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The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Twentington on August 12, 2011, 12:08:12 AM

Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Twentington on August 12, 2011, 12:08:12 AM
$250 box says THINGS THAT ARE SCRAPPED. The contestant misreads the box as "Scraped", but doesn't get a "read it again" from Dick and starts giving clues for "Scraped". Afterward, he does his typical walk-over, and starts giving clues for "Scraped" too, until someone from the sidelines tells him it's "scrapped".

My question is: Should they have gotten a do-over with a different $250 category since Dick (and apparently the judge) never realized they were misreading?

(And what would you give for that anyway? Only thing I can think of is something like "a junk car" or "recyclable metal".)
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: parliboy on August 12, 2011, 10:19:28 AM
Not the judge's job to tell the contestant that they've misread. Not Dick's, either. It is nice when they catch it, but there is no requirement to do so.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Jay Temple on August 12, 2011, 11:22:25 AM
In principle, I agree with parliboy. However, if this were the $100K and there was any possibility that the contestant could have had a qualifying time, I'd replay it, simply because there was a precedent of Dick alerting clue-givers.

No one ever brings this up, but I like Dick doing (being allowed to do) this. While intrinsically there's nothing unfair about letting the team proceed, it makes better viewing if they're corrected in progress.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: chris319 on August 12, 2011, 12:07:56 PM
Not the judge's job to tell the contestant that they've misread. Not Dick's, either. It is nice when they catch it, but there is no requirement to do so.
We've gotten into a donnybrook about this before (sorry for the metaphor). Have you read the Pyramid bible? You're probably correct, but if you haven't read the bible you're making an uninformed assumption.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Dbacksfan12 on August 12, 2011, 02:47:14 PM
(And what would you give for that anyway? Only thing I can think of is something like "a junk car" or "recyclable metal".)
A TV pilot.  A new skyscraper.  An expensive project.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Kevin Prather on August 12, 2011, 03:04:16 PM
Not the judge's job to tell the contestant that they've misread. Not Dick's, either. It is nice when they catch it, but there is no requirement to do so.
We've gotten into a donnybrook about this before (sorry for the metaphor). Have you read the Pyramid bible? You're probably correct, but if you haven't read the bible you're making an uninformed assumption.
But it is the judge's job to buzz the team if they continue to give clues that don't fit the category, and that is undeniable.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Eric Paddon on August 12, 2011, 03:22:05 PM
(And what would you give for that anyway? Only thing I can think of is something like "a junk car" or "recyclable metal".)
A TV pilot.  A new skyscraper.  An expensive project.

An old ocean liner.    An old battleship.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: clemon79 on August 12, 2011, 03:31:59 PM
But it is the judge's job to buzz the team if they continue to give clues that don't fit the category, and that is undeniable.
I think he's talking about the other part, about their being no requirement to point out a misread.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Kevin Prather on August 12, 2011, 03:37:50 PM
But it is the judge's job to buzz the team if they continue to give clues that don't fit the category, and that is undeniable.
I think he's talking about the other part, about their being no requirement to point out a misread.
Understood. With regards to the "donnybrook", I think last time we had this donnybrook, Matt O said it best. "[It's] the simple issue of likelihood. I don't need to have read the California vehicle code to know that I should stop at a red light."
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: clemon79 on August 12, 2011, 03:40:18 PM
Understood. With regards to the "donnybrook", I think last time we had this donnybrook, Matt O said it best. "[It's] the simple issue of likelihood. I don't need to have read the California vehicle code to know that I should stop at a red light."
As the person involved in said donnybrook, I agree, but I also admit to the possibility that this particular issue might be a little more gray-area than that one was.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Kevin Prather on August 12, 2011, 03:42:18 PM
As the person involved in said donnybrook, I agree, but I also admit to the possibility that this particular issue might be a little more gray-area than that one was.
I suppose. I just can't see how "We're gonna give you a do-over because we neglected to hold your hand." could possibly happen.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: clemon79 on August 12, 2011, 04:04:52 PM
I suppose. I just can't see how "We're gonna give you a do-over because we neglected to hold your hand." could possibly happen.
No, but I'm willing to entertain the possibility that language along the line of "If Giver misreads the clue, they will be prompted by Host to re-read the clue" is in there.

I don't think it is, mind you (and neither does Chris), but I think there is a reasonable enough chance to say that the converse cannot be stated as irrevocable fact.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: parliboy on August 12, 2011, 05:17:51 PM
@chris319:

You make a fair point. And the only real response I have is to ask: since you were in the business, do you know of any shows that would require the judge to correct in such a situation?  I know this doesn't give us anything definitive, but it is still constructive.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Twentington on August 12, 2011, 07:01:23 PM
As the person involved in said donnybrook, I agree, but I also admit to the possibility that this particular issue might be a little more gray-area than that one was.
I suppose. I just can't see how "We're gonna give you a do-over because we neglected to hold your hand." could possibly happen.

I hardly think a "read it again!" is holding the team's hand, since there's a precedent of Dick doing it. In this case, he didn't because he also misread it, and the judge never buzzed them for giving clues that didn't fit the category.

