The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => Game Show Channels & Networks => Topic started by: chad1m on March 05, 2009, 04:57:10 PM
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Taken from a press release:
GSN announced today that it’s going on the road with a seven-city tour in search of the nation’s best undiscovered game show hosts with the “GSN LIVE Play Every Day Tour,”... From March 7 to April 4, the tour will bring the look and feel of GSN LIVE to cities across the country... Mall shoppers can play games for a chance to win.
The “GSN LIVE Play Every Day Tour” will also create an opportunity for each market to showcase its hometown talent. Locals who think they have what it takes to be a game show host are invited to audition for their chance to win an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to co-host a segment of GSN LIVE.
Each stop on the tour will include a variety of games for mall shoppers to play, including Cash Grab, Spin-to-Win, Trivia Challenge and GSN.com’s most popular online casual games: Catch 21, Bejeweled, Solitaire and Scrabble Cubes. Players have a chance to win cash and prizes, with thousands of dollars worth of prizing being awarded in each market.
GSN’s game show host search will feature two semi-final rounds and one final round of auditions in front of a live mall audience at each destination, on a replica of the GSN LIVE set. Six participants per semi-final round will each be given seven minutes to demonstrate their best game show hosting skills, while being scored on their game show potential, stage presence, contestant interaction, energy level and ability to command the audience. The semi-final round winners from each market will then face off in a final round to determine their city’s best game show host. The final winner from each market will win an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles where they will experience a day in the life of a game show host and co-host a segment of GSN LIVE.
They'll be at the following:
Saturday, March 7, Cleveland, Westfield Great Northern
Sunday, March 8, Philadelphia, Franklin Mills
Saturday, March 14, Detroit, Laurel Park Place
Sunday, March 15, St. Louis, Chesterfield Mall
Sunday, March 22. Phoenix, Tempe Marketplace
Saturday, March 28, Houston, Willowbrook Mall
Saturday, April 4, Sacramento, Westfield Galleria at Roseville
Uh, yeah. You can bet your bippy that, if possible, I'll be trying out at Detroit.
/With hip phrases like that, I'm sure to win.
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They friggin announced this today for this weekend in Philly? Crap.
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I tried out for the GSN host search back in, oh, '96 or '97, I'd guess. I actually traveled from Pittsburgh to Chicago just for that purpose. Obviously, I was rejected, but then I could have performed better and the guy they did select very much fit the stereotype. Given the success of GSN originals at that time, it's probably just as well that I wasn't picked.
I was briefly interviewed by someone from a Chicago paper as I exited the audition; I don't know whether anything I said was printed.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209611\' date=\'Mar 5 2009, 06:34 PM\']
They friggin announced this today for this weekend in Philly? Crap.
[/quote]
You're lookin' kinda pale, Matt. I know how fast and hard a stomach flu can come on... maybe you ought to call in sick before it gets too bad. ;)
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Yay! Canadians aren't allowed to play!!
Ryan
/who apparently only will have a staycation for his March break
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This would be fun... if I didn't have to go to friggin Philly to do it.
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Considering I'm in Philly, I'll be skipping church that morning to do this thing.
Any tips? Should I wear a suit?
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[quote name=\'pacdude\' post=\'209717\' date=\'Mar 7 2009, 02:13 AM\']Any tips? Should I wear a suit?[/quote]Eh, I plan on wearing a button down collared shirt and some khakis. (I'm still undecided as to whether I'm going to wear my dress shoes or green Converse) I don't want to look like a slob and I don't want to look richer or higher-class than I am, but I still want to be semi-formal.
Good luck, detail the experience on return so others will know what to expect and try to take lots and lots of pictures. :)
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209611\' date=\'Mar 5 2009, 06:34 PM\']
They friggin announced this today for this weekend in Philly? Crap.
[/quote]
I echo that about today's stop in Clevleland. I'll be too busy packing for my visit to Jersey. Also makes me wish I had planned to go out there earlier, I could've made the Philly one.
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I went to the Philadelphia stop on Sunday. I won $50 as a contestant while the hosts auditioned. The winner was Adam Wurtzel. There were various drawings for prizes, as well as being a contestant while the hosts auditioned (just find the person who is in charge of the contestants in order to play). It was fun, but I would not suggest driving too far unless you want to audition.
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[quote name=\'goongas\' post=\'209819\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 04:57 PM\']
I went to the Philadelphia stop on Sunday. I won $50 as a contestant while the hosts auditioned. The winner was Adam Wurtzel. There were various drawings for prizes, as well as being a contestant while the hosts auditioned (just find the person who is in charge of the contestants in order to play). It was fun, but I would not suggest driving too far unless you want to audition.
[/quote]
Choice words aside, I was not selected to be a semi-finalist. I did, however, win $250 in a Grab-The-Cash-Box-Floating thing, so that was nice.
Damnit, Wurtzel. Karma, you're a bitch.
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Cory, can you detail how exactly you go about trying to become a host?
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Any details on when the Livonia shindig starts/ends?
