The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: FlashStash on April 28, 2016, 09:22:11 AM
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http://www.vulture.com/2016/04/alec-baldwin-match-game-revival-abc.html?mid=fb-share-vulture
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Serious question: which executive at ABC is the game show fan?
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Serious question: which executive at ABC is the game show fan?
Signs point to Robert Mills, ABC's Head of Alternative Programming since last February. He posted this foreshadowing tweet (https://twitter.com/Millsy11374/status/725559918728605697) of a skinny microphone yesterday.
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It's always fun to speculate who would be a great Match Game host. I imagine it's a difficult job - reining in 6 comedians while trying to be a little funny (but not upstagingly) yourself.
I always imagined Seth MacFarlane or Jane Lynch could pull it off. But Alec Baldwin? That's brilliant. He's perfect for this - dry wit, star power, quick sense of humor, intelligent. Great pick.
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The news instantly reminded me of this:
Charles Nelson Reilly on Inside the Actors Studio (SNL) (http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/inside-the-actors-studio/n11458)
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It caught me off guard at first, but knowing how well he did on 30 Rock, I'm liking the pick more and more. Obviously the right panel matters, but I imagine there will be a few ABC show stars.
ObNerd: counting the Game Show Marathon one-off, MG will have now aired in six consecutive decades
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I agree that the panel selection is going to be vital to this..and the question writing too (you don't want to go over-the-top every time); I would hope they get Bob Boden to help run things (he worked on the version Canada did a few years back).
It's going to be interesting to see how this Sunday schedule works out for ABC this summer- potential big upside, and not a lot of downside because the shows are cheap to do.
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I agree that the panel selection is going to be vital to this..and the question writing too (you don't want to go over-the-top every time); I would hope they get Bob Boden to help run things (he worked on the version Canada did a few years back).
I know Feud gets a lot of flack from forum members (myself included), but this is the one show that obviously doesn't hurt from the innuendo. You have the perfect time slot for bawdy humor, just don't overdo it like they did in '98.
Also, take a page from @midnight with the panel humor. They seem to have the right balance of wackiness, without letting the inmates run the asylum. That also killed the '98 version, IMO.
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This is going to make a fine way to end a weekend!!!
With all of these shows coming back, albeit in limited runs, how many primetime game shows will that now make for this spring/summer? Here is what I have on my scorecard (6):
• Match Game
• $100,000 Pyramid
• Celeb Feud
• 500 Questions
• To Tell The Truth
• The Price Is Right
Not sure if Hollywood Game Night will be airing shows this summer. Anything missed?
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Serious question: which executive at ABC is the game show fan?
Signs point to Robert Mills, ABC's Head of Alternative Programming since last February. He posted this foreshadowing tweet (https://twitter.com/Millsy11374/status/725559918728605697) of a skinny microphone yesterday.
...who probably noticed how well Hollywood Game Night does in the ratings for NBC.
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Here's an article expressing a little concern...
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/28/match-game-abc-alec-baldwin-celebrities-game-shows
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I not only hope for the best of all these shows, but I'd also like to see new home versions come out!
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Signs point to Robert Mills, ABC's Head of Alternative Programming since last February. He posted this foreshadowing tweet (https://twitter.com/Millsy11374/status/725559918728605697) of a skinny microphone yesterday.
Hope all this works out for the network (and him). Lots of good games and hopefully good hosting choices as well.
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I love ABC's big summer game show push, but I just can't fathom how this one goes well at all.
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I love ABC's big summer game show push, but I just can't fathom how this one goes well at all.
Wrong host, wrong era, wrong prize money.
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It seems that what's old is new again in the game show world. Since it's being done in NYC, I will try to get tickets for it, like I did for Pyramid. Just hoping it's not like MG '98.
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I am guessing steve harvey will be on the first panel.
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It seems that what's old is new again in the game show world. Since it's being done in NYC, I will try to get tickets for it, like I did for Pyramid. Just hoping it's not like MG '98.
Yep, same here. Not a bad trip at all from South Central PA.
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Anybody hear anything about casting?
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The link hasn't been announced publicly and the casting form isn't live as of this writing, but if you're interested in getting on Match Game, get yourself a headstart: http://castingmatchgame.com/
The same casting firm that did the new Pyramid is also doing the new Match Game. Taping starts June 13, two weeks before it premieres, and will go through early July. The top prize is currently advertised as $25,000.
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The top prize is currently advertised as $25,000.
Off-hand observation: That top prize doesn't lend itself well to being a result of "a lucky spin on our Star Wheel".
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The same casting firm that did the new Pyramid is also doing the new Match Game. Taping starts June 13, two weeks before it premieres, and will go through early July. The top prize is currently advertised as $25,000.
I figured as much considering that it asks "Why do you love the game Pyramid and want to play?"?
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The link hasn't been announced publicly and the casting form isn't live as of this writing, but if you're interested in getting on Match Game, get yourself a headstart: http://castingmatchgame.com/
Assuming that's why I couldn't get through without a password.
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Assuming that's why I couldn't get through without a password.
Literally the first password I put in to see if it worked, thinking "there's no way this is the password," was in fact the password. The walls aren't hard to crack, but I'm sure it will be back up shortly.
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Literally the first password I put in to see if it worked, thinking "there's no way this is the password," was in fact the password.
When San Jose Sharks tickets go on sale (single games, playoffs, whatever) and they have a presale, it might as well not be a presale because if you rank the players by scoring and start typing in last names, you're gonna find the password before you get to #6 on the list, every single time.
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I am completely crushed that "blank" was not the password.
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Literally the first password I put in to see if it worked, thinking "there's no way this is the password," was in fact the password.
When San Jose Sharks tickets go on sale (single games, playoffs, whatever) and they have a presale, it might as well not be a presale because if you rank the players by scoring and start typing in last names, you're gonna find the password before you get to #6 on the list, every single time.
That's...lacking creativity, to say the least.
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Okay, so it works now. Awesome.
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Under height it goes all the way to eight feet-eleven, so if you're on the cusp of being the tallest person in human history they have you covered.
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Clickbait article that may be the first of many: "The Perfect Panel for the New Match Game (http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/05/the-perfect-panel-for-the-new-match-game.html)."
I'll save you the click: the writer's choices are Paul F. Tompkins, Jen Kirkman, Nathan Lane, Kate Micucci, Rich Sommer, and Chelsea Peretti, in that order. (If you do want to click, you'll find the writer's reasoning, and some alternate choices.)
I can't argue too much with that , but the issue I see is that most of these people are Los Angeles-based, and I have a feeling they're not going to be bringing in too many L.A. people when they can use New York-based friends of Alec instead.
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I can't argue too much with that , but the issue I see is that most of these people are Los Angeles-based, and I have a feeling they're not going to be bringing in too many L.A. people when they can use New York-based friends of Alec instead.
Haven't read the article, and I dunno if he's strictly NY based, but reading this, one of the first names that popped into my mind was Jack McBrayer, aka Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock.
I wouldn't be surprised if a couple supporting cast members (think Liz Lemon's writing staff) showed up to fill in one of the non-CNR/Brett/Dawson chairs.
ETA: also, Judah Friedlander, aka Frank
/Trucker hat and all
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With Baldwin serving as an EP for the revival, I presume he'll have some say on panelists. It wouldn't surprise me to see SNL alums, ex-30 Rock co-stars, Broadway performers, ABC stars and celebs who share his political leanings (I can see a fair share of Trump questions on this show).
Over/under on Baldwin brothers as panelists? Maybe Billy since he still has a flicker of celeb left.
Only name I thought of as a potential panelist is Jesse Tyler Ferguson of "Modern Family". He's doing a Broadway show until the end of July, and I could see him fill the CNR role for at least one episode.
JD
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(I can see a fair share of Trump questions on this show).
Seeing as Monica Lewinsky jokes every third question were a big part of the failure of the last revival attempt, I hope to Christ you're wrong about this.
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(I can see a fair share of Trump questions on this show).
Seeing as Monica Lewinsky jokes every third question were a big part of the failure of the last revival attempt, I hope to Christ you're wrong about this.
Have you heard of the Donald Trump wax job? It strips the hair from everywhere but your <BLANK>.
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Have you heard of the Donald Trump wax job?
(http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/23800000/Stefon-stefon-23812007-500-266.png)
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I'm assuming you can't use photos of yourself from other appearances on shows, right?
Because I really only have one good waist-up shot of me, and that's it. (And I'd rather use it as a timesaving measure. Call me crazy if you must.)
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Pay someone to be your friend for an hour and have them take some pictures of you.
