-
Of all the game shows out there...what is the worst one you have actually watched, and the worst you have read about?
The worst one I've actually seen is "Born Lucky". Cheap prizes (a home security system? Poor Bob Goen--he never gave away anything worthwhile), degrading stunts, and a tacky setup make this the worst I've ever watched.
The worst I've read about has to go to "Sex Wars". I remember when Mike Klauss posted that $50 chyron picture. I can't believe Tim Connoly gave this show a higher rating than the 1990 version of The Joker's Wild. To each his own, I guess...but...wow.
-
[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'May 16 2005, 04:10 AM\']Of all the game shows out there...what is the worst one you have actually watched, and the worst you have read about?
The worst one I've actually seen is "Born Lucky". Cheap prizes (a home security system? Poor Bob Goen--he never gave away anything worthwhile), degrading stunts, and a tacky setup make this the worst I've ever watched.
The worst I've read about has to go to "Sex Wars". I remember when Mike Klauss posted that $50 chyron picture. I can't believe Tim Connoly gave this show a higher rating than the 1990 version of The Joker's Wild. To each his own, I guess...but...wow.
[snapback]85561[/snapback]
[/quote]
I remember actually staying up until 4 or 5 am to watch Sex Wars. It wasn't as bad as you think it is, I mean, it wasn't Emmy material, but I prolly would've sat through it, esp. since I have to work 3rd shift nowadays :-) Seriously, it wasn't a bad show.
Worst I've read about is prolly Extreme Gong. I saw a clip on one of the Outrageous specials, and it looked pretty corny. The fact that George Gray treats it like a bastard stepchild doesn't make it sound any better.
The worst I've seen is Card Sharks 01. Unnecessary rule changes, which in turn presented horrible flaws in the format. Chip clips? CHIP CLIPS?
-
[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'May 16 2005, 05:46 AM\']I remember actually staying up until 4 or 5 am to watch Sex Wars. It wasn't as bad as you think it is, I mean, it wasn't Emmy material, but I prolly would've sat through it, esp. since I have to work 3rd shift nowadays :-) Seriously, it wasn't a bad show.
Worst I've read about is prolly Extreme Gong. I saw a clip on one of the Outrageous specials, and it looked pretty corny. The fact that George Gray treats it like a bastard stepchild doesn't make it sound any better.
The worst I've seen is Card Sharks 01. Unnecessary rule changes, which in turn presented horrible flaws in the format. Chip clips? CHIP CLIPS?
[snapback]85563[/snapback]
[/quote]
Worst, IMO, had to be Break the Bank '85. Seeing Gene lose his humor as per orders from the staff, plus Joe Farago's style, just didn't cut it for me.
-
[quote name=\'Johnissoevil\' date=\'May 16 2005, 05:08 AM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'May 16 2005, 05:46 AM\']I remember actually staying up until 4 or 5 am to watch Sex Wars. It wasn't as bad as you think it is, I mean, it wasn't Emmy material, but I prolly would've sat through it, esp. since I have to work 3rd shift nowadays :-) Seriously, it wasn't a bad show.
Worst I've read about is prolly Extreme Gong. I saw a clip on one of the Outrageous specials, and it looked pretty corny. The fact that George Gray treats it like a bastard stepchild doesn't make it sound any better.
The worst I've seen is Card Sharks 01. Unnecessary rule changes, which in turn presented horrible flaws in the format. Chip clips? CHIP CLIPS?
[snapback]85563[/snapback]
[/quote]
Worst, IMO, had to be Break the Bank '85. Seeing Gene lose his humor as per orders from the staff, plus Joe Farago's style, just didn't cut it for me.
[snapback]85565[/snapback]
[/quote]
Minus the stunt era of the Prize Vault, BTB '85 wasn't a BAD show. But yeah, it was awkward to see Gene on a non-MG show, and knowing what happened to him does make it more awkward too.
For those of you who actually saw the one episode of the series, how would you say You're In The Picture ranked among the worst? Or does the story of Jackie's apology and all make it seem worse than it really was? (Kind of like the old MST3K FAQ question about them doing Plan 9 From Outer Space...besides competing with the narrator's observations, it said that "while Plan 9 is among the worst, MSTies know better. There were movies that made it look like a masterpiece," or words to that effect)
-
Worst I've seen: "The Cheap Show".
Worst I've read about: too many to list here...
-
[quote name=\'JMFabiano\' date=\'May 16 2005, 08:48 AM\']For those of you who actually saw the one episode of the series, how would you say You're In The Picture ranked among the worst? Or does the story of Jackie's apology and all make it seem worse than it really was? [/quote]
It was awful, but no, not nearly as bad as its reputation and frankly, no worse than any number of other lame celebrity-panel shows from that general era. (see: What's Going On?)
"Worst" is such a relative term that nobody's going to have a definitive answer. Already in this thread, we've had people mention The Cheap Show, which was SUPPOSED to look bad, Card Sharks 01, which merely suffers by comparison to earlier versions but has developed its own reputation around here, and Break the Bank '85, which is about as inconsequential and average a show as you're going to find.
The first show that occurred to me was Hot Seat, a one-trick pony that got redundant before the end of the first episode. Certainly from a quality and execution standpoint, none of the early GSN originals like Trivia Track were ever going to win Emmys.
-
[quote name=\'Johnissoevil\' date=\'May 16 2005, 05:08 AM\']Worst, IMO, had to be Break the Bank '85.
[snapback]85565[/snapback]
[/quote]
I'll jump on this bandwagon. I knew it wouldn't be anything like the BtB I loved in '76-'77, but my God!!!!!!!!!
At the end of the show, the credits would show all the production companies responsible for that trash and I'd think, "All these people behind it and it's still crap?!?". Too bad Gene never got a crack at Match Game in 1990.
-
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'May 16 2005, 09:43 AM\']The first show that occurred to me was Hot Seat, a one-trick pony that got redundant before the end of the first episode.
[snapback]85577[/snapback]
[/quote]
Great theme, though. Can't say it was the worst in that case.
My vote for the worst: the 1986 remake of "Split Second". Took everything truly great about the original (host, pacing, endgame, music) and threw it out the window. When it takes Monty Hall a minute to read a question on that show, it pretty much takes all the wind out of the show. The set was kind of cool though.
-
Could there be a game worse than TTD90 or BtB86? Is there a show crummier than almost any Stone Stanley production? Could a show have aired that makes CaSINO look like the original Gambit?
The answer to all questions: Yes -- $hopper's Casino from the '80s. I brought this up at "the old place" -- but for viewers just tuning in, I'll gladly repeat here.
Long story short, the show was co-hosted by Jeff Maxwell (from M*A*S*H) and Debra Sue Maffett (former Miss America). Dealer was a guy named Dirty Harry (who's about as much fun at a party as Emile Autori).
Object of the game: Win points by playing casino games. The point values were determined by the prices of the merchandise up for sale (think TPiR prizes worth less than $100).
If there was more to it, I forget -- and also tuned out about 15 minutes into the show.
Why? The set was just horrible. Take a bunch of gaming tables, throw them in a vacant studio and, voila, it's a shopper's casino.
What *REALLY* got my goat was during a "phone home" segment. Thing was the contestant on the phone line sure didn't sound like she was on the phone. The "phone connection" was as crystal clear as (insert your favorite game show announcer here) reading off the list of loving parting gifts losing contestants got to take home.
I was living in Dayton at the time. Friend of mine ran master control at the Fox station on the day in question. "Oh, you saw that piece of (deleted expletive), too, eh?" Joke was I didn't get paid to watch it -- and he did.
I've sat through full half hours of StyD, TJW90, even Born Lucky and the most recent piece of (deleted expletive) I've seen -- ESPN's Teammates.
While I admit to only watching half an episode, trust me, you haven't seen pathetic until you've seen $hopper's Casino.
-
Okay, my turn.
Where do I start, honestly? So many god-awful shows to choose from!