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[quote name=\'goongas\' post=\'209819\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 04:57 PM\']The winner was Adam Wurtzel. [/quote]
Wow. Cool. There's a name I hadn't heard in a while.
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[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'209823\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 05:37 PM\']Any details on when the Livonia shindig starts/ends?[/quote]I plan on calling this week. I was checking out some of the other mall websites and one of them listed the time as being from 11:30 - 4, but I don't know if that's universal.
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They were done by 2:30 in Philadelphia. I got there late so I don't know when they started, but earlier the better. I saw on one Web site 10:00?
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I just noticed that there is a website where pretty much all of the information you need to know is posted: http://tour.gsn.com/ (http://\"http://tour.gsn.com/\")
All events are from 11:30 - 4:00 local time. However, pre-screening for hosting auditions start at 10.
The "MC" of the tour is Danny Seckel, who some of you may remember from the short-lived PlayMania competitor on TBS, Midnight Money Madness.
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I was at the Philly event today as well. I'd recommend getting there about the time they open but no later than an hour afterward. They need from the looks of it 9 people to fill in the spots and once they do, those interviewed before become alternates and everybody after is out of luck.
If you make it up on stage to host, you're given about 20 questions to ask. You have to introduce yourself, the contestants and the game. Three contestants play the game and you have about seven minutes to yourself on stage. They want a nice split between being personable with the contestants and getting the questions asked (at least that's what the woman coordinating said).
Make sure to have a good deal of energy and dress well, but don't overdo it. My friend said that Adam reminded him of the hosts they have on the phone-in shows like Playmania. Have that energy since that looks to be what they're looking for, not so much a relatively traditional host. Keep that in mind.
I was surprised by the choices they made for the finalists (nothing against the two), but I think they were definitely casting for a specific type of person. Adam did a great job and he looked/acted exactly like the guy hosting the event (If anyone knows the name of the host, not Alfonso, could someone tell me; I need to name him for a photo). Put them in a room together and you'd think they were brothers. IMO I thought the first guy (Matt from MA) did a good job from the few minutes I saw and my friend said Cory did a good job as well.
So that's pretty much it. Congrats to Adam and good luck to those of you looking to audition. I can answer questions if you have them. And if anyone can give me the name of the host, I'd be very appreciative.
The "MC" of the tour is Danny Seckel, who some of you may remember from the short-lived PlayMania competitor on TBS, Midnight Money Madness.
Thanks Chad.
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[quote name=\'pds319\' post=\'209844\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 10:47 PM\'] I thought the first guy (Matt from MA) did a good job from the few minutes I saw [/quote]
Um...did somebody call in sick after all?
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I would say that the hosts need to have energy, but not come off as a used car salesman. I think some of the auditioners, not Cory though, were either not at ease, or came off as phony. Adam seemed very natural and at ease to me. Also, I thought he best interacted with the contestants. (I was Adam's second contestant in the middle podium with the blue shirt).
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[quote name=\'pds319\' post=\'209844\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 10:47 PM\']I can answer questions if you have them. [/quote]If one gets booted for being too much of a sucktastic host, is he free to enter to play a game?
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Out of curiosity, did anyone travel a really long distance (say, more than 4 hours) to audition? I'm really considering going to the one in St. Louis, but it's about a 6.5 hour drive from Lincoln, and that just seems like too much hassle and too much expense.
Is anyone else here going to the St. Louis one this Sunday?
Anthony
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'209845\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 10:54 PM\']
[quote name=\'pds319\' post=\'209844\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 10:47 PM\'] I thought the first guy (Matt from MA) did a good job from the few minutes I saw [/quote]
Um...did somebody call in sick after all?
[/quote]
coughcoughcough - huh? :)
everything said above by pds was right - they want a certain look, and i'm pretty sure 'traditional' wasn't it. Adam did a fine job and fit the look - so i wasn't surprised he was the chosen one... That said, when you personally have more hosting/television exp than Alfonso Ribero himself, it's 'kinda' disheartening.
MY OPINION : Don't travel far for this - i really think they want people to win from the cities they have chosen for this.
They're interviewing for a max of 12 hosts to go up there...so get there early is right - but I don't really think they had more than 15 people prescreen with them for what became 8 spots yesterday.
it's a fun time - not a lot of people so a reasonable chance that if you get there early, you'll win a prize or two, maybe even some cash.
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[quote name=\'beatlefreak84\' post=\'209852\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 12:57 AM\']
Is anyone else here going to the St. Louis one this Sunday?
[/quote]
I was considering it, but I believe I'll heed Matt S's advice.
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'209850\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 11:38 PM\']
[quote name=\'pds319\' post=\'209844\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 10:47 PM\']I can answer questions if you have them. [/quote]If one gets booted for being too much of a sucktastic host, is he free to enter to play a game?
[/quote]
You can enter to play the games at anytime, whether or not you host. In fact Matt (Sorry I thought it was MA) did host and spun the prize wheel before he hosted. You just fill out a card, it's put in a cage and blindly drawn. There seem to be no restrictions, so anyone can play.