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Pay someone to be your friend for an hour and have them take some pictures of you.
I might just do that. (Actually, I could get my brother to help me, he's a good photog. And he works for free, or I'll just take him to a Met game.)
I wonder if, now that I think about it, I could find a cheap portrait package in a store...probably won't go that far but I'm curious just the same.
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My question would be is whether the professional package like you'd line up for on picture day is that much better than the best photographer friend you have can do. Unless you're like me and living a reclusive life atop a mountain hill among trees and forest creatures you surely have someone in your life competent enough to do a reverse selfie for you.
/more and more days that's starting to sound really good.
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My question would be is whether the professional package like you'd line up for on picture day is that much better than the best photographer friend you have can do. Unless you're like me and living a reclusive life atop a mountain hill among trees and forest creatures you surely have someone in your life competent enough to do a reverse selfie for you.
/more and more days that's starting to sound really good.
True. Although I think I might need to come down to town once in awhile or I'd go stir crazy. :)
(White Mountains of New Hampshire are nice though)
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The On Camera Audiences (http://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/Match_Game#) site lists Match Game as taping on June 15, 16, 29, and 30 at the W 66th Street studio.
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I'm on the waiting list for tickets. It's taping at the same place where they did Strahan's Pyramid.
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I'm on the waiting list for tickets.
Ditto. I live in the Boston area, so getting to NYC isn't too big a challenge.
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The first full promo for Match Game aired tonight:
https://youtu.be/D4QNLgWr98E
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Tickets are now being sent to those who signed up on the waiting list. Taping dates announced so far are June 15 and 16. My ticket is for the 16th at 10:30 am.
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Sure hope that new set is coming along quickly! From the promos that were airing as recently as last Sunday, it seems that they didn't even have a set for Mr. Baldwin to stand on. (Or, perhaps, maybe they have created the absolutely mostest faithfulest rendition EVAR of the classic set and are waiting to surprise North America on premiere night.)
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Sure hope that new set is coming along quickly! From the promos that were airing as recently as last Sunday, it seems that they didn't even have a set for Mr. Baldwin to stand on. (Or, perhaps, maybe they have created the absolutely mostest faithfulest rendition EVAR of the classic set and are waiting to surprise North America on premiere night.)
They likely shot all of the promos in one day. Baldwin doesn't work cheap. So no way they'd have the set ready then.
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Tickets are now being sent to those who signed up on the waiting list. Taping dates announced so far are June 15 and 16. My ticket is for the 16th at 10:30 am.
I have my ticket now also - June 16 at 2:30PM.
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I got my ticket too for June 16th at 2:30... those that saw the Pyramid tapings, how long did that take? I want to go by Megabus and I want to be sure the bus I take back won't be too early.
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I got my ticket too for June 16th at 2:30... those that saw the Pyramid tapings, how long did that take? I want to go by Megabus and I want to be sure the bus I take back won't be too early.
The fine print at the bottom of the ticket said that the taping will last until approximately 7:30.
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Kelly Ripa announced this morning (6/9) that Alec Baldwin will be her co-host on Live Friday. Match Game will most likely be a topic of discussion.
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Wow... 5 hours for a taping? I wonder how many shows they'll do. I am guessing it won't be done to time and lots of editing will be done, a la Steve Harvey Feud.
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I got my ticket too for June 16th at 2:30... those that saw the Pyramid tapings, how long did that take? I want to go by Megabus and I want to be sure the bus I take back won't be too early.
They were very well prepared for Pyramid. They started on time, and finished an hour later. We saw a 30-minute episode plus a huge number of promos filmed for the entire game show block. We didn't know Match Game was going to be part of the block at the time. We assumed it was Feud, TTTT, and Pyramid.
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Wow... 5 hours for a taping? I wonder how many shows they'll do. I am guessing it won't be done to time and lots of editing will be done, a la Steve Harvey Feud.
Always expect this any time you go to a taping. Plan on being there for at least three and a half hours. And if it's the first day of taping, even longer.
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I got my ticket too for June 16th at 2:30... those that saw the Pyramid tapings, how long did that take? I want to go by Megabus and I want to be sure the bus I take back won't be too early.
They were very well prepared for Pyramid. They started on time, and finished an hour later. We saw a 30-minute episode plus a huge number of promos filmed for the entire game show block. We didn't know Match Game was going to be part of the block at the time. We assumed it was Feud, TTTT, and Pyramid.
I assumed that too
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Wow... 5 hours for a taping? I wonder how many shows they'll do.
A source tells me there will be multiple episodes per taping session.
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Alec speaking (albeit briefly) about Match Game: https://youtu.be/nF3Sk8U8Ogg?t=7m16s
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As I said in a previous post, I am going to see Match Game this Thursday June 16th at 2:30pm.
I've never really been to ABC studios, and I've only been to NY twice. (Once to meet Bob Barker at a book signing, and the other for an improv workshop) With luck, the Megabus will arrive in NY at 10:40 which means I'll have 4 hours to kill.
Anyone have any suggestions on what to do, where to eat? I was thinking of going to the Museum of TV and Radio there, but I am not sure timing wise if that would work.
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Anyone have any suggestions on what to do, where to eat? I was thinking of going to the Museum of TV and Radio there, but I am not sure timing wise if that would work.
If you want a quick bite, there is a streetcart right up the street from 320 W 66th St (ABC Studios)., I don't know if they are stationary or move around, but I had a food and drink relatively quickly. Where does the Megabus drop you off?
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Most likely Megabus will drop you off at 28th Street & 7th Avenue. There are numerous places to eat there. Then hop on the #1 subway right at 7th Avenue & 28th uptown to 66th Street. Take the crosstown M66 right on 66 Street going to West End Avenue. The studio is across the street.
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Wait, weren't they taping at ABC in Lincoln Square? Then he could just get off the 1 and cross the street and he's right there.
Besides the point, West End is three blocks from the 66th-Lincoln Center stop if he doesn't mind walking.
Far as places to eat go, Columbus Avenue has.a few.
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not Lincoln Square - west end - by the river.
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not Lincoln Square - west end - by the river.
Okay then. I stand corrected. But still walkable.
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Okay then. I stand corrected. But still walkable.
Definitely. I walked from Penn Station to the studios - actually from Penn Station to 61st and Park Ave to meet my friend, with a nice walk across Central Park to the studios. If it's a nice day, it's a great bonus.
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Okay then. I stand corrected. But still walkable.
Definitely. I walked from Penn Station to the studios - actually from Penn Station to 61st and Park Ave to meet my friend, with a nice walk across Central Park to the studios. If it's a nice day, it's a great bonus.
You are a better man than I, sir. :)
I'm just glad nothing tapes in lower Manhattan. Very easy for me to get lost down there, as I found out during my second Chase audition. Although I did visit the memorial.
/also got a little scared when a whole bunch of people were gathered at the top of the exit stairs for the E train at the WTC
//just tourists
///the Freedom Tower is effing huge
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I'm just glad nothing tapes in lower Manhattan. Very easy for me to get lost down there, as I found out during my second Chase audition. Although I did visit the memorial.
If not for GPS apps on my phone, I probably *would* have gotten lost. Although I have had a few times where even with THAT, I got disoriented (not this last time).
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Via Twitter, the first pic of the set has appeared (https://twitter.com/matchgameabc/status/743098677405855745)!
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And per Buzzerblog, the first set of celebs- not a bad list actually..
http://www.buzzerblog.com/2016/06/15/match-game-panelists-revealed/
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Nice list indeed. Hopefully the celebs will show up to play the game and not just mug for the camera.
From that Buzzerblog pic, it's hard to tell, but for the set, it looks like they went for a "modernly retro" design. The small portion of the backdrop looks reminiscent of the second set from the late-70s. Honestly, I like that they didn't go for kitschy like the TBS pilot from c. 2008.
/In before the "Must everything look like 'Millionaire'?!!" backlash
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Another set picture is at https://twitter.com/matchgameabc/status/743198925075677184 and it looks like they're trying to replicate the feel of the second set with that row of exposed light bulbs in the background.
I also can't help but wonder if the combination of Rosie O'Donnell and Isaac Mizrahi in the second and third seats is some kind of effort to create some kind of modern Brett and Charles type chemistry.
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And per Buzzerblog, the first set of celebs- not a bad list actually..
http://www.buzzerblog.com/2016/06/15/match-game-panelists-revealed/
Titus Burgess and Sutton Foster may be Charles and Brett for the next generation. In the best possible way. If they are panelists on tomorrow morning's taping, it will be proof that leading a decent life is rewarded.