Of course, as was stated before, Card Guppies has to be considered (although I heard last night of someone who said compared to this one, the other three versions of Card Sharks were crap...wow). There were many others (which I don't want to list, because it would take too much time, you've already read them by this point, I'm sure, and I actually enjoyed one or two of those shows).
I guess you really can't consider this, because of the time frame, but I'll say season 2 of the syndie Weakest Link has to be up there. Sure, the first season may have had its flaws, but at least the game was somewhat passable. The second season just blew everything up. I could understand doubling the possible complete bank to $25K, but why ditch the double bank round? Plus, George Gray seemed to get more and more bitter as the season wore on.
And I still don't like Meredith Vieira's Millionaire, even though it's on its way to a fourth season.
-
[quote name=\'PYLdude\' date=\'May 16 2005, 01:28 PM\']I heard last night of someone who said compared to this one, the other three versions of Card Sharks were crap...wow
[snapback]85586[/snapback]
[/quote]
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible for an opinion to be wrong. :-)
-
I'd like some consideration given to RODEO DRIVE. Bad show, worse host (DuArt's impressions are lame enough as it is).
(Dis)Honorable mention--THREE'S A CROWD (either version, although the announcer on the second one rocked [is my nose turning brown?] ;-) )
Doug
-
For those of you who actually saw the one episode of the series, how would you say You're In The Picture ranked among the worst?
It was a cute idea, but the game itself turned out to be dreadful, and the celebrities did a lamentable job at playing the game. While not THE worst, I would categorize it as "Among the Worst."
Jackie Gleason was the only reason I found the show tolerable.
I think though that his subsequent monologue is some of the best television, period!
The worst game show ever: Bingo At Home. Poor Monty.
EDIT: But then there's The Perfect Match with Dick Enberg. Both of these shows were cures for insomnia.
--Jamie
-
It's interesting that someone brought this up. I launched a new section of my web site a week or so ago called "The Game Show Hall of Shame." The link is in my signature if anyone wants to check it out.
The worst show I've ever seen? I'll go with J.D. Roth's "Double Up."
-
Actually "Perfect Match" is the title of not only one, but TWO game shows among the worst. That piece of garbage with Bob Goen in the 80's was pretty rank too.
-
Love Me, Love Me Not has got to be the worst I've seen. Any show with a bonus round centered around a daisy is an instant channel changer.
-
[quote name=\'gwarman2005\' date=\'May 16 2005, 03:50 PM\']Love Me, Love Me Not has got to be the worst I've seen. Any show with a bonus round centered around a daisy is an instant channel changer.
[snapback]85605[/snapback]
[/quote]
Oh, but what a draw that theme music was. While a guest on The Larry King Show in the late 1980s on the Mutual Radio Network, LMLMN host Ross Shafer (on the program to plug The Late Show on FOX) said that when the audience for the first show of LMLMN heard the theme song, they began to burst with laughter.
Say, what's Marilyn Smith doing these days?
-
[quote name=\'PYLdude\' date=\'May 16 2005, 12:28 PM\']I could understand doubling the possible complete bank to $25K, but why ditch the double bank round?[/quote]
"WehaveatieasyouknowthestrongestlinkgetstocastthedecidingvotethatsyouSteve" was hard for the average viewer to understand.
-
[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' date=\'May 16 2005, 05:29 PM\'][quote name=\'PYLdude\' date=\'May 16 2005, 12:28 PM\']I could understand doubling the possible complete bank to $25K, but why ditch the double bank round?[/quote]
"WehaveatieasyouknowthestrongestlinkgetstocastthedecidingvotethatsyouSteve" was hard for the average viewer to understand.
[snapback]85619[/snapback]
[/quote]
And the story was that they wanted to give Gray more time to work over the contestants.
And as stated before, the current "Thousand Dollar Bee" over on Black Family Channel has to be the worst game shows of this time, if not all time. If I can't even bring myself to watch a full half-hour of it (and I watched more than one "Card Guppies" all the way through)...
-
Worst show I've ever seen: The Chamber. I shut off my television after ten minutes angrily.
You're in the Picture wasn't as bad as it was pointless. There was nothing at stake and Gleason, as host, wasn't much help.
-
Oh, but what a draw that theme music was. While a guest on The Larry King Show in the late 1980s on the Mutual Radio Network, LMLMN host Ross Shafer (on the program to plug The Late Show on FOX) said that when the audience for the first show of LMLMN heard the theme song, they began to burst with laughter.
Who can blame them? It sounded like something out of an old romantic movie, not a fast-paced GS theme one would typically associate w/the mid-80s.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
-
Nobody's mentioned Queen for a Day yet?
-
...or "the Baby Game" for that matter...
-Kevin
-
[quote name=\'TwoInchQuad\' date=\'May 16 2005, 08:36 PM\']...or "the Baby Game" for that matter...
[snapback]85647[/snapback]
[/quote]
Or "Baby Races"...
-
Did The Real Blake Emmons Show ever make it to air or was that just a pilot?
-
Worst game show. Hmmmm. Well Btb86 was only one that I read about. I agree with Card Sharks 01.
"The Last Word" with Wink Martindale. Worst? Problably not. Boring? Well somebody could make a case for it :)
I guess this thread doesn't include pilot eps otherwise "Dollar a Second" would be right up there. :)
-
[quote name=\'saussage\' date=\'May 16 2005, 08:46 PM\']Worst game show. Hmmmm. Well Btb86 was only one that I read about. I agree with Card Sharks 01.
"The Last Word" with Wink Martindale. Worst? Problably not. Boring? Well somebody could make a case for it :)
I guess this thread doesn't include pilot eps otherwise "Dollar a Second" would be right up there. :)
[snapback]85650[/snapback]
[/quote]
I agree with Alonzo's assessment of the Chamber (what a train wreck that was). Had Fox and ABC (The Chair) hadn't gone full throttle with their oneupmanship with getting the torture games of 2002 on the air first, they might have lasted longer than they did.
Brian
The Jehovah's Witnesses distribute Mad magazine?
-
The worst game I've ever read about is "Winning Streak." Bill having to look "hip," confusing gameplay everywhere... even Don Pardo seemed unenthusiastic.
-
[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'May 16 2005, 12:45 PM\']
I'd like some consideration given to RODEO DRIVE. Bad show, worse host (DuArt's impressions are lame enough as it is).
Rodeo Drive wasn't THAT bad. The first round echoed Talkabout, except that a player had to say one key word instead of 10. The second round was a rapid fire true/false round.
I'll agree that Louise DuArt's impressions didn't fit, but other than that, I thought she did a decent job hosting.
The most redeeming part of Rodeo Drive is the bonus round, which many say is reminiscent of the Gauntlet of Villains.
-
[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'May 16 2005, 06:33 PM\']And as stated before, the current "Thousand Dollar Bee" over on Black Family Channel has to be the worst game shows of this time, if not all time. If I can't even bring myself to watch a full half-hour of it (and I watched more than one "Card Guppies" all the way through)...[/quote]
I saw this show today. I want that half hour of my life back. It's worse than Malcolm. It's worse than The Million Dollar Word Game. The $1000 mentioned in the title goes to the season winner. As far as I can tell, everybody else gets nothing.
It's a spelling/word game with six grade school-aged students. The host is abysmal, the theme is even more redundant and annoying than the Tic Tac Dough theme in 1990, and the set looks like something made by a 5th grade stage crew.
-
Oh, come on Mike. You HAVE to tell us more about it now. After all, you already wasted the half hour.
-
[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'May 20 2005, 08:47 PM\']Oh, come on Mike. You HAVE to tell us more about it now. After all, you already wasted the half hour.[/quote]
You're a glutton for punishment, Travis.
First round: The object is to spell the most words related to a specific category correctly in 20 seconds. Three players are picked at random from a bowl (not really a hopper, per se). The first person picks which of the three categories to play. The second gets to choose from the remaining two, while the last player gets stuck with the remaining category. The person who spells the most words right advances. Repeat one more time with three new players.