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I'll be attending the St. Louis one this weekend, and I'll post the details on Sunday night.
After reading the comments about the Philly event, I'm feeling a bit insecure though.
I'm definitely a more "traditional" emcee, and it might be a mistake for me to try to be something I'm not. But, they MUST pick a winner from STL, and if no one in attendance fits the Alfonzo/"Playmania" mold, I might stand a chance!
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209859\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 03:41 AM\']That said, when you personally have more hosting/television exp than Alfonso Ribero himself, it's 'kinda' disheartening.[/quote]
I think this is why I will not be making even the 90-minute trip to Livonia, except perhaps to root Chad on. For one thing, I'm certain I'm not the "look" they're looking for, and yeah, the last thing my ego needs is to have twentysomething PAs tell me I'm not good enough.
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Just a point of order, Adam lives about three hours away from Philadelphia, so he was not a local. But yes, I agree with the comments posted. They are not looking for traditional, and they are going for a certain look. The judges were young as Matt O. imagined they would be.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'209876\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 11:44 AM\']
[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209859\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 03:41 AM\']That said, when you personally have more hosting/television exp than Alfonso Ribero himself, it's 'kinda' disheartening.[/quote]
I think this is why I will not be making even the 90-minute trip to Livonia, except perhaps to root Chad on. For one thing, I'm certain I'm not the "look" they're looking for, and yeah, the last thing my ego needs is to have twentysomething PAs tell me I'm not good enough.
[/quote]
The two judges other than Alfonso (make your own jokes there) were producers from GSN Live, the headguy was Gary Green, who upon further review, was one of the producers for the GSN remake of "Ive Got a Secret"...he seemed like a decent guy.
[quote name=\'goongas\' post=\'209885\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 12:59 PM\']
Just a point of order, Adam lives about three hours away from Philadelphia, so he was not a local. But yes, I agree with the comments posted. They are not looking for traditional, and they are going for a certain look. The judges were young as Matt O. imagined they would be.
[/quote]
Anyone who thinks that the key to success here is wearing a suit and emulating Gene Rayburn, Bob Barker, or anyone from the old reruns, is kidding themself. That's not what they're looking for. For pete sake, half of the host contenders were wearing suits, which was more than [Alfonso was wearing.
Of the 8 contestants (including myself), all were capable at reading questions, identifying who rang in, dispersing points, and working the crowd. Some had a better voice than others, some had more excitement than others, and some fit 'the look' better than others. Again, Adam did a fine job, and I know he'll do very well on the air in LA. He was certainly deserving of the win. Was he the best who fit the mold the producers wanted? Most definitely. But...without sounding like it's sour grapes, was he the best? Up for discussion.
That's fine that he traveled just as far as I did, but saying you live in Pennsylvania and was found at the Philly search sounds a heckuva lot more promotable than "He traveled all the way from CT just to audition", which, sounds every bit as dorky as it was, just to drive down there for this....But I certainly don't regret it , and I certainly had a good time.
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[quote name=\'pds319\' post=\'209844\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 10:47 PM\']
IMO I thought the first guy (Matt from MA) did a good job from the few minutes I saw and my friend said Cory did a good job as well.
[/quote]
Thank you. That's nice of you to say.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'209876\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 11:44 AM\']except perhaps to root Chad on.[/quote]You're a good man, Mr. Ottinger. :)
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That's fine that he traveled just as far as I did, but saying you live in Pennsylvania and was found at the Philly search sounds a heckuva lot more promotable than "He traveled all the way from CT just to audition", which, sounds every bit as dorky as it was, just to drive down there for this....But I certainly don't regret it , and I certainly had a good time.
Adam lives in New York as far as I know. I don't know what he told the producers though. I agree, they are not going for emulation of the classic hosts you mentioned. GSN Live is a talk show first before it is a game show as far as I know (I have seen it for like ten minutes). They are looking for more of a talk show host, so the talk show host qualities have to come out even though you are hosting a game show, in my opinion. I believe ultimately if they find a good enough candidate, one of the city winners may get a permanent job on GSN Live, in my opinion. Matt, your performance was very good, I could tell you were not a stranger to being an on camera personality.
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I believe ultimately if they find a good enough candidate, one of the city winners may get a permanent job on GSN Live, in my opinion.
Given what I've heard and know, without getting into private details, this isn't the case. The small on-air segment is fine, but the big prize here is a 4 day $5,000 trip to LA. I'd be extremely interested in that part.
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I asked as well : they said this is not an on-air tryout for a permanent gig.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209926\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 03:44 PM\']
I asked as well : they said this is not an on-air tryout for a permanent gig.
[/quote]
My mistake. I didn't think they would go through the trouble of having people host live on-air without the possibility of hiring one of then.
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To everyone who went this past weekend, thank you very much for sharing your experiences and advice, not only with me, but with anyone else who's thinking of going.
Although I think the one in St. Louis would be an interesting day road-trip and sounds like it's a lot of fun, I'll save my money and stick around here. I'd have to leave around 3:30 AM just to get there by 10!
