £50,000.

Going back to the original stages the British show was going to be called "64 Grand Slam" by having 64 normal contestants regardless of their background. The early heats would have been shown in the Countdown/15 To Slot while having the finals in Primetime, the overall winner would win £64K (£1K each from the losers adding up to £63K and their own payment of £1K)  but they had problems with the ITC at the time of the gambling aspect with the £1,000, but after agreeing terms with the ITC it went ahead but the format was streamlined to 16 "Champions" however the original plan was to run for 8 Weeks on a Friday Night while having the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and the Grand Final to be shown Live across three weekend, but without a clear reason this was scrapped and continued to show the remaining stages pre-recorded over the Friday nights.

Full information of the format can be found from Channel 4:
http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/m...slam/index.html (http://\"http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/grandslam/index.html\")
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: leszekp on March 03, 2004, 05:00:51 PM
Last September, Davies said about Grand Slam contestants:

"Essentially, the biggest quiz show winners in the history of television, no matter what show they came from, compete in a winner-take-all tournament where one of them emerges as the ultimate winner."

" ... not everyone has won six or seven figures, but they may be great contestants from shows which did not offer a lot of prize money."

So the field will probably consist of former game show contestants, just like the UK version that it's based on.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Starkman on March 03, 2004, 05:43:48 PM
hmmm could be intresting, anyone know if John Hatten or Thom McKee are still around?

And well if it really is based on a former game show contestant show i got the perfect host...a former contestant turned personality himself.

thats right GO WITH THE BEST: RANDY WEST

(half tounge in cheek but if you are gonna have a theme, run with it)
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: BrandonFG on March 03, 2004, 05:45:44 PM
[quote name=\'Starkman\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 05:43 PM\'] hmmm could be intresting, anyone know if John Hatten or Thom McKee are still around? [/quote]
 McKee did an interview with Steve Beverly last year, so I'd assume yes. :-)
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: TravisP on March 03, 2004, 06:02:51 PM
What you need to remember that if it will follow excatly the same as the UK version there will be a host (We had Carol Vorderman) along with an co-host/analyist, in the UK case it was Football Italia presenter James Richardson but neither of these ask the questions, we had a chap called Nicholas Rowe who throwed the questions at them but like 100% he only heard his voice not see his face and did a super job (Unlike these prats who are acting the Quizmasters on "24 Hour Quiz" who is becoming like Anne Robinson of not reading the questions out correctly and had the Quizmates recorrect the words for them)
As the rounds progressed questions came up on the screen for us to view at home but the contestants didn't see them so they cannot speed answer (Except for some math and english questions).
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: scully24 on March 03, 2004, 06:43:15 PM
I've been thinking about this, and since this is a pure quiz format and you've got former game show champions competing, won't that mean that all the winners are going to be former Jeopardy champions?

No other U.S. game show besides Jeopardy is quite so rigorous in its knowledge requirements.  I mean I can't imagine a tournament in which a top winner from WOF or PYR or FF beats a winner from Jeopardy.  You might find some decent players from WWTBAM or WL, (or possibly Ben Stein's Money), but not even champions from those shows are likely to be of the caliber of a decent Jeopardy player.

So that struck me as a potential flaw for the U.S. version.  I think the UK has more shows of a cerebral nature, so it's conceivable to bring together brilliant contestants from different shows there, but in the U.S., I would think the Jeopardy contingent would monopolize the tournament.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Matt Ottinger on March 03, 2004, 06:56:39 PM
[quote name=\'scully24\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 07:43 PM\'] No other U.S. game show besides Jeopardy is quite so rigorous in its knowledge requirements.  I mean I can't imagine a tournament in which a top winner from WOF or PYR or FF beats a winner from Jeopardy.  You might find some decent players from WWTBAM or WL, (or possibly Ben Stein's Money), but not even champions from those shows are likely to be of the caliber of a decent Jeopardy player. [/quote]
 Well, that's precisely what a show like this would be designed to test.  In general, I'd probably agree with you that multi-game Jeopardy winners would have "proven" themselves more than a Millionaire or WBSM player who only had to perform the one time.  Still, I'd have to say that anyone who can win the big money on Millionaire or take Ben down for $5K would have to be reasonably decent and competitive, and I'm sure every single one of them would like to prove themselves in this other arena.

But...uh, yeah.  The all-time money winner on The Price Is Right probably won't be invited to this party.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: zachhoran on March 03, 2004, 07:19:11 PM
[quote name=\'Starkman\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 05:43 PM\'] hmmm could be intresting, anyone know if John Hatten or Thom McKee are still around?

