The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Don Howard on May 31, 2004, 11:54:25 PM
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What game shows can you think of which, if not tampered with, might in your opinion have had a longer life on the air?
Two that immediately spring to my mind are Jackpot and Play The Percentages.
Please try to limit your list to two or three. Thank you and welcome to June 2004(almost).
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I'm not sure there are any. Usually changes happen because the ratings aren't there, format has holes, etc. The original "High Rollers," perhaps. "Face Lifters" seemed out of place. I'm tempted to say NYSI, because I liked the set, music, host, but there was that weird chair-turning thing I didn't like and the "letter, letter, letter" which sounded silly. In addition, if the change is bad and the show is somewhat successful the show will change back quickly and I'm thinking of the hour-long WOF in that regard. I also think the daytime Cullen TPIR would have lasted a few more years if they hadn't switched from NBC in color to ABC in B&W. From what I understand the impetus of the switch was that NBC didn't want to renew the nighttime show, but ABC cancelled it after a year as well.
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I'd have to say Trivia Trap and 2 Minute Drill.
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On the Cover. Definitely On the Cover.
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Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiago's change to Where In Time was it's big downfall in my book. It's a prime example :-)
-Joe Kavanagh
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[quote name=\'cyberjoek\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 12:30 AM\'] Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiago's change to Where In Time was it's big downfall in my book. It's a prime example :-)
-Joe Kavanagh [/quote]
Yeah, switching from a geographical orientation to a historical one is asking for trouble there. I remember both shows. I prefer the geography one MUCH better.
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Break the Bank 85 is another perfect example. The Prize Vault bonus game was not very well planned. Some stunts took up way too much time to set up and explain. This was later remedied by stopping the clock so that Gene Rayburn didn't have to rush to explain the stunt, which he seemed to be explaining for the first time. Gene should've been briefed about the stunts (especially where they were located, because during the first week, he didn't know where everything was!)
Also, Gene was discouraged from trying to get laughs, and he had trouble playing it straight. If Gene was allowed more freedom, the Prize Vault round would've been far more entertaining.
Gene was fired after three months, and in came unknown Joe Farago. Joe didn't necessarily make the show any better. Shortly after Joe took over, the stunts were gone, leaving a dull and anticlimactic "Master Puzzle" bonus game where the couple tried to get as many bank cards as possible solving one last puzzle. No more playing for time, couples played for money. Also, when the Prize Vault opened, the set now looked very empty and less interesting without any stunts. Also gone was the "pause" when the couple inserted bank cards into the slot. Instead, whatever was on that card popped up on the readout right away, taking away the "suspense" of whether that card was the card that broke the bank.
Also, Bumper Stumpers couldn't make up its mind what bonus round to use, and each bonus game resulted in less money at stake. First version was having 60 seconds to solve 7 stumpers. Doing so automatically won the bonus game, but if not all 7 stumpers were solved, then a second part of the bonus game was played where there were dollar figures and stop signs. The number of stop signs depended on how many the couple did not get right. If they totalled 1000 without picking a stop sign, they won double the amount. Later, a WIN was added, and picking that meant an instant win.
During the first bonus round era, they also changed from playing one round and one bonus game to best two out of three. They probably did this so that only one bonus round was played per show, but IMO that also made the main game drag a little bit.
Later, the bonus game was changed to something similar to Super Password. One player had 30 seconds to solve 5 stumpers. Each stumper was a clue to a person place or thing. Each stumper was worth 100 dollars, and the other player was brought out of isolation and had to guess the person, place or thing for 5 times the dollar amount (Maximum of 1500 dollars)
I don't remember exactly how the third bonus game was played, but I think it involved solving 3 stumpers, each worth 400, and the couple risked the money to solve a more difficult stumper. The maximum amount that could be won was 1600.
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[quote name=\'whewfan\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 06:35 AM\']
Later, the bonus game was changed to something similar to Super Password. One player had 30 seconds to solve 5 stumpers. Each stumper was a clue to a person place or thing. Each stumper was worth 100 dollars, and the other player was brought out of isolation and had to guess the person, place or thing for 5 times the dollar amount (Maximum of 1500 dollars)
I don't remember exactly how the third bonus game was played, but I think it involved solving 3 stumpers, each worth 400, and the couple risked the money to solve a more difficult stumper. The maximum amount that could be won was 1600. [/quote]
The second season bonus round was the "Four out of five in 30 seconds" bonus, and the third season bonus round was the Super Password like round you describe.