So, to all of you who will be trying out in St. Louis or elsewhere, good luck to you, and I look forward to hopefully seeing you on GSN live in the future!
Anthony
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'209894\' date=\'Mar 9 2009, 01:33 PM\']
[quote name=\'pds319\' post=\'209844\' date=\'Mar 8 2009, 10:47 PM\']
IMO I thought the first guy (Matt from MA) did a good job from the few minutes I saw and my friend said Cory did a good job as well.
[/quote]
Thank you. That's nice of you to say.
[/quote]
I really thought you would be up there. Very personable and you knew how to work the crowd from the couple minutes I saw.
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I snagged a few pictures from the Philly tour from a wire site that had some pics:
Alfonso with the winner (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/winnawinna.jpg\")
Alfonso and a staffer in front of the prize wheel (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/prizealfonso.jpg\") (The prizes listed, in order, are: $25, GSN Shop (gift card?), Nescafe Taster's Choice, GSN Radio Game, $50, GSN Grab Bag, $200, GSN Shop game, Mystery, $100, GSN Gran Bag and "Comcast". If someone could help me with what some of the not-so-obvious represent, that would be nice.
Alfonso with some staffers at the trivia positions. (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/podia.jpg\")
Alfonso and the mall staff in front what appears to be the host's podium (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/56936686chad1m310200972524PM.jpg\")
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'210038\' date=\'Mar 10 2009, 08:30 PM\']
I snagged a few pictures from the Philly tour from a wire site that had some pics:
Alfonso with the winner (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/winnawinna.jpg\")
Alfonso and a contestant in front of the prize wheel (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/prizealfonso.jpg\") (The prizes listed, in order, are: $25, GSN Shop (gift card?), Nescafe Taster's Choice, GSN Radio Game, $50, GSN Grab Bag, $200, GSN Shop game, Mystery, $100, GSN Gran Bag and "Comcast". If someone could help me with what some of the not-so-obvious represent, that would be nice.
Alfonso with some contestants at their trivia positions. (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/podia.jpg\")
Alfonso and the mall staff in front what appears to be the host's podium (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/56936686chad1m310200972524PM.jpg\")
[/quote]
Aside from Adam, all the other people in the photos were part of the crew. I took close to 300 photos for an article and can upload some if you guys want. Here are a few:
Alfonso 1 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3345782798/\") 2 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3345784500/\")
Hosts & Contestants 1 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3345787630/\") 2 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3344951333/\")
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'210038\' date=\'Mar 10 2009, 08:30 PM\']
I snagged a few pictures from the Philly tour from a wire site that had some pics:
Alfonso with the winner (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/winnawinna.jpg\")
Alfonso and a contestant in front of the prize wheel (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/prizealfonso.jpg\") (The prizes listed, in order, are: $25, GSN Shop (gift card?), Nescafe Taster's Choice, GSN Radio Game, $50, GSN Grab Bag, $200, GSN Shop game, Mystery, $100, GSN Gran Bag and "Comcast". If someone could help me with what some of the not-so-obvious represent, that would be nice.
Alfonso with some contestants at their trivia positions. (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/podia.jpg\")
Alfonso and the mall staff in front what appears to be the host's podium (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/56936686chad1m310200972524PM.jpg\")
[/quote]
GSN Shop is probably a DVD game that they were giving away. Nescafe Taster's choice was just $25. Radio Game was a Imagination board game of one of the GSN Radio games like Fact or Crap. Grab Bag was a bag full of very cheap things not worth anything (pair of GSN dice, buzzer that hardly makes a sound, etc.). I don't know what the others were because they were not landed on. Chad's third picture, the woman standing all the way to the left was one of the judges. Notice how Adam and Alfonso and Danny Seckel dressed. None of them wore suits. I think if you are what they are looking for in regards to the host contest, you won't be disqualified for wearing a suit, but don't feel the need to necessarily wear a suit, IMHO.
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[quote name=\'pds319\' post=\'210047\' date=\'Mar 10 2009, 08:55 PM\']
Aside from Adam, all the other people in the photos were part of the crew. I took close to 300 photos for an article and can upload some if you guys want. Here are a few:
Alfonso 1 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3345782798/\") 2 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3345784500/\")
Hosts & Contestants 1 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3345787630/\") 2 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3344951333/\")
[/quote]
Any pics of Adam hosting? Would love to actually see him in action.
Greg
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[quote name=\'snowpeck\' post=\'210235\' date=\'Mar 12 2009, 09:11 PM\']
[quote name=\'pds319\' post=\'210047\' date=\'Mar 10 2009, 08:55 PM\']
Aside from Adam, all the other people in the photos were part of the crew. I took close to 300 photos for an article and can upload some if you guys want. Here are a few:
Alfonso 1 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3345782798/\") 2 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3345784500/\")
Hosts & Contestants 1 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3345787630/\") 2 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3344951333/\")
[/quote]
Any pics of Adam hosting? Would love to actually see him in action.