Isn't discussing Pyramid hypotheticals fun?
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: knagl on August 12, 2011, 07:49:31 PM
Would it have been fair (and in the spirit of the rules) for the judge to buzz them because the clue-giver read the word incorrectly?  I don't think a do-over was in order, but I couldn't see buzzing the clue-giver in this situation, either.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: JasonA1 on August 13, 2011, 01:25:07 AM
But it is the judge's job to buzz the team if they continue to give clues that don't fit the category, and that is undeniable.

It is? I thought we had this argument before. If the box says "Vice Presidents" and I say "Abraham Lincoln, Skip Stephenson," am I getting buzzed? I never recall that happening in an episode. Misinformation hardly seems like an illegal clue.

-Jason
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Kevin Prather on August 13, 2011, 01:34:53 AM
It is? I thought we had this argument before. If the box says "Vice Presidents" and I say "Abraham Lincoln, Skip Stephenson," am I getting buzzed? I never recall that happening in an episode. Misinformation hardly seems like an illegal clue.
Misinformation is one thing, but if you're saying "recyclable metal" and "a failed pilot" for "Things that are scraped", you're probably getting the zap.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: JasonA1 on August 13, 2011, 02:10:29 AM
Misinformation is one thing, but if you're saying "recyclable metal" and "a failed pilot" for "Things that are scraped", you're probably getting the zap.

This sounds like it's coming out of thin air. There are countless examples of "read it!" from over the years where nobody was buzzed.

-Jason
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Kevin Prather on August 13, 2011, 03:00:39 AM
Misinformation is one thing, but if you're saying "recyclable metal" and "a failed pilot" for "Things that are scraped", you're probably getting the zap.

This sounds like it's coming out of thin air. There are countless examples of "read it!" from over the years where nobody was buzzed.
You'll get a "read it", usually, but if you continue down that road after the warning (hence me saying "continue to give clues..."), you're looking for trouble.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: chris319 on August 13, 2011, 03:23:51 AM
In practice there can't be a rule requiring the judge/producer/emcee to stop the game or tell the contestant to "read it again" if a contestant misreads the subject and starts giving bogus clues. If that happens and the judge/producer/emcee doesn't catch it in time, who's to blame? The contestant for misreading the subject or the j/p/e for not catching it before time runs out? I'm sure there's plenty of language in the show bible covering this, but I don't have a copy.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: visualbasicwizard on August 14, 2011, 12:52:57 PM
I was watching the ep on Friday morning, and the top box was "PEOPLE YOU PROVIDE AID", and Henry Pollack misread it as "PEOPLE WHO PROVIDE AID", and starting giving the wrong clues.  Dick told him to reread it, he still read it wrong, continued to give the wrong clues, Dick told him again to reread it.  This look of utter confusion comes over his face as he's trying to grok the cateorgory (in fact you could clearly seem him lip out the subject), and then time runs out.

I was expecting him to get buzzed for damn-near reading the answer out aloud, but they let that gong-show continue.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Kevin Prather on August 14, 2011, 02:27:09 PM
I was watching the ep on Friday morning, and the top box was "PEOPLE YOU PROVIDE AID", and Henry Pollack misread it as "PEOPLE WHO PROVIDE AID", and starting giving the wrong clues.  Dick told him to reread it, he still read it wrong, continued to give the wrong clues, Dick told him again to reread it.
Huh. Well, here's a precedent that blows my argument out of the water. If he didn't get buzzed by the second warning, then perhaps I'm wrong.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Twentington on August 14, 2011, 02:38:06 PM
I was watching the ep on Friday morning, and the top box was "PEOPLE YOU PROVIDE AID", and Henry Pollack misread it as "PEOPLE WHO PROVIDE AID", and starting giving the wrong clues.  Dick told him to reread it, he still read it wrong, continued to give the wrong clues, Dick told him again to reread it.
Huh. Well, here's a precedent that blows my argument out of the water. If he didn't get buzzed by the second warning, then perhaps I'm wrong.

Several years ago, I remember seeing someone getting buzzed for saying "The Old Man and the Sea" for "Things on the Bottom". I'm 100% certain that Dick said he got buzzed because it didn't fit the category, and not because of any grammar issues.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: Mr. Matté on August 14, 2011, 09:21:58 PM
There is an ep. in the current GSN reruns where Anne Bloom reads the first category metals as medals and says "honor." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5A7vD7apTA&t=9m10s) Dick is trying to tell her to reread it but the judge zaps her. After the commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0oysJA_f0I), Dick says that normally the judge would not buzz on a misread but the $50 that would be given to her would not be score money.
Title: Yet another Pyramid question
Post by: dale_grass on August 16, 2011, 08:55:29 PM
There is an ep. in the current GSN reruns where Anne Bloom reads the first category metals as medals and says "honor." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5A7vD7apTA&t=9m10s) Dick is trying to tell her to reread it but the judge zaps her. After the commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0oysJA_f0I), Dick says that normally the judge would not buzz on a misread but the $50 that would be given to her would not be score money.

Her clue was "of honor," which would get you zapped even if the category were "Medals."