Second round: The two remaining players each have a chalkboard with three groups of magnetic letters. Each group of jumbled letters spells out a word. Contestants get a point for each unscrambled word and a bonus word if they can use the word in a sentence, no matter how grammatically incorrect or stupid the sentence is.
Third round: The host reads a word. The two players jump in for the right to spell the word properly. One point is given for a right answer, nothing is taken away for being incorrect. About 12 words were played in the round. Whomever has the most points, presumably from the 2nd and 3rd rounds combined, is the winner.
Final round: The host tells the day's winner to write a "story" using five of the words used on the day's show. The contestant gets two minutes to write this "story" and then reads the "story" to the audience. I didn't see anything about prizes for the winning or losing contestants, so...I really have no idea of this round's purpose.
The game's certainly not played for the money. It's more of an attempt to be a motivational tool, in order to get students to read. There were three on-camera judges whose only job was to deliver praise to the contestants throughout the show.
The host is awful. The theme is merely the same 8 seconds of music repeated ad nauseum with the audience shouting "THE THOUSAND DOLLAR BEE!" The production values are on par with really bad public access shows. You might've seen Throut and Neck. You might've seen Malcolm. You might've even seen anything Fremantle has foisted upon the viewing public for the last seven years. None of it compares to the emptiness I felt inside after watching The Thousand Dollar Bee.
I'm going to rinse my eyes out with hydrochloric acid and repeatedly hit myself over the head. There must be some way I can erase this show from my memory permanently...
-
I remember actually staying up until 4 or 5 am to watch Sex Wars. It wasn't as bad as you think it is, I mean, it wasn't Emmy material, but I prolly would've sat through it, esp. since I have to work 3rd shift nowadays :-) Seriously, it wasn't a bad show.
The problem w/it, IMO, was that they tried to combine too many formats (much like the Diamond Head Game)...not to mention the annoying original lockout sounds for round 2 (barking for the mens' "power drills", meows for the womens' "hair dryers").
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
-
The New Treasure Hunt. Annoying!
-
Wow. I read through five pages and see a lot of shows that were decent, tried hard, looked okay...yet nobody mentions a show that didn't do any of these: "Pressure 1." Maybe because I was the only one who gave it a chance - twice.
First off, what brilliant mind said - "well, I want to do a new show, but it's so bad, I'll just pair it with a semi-successful show. Oh, no title? Let's call it...Pressure 1. And so nobody gets the idea these are two separate shows, I'll call 'Peer Pressure'...'Pressure 2!' Whole new show!" And what brilliant minds bought up these shows? I think my local affiliate fired the programmer after this.
All bad jokes aside, here's what it was. Former "Road Rules" castmate Mark Long whispered his way through a half hour with dorky teens (under 18 it appeared) competing for low stakes. The first round was an exciting race to 2 points, with each answer worth 1 point. The questions were presented in a way that might be humorous if they actually decided to put jokes in there. They just acted as lame set-ups to pedestrian questions.
The podiums here looked like they were rented from all those "Game Show Mania" things you see on the net where you can rent equipment (like here. (http://\"http://www.funny-business.com/index.pl/game_show_mania\")) The winners there got to sit on "cool" chairs for the next round. Lame categories were put up to lame questions for I believe a lame 10 points each.
The bonus was about the only decent thing. The four players got whittled to two in the above rounds, and they competed in a time trial. One entered an isolation booth while the other tried to answer 5 (?) questions as fast as possible. The other tried to beat that time and would win cheap prizes in a result.
The whole thing was just cheap. The set was made to resemble an empty factory or something, but they probably rented space in an abandoned factory to tape it. It used the same theme music as "Peer Pressure." And the host's clothes came from...Old Navy! This was in the late 90s/early 00s, thus before saying that became played and the tweens watching might stop and say "oh cool, Old Navy."
-Jason
-
[quote name=\'JasonA1\' date=\'May 22 2005, 10:11 AM\']Wow. I read through five pages and see a lot of shows that were decent, tried hard, looked okay...yet nobody mentions a show that didn't do any of these: "Pressure 1." Maybe because I was the only one who gave it a chance - twice.
The whole thing was just cheap. The set was made to resemble an empty factory or something, but they probably rented space in an abandoned factory to tape it. [snapback]86132[/snapback]
[/quote]
It was actually a studio at WCVB in Boston, since that show (or "Peer Pressure (Two)") and "Click" got acquired by Heart Argyle, who owns WCVB.
That one I only made it through once. And when I saw the hack job done on "Peer Pressure" afterwards--and that wasn't a great show to begin with--my mouth flew open.
-
Not the worst, but it deserves to be considered among the worst: the adaptation of Taboo to television. The host was smarmy, but what assured that I wouldn't watch a second episode was when a contestant made a risqué comment.
-
And since I forgot to say this yesterday--
You're a better man than I am, Michael Klauss. And my apologies if I was responsible for subjecting you to "Thousand Dollar Bee."
What gets into my craw is this: Last week, a black columnist for the Detroit Free Press did a buttkiss article on Robert Townsend and his vision of BFC, in which "TDB" was mentioned favorably, most likely because the columnist had never seen it. I perfectly understand why many in the African-American community don't want to associate themselves with the hip-hop videos and raunchy comics on BET, but an incredibly low-grade effort like "TDB" is just as damaging as "Rap City" or "Comicview." Over on TV One, the other alternative black cable channel, at least "I've Got the Hookup" has a solid-enough host in Russ Parr (as one should expect from a guy with a nationally-syndicated radio show) and it looks like everyone's having a good time, even if it is another relationship show with less-than-slick production values.
And "TDB" has Robert Townsend's name on it as his production company, not just the network--all of the good intentions in the world cannot mask the fact, Mr. Townsend, that you are turning out an excerable piece of television entertainment. Your audience at BFC should be demanding better and you should be providing it. If you're not doing the best you can, why bother?
-
[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'May 23 2005, 01:55 PM\']And since I forgot to say this yesterday--
You're a better man than I am, Michael Klauss. And my apologies if I was responsible for subjecting you to "Thousand Dollar Bee."
What gets into my craw is this: Last week, a black columnist for the Detroit Free Press did a buttkiss article on Robert Townsend and his vision of BFC, in which "TDB" was mentioned favorably, most likely because the columnist had never seen it. I perfectly understand why many in the African-American community don't want to associate themselves with the hip-hop videos and raunchy comics on BET, but an incredibly low-grade effort like "TDB" is just as damaging as "Rap City" or "Comicview." Over on TV One, the other alternative black cable channel, at least "I've Got the Hookup" has a solid-enough host in Russ Parr (as one should expect from a guy with a nationally-syndicated radio show) and it looks like everyone's having a good time, even if it is another relationship show with less-than-slick production values.
And "TDB" has Robert Townsend's name on it as his production company, not just the network--all of the good intentions in the world cannot mask the fact, Mr. Townsend, that you are turning out an excerable piece of television entertainment. Your audience at BFC should be demanding better and you should be providing it. If you're not doing the best you can, why bother?
[snapback]86236[/snapback]
[/quote]
I'm not surprised though. BFC (formerly MBC) has run into financial issues, and although I haven't seen TDB, the low-grade production values don't surprise me. The network is one foot in the grave (honestly, most of their programming is football games from 2002--kid you not, reruns of "Roc", horribly edited B&W movies with all-black casts, and gospel music). Honestly, as much as MBC/BFC have tried to be an alternative to BET, they simply come across as a dirt-poor man's version of the network. Everything on BFC screams cheap, esp. the college football and basketball games. Good idea, just poorly executed, no pun intended. The thing that DOES surprise me is that TDB would have Townsend's name on it, considering the better efforts he's put out ("Hollywood Shuffle", "The Parent Hood")
FWIW, one of BFC's co-owners was Cecil Fielder, who's had his own share of financial problems.
ObGameShow: TDB can't be worse than The Chamber.
-
[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'May 23 2005, 04:15 PM\']ObGameShow: TDB can't be worse than The Chamber.[/quote]
Think again. Although seeing that bee mascot getting pelted by sub-zero winds would make the show quite interesting.
I might post a video later this week and let you decide how bad it is.