Greg
[/quote]
Unfortunately no. I don't have pics of anyone hosting as I was backstage prepping for my turn "auditioning." My friend may have gotten some so I'll check out his camera.
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[quote name=\'pds319\' post=\'210047\' date=\'Mar 10 2009, 09:55 PM\']
Hosts & Contestants 2 (http://\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611855@N00/3344951333/\") [/quote]
Nice shot! Too bad I missed out on the $250. I needed (literally) 2 more points. Still,
$100 and a Family Feud DVD game for hanging out for about an hour. Not bad.
Agree with the other that have posted. Good time, but not worth traveling hours and hours to get to.
They're kinda looking for someone who can be fun, but perhaps a little green. That's the idea I get.
No sour grapes, though. It was fun.
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Hey folks! Thanks to everyone for the kind words. Was such an exciting day in Philly, and I got to meet some great people!
Apparently according to someone on my facebook, a segment aired about me and the GSN Live tour in Philly today on GSN Live (during Jeopardy I think, possibly more).
Did anyone DVR/TiVO/record GSN Live today? I would love to have this!
Thanks folks. If anyone has constructive criticism or suggestions for my hosting, you can watch "Eastern Expedition," the show I created/produced/hosted in college online at:
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/easterntv/e...nexpedition.htm (http://\"http://www.easternct.edu/depts/easterntv/easternexpedition.htm\")
I suggest not watching 401 and 402...they were the first taped of the season, they're a bit rocky :-)
-Adam
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[quote name=\'gsfan85\' post=\'210299\' date=\'Mar 13 2009, 06:41 PM\']
Hey folks! Thanks to everyone for the kind words. Was such an exciting day in Philly, and I got to meet some great people!
Apparently according to someone on my facebook, a segment aired about me and the GSN Live tour in Philly today on GSN Live (during Jeopardy I think, possibly more).
Did anyone DVR/TiVO/record GSN Live today? I would love to have this!
Thanks folks. If anyone has constructive criticism or suggestions for my hosting, you can watch "Eastern Expedition," the show I created/produced/hosted in college online at:
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/easterntv/e...nexpedition.htm (http://\"http://www.easternct.edu/depts/easterntv/easternexpedition.htm\")
I suggest not watching 401 and 402...they were the first taped of the season, they're a bit rocky :-)
-Adam
[/quote]
Sorry folks...the link apparently has changed since...it's now:
http://nutmeg.easternct.edu/easterntelevis...nexpedition.htm (http://\"http://nutmeg.easternct.edu/easterntelevision/easternexpedition.htm\")
-Adam
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I took in episode 405. It was, as I'm sure you well know, impressive for a college game show. With that aside, the audio issues kept me from sticking with it for the entire program (the contestants were quiet/inconsistent, and you were shouting into the red on a number of occasions).
The being obnoxious to the contestants for missing questions seemed a bit unwarranted when it was largely bygone pop culture being asked to young college kids. Being game show fans and trivia buffs, maybe we think it's normal to know who sang "Just What I Needed," but on the average at this age, it's just not the case. I enjoyed a lot of it, I just noticed the shouting, as well as the mini-mushmouth while you were asking questions quickly.
-Jason
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Alright, I'm off to bed to prep for tomorrow. If I make it to the audition stage, I'll try to get a video taken of me hosting if any one is interested.
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[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'210340\' date=\'Mar 13 2009, 11:59 PM\']
I took in episode 405. It was, as I'm sure you well know, impressive for a college game show. With that aside, the audio issues kept me from sticking with it for the entire program (the contestants were quiet/inconsistent, and you were shouting into the red on a number of occasions).
The being obnoxious to the contestants for missing questions seemed a bit unwarranted when it was largely bygone pop culture being asked to young college kids. Being game show fans and trivia buffs, maybe we think it's normal to know who sang "Just What I Needed," but on the average at this age, it's just not the case. I enjoyed a lot of it, I just noticed the shouting, as well as the mini-mushmouth while you were asking questions quickly.
-Jason
[/quote]
Thanks for the criticism. The episode you chose to watch happened to have 3 players who I had happened to meet the night before and was joking around with, a lot of that was all in good fun. Audio issues were one of our biggest problems.
If anyone did record GSN Live yesterday, PLEASE let me know!!!
-Adam
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Welp, I didn't make it to the finals. Guess I'm not as good of a host as I thought I was, lol. The two finalists (out of 8, who were pulled from both shows, as opposed to one from each set of shows) was Jason Antoweicz (sp?) and Mark Generes (sp?). I'm taking care of photos, so I'll upload an album full of images + the video of my hosting shortly.
EDIT: Here we go! Album is here: http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/ (http://\"http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/\") Password is gsntour.
My video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMpqP9rq4qs (http://\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMpqP9rq4qs\")
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'210378\' date=\'Mar 14 2009, 03:37 PM\']Jason Antoweicz (sp?)[/quote]
Antoniewicz, aka JasonA1. Congrats!