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I agree with Jimmy that typically, when a show with a decent run makes changes, they're made out of desperation and the show is on its way out anyway. Usually, the changes are worse than the original format, but the show wouldn't have had a longer run anyway.
Don's two examples are good ones. There's no question that the "new" formats to Jackpot and Play the Percentages weren't as good as the originals. But it's also extremely unlikely that leaving them alone would have led to longer runs.
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Classic Concentration, in regards to the main game.
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I'm surprised that nobody mentioned $ale of the Century. I personally think that this show was at its best during its syndicated run. The big risks, the big money, the suspense of the game, it all made for the most exciting thirty minutes on television. If the producers had nixed the idea of the Winner's Board as well as the Winner's Big Money Game, this show would probably had a longer life. All the potential was there for this show to be a viable contender in syndication. Tell me, did it receive a lot of promotion. Anyone know what the ratings were like for the syndicated version?
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[quote name=\'sotcfan2004\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 08:49 AM\'] I'm surprised that nobody mentioned $ale of the Century. I personally think that this show was at its best during its syndicated run. The big risks, the big money, the suspense of the game, it all made for the most exciting thirty minutes on television. If the producers had nixed the idea of the Winner's Board as well as the Winner's Big Money Game, this show would probably had a longer life. All the potential was there for this show to be a viable contender in syndication. Tell me, did it receive a lot of promotion. Anyone know what the ratings were like for the syndicated version? [/quote]
I can only tell you that when the syndicated $ale premiered, only two markets in Michigan cleared it, both in prime access, Channel 7 in Detroit and Channel 8 in Grand Rapids. By March 85, 7 moved it to post-midnight and dropped it in the fall. Channel 8 kept it in prime access for the entire syndicated run. By that we can determine the ratings were bad in Detroit and good in Grand Rapids.
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'May 31 2004, 10:54 PM\'] What game shows can you think of which, if not tampered with, might in your opinion have had a longer life on the air?
Two that immediately spring to my mind are Jackpot and Play The Percentages.
Please try to limit your list to two or three. Thank you and welcome to June 2004(almost). [/quote]
At the risk of sounding like certain lobsters, you could make a case that HOT POTATO could've stayed around if they hadn't resorted to celebrities comprising two-thirds of the teams (doing so put an end to the Seven Straight Jackpot bonus, not to mention the entire weeks of celebrities that completely screwed up any flow of the game).
Doug -- and the countdown to 500 continues
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My selection:
Never, Ever, EVER add celebrities to a non-celebrity game.
It never increases the ratings, nor does it improve the game any.
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The bonus round end game in Caesar's Challenge. Not only was it not better than the original, but once they changed it, there was no reason to keep that spinning cage full of letter balls on the set, which stayed up to the end.
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I can only tell you that when the syndicated $ale premiered, only two markets in Michigan cleared it, both in prime access, Channel 7 in Detroit and Channel 8 in Grand Rapids. By March 85, 7 moved it to post-midnight and dropped it in the fall. Channel 8 kept it in prime access for the entire syndicated run. By that we can determine the ratings were bad in Detroit and good in Grand Rapids.
Here in NY, the syndie $otC aired in WOR (Ch. 9) at 8:30 PM its first season, which often led to frequent pre-emptions for Mets games by the time spring rolled around...it was moved to 4 PM on WABC (Ch. 7) for the 2nd season, where the competition wasn't too strong...opposite $otC, WCBS (Ch. 2) aired the first half of the season's biggest syndie flop, America, and I think WNBC (Ch. 4) was still running Love Connection at 4.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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Just thought of another one.... TJW 90, but in their case, it improved the show... somewhat.
The first TJW 90 format had paltry dollar figures between 5-50 spinning on the wheels, and that determined the value of each question. On the third wheel was a joker, which tripled the value of the spin. It also gave that spinner a chance to answer a series of definitions in 30 seconds (I think) unopposed. Instead of questions, TJW 90 was a "game of definitions". Basically, the game played out like the "fast forward" format, with no money lost on an incorrect answer.
Unfortunately, this format proved to be alienating for fans of the original TJW. There were 3 players instead of 2. The excitement of getting 3 jokers was gone, and what's so exciting about watching small amounts of money being spun on the wheels? Also pointless was the "opponent's choice" category where the opponent chose the category for the player, and spinning it also meant less money per question.