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Via Twitter, the first pic of the set has appeared (https://twitter.com/matchgameabc/status/743098677405855745)!
The logo separates for Alec's entrance and closes behind him. It's very nice.
From that Buzzerblog pic, it's hard to tell, but for the set, it looks like they went for a "modernly retro" design.
Three words: orange shag carpet.
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From that Buzzerblog pic, it's hard to tell, but for the set, it looks like they went for a "modernly retro" design.
Three words: orange shag carpet.
And somehow, oddly enough, it really works. :-P
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From that Buzzerblog pic, it's hard to tell, but for the set, it looks like they went for a "modernly retro" design.
Three words: orange shag carpet.
And somehow, oddly enough, it really works. :-P
Agreed. They captured the essence of the classic set without slavishly replicating it.
I'm glad that they made the set bright and colorful. Nowadays, it's nice to see a game show that isn't ashamed to be a game show.
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By the way, I was posting via smartphone on the bus ride back from the Match Game taping. (I just realized that I didn't convey that clearly.) I had a terrific time.
Unfortunately, some of the other audience members seemed disappointed by the taping's slow pace. This was about as far from live-to-tape as a game show can get (retakes and alternate takes galore). Also, many people felt uncomfortably cold. (An employee said that the studio has never been so cold in the five years he's worked there.) Thankfully, I prefer cooler temperatures than most.
By the way, all of the music sounded (to my ear) like the actual 1970s recordings. That was a pleasant surprise. And I was pleased to take part in an audience poll for use in a future Super Match round. (It contained eight items in the "[word] _____" format and four in the "_____ [word]" format. Presumably, most won't actually be used.)
I feel like I can cross something off my bucket list. But not just yet, as I'm headed back tomorrow morning. :)
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The pics and reports are encouraging. I look forward to seeing this with my own eyes Thursday. I got an update from OCA saying to dress in layers, as the studio can get quite cold.
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By the way, I was posting via smartphone on the bus ride back from the Match Game taping. (I just realized that I didn't convey that clearly.) I had a terrific time.
Unfortunately, some of the other audience members seemed disappointed by the taping's slow pace. This was about as far from live-to-tape as a game show can get (retakes and alternate takes galore). Also, many people felt uncomfortably cold. (An employee said that the studio has never been so cold in the five years he's worked there.) Thankfully, I prefer cooler temperatures than most.
By the way, all of the music sounded (to my ear) like the actual 1970s recordings. That was a pleasant surprise. And I was pleased to take part in an audience poll for use in a future Super Match round. (It contained eight items in the "[word] _____" format and four in the "_____ [word]" format. Presumably, most won't actually be used.)
I feel like I can cross something off my bucket list. But not just yet, as I'm headed back tomorrow morning. :)
Out of curiosity, what was the format? I presume since the advertised top prize is $25,000 that there is no Star Wheel?
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It's very unlikely that the top answer of the audience match pays $833 and the wheel can triple your money, or that it stays $500 but the wheel can quintuple your money, which is a shame because I thought the star wheel was a nice bit of excitement in the end game.
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Other than the celebs mindlessly yelling "Double, double, double", the randomization was a good idea.
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Out of curiosity, what was the format? I presume since the advertised top prize is $25,000 that there is no Star Wheel?
That's correct. They're using pre-Star Wheel rules, but with no returning champions. (And they shot an extra intro to enable the two games to be shown in either order within the hour.)
For the Super Match round, the top three audience responses are worth $2,000, $3,000 and $5,000, with a head-to-head match multiplying it by 5 to $10,000, $15,000 or $25,000.
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That's correct. They're using pre-Star Wheel rules, but with no returning champions. (And they shot an extra intro to enable the two games to be shown in either order within the hour.)
For the Super Match round, the top three audience responses are worth $2,000, $3,000 and $5,000, with a head-to-head match multiplying it by 5 to $10,000, $15,000 or $25,000.
Interesting payoffs. Oh, and I presume it's the PM format with three rounds?
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I presume it's the PM format with three rounds?
I'd guess the two round "daytime" version, given the lack of time networks give these days.
/If it is three rounds, I'll eat my hat.
//I do not own a hat.
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The set looks awesome!
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10209942922274593&id=1380727306
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I presume it's the PM format with three rounds?
I'd guess the two round "daytime" version, given the lack of time networks give these days.
/If it is three rounds, I'll eat my hat.
//I do not own a hat.
The one who called two rounds wins.
Okay, just saw a taping of two shows. Celebs were in seating order - Tituss Burgess, Rosie O'Donnell, Michael Ian Black, Debra Messing, JB Smoove and Sutton Foster. Set looks like the one from Rayburn's era, orange carpet, turntable and all. Contestant desks have been modernized with monitors showing their name and score. Scoring is like the 70s version. A celeb who matches in Round 1 "lays out" in Round 2, so the most matches possible is six.
The Super Match question appears on a giant video screen. Answers are worth $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000. Three celebs are called on for verbal answers. The Head to Head match also appears on the giant screen. Worth 5x amount of Super Match. Chosen celeb writes their answer. I thought the Head to Heads were incredibly easy. I think they actually want to give money away, but if the contestant's a bonehead, well . . .
The host - Baldwin is okay. He can read questions and schmooze with the celebs. He has a long microphone as well as a mic clipped to his shirt. It became obvious that the long mic was just a prop, a throwback to the old days. Alec said a couple of things Rayburn would have never said (potty mouth). He didn't talk to the audience, but there were many pickups and retakes, so I don't hold this against him. The pace of the show overall moved along good. They did two half-hour games in less than two hours. Each show aired will feature two half-hour games with different contestants.
Questions are funny and some are raunchy. Questions at my tapings included "Will and Grace," the Baldwin Brothers and Donald Trump as subjects. Rosie had a couple of comments about the latter. The warmup guy, Joe somebody, did a bare minimum warmup and explained the basics. Little interaction once the taping started. If you wanted to ask Alec or the celebs a question, you were out of luck.
Overall, I enjoyed the tapings and cross my fingers that this show is a success.
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I was at the same taping this morning, and other than an iffy judging call, and easy chances at big money that were blown, I'd say that pretty much sums it up! Definitely needs to be on at 10pm for the subject matter.
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Other than the celebs mindlessly yelling "Double, double, double", the randomization was a good idea.
Are you proposing that the should have yelled mindfully--perhaps using their telepathic powers to stop the wheel on a particular space?
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I too was at the 10:30 taping, and heartily co-sign the above reports. Looking back at earliest MG73 episodes, today's taping was no less polished, and the writing was as spotty: some questions evoked very clever answers and some were so open-ended as to have no definitive funny answer. As for the bawdy quotient, clearly we are in a post-cable age where the boundary of what's sayable on TV is much farther than it was in '73, but neither panel, host, nor players devolved into truly crass territory. (Sure, there were a couple of bits that will be bleeped, but they were not part of gameplay--and maybe they'll be simply edited out.)
Another beautiful production design, though. I had a relatively lousy seat (effectively behind the turntable), but the set was gorgeous on the monitor above me. And Sutton Foster was in the Betty White/Marcia Wallace chair. What (other than a young Betty White or Marcia Wallace) could be better than that?
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Another beautiful production design, though. I had a relatively lousy seat (effectively behind the turntable), but the set was gorgeous on the monitor above me. And Sutton Foster was in the Betty White/Marcia Wallace chair. What (other than a young Betty White or Marcia Wallace) could be better than that?
I too was in the far left section behind the turntable. Unlike Studio 33 in L.A., here the audience is practically on top of the set. A couple of other things:
The bell and buzzer sound exactly like the 70s MG.
The background music pieces are the same or similar when the celebs are writing answers. The Head to Head music is the exact same as the 70s.
Of the celebs at this taping, Rosie was probably the best celeb player. JB Smoove was the equivalent of CNR, taking his time writing answers. One time, the music ran out. Most of Alec's ad-libs are on the TelePrompter.
I know Rosie isn't everyone's favorite, but she did do something nice for one contestant. You'll see when it airs.
I think Gene, Brett, Charles and Mark Goodson are smiling up above. Fremantle did a good job with this.
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Most of Alec's ad-libs are on the TelePrompter.
Then they're not ad-libs now, are they. (I saw this in a panorama shot. Are they that afraid that Alec Baldwin can't be funny or charming off the cuff?
/I wonder if they put "who are you and what do you do?" in there as well.
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In no way will this impact whether I watch it or not, but how does the intro look? Is it still "Get ready to match the stars!" with a flippy box effect? The scrolling mismatched heads from 1990? Something completely different?