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And I can now happily say that I was lucky enough to come out victorious! Mark Generous was an amazing competitor. We actually know each other from school, and he used to anchor Central Michigan University's newscast. We both said we'd go up to the broadcasting department head and tell him the program must be worth something if two people from it were able to get to the finals. :) Lots of spunk, got a lot of laughs, but if I had to come up with a reason why he lost, it would be minor mechanics things with the game itself (gave cutesy hints after the first player missed a question, missed the "lightning round" cue, etc).
For the curious: The trip is for three nights, with a rental car (featuring unlimited mileage!), Sony Studio Tour, and $200 in cash. In addition, I was given one of those neat GSN buzzer toys, Lingo DVD game, t-shirt, magnet set, pen, and dice. I'm a little lazy (and wired) to go look up which hotel specifically.
Apologies to Chad and the larger group for not saying hi sooner. I was sort of superstitious about throwin' my name out there and then being roundly rejected for an audition. But I did say hi to Chad in the final stretch, did say hi to Matt Ottinger again, got to meet Mike Burger and the esteemed Kevin Olmstead (along with his suit liner). Danny Seckel was actually not a bad emcee for this sort of thing, once he got going. Totally forgot he was on Midnight Money Madness, and it's clear he has that type of experience. Kept the crowd into it, even if he was a bit goofy/cheesy at times.
I may have more to say once I calm down, or upload media. For now - yay!
-Jason
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[quote name=\'gsfan85\' post=\'210369\' date=\'Mar 14 2009, 02:04 PM\']
Audio issues were one of our biggest problems.
[/quote]
I can sympathize. I hope my post didn't come across as only negative, because I really liked the show on the whole. Is there a more formal fan-ish website with full format and screengrabs and all that fun stuff? I can't recall seeing much in the way of that on the link provided.
-Jason
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Very interesting event. The whole operation seemed pretty well run, but that certainly wasn't true of the technical aspects of the host tryouts themselves. Lots of audio problems, and about halfway through the day the buzzers stopped working. They didn't even have library bells as backup so they resorted to hand-raising and name shouting, putting even more pressure on already nervous candidates and making the whole thing look even more amateurish.
Still, that was the worst of it. Contestants (and there were lots of chances to be a contestant) won cash and prizes doing such things as spinning a prize wheel, grabbing play money in a wind machine and winning the trivia contests the candidates hosted. As it turned out, the Livonia event was pretty sparsely attended so they were desperate for trivia players. Mike Burger and I each won our respective games, pocketing $50 cash in the process. Earlier, I was lucky enough to get host Danny Seckel's attention when he was looking for someone who "knew game show trivia" (HA!). That got me a home version of Bingo America (I actually had my choice, and that's the one I didn't have!) for knowing the original, kissing host of Family Feud. As I said, HA! Overall, they must have given away more than a thousand in cash, plus bucketfuls of board games and smaller prizes.
Jason, Chad and Mark were all terrific. And how great a name is "Mark Generous" for a game show host? I think the only thing that hurt Chad compared to the other two (they were clearly the top three) was what appeared to be a deliberate choice to underdress. Jeans and brightly-colored sneakers was certainly a distinct look, but maybe not what the judges wanted. Millionaire millionaire Olmstead was also there to audition but wasn't selected to be in the field of eight, probably due to a misguided effort at gender balance. The women who tried out were uniformly awful. It's not sexist if it's true.
I was not particularly impressed with Seckel, who admittedly had a difficult job since the small audience was just barely paying attention most of the time. At an event where part of the tryouts was judging how amateur wannabes handled contestants, Seckel himself was average at best, and completely dropped the ball on one of the wind-machine games. The contestant was scooping the play-money bills off the floor of the booth in a clear violation of...basically the only rule. Rather than stopping and restarting, which would have been easy and taken seconds, he repeatedly told her and everybody else that she was cheating, joked about it, let her get away with it, and then passed her off to the local PAs who counted her points and awarded her the top prize of $250 to great fanfare. Had it been a larger or nastier crowd, anybody else who played the wind machine game before or after her and won a GSN magnet would easily have a gripe.
Still, I'd encourage anyone interested in the host tryouts to give it a shot. I didn't realize that the winner from each location got the GSN Live grand prize. That's pretty decent odds for a very nice prize if you're at least competent. All in all, a very enjoyable afternoon. And congratulations to Jason, who now must remember to tell us when he'll be on!
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'210421\' date=\'Mar 15 2009, 10:57 AM\']I think the only thing that hurt Chad compared to the other two (they were clearly the top three) was what appeared to be a deliberate choice to underdress.[/quote]Eh, that's a good point. I figured it wouldn't be too bad, though. I mean, it's not like Fred is in a three-piece tux on GSN Live. ;)
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'210421\' date=\'Mar 15 2009, 10:57 AM\']The women who tried out were uniformly awful. It's not sexist if it's true.[/quote]For the most part, definitely. This (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/IMG_0064.jpg?t=1237142878\") woman, (Betty Dills, who is sweet and kosher according to her opening spiel) who played with my aunt (who sadly, got crushed by Mike Burger. ::shakes fist::) proceeded to botch her interviews and mangle and leave out a lot of the words she spoke, not to mention dropping her cards. This (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/IMG_0069.jpg\") lady was okay, but had the unfortunate luck to have the buzzers break down in the middle of play.