-
What about "Reel to Reel Picture Show"? It was worse because the contestants were awarded jack squat (i.e., with nothing); even Peter Marshall didn't get a paycheck for hosting it!!!
Then there's the original "Twenty-One", which was one of the worst shows in TV history according to "TV Guide." Sure, it was groundbreaking, but when the games ended in 0-0 ties, the producers cooked up that rigging scheme to get viewers watching. It worked. The 2000 version may have been more exciting, but no one cared because we were watching Regis on Millionaire.
Another show that ended up on the same list was the EXTREMELY short-lived "You're in the Picture." 'Nuff said about that one.
Jonathan Allen
-
Worst, eh? I'm torn between ABC's The Neighbors, NBC's The Fun Factory, Fox's The Chamber, and ABC's Hot Seat (Jim Peck and a lie detector, as I recall - not to be confused with F. Lee Bailey's Lie Detector).
Then again, finding a consensus is almost impossible. I for one happened to like The Cheap Show and The New Treasure Hunt. ("You've won TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND... LIRE!" "Actual retail price: forty bucks").
-- Don
-
[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' date=\'May 23 2005, 08:11 PM\']Worst, eh? I'm torn between ABC's The Neighbors, NBC's The Fun Factory, Fox's The Chamber, and ABC's Hot Seat (Jim Peck and a lie detector, as I recall - not to be confused with F. Lee Bailey's Lie Detector).
[snapback]86287[/snapback]
[/quote]
Hot Seat's device was a galvanic skin response meter, IIRC. To think the Central Iowa audience got this one on day one but had to wait several weeks or months before they could see Family Feud which debuted on ABC the same day as Hot Seat.
I also gotta go with The Neighbors, plus Matchmaker and Family Secrets.
-
Add me to The Neighbors. A couple of these shows I've only seen one episode of, so it's hard to say if I wound up seeing a clunker episode, but Tell Me Something Good on BET, ABC's Treasure Isle & How's Your Mother-In-Law?, NBC's Time Machine, and IIRC, I think I caught one episode of the syndie 1969 Stump The Stars that looked like it was being played in an empty warehouse. All painful.
-
NBC's Time Machine,
Am I the only one here who actually liked "Time Machine"? I thought it was cool and deserved a longer run. Seriously.
(OK - I'm ducking - you can throw now...)
-
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'May 24 2005, 08:04 AM\']
NBC's Time Machine,
Am I the only one here who actually liked "Time Machine"? I thought it was cool and deserved a longer run. Seriously.
[snapback]86339[/snapback]
[/quote]
Liked the concept. Hated the host. The Set. The format.
-
Liked the concept. Hated the host. The Set. The format.
What about the theme? I thought it was very catchy!
-
Nostalgia game shows are fine with me - this one was just poorly executed, and the host's fumbling didn't help. It's hindsight, but a straight quiz that incorporated movie, tv and newsreel clips and hit songs might have been more fun. You'd have a more appropriate set and some creative ideas instead of curtain backdrops.
-
The worst game show ever to me was "Scattergories". The only game show that was so boring to me that I actually fell asleep watching it. That's bad.
-
IIRC, Robert Townsend has an executive position at BFC and has actually sunk some of his own money into the channel. The assumption has to be that putting his name on the original programming will give it some sort of cachet that it doesn't deserve.
-
I sacrificed both another half hour of my life, as well as a perfectly good episode of Super Password this afternoon in order to tape The Thousand Dollar Bee. An 8 minute compilation video, including the entire final segment and end credits, can be found at http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv (http://\"http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv\") The video is 16 MB in size.
Don't blame me; I'm just the messenger.
-
I'll say Inquizition was the worst, the reason being that the host had no name, and never showed his face.
And another reason is that they paid out puny amounts of money to the winners ($250 in Season 1, $500 in Season 2).
-
[quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'May 27 2005, 08:44 PM\']I'll say Inquizition was the worst, the reason being that the host had no name, and never showed his face.
[/quote]
That is a perfectly idiotic reason.
And another reason is that they paid out puny amounts of money to the winners ($250 in Season 1, $500 in Season 2).
This is slightly better.
-
[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'May 27 2005, 03:53 PM\']I sacrificed both another half hour of my life, as well as a perfectly good episode of Super Password this afternoon in order to tape The Thousand Dollar Bee. An 8 minute compilation video, including the entire final segment and end credits, can be found at http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv (http://\"http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv\") The video is 16 MB in size.
Don't blame me; I'm just the messenger.
[snapback]86755[/snapback]
[/quote]*puke*
Damn you, Klauss... You wasted 8 minutes of my life, and I want them back! :P
Forget the TTD90 room, it should be The Thousand Dollar Bee room (complete with the "theme song" repeating over and over again...)
-
[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'May 27 2005, 05:53 PM\']I sacrificed both another half hour of my life, as well as a perfectly good episode of Super Password this afternoon in order to tape The Thousand Dollar Bee. An 8 minute compilation video, including the entire final segment and end credits, can be found at http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv (http://\"http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv\") The video is 16 MB in size.
Don't blame me; I'm just the messenger.
[snapback]86755[/snapback]
[/quote]
This was funnier than any Super Duper Game Show Blooper Primetime Special I've ever seen. Seriously, this is gold, as unintentional as it may be. Thanks for posting this.
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'May 28 2005, 01:42 PM\']
And another reason is that they paid out puny amounts of money to the winners ($250 in Season 1, $500 in Season 2).
This is slightly better.
[snapback]86804[/snapback]
[/quote]
Are you sure you want to encourage "Mo' Money Syndrome"? :-) After all, that payout is TEN TIMES(!!) what you could get on What's My Line.
-
This is for the center box, so it's a two-part reply.
[quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'May 27 2005, 08:44 PM\']I'll say Inquizition was the worst, the reason being that the host had no name, and never showed his face.
And another reason is that they paid out puny amounts of money to the winners ($250 in Season 1, $500 in Season 2).
[snapback]86776[/snapback]
[/quote]
Both horrible reasons. I thought the gimmick of him being an unknown was a great way to add to the flavor of the show. Then again, I bet you're not a fan of Mexican wrestling, neither.
The other thing; the players know what they're getting into. If you're so hard up for cash that you want to try out for a $500 jackpot, go nuts. The game is what matters to me, and I enjoyed it. Get more questions right than someone else, and you move on. Easy as that. Give me something, like the game wasn't strong, or the music was off-key, anything.
Second, I owe all of you all an apology. Had I not prodded Mr. Klauss to tell us (me, mainly) more about "The $1k Bee," then he wouldn't have had to put together that lowlight reel, nor would you all have seen it.
On that note, it's nothing outwardly BAD, there's just nothing good to see. Certainly not something I'd stop on again, even for the $1,000 grand championship.
-
I'll go for a $300 two-part reply as well.
[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'May 29 2005, 12:37 AM\']Second, I owe all of you all an apology. Had I not prodded Mr. Klauss to tell us (me, mainly) more about "The $1k Bee," then he wouldn't have had to put together that lowlight reel, nor would you all have seen it.[/quote]
I probably would've still rendered the video since apparently only Mark Jeffries and myself have seen The $1K Bee. The show I recorded yesterday was so abysmal that it had to be shown to the masses.
In addition, I concur with Casey. The torture area should be renamed The Thousand Dollar Bee Room, with constantly repeating footage of the end credits. If the dancing audience doesn't make you crazy, the theme song will.
I should also note that the $1000 top prize is a $1000 savings bond. Thus, the cost of the bond is likely $500, assuming it's an EE bond which will mature in 7 or 8 years.
-
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'May 24 2005, 08:04 AM\']
NBC's Time Machine,
Am I the only one here who actually liked "Time Machine"? I thought it was cool and deserved a longer run. Seriously.
I too thought that "Time Machine" should've lasted longer than it did...in the beginning it was sort of like "The Price Is Right", but instead of guessing prices, it involves guessing years, events, music, etc; and had three different games each day, and the end game was like the TPIR showcase, more or less.