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I just got back from the taping, here's my take
The pacing- The only time it was slow was with the writing of the answers. Alec doesn't interact with the celebs while they're writing, so that may explain the seemingly slow pace, and I am sure the writing portion will be edited down.
The set- I don't know if I have anything new to add... it's a nice 21st century version of the late '78 set. They did have a computerized version of the background of the rotating square on the Super Match board, but unless it's edited in post, I didn't see it on the monitor when the celebs were introduced.
Alec- I heard he was rusty with the first tapings the other day, but it seems all the dents got worked out with the shows I was at. He does rely on a teleprompter when introducing the contestants and to remind him of what to do step by step, but aside from that, he's a surprisingly capable and funny host and interacts with the panel well. He looks like he's enjoying himself. He also blurts out some four letter words which I assume will be bleeped or edited out, but that was fine. The skinny mike is a nice touch too, but it is cordless, so it's not the EMC 51 mike like the one Gene used.
The nature of the questions- Yes, the show is edgier than the original Match Game, but it doesn't OVERDO it like MG 98 did. Also, lots more variety with the questions. I also suspect that a question about Tituss was written at the last minute. (When you see the show, you'll know exactly what i mean)
The panel- All very good... Adam Goldberg seemed a bit out of place, kinda looked like he'd rather be elsewhere. Rosie, Ana Gasteyer, and Tituss seem to be the show's regulars. Bobby Moynahan and Horatio Sanz were also quite funny.
Music- Yep, it's all there, but kinda hard to hear in the studio.
Overall, they didn't screw it up!
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Most of Alec's ad-libs are on the TelePrompter.
Then they're not ad-libs now, are they. (I saw this in a panorama shot. Are they that afraid that Alec Baldwin can't be funny or charming off the cuff?
/I wonder if they put "who are you and what do you do?" in there as well.
The prompter included one specific interview question for each contestant, and a follow-up joke. There were lots of other scripted bits. He did plenty of ad-libbing, but I'm pretty sure they wanted to get things off on a sturdy footing considering this was new to nearly all involved.
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I tried to sign up for tickets to another taping but I got "you have already signed up for this taping" or words to that effect. Oh well, at least I've seen it.
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To elaborate more on my experience...
There was a brief stopdown while one of Tituss' answers was deemed not a match, but Alec and audience clearly believed it was. The judges changed their mind and the segment was retaped. Also, there was a somewhat questionable call on a match with Rosie. she gave the "general" term when the answer someone more specific, but clearly, who else could it be? They granted the match, which I guess was the right call.
Alec did stumble over his words on occasion, but it was handled well, and it didn't make him less competent. Also, the writing sessions seemed a bit long, and I am sure they'll get trimmed down since there was otherwise nothing interesting happening.
I don't recall any pick ups, but there were a couple awkward moments where Alec had to read a series of lines relevant to the gameplay that were on the teleprompter... I suppose this was done in case Alec forgot to mention a crucial point in the gameplay or it just didn't sound right.
To answer another poster's question, the spinning square was not seen on the monitors, it was just a shot of each celeb, then a shot of the sign, which split in half from left to right and Alec made his entrance. It's possible the spinning square graphic is inserted in post, because there is a graphic of it on the Super Match board. Also, the intro spiel is identical, except that the announcer now says "as we play the star studded Match Game!"
I will agree with Clay Zambo that the celebs stayed within the bounds of good taste and didn't try to force the "bawdyness", unlike a certain panelist on MG 98.
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To elaborate more on my experience...
To answer another poster's question, the spinning square was not seen on the monitors, it was just a shot of each celeb. It's possible the spinning square graphic is inserted in post, because there is a graphic of it on the Super Match board. Also, the intro spiel is identical, except that the announcer now says "as we play the star studded Match Game!"
I guess $25,000 doesn't qualify as big money in 2016. It does seem strange that not even accounting for inflation, that a contestant could win more on the 1990 version.
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The shows will also be an hour long, two complete games, which I am sure will look better editing-wise than the syndie version which tried to fit in two full games in a HALF hour.
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I guess $25,000 doesn't qualify as big money in 2016. It does seem strange that not even accounting for inflation, that a contestant could win more on the 1990 version.
The money doesn't really matter..People don't watch MG for the big money payouts, it's all about the comedy. Sort of like Hollywood Squares. There's a game there, but the comedy is center stage.
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I attended all four tapings (one on Wednesday and three on Thursday) and hope to attend the remaining six on the 29th and 30th.
The Super Match question appears on a giant video screen. Answers are worth $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000. Three celebs are called on for verbal answers. The Head to Head match also appears on the giant screen. Worth 5x amount of Super Match.
Also, the winning contestant receives $1,000 if none of the top three audience responses are matched. Notably, he or she still plays the head-to-head portion, with an exact match multiplying the prize to $5,000.
The six Super Match questions used on Thursday were taken from Wednesday's audience poll.
The host - Baldwin is okay. He can read questions and schmooze with the celebs. He has a long microphone as well as a mic clipped to his shirt. It became obvious that the long mic was just a prop, a throwback to the old days.
He spoke into it when some voice-overs were recorded, so I'm wondering whether one of the two microphones is a functional backup.
Alec said a couple of things Rayburn would have never said (potty mouth).
By the last taping, he was swearing like a sailor (and not just when he flubbed a line).
Questions at my tapings included "Will and Grace," the Baldwin Brothers and Donald Trump as subjects. Rosie had a couple of comments about the latter.
There have been several Trump-related questions. With the current political situation and Rosie on the panel, I expected as much.
The warmup guy, Joe somebody, did a bare minimum warmup and explained the basics.
Joe Bruno, I believe.
Joe Bronzi (http://www.joebronzi.com/).
I too was at the 10:30 taping, and heartily co-sign the above reports. Looking back at earliest MG73 episodes, today's taping was no less polished, and the writing was as spotty: some questions evoked very clever answers and some were so open-ended as to have no definitive funny answer.
I disliked a question from the last taping. The language that made it humorous was self-contained. For the result to make sense (and provide the risqué payoff that obviously was intended), the blank had to be filled in with a specific mundane response that would arise in the same context in normal conversation.
The pacing- The only time it was slow was with the writing of the answers.
Things went more smoothly on Thursday than they did on Wednesday. Understandably, there were some kinks to work out on day 1, so the delays were much greater and the retakes were more numerous. Presumably, this was anticipated (and is why only one taping was scheduled for Wednesday).
Alec- I heard he was rusty with the first tapings the other day, but it seems all the dents got worked out with the shows I was at.
He seemed more comfortable (and messed up less often) than he did on Wednesday. He also ad-libbed more frequently (and usually was funnier than the canned material he was fed).
I also suspect that a question about Tituss was written at the last minute. (When you see the show, you'll know exactly what i mean)
I thought that it might have been coincidental, as it struck me as somewhat redundant.
Adam Goldberg seemed a bit out of place, kinda looked like he'd rather be elsewhere.
I could be mistaken, but I noticed an apparent irregularity involving his first answer. It didn't affect the game's outcome, but it seemed weird and awkward. The details are spoilerish, so I'll email you for your thoughts.
Rosie, Ana Gasteyer, and Tituss seem to be the show's regulars. Bobby Moynahan and Horatio Sanz were also quite funny.
Rosie is the only panelist who's appeared on all four shows recorded so far. Tituss was on three. Ana has appeared twice, as have Horatio and Sherri Shepherd.
Here's a rundown each show's panelists:
Show 1
Upper row: Horatio Sanz | Rosie O'Donnell | Isaac Mizrahi
Lower row: Edie Falco | D. L. Hughley | Sherri Shepherd
Show 2
Upper row: Tituss Burgess | Rosie O'Donnell | Michael Ian Black
Lower row: Debra Messing | J. B. Smoove | Sutton Foster
Show 3
Upper row: Tituss Burgess | Rosie O'Donnell | Pete Wentz
Lower row: Ana Gasteyer | Bobby Moynihan | Maggie Q
Show 4
Upper row: Horatio Sanz | Rosie O'Donnell | Tituss Burgess
Lower row: Sherri Shepherd | Adam Goldberg | Ana Gasteyer
Of course, the broadcast order might differ.
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Fyi... Clips of Match Game are now included on the promos of the Sunday block of game shows, as of the final game of the NBA playoffs. Set looks good in the brief clips.
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It really does look good, and while Ayesha Curry can scream to the digital mountaintops about rigging, how fortuitous of the block (and ABC programming in general) to get prime advertising space during a Game 7 of a hotly contested and historic NBA Finals.