 [/quote]
 Since GSN is currently showing their Blockbusters run, how about the McCarthy duo? And TTD's Kit Salisbury was a one-time J! champion, besides his classic TTD run.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Jimmy Owen on March 03, 2004, 07:19:36 PM
[quote name=\'scully24\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 06:43 PM\'] I've been thinking about this, and since this is a pure quiz format and you've got former game show champions competing, won't that mean that all the winners are going to be former Jeopardy champions? [/quote]
 Here's one way to level the playing field:  Immediate disqualification of anyone who accidentally answers in the form of a question. :)
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Dbacksfan12 on March 03, 2004, 11:40:35 PM
[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 07:19 PM\'] [quote name=\'Starkman\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 05:43 PM\'] hmmm could be intresting, anyone know if John Hatten or Thom McKee are still around?

 [/quote]
Since GSN is currently showing their Blockbusters run, how about the McCarthy duo? And TTD's Kit Salisbury was a one-time J! champion, besides his classic TTD run. [/quote]
 What does it matter what GSN is, or isn't showing?  That doesn't place any hindrance on how much of a champion they are.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: zachhoran on March 03, 2004, 11:54:49 PM
[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 11:40 PM\'] [quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 07:19 PM\'] [quote name=\'Starkman\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 05:43 PM\'] hmmm could be intresting, anyone know if John Hatten or Thom McKee are still around?

 [/quote]
Since GSN is currently showing their Blockbusters run, how about the McCarthy duo? And TTD's Kit Salisbury was a one-time J! champion, besides his classic TTD run. [/quote]
What does it matter what GSN is, or isn't showing?  That doesn't place any hindrance on how much of a champion they are. [/quote]
 It don't matter all that much. But it would be nice to see people from other shows requiring a bit of knowledge to play(not just J!).
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: SplitSecond on March 04, 2004, 12:02:24 AM
[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 11:03 AM\'] With Deal or No Deal apparently in limbo, I was expecting some other game show idea to surface on the ratings-starved alphabet. [/quote]
 "Deal or No Deal" isn't truly in limbo.  It looks to be moving forward; there's just a very key element that's holding up the production.  Sorry to be intentionally vague; I'm just not sure how much can be said right at the moment.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Dbacksfan12 on March 04, 2004, 01:02:09 AM
[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 11:54 PM\'] [quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 11:40 PM\'] [quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 07:19 PM\'] [quote name=\'Starkman\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 05:43 PM\'] hmmm could be intresting, anyone know if John Hatten or Thom McKee are still around?

 [/quote]
Since GSN is currently showing their Blockbusters run, how about the McCarthy duo? And TTD's Kit Salisbury was a one-time J! champion, besides his classic TTD run. [/quote]
What does it matter what GSN is, or isn't showing?  That doesn't place any hindrance on how much of a champion they are. [/quote]
It don't matter all that much. But it would be nice to see people from other shows requiring a bit of knowledge to play(not just J!). [/quote]
 Thanks for skipping lightly around the edges; Zach.  You are the one that brought up the GSN aspect.  My hunch now tells me it was so you could share your [ESPN2 voice]"knowledge."
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: zachhoran on March 04, 2004, 06:50:34 AM
[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Mar 4 2004, 01:02 AM\']
It don't matter all that much. But it would be nice to see people from other shows requiring a bit of knowledge to play(not just J!). [/QUOTE]
Thanks for skipping lightly around the edges; Zach.  You are the one that brought up the GSN aspect.  My hunch now tells me it was so you could share your [ESPN2 voice]"knowledge." [/QUOTE]
THe point of the group is to share "knowledge" , right :)
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Clay Zambo on March 04, 2004, 08:06:54 AM
From the Hollywood Reporter (http://\"http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000451757\"):

Added ABC's Andrea Wong: "My feeling is it could potentially bring the game show to another level."

Well, okay, so long as it doesn't take it into another DYEEE-mension...

-Clay
(as delighted as the rest of you to see another show in development)
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Clay Zambo on March 04, 2004, 08:14:50 AM
By the way, since this is a format I knew next-to-nothing about, I did a little checking.  Y'all probably have seen this already, but I hadn't: Channel 4 has a lot of Grand Slam info here (http://\"http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/grandslam/index.html\").
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: BrandonFG on March 04, 2004, 08:55:50 AM
[quote name=\'Clay Zambo\' date=\'Mar 4 2004, 08:06 AM\'] -Clay
(as delighted as the rest of you to see another show in development) [/quote]
 I agree (X gets the square!). If ABC can make respectable ratings (in their case, probably anything above 10.0 and/or Top 30 or just winning their timeslots, we can get 1) a resurgance of primetime shows that lasts longer than 7 months, or b) more syndie shows. Or I can hold my breath hope that ABC puts their three new shows in daytime...but I'd pass out within 30 seconds. :-)
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Don Howard on March 04, 2004, 09:00:34 AM
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 07:19 PM\'] [quote name=\'scully24\' date=\'Mar 3 2004, 06:43 PM\'] I've been thinking about this, and since this is a pure quiz format and you've got former game show champions competing, won't that mean that all the winners are going to be former Jeopardy champions? [/quote]
Here's one way to level the playing field:  Immediate disqualification of anyone who accidentally answers in the form of a question. :) [/quote]
 Here, here. Some girl from Bowling Green kept doing that during the regional College Bowl tournament last month and I wanted to smack her.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: CaseyAbell on March 04, 2004, 09:08:44 AM
Quote
"Deal or No Deal" isn't truly in limbo. It looks to be moving forward; there's just a very key element that's holding up the production. Sorry to be intentionally vague; I'm just not sure how much can be said right at the moment.
Well, it sounds like limbo to me when a "very key element" ain't working right. Come on, give us a little hint. Pretty please?