Top that with all of the Scrabble sounds...that and "Hit Man" deserved to have been on the air longer.
As for the worst...I've seen many talk about "You're In The Picture", others mentioned Patrick Wayne's "Tic Tac Dough" and one even mentioned "The Baby Game". Quite actually, I think "The $1.98 Beauty Show" is among my least favorites of all...and what do you expect from Chuck Barris Productions, who have come up with crapola like that to top "Dating" and "Newlywed".
-
[quote name=\'WorldClassRob\' date=\'May 28 2005, 10:58 PM\']I too thought that "Time Machine" should've lasted longer than it did...in the beginning it was sort of like "The Price Is Right", but instead of guessing prices, it involves guessing years, events, music, etc; and had three different games each day, and the end game was like the TPIR showcase, more or less.
[/quote]
It might have had a shot if Davidson weren't such a perfectly awful host, and if there were a little more variety to the games that they played.
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'May 29 2005, 01:21 AM\'][quote name=\'WorldClassRob\' date=\'May 28 2005, 10:58 PM\']I too thought that "Time Machine" should've lasted longer than it did...in the beginning it was sort of like "The Price Is Right", but instead of guessing prices, it involves guessing years, events, music, etc; and had three different games each day, and the end game was like the TPIR showcase, more or less.
[/quote]
It might have had a shot if Davidson weren't such a perfectly awful host, and if there were a little more variety to the games that they played.
[snapback]86873[/snapback]
[/quote]
Yea, Davidson was not exactly what I had in mind to host...but really all of the vets were already hosting something; unless that is you do what Alex Trebek did years later and host two game shows at once.
As for variety, well, TPIR started out that way too back in '72, and in time more games were added and it had (and still has) a great host in Bob Barker. If TM enjoyed a longer run, then perhaps there would've been more games and a bit more variety than it began with.
-
I don't know how this game's even SYNDICATED, but "Go For It! TV" seems to suck balls. I mean, it's probably the only game to have a MUSICAL PERFORMANCE that isn't part of the game itself!
-
Putting on my armor, after watching that Bee clip - I agree that compared to most shows we see, it's absolutely abysmal - like a bad cable access show. But I had to give it some props for what it was trying to do - if it's aimed at kids 12 and under, and it's teaching proper spelling and grammar, go for it! The judging was a little too liberal (former Pyramid refs??), but, hey - I'd rate it against Sesame Street instead of The Price Is Right.
The host is Sinatra?? Being a Frank fan, that was good for a chuckle.
-
[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'May 29 2005, 02:41 PM\']Putting on my armor, after watching that Bee clip - I agree that compared to most shows we see, it's absolutely abysmal - like a bad cable access show. But I had to give it some props for what it was trying to do - if it's aimed at kids 12 and under, and it's teaching proper spelling and grammar, go for it! The judging was a little too liberal (former Pyramid refs??), but, hey - I'd rate it against Sesame Street instead of The Price Is Right.
[/quote]
Have some spare armor? I think of "Bee" as more of an educational show than a game show. While it would be an improvement to see more money and effort put onto the show, the production values of the other original shows on BFC aren't much better. Speaking of improvements, they seemed to have made an actual theme song that's slightly better than the old looping theme. Despite its poor execution, I really don't mind Thousand Dollar Bee because it's one of the few examples that provides educational content to Black kids instead of numbing them with music videos.
A what-if comes to mind: what if Bill Cosby financed BFC instead of Townsend?
-
[quote name=\'jalman\' date=\'May 29 2005, 04:33 PM\']A what-if comes to mind: what if Bill Cosby financed BFC instead of Townsend?
[snapback]86944[/snapback]
[/quote]
Then all we'd see are clips of Kids Say the Darndest Things.
-
Yea, Davidson was not exactly what I had in mind to host...but really all of the vets were already hosting something; unless that is you do what Alex Trebek did years later and host two game shows at once.
Three - "Jeopardy", "Classic Concentration", "To Tell the Truth". In the '70s and '80s, they had a rule where a host could do one show on the network and one in syndication simultaniously. I guess that rule must have been waved by 1990 to allow Trebek to host two shows on NBC at the same time.
-
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'May 29 2005, 05:26 PM\']In the '70s and '80s, they had a rule where a host could do one show on the network and one in syndication simultaniously. I guess that rule must have been waved by 1990 to allow Trebek to host two shows on NBC at the same time.
[/quote]
I offer you two choices...either:
1) cite where you get the information about this "rule", or
2) explain how at one point Dick Clark was doing the daytime Pyramid, the nighttime Pyramid, Bloopers & Practical Jokes, and American Bandstand, all at the same time.
-
2) explain how at one point Dick Clark was doing the daytime Pyramid, the nighttime Pyramid, Bloopers & Practical Jokes, and American Bandstand, all at the same time.
Because it only applied to game shows. Until Trebek in 1990, there was never a host who was hosting more than one network and one syndicated show at the same time. It's been reported quite frequently about how certain shows had to look for different host because the one they wanted was already doing shows on the network and in syndication.
-
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'May 30 2005, 08:55 AM\']
2) explain how at one point Dick Clark was doing the daytime Pyramid, the nighttime Pyramid, Bloopers & Practical Jokes, and American Bandstand, all at the same time.
Because it only applied to game shows. Until Trebek in 1990, there was never a host who was hosting more than one network and one syndicated show at the same time. It's been reported quite frequently about how certain shows had to look for different host because the one they wanted was already doing shows on the network and in syndication.
[snapback]87000[/snapback]
[/quote]
I wouldn't take that as indication of any "rules" against hosting more one show at a time. Something like "the taping schedules conflict/the host doesn't want to drive across town to a different studio every day" are more plausible explanations...
-
It probably was more of a contractual thing more than a rule. Generally, hosts had one show in syndication and one on network. The only exception I can think of was Bill Cullen, who hosted two shows in syndication in the 78-79 season.
-
[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'May 27 2005, 05:53 PM\']I sacrificed both another half hour of my life, as well as a perfectly good episode of Super Password this afternoon in order to tape The Thousand Dollar Bee. An 8 minute compilation video, including the entire final segment and end credits, can be found at http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv (http://\"http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv\") The video is 16 MB in size.
Don't blame me; I'm just the messenger.
[snapback]86755[/snapback]
[/quote]
I thought I saw bad game shows like Baby Races. This clip takes the cake almost tenfold.
-
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'May 30 2005, 05:55 AM\']Because it only applied to game shows. Until Trebek in 1990, there was never a host who was hosting more than one network and one syndicated show at the same time. It's been reported quite frequently about how certain shows had to look for different host because the one they wanted was already doing shows on the network and in syndication.
[/quote]
Fair point, if completely asinine that anyone thinking logically would allow themselves to believe that a rule about talent was enforced on game shows and not on other types of television. I still think you are speaking wholly ex rectum, and would like to see the citation for said "rule".
-
After seeing that clip of Thousand Dollar Bee.. boy that bee mascot there sounds really annoying!
And the intro with the bee saying "Thousand Dollar Bee" almost would hurt your ears.. too squeaky!
Worse, the set is so lame, it makes the graphics used on the show better than the set itself.. of course I still have more to download so I'll update if necessary.. but my preliminary idea is that this show sucks.
-
I still think you are speaking wholly ex rectum, and would like to see the citation for said "rule".
It was probably an unwritten rule - or as Jimmy suggested, a contractual rule - but consider:
--Jim Lange hosting the 1984 "Newlywed Game" Valentine's Week of shows on ABC because Bob Eubanks was doing "Dream House" on NBC
--Bill Rafferty hosting nighttime "Card Sharks" in 1986 because Eubanks was doing "Newlywed Game"
--Tom Kennedy hosting the nighttime "Name That Tune" in 1974 because Dennis James was doing "Price is Right"
--Jack Barry hosting nighttime "Break the Bank" in 1976 because Tom Kennedy was doing "Name That Tune"
--Bob Barker not taking over nighttime "Price is Right" hosting duties until after the syndicated "Truth or Consequences" had ended
Outside of Trebek in 1990, can you think of another occasion where it happened? When you look at the shows with different hosts daytime and nighttime, this always seemed to apply.