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Blog post reviewing the tapings...
http://www.chronicrift.com/#!Match-Game-2016-Review/cmbz/576408fe0cf29542aa2b77e1
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This Showbiz 411 article says that PETER MARSHALL was the original host of Match Game. At least he did a show with three more celebs.
http://www.showbiz411.com/2016/06/19/alec-baldwins-match-game-features-view-reunion-of-rosie-odonnell-sherri-shepherd
Brian
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It really does look good, and while Ayesha Curry can scream
Who is this and why do I care what this person thinks about anything as it pertains to whether a series of basketball games comes to a particular conclusion?
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Steph Curry's wife. She tweeted that the games are rigged, then deleted said tweet.
If nothing else, the heavily-anticipated Game 7 allowed for more people to see previews for Match Game '16, so there's that.
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I'm such a dummy-butt--I didn't even process that it's the same last name. I thought she was a blogger or sportswriter or some deal.
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I haven't received an e-mail about it yet, but I happened to check the OCA website (http://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/Match_Game) this morning and saw that the tickets for the tapings on the 29th and 30th are now available. There are 3 tapings on both days. I will be there with my brother for all tapings on the 29th as well as the first on the 30th... I'm looking forward to the experience!
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I'm going to try to go to the tapings next week. I see the first taping on Wednesday is for General Tickets but the rest are priority. I may do the 2nd and 3rd tapings on Wednesday and then all tapings Thursday.
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I'm going to try to go to the tapings next week. I see the first taping on Wednesday is for General Tickets but the rest are priority. I may do the 2nd and 3rd tapings on Wednesday and then all tapings Thursday.
For what it's worth, when the tickets generated for the first taping on Wednesday for me, they were listed as "Priority," even though (as you mentioned) they are listed on the site as "General"...
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I got tix for Wednesday and Thursday at 9 am. I figured those would be the easiest ones to get.
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When I called to check on the difference between General and Priority the lady said she wasn't sure if I'd be allowed to see more than 1 taping a day. Huh?
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When I called to check on the difference between General and Priority the lady said she wasn't sure if I'd be allowed to see more than 1 taping a day. Huh?
If there is a demand for tickets, I can see them putting a limit on it so that as many people as possible get to see it as opposed to a few die-hard fans bogarting all of the tapings for themselves.
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Does anyone know if the panel has their boozy lunch before the 12:30 taping or the 3:00?
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Has anybody here gone to more than one taping a day? If not I may just go to the 3PM taping each day.
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Does anyone know if the panel has their boozy lunch before the 12:30 taping or the 3:00?
Look, if you're not boozin' at breakfast, I don't think you're cut out for this game show business.
/a message from the National Booze Council
//who reminds you that booze really satisfies
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I've read the whole thread and I haven't seen this mentioned or even asked.
Who is the announcer?
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Good question. There's a booming voice that brings out the celebs who take their seats before the taping begins. This same voice is heard announcing the celebs on the air. His name was never mentioned, and it's not the warmup guy.
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I swear in one of the clips it sounds like Jeffrey Tambor. I can't imagine he'd do it. He's come a long way since that season of Hollywood Squares. But it sounds like him.
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The shows they're airing tonight (6/26) are the ones I saw in person. So they're apparently not going to mix the shows with different celebs. The same celebs are on for the entire hour.
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The announcer is Steve French, he's listed in the closing credits.
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So the presentation wasn't bad, but the question writing was atrocious. Match Game is a format that is kinda dependent on good writing to set up the comedy.
I want to like it, but between that and the overcaffeinated contestants, I have concerns. Admittedly it's also following the utter brilliance that was Pyramid.
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So the presentation wasn't bad, but the question writing was atrocious. Match Game is a format that is kinda dependent on good writing to set up the comedy.
I know that I'm first in line as slavish to the game, but when you can win based on whether you get questions that lead to a single answer or your opponent gets one that can go three ways, I look askance. And for a top prize of $25,000, I would like for there to at least be some sort of game there. The thing of it is what else do you do? If the game takes a back seat to the jokes, that's how it is. For as much fooling about as there was it didn't feel like they could wedge a third round in there.
I forget what question it was now, but there was a round one question where Tituss Burgess shamelessly cribbed from Martin Short's playbook by not answering the question and making a callback reference instead.
/and she bungled the potato question anyway.
//it was silly fun and there's nothing on at 10p to conflict.
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So the presentation wasn't bad, but the question writing was atrocious. Match Game is a format that is kinda dependent on good writing to set up the comedy.
I think that was my main legit gripe with the show. You either had a gimme question (The limerick ending in "hickey"), or something that could go in a hundred directions (The one about what you call a group of Baldwin Brothers. I like that they were trying to go for something that sounds like "gaggle". It just fell way flat.). What bugged me more was that you'd have one of each in either round, as opposed to the two gimmes being "catchup" opportunities in round two.
I really enjoyed the episodes, and look forward to next week's, but yeah, more consistency with the writing (or a much narrower field) wouldn't hurt at all. All in all, I give it an 8.
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I'll have to admit, I didn't really have a good answer to the Uranus question (the best I thought of was "Full Moon", because of the space scenario, and it's also a play on words of the general area of "Uranus") or the Baldwin brothers question (I couldn't think of anything). I happen to like the range of possible answers for those questions. As for the hickey question, one panelist blurted out another possibility, "Pricky", and I thought of two more, "Licky" and "Quickie." but yeah, it was otherwise a gimme question.
Next week's shows will be better, trust me! I was there!
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Last night was a travel day for me and my wife, but we did manage to arrive at our hotel before the final Pyramid winners circle.
Overall the show was very good and much of the editing (especially during the writing sessions) was far better than the Rayburn years.
My pet peeves:
Yes, the question writing and round placement of the general/gimme questions needs the most work.
Kudos for using original cues front the Rayburn AND Shaffer eras, but you don't have to use them after every little thing. Case in point: In the first Super Match, they played the original theme/head to head match cue when the contestants answer was revealed. With the civilian/celeb congrats going on, the music made it sound like they won it all -- yet it was only the Super Match for the base stakes.
I think it was rather "rude" to not spin the contestants around during the show opening. Makes it feel the show is not about the contestants, and in the previous incarnations, spinning the contestants in did not distract from anything.
My only other suggestion is bump up the SFX volumes. The classic bells and buzzers were hard to hear at times.
Overall, the set is an awesome for the 21st century. And like Pyramid, the sets looks sturdy and fancy enough to survive a regular daily or weekly run (hint hint).
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No music credit to Score Productions?
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I think it was rather "rude" to not spin the contestants around during the show opening. Makes it feel the show is not about the contestants, and in the previous incarnations, spinning the contestants in did not distract from anything.
Respectfully disagree. Doing it the way they did gave the contestants their own special "entrance."
Also, it called attention to the turntable, and ate up another few seconds of airtime. Since there isn't *enough* time to play 3 rounds (and the possibility of a tiebreaker after), doing it this way worked quite well for me.
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Would Ira have matched lube and lotion?
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Would Ira have matched lube and lotion?
I actually made a quip on Facebook about it. It seems the former is probably a little too contemporary of a term.....so, I doubt it. The current braintrust, on the other hand, is probably a lot more "on top" of those kinds of terms and slangs.
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Google the words 'lotion' and 'lube' together. It's fun!
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So the presentation wasn't bad, but the question writing was atrocious. Match Game is a format that is kinda dependent on good writing to set up the comedy.
I want to like it, but between that and the overcaffeinated contestants, I have concerns. Admittedly it's also following the utter brilliance that was Pyramid.
Call DeBartolo.
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Would Ira have matched lube and lotion?
I guess it depends on how nitpicky you want to be, but seeing how Ira judged in the past, I think he would argue that lube is part of a much broader family of products.
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I think it was rather "rude" to not spin the contestants around during the show opening. Makes it feel the show is not about the contestants, and in the previous incarnations, spinning the contestants in did not distract from anything.
I don't see how this even remotely equals rudeness, but to each his own.
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I think that was my main legit gripe with the show. You either had a gimme question (The limerick ending in "hickey"), or something that could go in a hundred directions (The one about what you call a group of Baldwin Brothers. I like that they were trying to go for something that sounds like "gaggle". It just fell way flat.). What bugged me more was that you'd have one of each in either round, as opposed to the two gimmes being "catchup" opportunities in round two.
This might be a feature and not a bug.
If there is a definitive-answer question (which is still up to the contestant to give that answer), it can serve to avoid a 6-6 tie, since the other contestant will have a question not geared towards a sweep. It is just chalked up to the randomness of the selections.