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'210430\' date=\'Mar 15 2009, 11:47 AM\']
Eh, that's a good point. I figured it wouldn't be too bad, though. I mean, it's not like Fred is in a three-piece tux on GSN Live. ;)[/quote]
Using Fred Roggin as your template as to what a quality television personality should be is always going to end in tears. :)
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'210432\' date=\'Mar 15 2009, 02:56 PM\']Using Fred Roggin as your template as to what a quality television personality should be is always going to end in tears. :)[/quote]Touché, Monsieur Lemon. ;)
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Betty Dills also did something even my mom and girlfriend noticed - she read through to the end of the question, even on an early buzz-in. The people in the back said you can "host however you want" and allow for that sort of thing, but it struck most of us as odd. Suffice to say, though, if you were within earshot of the place, you probably had a friendly conversation with her at some point. She was as big a fan as anybody, talking about all the classics as they whizzed by on GSN montages, as well as relating her story of meeting Chuck Woolery at her church.
-Jason
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There was also the woman who referred to Batman as "The Capped Crusader".
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[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'210438\' date=\'Mar 15 2009, 03:59 PM\']she read through to the end of the question, even on an early buzz-in.[/quote]I still wonder if that was intentional, or if she just wasn't aware enough of her surroundings to notice the buzzer sound going off.
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'210443\' date=\'Mar 15 2009, 04:15 PM\']There was also the woman who referred to Batman as "The Capped Crusader".[/quote]Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure that was Betty.
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(I apologize for the incoherent rambling in this message. I'm running on very little sleep!)
I went to the St. Louis event today.
Of course, how could I pass up this opportunity?!?! I mean, I have a replica Plinko board and Showcase Showdown wheel in my garage!
I wanted to be there early to beat close the front of the line, and to my surprise, at 8:30 am I was the second person there! A woman named Jeni was first in line. She was there at 6am!
The audition interviews with a GSN producer started around 10:30. Jeni was in her interview for a very long time, but she came out with a card indicating what time she would host a live game show in the mall.
My interview consisted of telling a bit about myself and why I want to be a host. I told my "spayed and noodled" story and talked about Game Show Night for the American Cancer Society. I was also asked to recite a few lines from shows like "Come on Down!", "It's time to Press Your Luck", and "Let's start the Feud!". The producer also asked my favorite show, and favorite hosts. I rattled off the names Bob Barker, Gene Rayburn, and Bill Cullen. Then I was asked to read some trivia questions for the camera, with the producer playing the part of an obnoxious contestant. At that point the producer asked if I could stick around for 20 minutes or so. I told him I would, and left the audition area. I didn't get a card. I thought
I had bombed, and I considered leaving.
Jeni convinced me to stay, and after a few more interviews, the producer called a few of us without cards over and told us we'd be alternates, and to not go far.
After more waiting, the producer singled me out, and told me I would be on at 2:40. I WAS GONNA GET MY SHOT AFTERALL!
I ended up being the seventh candidate. My game went smoothly, which was great news since the buzzers were acting up!
After the last candidate hosted their game, the finalists were announced, and I MADE IT!! The other candidate was Jeni!
Just about this time, I stepped off the stage after being declared a finalist, and who shows up? MOM! She knew I was an alternate, and I updated her when I knew I'd host for sure, but I never got a chance to call her to let her know I was a finalist. She just happened to show up at the right time!
After a few minutes, Jeni and I each hosted one more game, and then the results....Jeni won.
She won the trip to LA and the appearance on "GSN Live", but don't feel bad for me. I ended up with a DVD Game Collector's
Tin with TEN different game show DVD games, plus a GSN gift bag, and $100 cash! Not bad for a total of fifteen minutes of hosting!
Everyone from GSN was great, and the producer told me it was a very, very, very close decision. Jeni was that good. I showed him a snapshot of last year's ACS Game Show Night, and he could not believe the detail I put into it. He also said "I have some friends in LA you need to talk to!" I wonder what he meant by that?!?!? I told him to "Let me know if I can ever help you guys.", to which he replied "Wanna go to Phoenix?" (The tour's next stop). I must have made an impression on the GSN people!
It was a great experience, and I'd do it again if I could.
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'210430\' date=\'Mar 15 2009, 02:47 PM\']
For the most part, definitely. This (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/IMG_0064.jpg?t=1237142878\") woman, (Betty Dills, who is sweet and kosher according to her opening spiel) who played with my aunt (who sadly, got crushed by Mike Burger. ::shakes fist::) proceeded to botch her interviews and mangle and leave out a lot of the words she spoke, not to mention dropping her cards. This (http://\"http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/chad1m/GSN%20Tour/IMG_0069.jpg\") lady was okay, but had the unfortunate luck to have the buzzers break down in the middle of play.