A little too late, they made some changes. Now, there were categories on the wheels, and 3 jokers. Unfortunately, they kept the definitions. However, they made the 3 player round last until someone scored 1000 instead of 500.
The Dating Game 97 underwent similar "going back to what worked and keeping some new elements" as well.
The first Dating Game format allowed the bachelor to actually SEE the three bachelorettes, but their identity was still kept secret. Instead of asking questions, the bachelor was shown up to 9 different statements, and the bachelor picked the statement he wanted to hear more about (For example "I like to party at Chuck E Cheeses")
Later in the run, they decided to have an entire week where they reverted back to the old Dating Game, not allowing the bachelor to see any of the bachelorettes, and decorating the set with daisies, but keeping the 9 statement format. They later made this change permanent.
To my knowledge, they never did this on Newlywed Game 97, which had 3 couples and 3 entirely different rounds, only one which resembled the old Newlywed Game.
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I'm surprised nobody mentioned Pyramid (Clark era). The Osmond version has a lot more ties, and the bonus round categories are awful.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 10:05 AM\'] I can only tell you that when the syndicated $ale premiered, only two markets in Michigan cleared it, both in prime access, Channel 7 in Detroit and Channel 8 in Grand Rapids. By March 85, 7 moved it to post-midnight and dropped it in the fall. Channel 8 kept it in prime access for the entire syndicated run. By that we can determine the ratings were bad in Detroit and good in Grand Rapids. [/quote]
I'm pretty sure that WSYM-47 in Lansing carried the entire syndicated run. I'm certain they carried part of it, or else I wouldn't have been able to see my own appearance!
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[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 03:47 AM\'][quote name=\'cyberjoek\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 12:30 AM\'] Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiago's change to Where In Time was it's big downfall in my book. It's a prime example :-)
-Joe Kavanagh [/quote]
Yeah, switching from a geographical orientation to a historical one is asking for trouble there. I remember both shows. I prefer the geography one MUCH better.[/quote]
The reasoning behind the switch, outside of the fact that history is always history and not going to change between tape date and first airing (not to mention reruns), was to do something with another computer game in the Carmen Sandiego series. Of course, "Where in the World..." *was* the original and most successful Carmen Sandiego game--and there's usually a reason the original is the most successful. WGBH/WQED should've known that.
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[quote name=\'RMF\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 09:53 AM\']Never, Ever, EVER add celebrities to a non-celebrity game.
It never increases the ratings, nor does it improve the game any.[/quote]
Not even as a special event? If memory serves, ABC got pretty good ratings for the first series of Celebrity Millionaire...it was just that they extrapolated those ratings to mean that they ought to put celebs on it all the time.
(I will, however, heartily agree with you that the gameplay sure didn't improve.)
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 03:18 PM\'] [quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 10:05 AM\'] I can only tell you that when the syndicated $ale premiered, only two markets in Michigan cleared it, both in prime access, Channel 7 in Detroit and Channel 8 in Grand Rapids. By March 85, 7 moved it to post-midnight and dropped it in the fall. Channel 8 kept it in prime access for the entire syndicated run. By that we can determine the ratings were bad in Detroit and good in Grand Rapids. [/quote]
I'm pretty sure that WSYM-47 in Lansing carried the entire syndicated run. I'm certain they carried part of it, or else I wouldn't have been able to see my own appearance! [/quote]
I forgot about Channel 47, you swinger, you.
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[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 09:17 AM\'] [quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'May 31 2004, 10:54 PM\'] What game shows can you think of which, if not tampered with, might in your opinion have had a longer life on the air?
Two that immediately spring to my mind are Jackpot and Play The Percentages.
Please try to limit your list to two or three. Thank you and welcome to June 2004(almost). [/quote]
At the risk of sounding like certain lobsters, you could make a case that HOT POTATO could've stayed around if they hadn't resorted to celebrities comprising two-thirds of the teams (doing so put an end to the Seven Straight Jackpot bonus, not to mention the entire weeks of celebrities that completely screwed up any flow of the game).