-
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'May 30 2005, 03:59 PM\']It was probably an unwritten rule - or as Jimmy suggested, a contractual rule - but consider:
--Tom Kennedy hosting the nighttime "Name That Tune" in 1974 because Dennis James was doing "Price is Right"
[/quote]
And vice-versa -- Dennis James hosting daytime "Tune" on NBC in 1974, as Tom Kennedy was still hosting "Split Second" on ABC.
-
Well, perhaps they didn't want that much workload. Using Eubanks and CS as an example...I would think taping two runs of CS and a run of Newlywed game would be exhausting.
-
[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'May 30 2005, 02:06 PM\']Well, perhaps they didn't want that much workload. Using Eubanks and CS as an example...I would think taping two runs of CS and a run of Newlywed game would be exhausting.
[/quote]
Yeah, working three days a week as a game show host must really suck ass.
Sorry, I have zero sympathy. :)
-
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'May 30 2005, 01:59 PM\']It was probably an unwritten rule - or as Jimmy suggested, a contractual rule - but consider:
<wholly circumstantial evidence snipped>
[/quote]
Then don't go spouting about something being a "rule" if you don't have concrete proof that said "rule" exists. And you don't.
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'May 30 2005, 04:14 PM\']Yeah, working three days a week as a game show host must really suck ass.
Sorry, I have zero sympathy. :)
[snapback]87064[/snapback]
[/quote]
True that. As many of you know, Dick Clark taped ten shows a day of The $25,000/$100,000 Pyramid quite a bit during the middle 1980s. When I asked him last summer why he put himself through such a schedule, he replied, "Because Bob Stewart was paying me a lot of money".
-
Oh, my God...that Thousand Dollar Bee clip has to be the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. It's hilarious, but not for any of the right reasons. If this were the first game show I'd ever watched, it might have been enough to turn me off to the genre for the rest of my life. It's that bad.
-
That ate so much ass, I'm no longer hungry, 'cuz I'm full up on, you know, ass.
-
OK After watching that bee clip, 2 things popped into my head:
a: Anyone ever see the video for Blind Melon's No Rain?
b: Someone, quick, post a clip of Patrick Wayne.. We need redemption
And to befoul the good image of "Clownin Around" (The EZ123 Theme) in a show like this... Bah...
-
[quote name=\'Steve Gavazzi\' date=\'May 30 2005, 06:53 PM\']Oh, my God...that Thousand Dollar Bee clip has to be the most pathetic thing I've ever seen.
[snapback]87090[/snapback]
[/quote]
So who won? And who gets the $1000? Did that guy who composed the lovely story move on to a tournament? Why didn't our wacky host double the points? Robert Townsend should be taken the woodshed.
-
Can we bring up pilots as well??
Crossowrd had to be the worst of the worst. The game itself was clever, but when you have a host who was used to being second fiddle you're asking for disaster. Never mind the fact when all of his blatant mistakes weren't edited out, how can you act surprised when it doesn't sell?
I still stand by Love Me, Love Me Not as the worst, but a close second has to be Mall Masters. It reminded me of Anything For Money, but at least you got to see stupid people doing stupid things. On MM, you just saw stupid people. **YAWN**
-
Now that I have recovered sufficiently from seeing the Thousand Dollar Bee clip, I have come to the following conclusion:
Shopper's Casino is now the SECOND worst game show in the history of television.
-
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'May 30 2005, 09:55 PM\'] Robert Townsend should be taken the woodshed.[/quote]
For another reason that hasn't been mentioned yet. At the end of the credits, we're told the show was "filmed" in front of a live audience. I realize that's a common mistake for the common people to make, but if you're in the business, you ought to know better than to used "filmed" and "taped" interchangeably.
Meanwhile, I will now state in my role as moderator that the "Thousand Dollar Bee Room", with that snippet of music playing over and over, is now the official mode of torture on this forum. Still, god help me, I thought the little Bee Girl was cute!
Look, I'm all for giving Townsend and his people credit for trying to make something with educational value; remember I work at a PBS station. Still, inept is inept, no matter what the genre. When I look at that and realize I could make a better show in my high school studio with volunteers and a budget of zero, then there's a problem.
-
[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'May 27 2005, 05:53 PM\']I sacrificed both another half hour of my life, as well as a perfectly good episode of Super Password this afternoon in order to tape The Thousand Dollar Bee. An 8 minute compilation video, including the entire final segment and end credits, can be found at http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv (http://\"http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv\") The video is 16 MB in size.
[snapback]86755[/snapback]
[/quote]
Wow, it's Mister Rogerts meets Louis Farrakhan.
Seriously, that bowtie should be outlawed for anyone not named Bozo, Chuckles, Doink or Rebo. It's scary. Just like the clip. And I thought Virtual Memory was bad.
-
Look out kids! The Thousand Dollar Bee is hitting the road! (Run while you still can!!!)
http://www.blackfamilychannel.com/press_releases/roadbee.pdf (http://\"http://www.blackfamilychannel.com/press_releases/roadbee.pdf\") (Needs Adobe Acrobat)
-
[quote name=\'davewalls\' date=\'May 31 2005, 01:42 PM\']Look out kids! The Thousand Dollar Bee is hitting the road! (Run while you still can!!!)
http://www.blackfamilychannel.com/press_releases/roadbee.pdf (http://\"http://www.blackfamilychannel.com/press_releases/roadbee.pdf\") (Needs Adobe Acrobat)
[snapback]87206[/snapback]
[/quote]
The PDF on the link from BFC's own site is stuck at the 120 KB mark and doesn't finish downloading. I try again and get, "The file is damaged and cannot be repaired."
How appropriate.
-
Worse, seeing those kids dance to the repetitive Thousand Dollar Bee theme in the end credits was just... disturbing.
Haven't they ever watched anything else before?
-
Look out kids! The Thousand Dollar Bee is hitting the road! (Run while you still can!!!)
Anyone wanna come w/me when the tour hits NYC? <ducking>
Chuck Donegan (The Treading-Dangerous-Ground "Chuckie Baby")
-
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'May 31 2005, 12:02 PM\']Still, god help me, I thought the little Bee Girl was cute!
[snapback]87189[/snapback]
[/quote]
Maybe so, but she's about ten years too young for me.
-
[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'May 27 2005, 06:53 PM\']I sacrificed both another half hour of my life, as well as a perfectly good episode of Super Password this afternoon in order to tape The Thousand Dollar Bee. An 8 minute compilation video, including the entire final segment and end credits, can be found at http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv (http://\"http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv\") The video is 16 MB in size.
Don't blame me; I'm just the messenger.
[snapback]86755[/snapback]
[/quote]
Wow. Best. Lightning. Graphic. Ever.
Is the TPiR Easy As 1-2-3 music part of the show, or did you add that in? I'd guess that the music they use for Easy as 123 is stock music, but it can't hurt to ask. Then again, by asking, I'm implying that you did more than cut the video into pieces properly sized for a Fear Factor TV-watching contest.
-
[quote name=\'Speedy G\' date=\'May 31 2005, 11:28 PM\']I'd guess that the music they use for Easy as 123 is stock music, but it can't hurt to ask.
[/quote]
You'd guess right. It's stock.
-
Yeah, it's stock music, and it was actually released onto the trading circuit a while back... In fact, it's been used maybe more than most other stock music that's current.
-
[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'May 27 2005, 02:53 PM\']I sacrificed both another half hour of my life, as well as a perfectly good episode of Super Password this afternoon in order to tape The Thousand Dollar Bee. An 8 minute compilation video, including the entire final segment and end credits, can be found at http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv (http://\"http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv\") The video is 16 MB in size.
Don't blame me; I'm just the messenger.
[snapback]86755[/snapback]
[/quote]
Wow. I tried, but I only lasted three minutes. And to think that I stopped ripping audio segments from "The Muppet Show" for this makes me want to down about six Alka-Seltzers. That is one of the worst chunks of television I've ever seen. (By the way: I'd like to see those kids try to spell "television!")