[/quote]
Betty blew my chance to say I was a "licensed phrenologist" when she treated the introduce the contestants as a chore to be done as fast as possible. And sorry about crushing your aunt, but $50 is $50.
I also enjoyed the irony of Comcast being a sponsor of the shindig, even though Comcast is not the cable company in the town the shindig was held (Livonia).
My advice -- if it's coming to your town, go and soak them for as much as you can.
--Mike
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[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'210502\' date=\'Mar 16 2009, 09:28 AM\']And sorry about crushing your aunt, but $50 is $50.[/quote]This quote would be far more interesting out of context. Either way, you are correct.
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'210530\' date=\'Mar 16 2009, 06:01 PM\']
[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'210502\' date=\'Mar 16 2009, 09:28 AM\']And sorry about crushing your aunt, but $50 is $50.[/quote]This quote would be far more interesting out of context. Either way, you are correct.
[/quote]
HAHA. Wonderful!
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Wow, so glad I found this thread. I'll be doing it in Phoenix this Sunday. Kinda nervous, any advice? And good luck to anybody else who'll be trying out, I hope to see you there!
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[quote name=\'gsgalaxy82\' post=\'210612\' date=\'Mar 17 2009, 09:47 PM\']Kinda nervous, any advice?[/quote]No lime green Converse.
Honestly, just be yourself and hope for the best. That's all they're expecting you to do. (And before you go on, make sure you peruse your question packet for any "big words", so you won't accidentally stumble on them live.)
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While I still don't know anything about the trip date, apparently they're going to do their piece on the "Detroit" tour stop on today's GSN Live (Friday, March 20th). No idea what time though. The tour page (http://\"http://tour.gsn.com\") has since been updated with my name and picture. And I've uploaded what I could get from my girlfriend's camcorder to my YouTube page (http://\"http://www.youtube.com/user/JasonA1\"). In the wheel spinning clip, watch Danny Seckel try to say "Matt Ottinger."
My first tryout isn't up yet, because the MiniDV deck here at school wasn't getting all the sound from it.
-Jason
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[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'210819\' date=\'Mar 20 2009, 09:21 AM\']
In the wheel spinning clip, watch Danny Seckel try to say "Matt Ottinger." [/quote]
Interesting. For the record, when he called my name, I must have been at lunch. He also did such a bad job of pronouncing it that when I came back from lunch and asked a friend if my name had been called, I was told no.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'210829\' date=\'Mar 20 2009, 12:01 PM\']when I came back from lunch and asked a friend if my name had been called, I was told no.[/quote]This was actually right after you left for good, before they announced the finalists. :)
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Well, I just got back from the one in Phoenix. It was a pretty good time. I did get to host a game on stage, but I didn't make it to the finals. I don't necessarily agree with who got picked (both women), but I hold no ill will towards them. It was a good time, and I got a GSN grab bag of stuff.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'210421\' date=\'Mar 15 2009, 10:57 AM\']
And congratulations to Jason, who now must remember to tell us when he'll be on!
[/quote]
Will do! (now that I know, one month later) I'll be on Wednesday, April 22nd, from 3 to 6 PM Eastern, co-hosting with Fred Roggin.
-Jason
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I will reply too to let everyone know that I'll be on this Friday, April 24th from 3-6PM!
Best,
Adam
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The tour website (http://\"http://tour.gsn.com\") now has each winner's promo up when you click on that city stop. It reveals the winner of Sacremento's competition, another name familiar to us, Josh Yawn.
-Jason
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All I gotta say for this is... HOLY CRAP! This gives us what... 3 outta 7 cities where we won? Or at least 3/7 that i know of.
I dunno bout you... but I'm ready to say the the forum DOMINATED the tour then if that's the case. Since when does a group of wacky people like us win 42% of the tour?
Way to go guys! Hopefully there will be time off for wacky get togethers and game nights here in LA when y'all get out here.
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Quite a few familiar names in that lineup.....
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[quote name=\'ethanmx2\' post=\'213545\' date=\'Apr 19 2009, 09:54 PM\']
All I gotta say for this is... HOLY CRAP! This gives us what... 3 outta 7 cities where we won? Or at least 3/7 that i know of. [/quote]
Not to mention several solid runners-up from our ranks at at least a couple of the locations. So yeah, we rule. Makes me wonder, though, whether there's just not that much game show fandom out there.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'213554\' date=\'Apr 19 2009, 10:30 PM\'] Makes me wonder, though, whether there's just not that much game show fandom out there.[/quote]
If it's the Game-Shows-Made-We-Want-to-Get-Into-Television kind of game show fandom, then you're probably right. If it's just the Game-Shows-Are-Really-Cool fandom, then I'd think you'll probably find a lot more than just in here.
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Just thought I'd note that GSN added a nice touch today. Adam Wurtzel is the guest host, and they showed the episode of Chain Reaction that he played (fairly marvelously) on.
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Jason and Adam, you both did great! Congratulations on fulfilling what for most of us will remain a dream.
GREAT JOB, GUYS! :)