Doug -- and the countdown to 500 continues [/quote]
No, no, no, it would have been better if they changed the format to Bill Cullen tossing a potato at contestants. At least tat wood be a funi ;-) ;-) ;-)
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[quote name=\'WhammyPower\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 11:59 AM\'] I'm surprised nobody mentioned Pyramid (Clark era). The Osmond version has a lot more ties, and the bonus round categories are awful. [/quote]
The basic gameplay was the same, but yes I agree. Too soulless, annoying changes, and the judging monkeys of course. *Davidson* $100K was better (yes I hear you all chanting "TRILON NOT MONITOR!" at me, but really, besides the host and the new bonuses later on, it was pretty much the same)
Edited in....how about Bullseye on Family Feud?
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[quote name=\'rigsby\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 03:30 PM\'] [quote name=\'RMF\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 09:53 AM\']Never, Ever, EVER add celebrities to a non-celebrity game.
It never increases the ratings, nor does it improve the game any.[/quote]
Not even as a special event? If memory serves, ABC got pretty good ratings for the first series of Celebrity Millionaire...it was just that they extrapolated those ratings to mean that they ought to put celebs on it all the time.
(I will, however, heartily agree with you that the gameplay sure didn't improve.) [/quote]
The OP was asking for permanent changes, not one-offs.
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[quote name=\'RMF\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 04:47 PM\'] The OP was asking for permanent changes, not one-offs. [/quote]
I am quite aware of what the original post was saying...I, howver, was addressing the "never, ever, EVER" portion of the post I quoted. Thanks for playing.
And as I pointed out, Celebrity Millionaire was not a one-off anyway, thanks to the powers that were at ABC at the time.
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[quote name=\'JMFabiano\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 02:28 PM\'] *Davidson* $100K was better (yes I hear you all chanting "TRILON NOT MONITOR!" at me
[/quote]
Not I. You're dead right. Davidson was and is a talentless hack, but the essence of the game is there. You keep that, and I could care less if they used pull-cards. That very same essence was utterly squashed by the contemporary Pyramid producers.
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[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 10:33 AM\']
Here in NY, the syndie $otC aired in WOR (Ch. 9) at 8:30 PM its first season, which often led to frequent pre-emptions for Mets games by the time spring rolled around...it was moved to 4 PM on WABC (Ch. 7) for the 2nd season, where the competition wasn't too strong...opposite $otC, WCBS (Ch. 2) aired the first half of the season's biggest syndie flop, America, and I think WNBC (Ch. 4) was still running Love Connection at 4.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby") [/quote]
WWOR had Syndie $otC on at 7PM for part of the Summer in 1985. WABC aired it at 4:30PM from September 1985-September 1986, right after J!.
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[quote name=\'RMF\' date=\'Jun 1 2004, 09:53 AM\'] My selection:
Never, Ever, EVER add celebrities to a non-celebrity game.
It never increases the ratings, nor does it improve the game any. [/quote]
Not even Baffle? Then again, it was probably the end game change (instead of 5 words in 30 seconds, each earning $50 plus 3 seconds for a sixth, harder word for a car, it was 9 words in 30 seconds for $5000, a car, and a trip (or just the car for 8 out of 9)) that made it better.
-- Don
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The Challengers did make quite a bit of changes during their one season run.
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[quote name=\'TrplPlayRD\' date=\'Jun 3 2004, 01:09 AM\'] The Challengers did make quite a bit of changes during their one season run. [/quote]
I can think of exactly two: the change to the Ultimate Challenge from a qualify-after-three-wins game to a single question at the end of each show, and the speed round at the start of a match. Where is this "many" you speak of?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 3 2004, 12:25 PM\'] [quote name=\'TrplPlayRD\' date=\'Jun 3 2004, 01:09 AM\'] The Challengers did make quite a bit of changes during their one season run. [/quote]
I can think of exactly two: the change to the Ultimate Challenge from a qualify-after-three-wins game to a single question at the end of each show, and the speed round at the start of a match. Where is this "many" you speak of? [/quote]
The last thing i want to do is go up against you, big guy...but there were at least 3 more....
1. the change from the progressive jackpot going up $5K every time someone tried to get it , to $1K per day it wasn't hit...
2. The lowering of the dollar amounts....originally, the categories went for $150, $200, $250, then later down to $`100, $150, $200...
3. The eventual elimination of the ultimate challenge round....
Does "5" count as a "many"???? For a one season show, i'd vote yes.
matt
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Jun 3 2004, 11:10 AM\'] 1. the change from the progressive jackpot going up $5K every time someone tried to get it , to $1K per day it wasn't hit...