-
and there's another part of what makes this so painful - just like a few threads have made comments that it's agonizing watching clueless contestants fumble their way through simple games on The Price Is Right, the sad fact these kids have to struggle through words like they do makes you wonder about our whole education system and what these kids could become in the future. When I'm sitting in a nursing home, I don't want someone who can't read the medicine labels at age 24 handing me pills. I'll bet a fair number of kids of all races today think that if they can excel in sports or can sing three notes on key in a row, they have a rich future ahead of them that doesn't require smarts. Instead, we're breeding future fodder for Maury and Judge Hatchett episodes. The Bee is trying to help kids, but it's also a mirror of the system breaking down...and that may be what is just as hard to watch as the production values.
..and didn't I hear that the little bee girl mention in an interview that when she grows up, she wants to be a big bee girl like Anitra Ford? Bee-ware! ;-)
-
[quote name=\'Speedy G\' date=\'Jun 1 2005, 02:28 AM\']Wow. Best. Lightning. Graphic. Ever.
Is the TPiR Easy As 1-2-3 music part of the show, or did you add that in?[/quote]
The only thing I added were the transitions from segment to segment.
Some people on this group will be remembered for their humor, being on a game show, or being in the biz. Me? The Thousand Dollar Bee and Malcolm.
-
An E-mail I got today indicates The $1,000 Bee may have some competition:
You have to watch TV One's Bid Whist Party Throwdown. This show is just awful. Besides the awfulness of the concept of televised Bid Whist. How can I list the ways:
(1) TV One doesn't spring for the lipstick cameras that appear on every other gambling show. They make the players hold their cards up for the camera to see. (How expensive is the X20 anyway?)
(2) The show is supposed to be a "dinner party", but all of the guest celebrities had to bring their own food
(3) The six "celebrities" were maybe D- c elebrities. Maybe. I recognised Ted Lange from Love Boat, Roz Ryan from Amen, and Kiki Shepard from Showtime at the Apollo (and that was a pull). Those were the well-known celebrities. I have no idea who the other three were.
It reairs on Saturday night. Watch at your own peril...
TV One is on DirecTV.
--Mike
-
[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Jun 1 2005, 11:26 AM\']Some people on this group will be remembered for their humor, being on a game show, or being in the biz. Me? The Thousand Dollar Bee and Malcolm.
[snapback]87367[/snapback]
[/quote]
[font=\"Times\"] LINE[/font]
OF THE[/color]
DAY
And I'll probably be remembered for my sub-par attempt to recreate whoserman's LOTD logo.
And I think I should chime in with my opinion-----"$1,000 Bee" was just.....eeek. At least the [animated] graphics proved the existance of SOME kind of budget.
-
[quote name=\'Chief-O\' date=\'Jun 1 2005, 04:35 PM\']And I think I should chime in with my opinion-----"$1,000 Bee" was just.....eeek. At least the [animated] graphics proved the existance of SOME kind of budget.
[snapback]87411[/snapback]
[/quote]
In that last sentance, I believe you just figured out where that budget went.
-
The host is Sinatra?? Being a Frank fan, that was good for a chuckle.
And having caught his last name in the end credits, I can see why only his first name is used in the onscreen graphics, etc...LOL
As for Klaussie, I think you might have the storyline for a possible Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind sequel...is there anyone who'd want their memories erased after seeing that clip? Yes, the show does serve an educational purpose, but production-wise? It makes the aforementioned Million Dollar Word Game look like...oh wait, never mind. :-D
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
-
[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Jun 1 2005, 05:15 PM\']You have to watch TV One's Bid Whist Party Throwdown. This show is just awful. Besides the awfulness of the concept of televised Bid Whist.
[/quote]
I TiVoed this last night. (Yes, I wasted valuable drive space on my TiVo for this.) It's not as bad as The Thousand Dollar Bee. Unlike the Bee, I didn't watch the entire extravaganza. I fast forwarded to the final hand after about half an hour.
Certain card games translate to TV quite well--definitely poker, blackjack somewhat. Whist? No. First off, let's play a game nobody's heard of! Second, it took me three hands to understand the game and even then, I was confused by the bidding and the terminology. Third, the lipstick cameras wouldn't work here. How do you show 13 cards to the little camera besides one or two at a time? Given the large number of cards in each hand, actually having the celebrities show their cards was the right way to handle this.
The production values are significantly better than The Thousand Dollar Bee. The hosts...ugh, but they were better than the wacky Sinatra. I thought I heard a few words which should've been caught by the censor, but maybe that was my hearing acting up.
This might be the worst card game ever, at least in the modern era. (Televised poker, pre-lipstick cameras, is very boring.) I wouldn't call this a game show, as I saw more eating and shots of the food than of the game itself.
Sorry, no videos this time. There are laws against torture.
-
[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'May 27 2005, 05:53 PM\']I sacrificed both another half hour of my life, as well as a perfectly good episode of Super Password this afternoon in order to tape The Thousand Dollar Bee. An 8 minute compilation video, including the entire final segment and end credits, can be found at http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv (http://\"http://www.classicgameshows.com/video/1000dollarbee.wmv\") The video is 16 MB in size.
Don't blame me; I'm just the messenger.
[snapback]86755[/snapback]
[/quote]
Just now watched the clip for the first time. Much of the last week and a half has been spent getting married and spending our honeymoon in central Florida.
(Side note: Meet the newlyweds at www.dougmorris.net/cindy (http://\"http://www.dougmorris.net/cindy\").)
With that said, I have to ask, do they even pre-test the contestants? The poor girl who misspelled "invest", "money" and "credit" was awful. Hate to say it, but I shook my head along with the bee that faded in and out of the lower right corner of the graphic during her speed round.
The lightning round wasn't too bad. (Insert Street Smarts' "bad pun alert" sound effects and flashing super here.) However, considering a player had to sound a buzzer first for the right to spell the word, why didn't they call this "the buzz off"?
With regard to the "bee scramble boards", show of hands, anyone thought that round was stolen from a famous Soul Train segment? Oddly enough, the segment was named "the Soul Train scramble board". Object for the players was to use the letters on a magnetized board to unscramble the name of an artist or musical group.
Yes, I know, unscrambling words is nothing new to the game show world (read: Caesars Challenge; wordplay categories on TTD, TJW and J!). Still, unless Robert, BFC, et al, received Don Cornelius' blessing on this one, don't be suprised if we see Soul Train v. Thousand Dollar Bee in court.
Then, when the TDB players unscrambled their words, having the contestants use the words in sentences seemed pointless. Equally pointless: the final story round. Uh, hello, I thought this was supposed to be a spelling contest.
More problems now. When the kids are spelling words, they should say the word, spell it and say it again -- just like the National Spelling Bee. In the clip, they only said the word once and spelled it (or, chronologically, the other way around).
The "say-spell-say" method is a clear indication to everyone (s)he is finished spelling the word. Back to the poor girl who screwed up "money", when she was given the word, her response was, "money, M-O-N-E" and about a half a second later, Sinatra gave her the next word.
Also, from a production standpoint, the players probably need to be standing at podia -- displaying the running totals (what a concept!). Either that or step up to a microphone (a la the NSB). That's better than Sinatra handing a mic to a contestant.
The set is absolutely crummy. Too pre-schoolish. Why not a backdrop similar to the '70s Beat The Odds pilot -- with letters all over the place?
And the theme song -- UGH! I'll just leave it at that.
If the show survives beyond this season (and, per earlier posts, that's a big if), here's what to fix...
\ As noted earlier, have the players "say-spell-say". This worked in the spelling round of WinTuition. Why not here?
\ Ditch the scramble boards with a round that has a series of spelling words that increase in difficulty (or at least increase in letter length: 5-letter word, then 6 letters, 7 letters, etc.). The higher the difficulty, the higher the point value. One misspelling and the player's turn is over. Opponent gets a different set of words.