In the straddled-game era, ties are just part of the format (and chews up time that is not dispensing prize money). In this half-hour constraint, ties are the enemy, as Pyramid showed with their instant-reveal tiebreaker. There will still be ties on Match Game, but it seems the goal is to avoid a 6-6.
Regarding the decision to bring the contestants out for their own introduction, this provides flexibility to change the order of games in post-production. I'm sure the celebrities were briefed to not reference anything from the first half hour in order to do that.
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I honestly think that this is one of the best game show sets I've ever seen. It looks so contemporary while capturing the spirit of the 70s version. As if, the 70s version never went off the air, but just kept updating the sets every 6 or 7 years and this is the current one.
I know that I'm first in line as slavish to the game, but when you can win based on whether you get questions that lead to a single answer or your opponent gets one that can go three ways, I look askance.
It always felt crappy on the 70s version too, and you'd feel bad because it really came down to the contestant choosing the right question.
Would Ira have matched lube and lotion?
I doubt he would, but as I stated last night while watching this, "in a pinch one is exchangeable for the other."
I'll have to admit, I didn't really have a good answer to the Uranus question (the best I thought of was "Full Moon", because of the space scenario, and it's also a play on words of the general area of "Uranus")
I felt this was tough because while the show was a hit and currently lives in syndication land, it just wasn't something I'd call universally loved enough to be used as a question to get a definitive response ("Jack"or, maybe, "Will") and people understand the joke. And "universally loved" is a hard category to get in. Nothing can truly be "universally" loved as I'm sure there is someone out there who hasn't seen something. But on the recognizable chart, Will & Grace is going to quite a few steps down from I Love Lucy or The Flintstones.
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Last night was a travel day for me and my wife, but we did manage to arrive at our hotel before the final Pyramid winners circle.
Overall the show was very good and much of the editing (especially during the writing sessions) was far better than the Rayburn years.
My pet peeves:
Yes, the question writing and round placement of the general/gimme questions needs the most work.
Kudos for using original cues front the Rayburn AND Shaffer eras, but you don't have to use them after every little thing. Case in point: In the first Super Match, they played the original theme/head to head match cue when the contestants answer was revealed. With the civilian/celeb congrats going on, the music made it sound like they won it all -- yet it was only the Super Match for the base stakes.
I think it was rather "rude" to not spin the contestants around during the show opening. Makes it feel the show is not about the contestants, and in the previous incarnations, spinning the contestants in did not distract from anything.
My only other suggestion is bump up the SFX volumes. The classic bells and buzzers were hard to hear at times.
Overall, the set is an awesome for the 21st century. And like Pyramid, the sets looks sturdy and fancy enough to survive a regular daily or weekly run (hint hint).
I totally agree with your views. I wish the theme and the cues were turned up a notch, though.
Brian
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If there is a definitive-answer question (which is still up to the contestant to give that answer), it can serve to avoid a 6-6 tie, since the other contestant will have a question not geared towards a sweep. It is just chalked up to the randomness of the selections.
Then the opening should not be "Get ready to match the stars," it should be "Get ready to spin the fickle finger of fate."
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I enjoyed it the most of the 3 shows by far. As time goes on, I'm sure they'll figure out which types of questions work the best. There were always unfair moments with one person getting a slam dunk question in the 70's version as well but the show was still fun. It's not Jeopardy, you expect things like this to happen here. And yay for a show in 2016 not using overly suspenseful music to reveal the result of the head to head match. The chemistry of the panel for day 1 made it look like they've been there for awhile.
Sure, little things. NO dings when the contestant won the game which seems very trivial but it sounded like something was missing. The really long cue after winning $5,000. The one used when the second contestant won 2 grand would have been fine if they want to insist on music there. Overall 9/10.
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I didn't like the answer cards. Too square, green was wrong, and the black dotted trim looked cheap.
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I didn't like the answer cards. Too square, green was wrong, and the black dotted trim looked cheap.
I had gotten it in my head that the answer cards and question cards were printed on the same stock.
I didn't think the writing was atrocious, but I'll agree it wasn't good. Of the 8 questions, I only thought 3 were good, and a 4th could've been better. That's not a great batting average when that's all we get for a week. A lot of the non-game stuff (e.g. jokes from the prompter) I could do without, too. All in all, it wasn't bad, but I didn't get a much-watch vibe from it.
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I'll keep watching MG, but I agree there are some flaws with the show.
The question writing, as others have noted, needs work. There were a couple of good ones (liked the ones about the Baldwins, Mr. Potato Head and, yes, Trump). But getting into edgy territory proved problematic. It's something that takes time (MG 7X had its fair share of clunkers), so we can only hope they can work on those issues.
Alec Baldwin tried. He seemed enthused about hosting, enjoyed the rapport with contestants and celebrities, and generally appeared to have a good time. But there were times he tried to take over the show and have the last word on everything. Contestant tells a joke in the intros? Alec needs to one-up them. He has to be funniest guy in the room, so he's going to out-joke everyone on stage. It didn't work.
I forget the question, but I am hoping someone got into JB Smoove's face after delivering a blank card as an answer. There's a difference between giving a bad answer and not trying, and JB wasn't trying.
JD
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Question writing aside, which purportedly will improve as the show goes on, I have to say JB Smoove was my biggest pet peeve. Too much copying off the other celebs and really, a blank answer card? I wouldn't be upset if they didn't invite him back.
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I forget the question, but I am hoping someone got into JB Smoove's face after delivering a blank card as an answer. There's a difference between giving a bad answer and not trying, and JB wasn't trying.
He called a group of Baldwin brothers a nothingness, which is what his blank card represented.
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I liked MG and Pyramid and agree with most of what's been noted so far.
Something was up, though, with a middle-aged woman saying she looked forward to
spending her money on a New Kids on the Block cruise which Rosie then just
happens to be able to arrange. And on Pyramid someone said they wanted to
go to Disneyworld... coaching contestants on their personal anecdotes seems to
be setting new lows for product placement.
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I know they're trying to emulate the '70s Match Game as closely as possible, and I respect that. But here's my pitch: What if they changed the seating arrangements to female-male-female-male-female-male?
Rosie will clearly become the Richard Dawson of this version, and would fit perfectly in seat five. Meanwhile, every time they cut away to one of Michael Ian Black's reactions, it was funny -- I think he would do well in seat six (seat two would also work).
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I know they're trying to emulate the '70s Match Game as closely as possible, and I respect that. But here's my pitch: What if they changed the seating arrangements to female-male-female-male-female-male?
Rosie will clearly become the Richard Dawson of this version, and would fit perfectly in seat five. Meanwhile, every time they cut away to one of Michael Ian Black's reactions, it was funny -- I think he would do well in seat six (seat two would also work).
After hearing Debra Messing's responses to a couple questions I wondered out loud why she wasn't in the Patti Deutsch memorial seat? (aka seat six)
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...
Rosie will clearly become the Richard Dawson of this version, and would fit perfectly in seat five. Meanwhile, every time they cut away to one of Michael Ian Black's reactions, it was funny -- I think he would do well in seat six (seat two would also work).
Because most people who are watching the show vaguely remember (if at all) what the general dynamics of seats five, six and two actually mean.
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Because most people who are watching the show vaguely remember (if at all) what the general dynamics of seats five, six and two actually mean.
He's not suggesting it to trigger happy memories, it's to make the panel work better by using what worked before. In the last seat, it's easy to be overlooked when your answer has popped up several times already and you're following someone funny. Witness the girl who was there Sunday.
The bigger issue is casting a panel that plays off each other, and there was promise here. I liked Debra in the hot-but-dim seat. Michael Ian was smart although maybe too droll. Smoove's answers left something to be desired, but he was funny. Rosie played well but was reserved.
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Since they didn't lead with big wins, were Sunday's episodes the first taped?
/Ditto for Pyramid
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Since they didn't lead with big wins, were Sunday's episodes the first taped?
/Ditto for Pyramid
Sunday's MG was the 2nd show taped. Don't know about Pyramid. I was at the first shows taped for that. Randall Park and Dr. Ken were the celebs.
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...I liked Debra in the hot-but-dim seat....
Now see, I didn't think of that - thank you for pointing that out.
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There's a reason that the 4th seat was called the "dummy seat" back in the day. Debra fit the bill 100%.