2. The lowering of the dollar amounts....originally, the categories went for $150, $200, $250, then later down to $`100, $150, $200...
3. The eventual elimination of the ultimate challenge round.... [/quote]
1) I don't consider enough of a major change to count, and I had no idea about 2 and 3...maybe they canned the show in my area before those happened. Mea culpa.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 3 2004, 02:07 PM\']
2. The lowering of the dollar amounts....originally, the categories went for $150, $200, $250, then later down to $`100, $150, $200...
3. The eventual elimination of the ultimate challenge round.... [/QUOTE]
1) I don't consider enough of a major change to count, and I had no idea about 2 and 3...maybe they canned the show in my area before those happened. Mea culpa. [/quote]
The show was canned in a few cities before the season was over. I suspect those two format changes were done for budget reasons, like the changes for this season of Squares.
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Also, one other change for "The Challengers" occurred during the summer -- after the show's cancellation was announced, they stopped mentioning the show's air date. Beforehand, they mentioned this date to emphasize their use of current events and the fact that the show was taped the day before (?) air.
I think after the show was cancelled, "freshness" no longer mattered.
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[quote name=\'rugrats1\' date=\'Jun 4 2004, 12:00 PM\']Also, one other change for "The Challengers" occurred during the summer -- after the show's cancellation was announced, they stopped mentioning the show's air date. Beforehand, they mentioned this date to emphasize their use of current events and the fact that the show was taped the day before (?) air.[/quote]
They taped the Friday before the week the shows aired.
As I've seen cp write, after the writing was on the wall, they taped enough shows without an announced date so they could do reruns in August and end production with the July shows--if they'd stayed on, they had planned to do 260 shows a year without repeats, the first and probably only syndicated game show with a network-style (at that time) production schedule.
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jun 3 2004, 06:34 PM\'] [quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 3 2004, 02:07 PM\']
2. The lowering of the dollar amounts....originally, the categories went for $150, $200, $250, then later down to $`100, $150, $200...
3. The eventual elimination of the ultimate challenge round.... [/QUOTE]
1) I don't consider enough of a major change to count, and I had no idea about 2 and 3...maybe they canned the show in my area before those happened. Mea culpa. [/QUOTE]
The show was canned in a few cities before the season was over. I suspect those two format changes were done for budget reasons, like the changes for this season of Squares. [/quote]
Actually, the lowered payouts for questions was done quite early in the run....maybe a month in? As a nightly fan of it (at 1am in the freaking morning in Baltimore...but as a college student, i was up!)....it surprised me when i noticed the change...
ms
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I think "Win, Lose or Draw" might have stayed on the air longer if the scoring system wasn't messed with so much. Originally, charades were worth $200, and you had the option to hand off to a partner after 30 seconds, but if you did, the value dropped to $100. By the time the last syndicated season rolled around (this last format started late in the network run), the person who drew did it without any guesses for 25 seconds, then the partners had to guess in the next 5 seconds for $200. If they didn't solve the charade at that point, then they had the remaining 30 seconds to guess for $100, and steals were worth $50. This was quite a confusing format to some people, in my opinion.
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[quote name=\'mbclev\' date=\'Jun 5 2004, 12:42 AM\'] I think "Win, Lose or Draw" might have stayed on the air longer if the scoring system wasn't messed with so much. Originally, charades were worth $200, and you had the option to hand off to a partner after 30 seconds, but if you did, the value dropped to $100. By the time the last syndicated season rolled around (this last format started late in the network run), the person who drew did it without any guesses for 25 seconds, then the partners had to guess in the next 5 seconds for $200. If they didn't solve the charade at that point, then they had the remaining 30 seconds to guess for $100, and steals were worth $50. This was quite a confusing format to some people, in my opinion. [/quote]
Yeah, but I don't think this had anything to do with WLoD's demise.
It was a show that ran its course and people just got tired of it. The Pictionary fad was over.
Thank God it wasn't "Celebrity Jenga".
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Play the Percentages had kept changing the format.
If only the percent sign which was used on the premire had not malfuntcioned which caused the whole set to nearly be ripped, there is no telling how the format would have changed or even how long the show would have been on the air.
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[quote name=\'gsnstooge\' date=\'Jun 6 2004, 07:44 PM\'] Play the Percentages had kept changing the format.