Quote
Here's one way to level the playing field: Immediate disqualification of anyone who accidentally answers in the form of a question. :)
They could bring back Ben Stein's dunce cap.

Quote
If ABC can make respectable ratings (in their case, probably anything above 10.0 and/or Top 30 or just winning their timeslots...
Nowadays a double-digit rating puts you comfortably into the top twenty, if not the top ten. That's a lot more than respectable. Last week only sixteen shows made it into double digits, and we're still in the highest-viewing part of the year.

By the way, the final numbers on Super Millionaire showed that it won its timeslot twice, finished second twice, and took a truly "respectable" third once behind two top-twenty shows. That's got to look mighty good to ABC execs, especially because the 18-49 and 18-34 demos were more than acceptable.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: ChuckNet on March 04, 2004, 11:32:24 AM
Quote
Here, here. Some girl from Bowling Green kept doing that during the regional College Bowl tournament last month and I wanted to smack her.

Hear hear...I wanted to do the same thing to Jim Finn after he was answering in the form of a question during the Winner's Circle on Pyramid(!)...couldn't wife Rosa Blasi have slipped in something along the lines of "this isn't J!" to get him back on track?

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Jimmy Owen on March 04, 2004, 11:37:08 AM
Does Ralph Andrews know about this show?
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: uncamark on March 04, 2004, 12:10:17 PM
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Mar 4 2004, 11:37 AM\']Does Ralph Andrews know about this show?[/quote]
It's not *his* "50 Grand Slam," by a long shot.  The only similarities are the tournament format (loosely) and the quiz element.

Of course, if he's in a litigious mood right now...  :)
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Jimmy Owen on March 04, 2004, 12:29:09 PM
[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Mar 4 2004, 12:10 PM\'] [quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Mar 4 2004, 11:37 AM\']Does Ralph Andrews know about this show?[/quote]
It's not *his* "50 Grand Slam," by a long shot.  The only similarities are the tournament format (loosely) and the quiz element.

Of course, if he's in a litigious mood right now...  :) [/quote]
 The titles are similar as well.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: SplitSecond on March 04, 2004, 07:19:45 PM
[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Mar 4 2004, 07:08 AM\'] Well, it sounds like limbo to me when a "very key element" ain't working right. Come on, give us a little hint. Pretty please? [/quote]
 It's not that something isn't working, per se.  It's just that some things are waiting to get the green card... I mean, green light.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: Craig Karlberg on March 05, 2004, 05:12:18 AM
[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Mar 4 2004, 11:37 AM\'] Does Ralph Andrews know about this show? [/quote]
If he does, we're in trouble already.

Moving closer to 100 posts.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: CaseyAbell on March 05, 2004, 08:16:21 AM
Quote
It's not that something isn't working, per se. It's just that some things are waiting to get the green card... I mean, green light.
Hm, what things? Come on, just a little more info won't kill us.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: tommycharles on March 05, 2004, 11:26:12 AM
[quote name=\'CaseyAbell\' date=\'Mar 5 2004, 08:16 AM\']
Quote
It's not that something isn't working, per se. It's just that some things are waiting to get the green card... I mean, green light.
Hm, what things? Come on, just a little more info won't kill us. [/quote]
 There's a pretty big hint in Splits comment...remember that the show is being hosted by an Irishman.
Title: Grand Slam pilot approved by ABC
Post by: CaseyAbell on March 05, 2004, 11:42:26 AM
Green card means immigration problems? That seems like a pretty trivial hang-up. If a host can't work in this country for whatever reason, hire somebody else. If the format of the show is strong enough, any reasonably competent host should be acceptable. Would ABC have scotched Millionaire because they wanted Chris Tarrant and he couldn't get a green card?

I have to think there's some serious doubt at ABC about the whole concept of Deal or No Deal.