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I was able to attend the first two of today's three tapings (but not the third). Panelists:
Show 5
Upper row: Jack McBrayer | Niecy Nash | Jerry O'Connell
Lower row: Ellie Kemper | David Alan Grier | Natasha Lyonne
Show 6
Upper row: Jason Alexander | Niecy Nash | Jack McBrayer
Lower row: Ellie Kemper | David Alan Grier | Sheryl Crow
The warm-up guy was Frank Nicotero (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Nicotero), whose game show experience was evident. Unlike Joe Bronzi, who approached the gig as one would a sitcom filming (by attempting to micromanage the audience via a series of visual signals, which he even used to dictate which answers to cheer and boo in accordance with his personal judgment), Nicotero simply encouraged the audience members to express their genuine reactions. As a result, the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
Jerry O'Connell, conversely, seemed lost. I got the impression that he'd never seen Match Game, as he lacked even a basic grasp of what was expected of him. During the first game, he triggered a lengthy stopdown by swapping out his answer card at an inappropriate time. (When the confusion was finally resolved, his portion was restaged with his original response.) In footage that presumably won't be broadcast, Alec poked fun at Jerry by referencing this incident repeatedly.
The other panelists were fine (or better), though. Niecy seemed right at home, while David milked every comedic opportunity that arose (and never hesitated to make himself the butt of a joke when the situation called for it).
The questions' quality was much higher and the distribution was more balanced. For the most part, round 1's questions had multiple reasonable responses and round 2's questions pointed more in a particular direction.
Alec's hosting continues to improve. He's clearly become more comfortable in his role, with the initial stumbles giving way to confidence and greater spontaneity.
Overall, I'm very impressed.
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Those are some pretty interesting panel combinations. Is this the first game show appearance for most of these folks? I haven't seen Hollywood Game Night, but I've seen a few celeb listings.
I wonder if we'll continue to see a "regular" panelist in the Brett and Richard seats or if the future tapings we'll have someone new.
I also find it interesting that they're putting potential Charles seat panelists (Jack and Tituss) in the first seat, as well. CNR sat in the first seat a couple of times (at least twice) during the first year or so of MG '7x.
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Those are some pretty interesting panel combinations. Is this the first game show appearance for most of these folks? I haven't seen Hollywood Game Night, but I've seen a few celeb listings.
I wonder if we'll continue to see a "regular" panelist in the Brett and Richard seats or if the future tapings we'll have someone new.
I also find it interesting that they're putting potential Charles seat panelists (Jack and Tituss) in the first seat, as well. CNR sat in the first seat a couple of times (at least twice) during the first year or so of MG '7x.
Off the top of my head, Jack McBrayer is the only game show newbie. Kemper and Lyonne have appeared on HGN, while Crow and Grier both appeared on CNG. Alexander's game show career goes back to Davidson Pyramid, and O'Connell was a celebrity player on Donnymid. Nash was on CFF last season.
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Speaking of game show newbies appearing on Match Game, a certain woman from Wasilla, Alaska, says she's going to be a panelist at a taping tomorrow.
Sarah Palin @SarahPalinUSA · 4h4 hours ago
Loading up on protein in NYC - ready to take Alec Baldwin's Match Game on ABC challenge tomorrow! http://fb.me/K8OFLf9M
JD
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Speaking of game show newbies appearing on Match Game, a certain woman from Wasilla, Alaska, says she's going to be a panelist at a taping tomorrow.
Sarah Palin @SarahPalinUSA · 4h4 hours ago
Loading up on protein in NYC - ready to take Alec Baldwin's Match Game on ABC challenge tomorrow! http://fb.me/K8OFLf9M JD
Dear God, please don't let her be at the 9 am taping I plan on going to.
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Why not?
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Why not?
I wouldn't want to be in the same room as that silly twat either.
Someone let me know when it actually airs so I can not watch.
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Good: let the misogyny flow.
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Good: let the misogyny flow.
That word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
/hint: I have no problem with Sarah Palin being female
//I have a problem with her being Sarah Palin
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And my problem is with your choice of language given your previous lectures as it pertains to women's wagers on Jeopardy. (More specifically a search of "Jeopardy Australia" will have the relevant thread at the top.)
/also, Sarah Palin was last relevant in 2008, I don't see what the upside for the show is to have her on.
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And my problem is with your choice of language given your previous lectures as it pertains to women's wagers on Jeopardy. (More specifically a search of "Jeopardy Australia" will have the relevant thread at the top.)
Ah, I see. No implication based on gender was intended; I know plenty of male twats too.
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And one of them was a special guest on $100,000 Pyramid last Sunday.
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And one of them was a special guest on $100,000 Pyramid last Sunday.
Now you're getting it. :)
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I would hoist a frosty cold one with you if I didn't have this obnoxious boil thing hanging out on my armpit. Not how I was hoping to start a five-day weekend.
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Per social media (https://www.instagram.com/p/BHQWSzXhtDo/), yesterday's third taping included Sherri Shepherd and Joshua Malina.
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*** NOT COPYING WHAT YOU SAID ***
So, you know that rule about spoilers that's at the top of the forums? Yeah, they wrote that for you.
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Per social media (https://www.instagram.com/p/BHQWSzXhtDo/), yesterday's third taping included Sherri Shepherd and Joshua Malina.
Geez, Malina's a good actor but he was horrendous on Bergeron Squares. They may as well have turned over a sign with the answer.
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Frank announced that Sarah Palin will be on the last show being done today. "I can't believe she's doing this" he said. That makes two of us.
Sarah Palin is not so hard to figure out, and it has nothing to do with her ideology or her intelligence. (Also, if the latter was a prerequisite for being a celebrity on Match Game, you'd be hard-pressed to fill six seats.) She likes being famous, and she especially likes not having to work very hard at it. She's certainly far from unique in that regard, she simply came at it from an unusual angle. Everything she's done since 2008 has been means to that end. She probably won't be very good at Match Game just because that's not a world she inhabits. She probably thinks she'll do well, though, and that's why she'll be fun to watch.
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Geez, Malina's a good actor but he was horrendous on Bergeron Squares. They may as well have turned over a card with an answer.
1) We're talking what, 15 years ago, give or take? IMDb says October 1999...when he was on Sports Night. I imagine he was in one of the non-corner squares and didn't get called on a lot. If he did, he prolly played it straight instead of going with the zingers.
2) Hollywood Squares≠Match Game. They're two game shows with numerous celebrities, and they aired together in 1983. But that's about it.
3) He did all right on GSN Pyramid...that still doesn't have any bearing on how he'll do here.
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1) We're talking what, 15 years ago, give or take? IMDb says October 1999...when he was on Sports Night. I imagine he was in one of the non-corner squares and didn't get called on a lot. If he did, he prolly played it straight instead of going with the zingers.
2) Hollywood Squares≠Match Game. They're two game shows with numerous celebrities, and they aired together in 1983. But that's about it.
3) He did all right on GSN Pyramid...that still doesn't have any bearing on how he'll do here.
Straight as an arrow but true, 15 years is a long time. Maybe he's progressed from not doing a joke when they'd hand him one to coming up with quick, funny, off-the-wall ad-libs.
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He's currently doing a podcast called West Wing Weekly where he and an uberfan analyze each episode of the series in order, starting with the first three seasons or so that he wasn't even in. He's gotten progressively loose and more comfortable even in the first dozen or so shows. Don't expect JB Smoove antics out of him, but he'll probably be fine.
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Frank announced that Sarah Palin will be on the last show being done today. "I can't believe she's doing this" he said. That makes two of us.
Then don't go. If it trangresses against your sensibilities to see her on a panel the easy thing to do is to not see that episode because there's lots of other episodes to pick and you're in a position to do to. But please don't spoil results of what you've seen (in direct contravention of the rules that we've all signed on to in order to be here), because we're not in Show Summaries as the show has not aired yet.
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Will we get a "I can see Alaska from my BLANK" question?
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Only if Tina Fey is on the writing staff.
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I was able to see there tapings over the past two days. Having never seen a tv show tape before I will say the whole experience was surreal. I was suitably impressed and feel a lot of the old 70s version peeking through.
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Anybody else catch the paper cup on top of the "M" in "GAME" after Alec enters?
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Anybody else catch the paper cup on top of the "M" in "GAME" after Alec enters?
Just rewatched the first few moments of my recording since I didn't catch it the first time and it was there before he entered, too.
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Just rewatched the first few moments of my recording since I didn't catch it the first time and it was there before he entered, too.
Well yes. (Impressive that it stayed there through the logo moving.) It's just easier to see after the fact.
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To those with access to Thursdays ratings: How did the encore presentation of Match Game perform against the other Thursday Night offerings?
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To those with access to Thursdays ratings: How did the encore presentation of Match Game perform against the other Thursday Night offerings?