\ Echoing similar thoughts throughout this thread, give the main game winner *SOMETHING* for victory. A gift card, a "must have" toy, a box of Cheerios, *something*.
\ Ditch the story round and replace it with a round where a player is show several groups of words, four per group, and is asked to identify which word is spelled incorrectly. Meeting a certain goal in a certain time limit -- say, six right answers in 45 seconds -- wins $1000 in savings bonds. Better to do that than take the ultra-cheap route of giving the season-ending winner $1000 and have all the other kids come away empty-handed.
Bottom line: I'm sticking with my original take of $hopper's Casino being the worst game show ever. But, between crummy production values, a low prize budget, a theme song at least five times more annoying than TJW90 and a game that combines too many formats, I'll rank TDB a close second worst.
-
[quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 10:45 AM\']Yes, I know, unscrambling words is nothing new to the game show world (read: Caesars Challenge; wordplay categories on TTD, TJW and J!). Still, unless Robert, BFC, et al, received Don Cornelius' blessing on this one, don't be suprised if we see Soul Train v. Thousand Dollar Bee in court.
[/quote]
A show aimed at a black audience is never going to sue another show aimed at a black audience. Bottom line.
-
My vote for worst game show would go to "The Chamber"...until I saw that clip for the "Thousand Dollar Spelling Bee". WOW! Than again, it could be worse. It could be the Russian favorite "Uposcrabblenyk." ;-)
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 01:37 PM\']A show aimed at a black audience is never going to sue another show aimed at a black audience. Bottom line.
[snapback]87920[/snapback]
[/quote]
Let's not forget when the Bob Goen-hosted Perfect Match was sued by The Newlywed Game folks. Same when Goodson/Todman, producers of Password, sued Ralph Andrews' team over You Don't Say.
I'll grant you the chances of ST vs. TDB being entered into a courtroom's docket may be slim -- but not impossible. Heck, don't even rule out a cease-and-desist letter from the ST team to Robert Townsend and BFC.
-
[quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 01:23 PM\']Let's not forget when the Bob Goen-hosted Perfect Match was sued by The Newlywed Game folks. Same when Goodson/Todman, producers of Password, sued Ralph Andrews' team over You Don't Say.
[/quote]
And none of these are shows aimed specifically at a black audience.
It sounds racist, I know. However, the whole thing behind BET and Black Family Channel and what not is the notion that programming aimed towards their primary audience is underrepresented on "traditional" television, and I would think the PR backlash one "historically black" television show trying to knock another one off the air would have to endure wouldn't be worth the trouble, and they would be better served just letting sleeping dogs lie.
-
[quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 03:23 PM\']I'll grant you the chances of ST vs. TDB being entered into a courtroom's docket may be slim -- but not impossible. Heck, don't even rule out a cease-and-desist letter from the ST team to Robert Townsend and BFC.
[/quote]
On the Bee's scramble board, do they actually determine if the player was right or wrong? Also, was there a time limit? On Soul Train, the contestants / dancers, more or less, unscramble the word and dance their way back to the dance floor, with the game all but forgotten.
Also, the prizes -- the Bee probably gives out points (we already know about the "no prizes" bit), but Soul Train offered gifts to their participants (at least, a subscription to Essence magazine).
In my opinion, I don't think there's a jury in the world that would convict the Bee.
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 04:40 PM\']It sounds racist, I know. However, the whole thing behind BET and Black Family Channel and what not is the notion that programming aimed towards their primary audience is underrepresented on "traditional" television, and I would think the PR backlash one "historically black" television show trying to knock another one off the air would have to endure wouldn't be worth the trouble, and they would be better served just letting sleeping dogs lie.
[snapback]87946[/snapback]
[/quote]
To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of BFC in its current form (had heard of MBC, its predecessor) -- until TDB was brought into this discussion of worst game shows ever.
If BFC is indeed in financial trouble (tell-tale sign worth repeating: the $1000 grand prize only going to one winner and everyone else goes home with not even a package of bubble gum), then you're right. There's virtually no sense in suing a financially-strapped network.
-
[quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 01:45 PM\']With that said, I have to ask, do they even pre-test the contestants? The poor girl who misspelled "invest", "money" and "credit" was awful. Hate to say it, but I shook my head along with the bee that faded in and out of the lower right corner of the graphic during her speed round. [/quote]
A press release tells us that the contestants are chosen at random from their studio audience, which explains (a little) the helplessness of that one poor girl. Still, that's just one more thing wrong with the show. It's one thing to get stupid ADULT players on TPIR. Heck, it can be funny. But when you're trying to call yourself an educational program, grabbing a kid and throwing her on camera without regard to her ability to play your little game is just wrong.
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 04:40 PM\'][quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 01:23 PM\']Let's not forget when the Bob Goen-hosted Perfect Match was sued by The Newlywed Game folks. Same when Goodson/Todman, producers of Password, sued Ralph Andrews' team over You Don't Say.
[/quote]
And none of these are shows aimed specifically at a black audience.
It sounds racist, I know. However, the whole thing behind BET and Black Family Channel and what not is the notion that programming aimed towards their primary audience is underrepresented on "traditional" television, and I would think the PR backlash one "historically black" television show trying to knock another one off the air would have to endure wouldn't be worth the trouble, and they would be better served just letting sleeping dogs lie.
[snapback]87946[/snapback]
[/quote]
Depends of the source. Since BFC and TV One were supposedly created to partially right the wrongs of BET (basically, hip-hop videos with lots of hootchie and bling-bling and shows with raunchy standups--well, raunchy for basic cable), if they could do something that could show up BET, they would--especially since it's now owned by Viacom, a.k.a. The Man. (Of course, Comcast owns part of TV One, but...)
On the other hand, yeah, I don't see Don Cornelius' people filing a lawsuit against Robert Townsend and BFC any time soon. Race aside, it just wouldn't be worth it, since Goodson could've very well sued Cornelius on the Scramble game in the first place.
-
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 6 2005, 10:43 AM\']A press release tells us that the contestants are chosen at random from their studio audience, which explains (a little) the helplessness of that one poor girl. Still, that's just one more thing wrong with the show. It's one thing to get stupid ADULT players on TPIR. Heck, it can be funny. But when you're trying to call yourself an educational program, grabbing a kid and throwing her on camera without regard to her ability to play your little game is just wrong.
[snapback]88001[/snapback]
[/quote]
Thank you, Matt, for confirming what I had originally feared when watching that clip.
Sounds like the so-called "contestant coordinator" probably just goes into the crowd and asks, "Who wants a chance to win a thousand dollars in savings bonds?" With every kid raising his/her hand for an affirmative response, the "coordinator" randomly picks three people and the process is all over.
-
[quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Jun 5 2005, 12:45 PM\']Still, unless Robert, BFC, et al, received Don Cornelius' blessing on this one, don't be suprised if we see Soul Train v. Thousand Dollar Bee in court.
[snapback]87904[/snapback]
[/quote]
If Don had a gripe about this, he'd have hauled Floyd Brown before Judge Wapner twenty years ago for the scramble round on Know Your Heritage.
And now, my impersonation of Floyd Brown: "Well, what are you waiting for? Take off your blindfolds and begin!!". It works better in person. If you're in Glendale this summer, I'll try it again. Count the days.
-
[quote name=\'AH3RD\' date=\'May 21 2005, 04:44 PM\']The New Treasure Hunt. Annoying!
[snapback]86053[/snapback]
[/quote]
Thank you Aaron!
Treasure Hunt would be Park Place & Just Men! would be Boardwalk!
I better go directly to jail, do not pass Go! & do not collect $200!
-
[quote name=\'GSWitch\' date=\'Jun 6 2005, 06:45 PM\']Treasure Hunt would be Park Place & Just Men! would be Boardwalk!
[/quote]
....but you'll always be an idiot.
-
[quote name=\'GSWitch\' date=\'Jun 6 2005, 08:45 PM\']I better go directly to jail
[snapback]88066[/snapback]
[/quote]
Want a ride?