If only the percent sign which was used on the premire had not malfuntcioned which caused the whole set to nearly be ripped, there is no telling how the format would have changed or even how long the show would have been on the air. [/quote]
Who wants to field this one?
<no takers>
Sigh. Yes, PtP had many different formats.... No, The failure of the show didn't have a thing to do with the big malfunctioning prop. If the show's ratings were successful, they'd have fixed the damn sign.
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If you would count the Eubanks Card Sharks series as it's own entity, I think the 2nd Car Bonus Round (Winning on a survey question) stunk compared to the Joker round. The odds were getting longer with the new bonus game in place.
Pretty much recycling the majority of a bonus game from a bad show (Mindreaders) was a bad idea -- even if it meant to cut down on the prize budget by increasing the odds.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Jun 6 2004, 07:52 PM\'] [quote name=\'gsnstooge\' date=\'Jun 6 2004, 07:44 PM\'] Play the Percentages had kept changing the format.
If only the percent sign which was used on the premire had not malfuntcioned which caused the whole set to nearly be ripped, there is no telling how the format would have changed or even how long the show would have been on the air. [/quote]
Who wants to field this one?
<no takers>
Sigh. Yes, PtP had many different formats.... No, The failure of the show didn't have a thing to do with the big malfunctioning prop. If the show's ratings were successful, they'd have fixed the damn sign. [/quote]
No, no, no! You don't understand! The reason Password Plus lasted 3 seasons is because they fixed the sign! :)
You just don't get it, do you? Stooge fits well....
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[quote name=\'TimK2003\' date=\'Jun 6 2004, 06:30 PM\']I think the 2nd Car Bonus Round (Winning on a survey question) stunk compared to the Joker round. The odds were getting longer with the new bonus game in place.[/quote]
No.
They asked these 10 lovely flight attendants: Have you ever had your rear end pinched by an overzealous Italian passenger? How many of these flight attendants said yes?
Thinking about it, there's a reason these stereotypes come about, so you can probably eliminate 0, 1, 2, and 3 right off the bat. Immediately, you have the exact same odds as you would with one Joker, *and* you're not just blindly guessing. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that it's 8, 9, or all 10. If I'm right, I have better odds than someone with two Jokers.
Just because there are 11 choices, doesn't mean your chance of getting it right is 1 in 11. That'd be like saying that you'd only expect 10% of the 11-point questions on Povich Twenty-One to be answered correctly (and just 33% of the 1-pointers, for that matter), or that no more than one of each 33,554,432 Millionaire contestants would walk away with the top prize.
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[quote name=\'mbclev\' date=\'Jun 4 2004, 11:42 PM\']I think "Win, Lose or Draw" might have stayed on the air longer if the scoring system wasn't messed with so much. Originally, charades were worth $200, and you had the option to hand off to a partner after 30 seconds, but if you did, the value dropped to $100. By the time the last syndicated season rolled around (this last format started late in the network run), the person who drew did it without any guesses for 25 seconds, then the partners had to guess in the next 5 seconds for $200. If they didn't solve the charade at that point, then they had the remaining 30 seconds to guess for $100, and steals were worth $50. This was quite a confusing format to some people, in my opinion.[/quote]
"WLOD" went though its format change, along with replacing Convy with Robb Weller, for only one reason: Because the ratings were going south. The belief was that the last season format allowed the folks at home to play along more, since the answer wasn't being revealed and there was that 25 seconds of just drawing and Hal Hidey think music with no shouting from the players to distract the viewers (not to mention Mo' Money rearing its head)--and since the NBC daytime version where the new format was tested was supposedly only cancelled because Disney thought its ratings were holding down the syndie version, they believed that the new format would actually be accepted by the audience. It wasn't.
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"WLOD" went though its format change, along with replacing Convy with Robb Weller, for only one reason: Because the ratings were going south.
Thought Convy's departure was so he could replace Peter Marshall as host of 3rd Degree...but yeah, everything else that season practically screamed "Help, we need the ratings!".
Here in NY, after a brief trial opposite J! from Sep-Dec. 1988 on WCBS (Ch. 2), WLoD was relegated back to its old overnight slot in mid-season, and it actually moved to WNBC for the final one, also in an overnight slot...any wonder I didn't even know about Weller until reading it in Total Television, or about the changes in set, music, etc. until reruns popped up on USA a coupla yrs later?
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")