It won its time slot, against a rerun of Code Black on CBS and a new episode of Aquarius on NBC. Other shows on the night fared better overall (tops was a Big Bang rerun), but interestingly, it did slightly better than a NEW episode of Battlebots on ABC.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/07/01/tv-ratings-thursday-june-30-2016/
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A bunch more future celebrities (including another Sports Night alum and a Tony-award winning actress) are listed here:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Kristin-Chenoweth-Jason-Alexander-More-Set-for-ABCs-MATCH-GAME-20160630# (http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Kristin-Chenoweth-Jason-Alexander-More-Set-for-ABCs-MATCH-GAME-20160630#)
Smart to bring in lots of different people to start; they can pick who's best at the show as regular or recurring panelists should the show come back later on.
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But will that be Sarah Palin on the Match Game panel....or Tina Fey (another of Alec's colleagues from 30Rock) as Sarah?
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A bunch more future celebrities (including another Sports Night alum and a Tony-award winning actress) are listed here:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Kristin-Chenoweth-Jason-Alexander-More-Set-for-ABCs-MATCH-GAME-20160630# (http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Kristin-Chenoweth-Jason-Alexander-More-Set-for-ABCs-MATCH-GAME-20160630#)
Smart to bring in lots of different people to start; they can pick who's best at the show as regular or recurring panelists should the show come back later on.
I concur! I know the episodes are already in the can, but I'm sure the folks over at "Pyramid" were doing the same thing. If so, you can bet that Anthony Anderson has Tony Danza'ed himself to the banished list.
We now return to talking about Match Game '16 already in progress.
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I'm tickled by the large amount of stage folks represented. (I'm assuming this is the first time Match Game has been done in New York since the 60s version.) Actually had a friend of mine in his early thirties, virtually clueless about our genre, tell me he watched "the one with the six celebrities" Sunday night because Sutton Foster was on.
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I would think Lorne Michaels would have a limo chauffeuring people directly between 30 Rockefeller Center and the ABC studio. It's a great way to promote all the projects he's involved in. Having one of the upcoming Ghostbusters (Leslie Jones) is a pretty nice coup. Leah Remini may be interesting.
Side note: Sheryl Crow is playing Ribfest here in Naperville tomorrow night. It's usually for artists on the way up or the way down, but Crow's a pretty big name for this event. (We did have Heart here in 2007, and they've had two top 30 albums since then.) I'm trying to talk my family into going.
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But will that be Sarah Palin on the Match Game panel....or Tina Fey (another of Alec's colleagues from 30Rock) as Sarah?
I loved at the taping that we in the audience had to agree not to boo her when she was introduced.
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I loved at the taping that we in the audience had to agree not to boo her when she was introduced.
Seriously? They make you sign something?
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Probably not sign something, but they're not responsible for the medical costs of a size 12 boot rectal extraction process.
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I loved at the taping that we in the audience had to agree not to boo her when she was introduced.
Seriously? They make you sign something?
No, Frank Nicotero went around to each section of the audience and (off mic) asked everyone to be respectful and cheer when she was introduced.
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That's reasonable. In return for getting to watch the show you agree to give them the performance they need.
"Hey, we know she's a loathsome sub-human pile of caribou dung, but do us a solid and clap anyhow, ok?"
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The idea of being a respectful audience doesn't do it for you, does it.
/you really should have your PDS checked out. I'm getting concerned.
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The idea of being a respectful audience doesn't do it for you, does it.
I believe I just said that it made perfect sense. I just think it's both funny and very telling that they had to beg.
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It does remind me of grade-school music recitals in that way. The difference is that you don't have to go see Match Game.
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The difference is that you don't have to go see Match Game.
Absolutely true. It's in fact probably a little telling on both sides, that people even need to be reminded about basic audience decorum.
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Could be worse. Stephen Colbert had to ask his audience not to boo on the air when he had Ted Cruz as a guest.
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Has anyone timed out whether they could do another game in the hour?
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I doubt they could without a lot of editing. At that point, you're going through as much game material in a hour than two episodes of Match Game PM. And they edited the hell out of that to get it all in.
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I'm glad the game is at 2 rounds. The celebs are entertaining enough to fill the time. I remember saying when MG 98 was on that they could use a third round, and in that case, a third round would've made the game more fair (use the scoring a la the MG 90 pilot, 1 point per round in rounds 1 and 2 and two points per round in round 3) With MG 98, the padding was more obvious. The intro was longer, with each celeb "walk running" to center stage, then introducing the contestants, then an awkward slow zoom into the MG sign as the celebs and contestants took their seats. Also, when the game was over with just 3 questions, that meant for a VERY long closing credit sequence with the celebs dancing and carrying on. However, what can you expect when you have a panel of celebs that seem like the names were picked out of a hat?
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It's in fact probably a little telling on both sides, that people even need to be reminded about basic audience decorum.
Well, considering how hyped up the audience is--and *told* to boo at poor answers--it's probably not unreasonable that they put in a plug to be nice at her entrance.
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It's in fact probably a little telling on both sides, that people even need to be reminded about basic audience decorum.
Well, considering how hyped up the audience is--and *told* to boo at poor answers--it's probably not unreasonable that they put in a plug to be nice at her entrance.
True. I'll also bet that Sarah Palin and Rosie O'Donnell were NOT on the same show.
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I'm glad the game is at 2 rounds. The celebs are entertaining enough to fill the time.
Except that they weren't: Horatio didn't make a lick of Sanz the whole evening and certainly didn't hold up his end of the couch in terms of game play.
I remember saying when MG 98 was on that they could use a third round, and in that case, a third round would've made the game more fair (use the scoring a la the MG 90 pilot, 1 point per round in rounds 1 and 2 and two points per round in round 3)
That's not "fair," that's weighting the game like Name that Tune.
I'm looking at it from the perceptive of the contestants who are either standbys or missed the cut for whatever reason. If they got five games per four episodes (or indeed just played it like the old days where the winner got the chance to carry on and win more money) that gives more contestants the chance to be on the show. And yes, I know that producers are afeard of running episodes in order or having carryover contestants (Greed and Twenty-one say "what up?") but I'd rather see more contestants getting the chance than hearing Beardo Goldberg going on about whatever.
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Quick question--if you win the Super Match, is that on top of what you win in the Audience Match? Or is it just bumped up?
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Quick question--if you win the Super Match, is that on top of what you win in the Audience Match? Or is it just bumped up?
Bumped up.
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The show that aired on July 3rd was the first one taped. So we got to see the two extremes, when someone wins big and when someone doesn't get an answer with the Super Match. I liked it when Rosie asked who they polled for the Super Match that tanked.
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The show that aired on July 3rd was the first one taped. So we got to see the two extremes, when someone wins big and when someone doesn't get an answer with the Super Match. I liked it when Rosie asked who they polled for the Super Match that tanked.
Is it me or are the Head-to-Heads a bit tougher to win on this incarnation so far -- having more than 2-3 good choices to pick from?
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Well, considering how hyped up the audience is--and *told* to boo at poor answers--it's probably not unreasonable that they put in a plug to be nice at her entrance.
I'd read that booing is encouraged, but frankly, the booing seemed meagre especially at answers such as the worst punt ever, "please help me."
I loved the Hostess question, and the Pillsbury Doughboy question seemed like the right way to go, putting the stilly body part in the question, not the blank.
Tituss (or is it Tittus?) was funnier this time, and Sherri Shepherd was great. She'd be good in Rosie's seat (if Rosie wasn't there) in that she's vocal and interacts with the other panelists. I'd love to see Kathy Griffin and Adam Corolla on--they were terrific on the Game Show Marathon version, especially since it was only one game.
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I agree (and I think I even mentioned it in my review) that Adam Goldberg didn't seem to want to be there. Horatio Sanz was okay, but yeah, he didn't really stand out so much.
Just like with MG 73, they're going to try an assortment of people until they find maybe 3 that would be good regulars, and also have semi-regulars. Rosie would be an obvious choice... say what you will about her stints on The View and her own talk shows, she cares about the contestants and wants them to win. At least they didn't choose their regulars first before giving them time to gel and be entertaining like they did with MG 98.
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AFAIK, "acts like he doesn't want to be there" is basically Adam Goldberg's persona when he's doing talk shows and such. Which makes me wonder why they booked him in the first place.
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The show that aired on July 3rd was the first one taped. So we got to see the two extremes, when someone wins big and when someone doesn't get an answer with the Super Match. I liked it when Rosie asked who they polled for the Super Match that tanked.
Is it me or are the Head-to-Heads a bit tougher to win on this incarnation so far -- having more than 2-3 good choices to pick from?
Head-to-heads haven't felt that bad to me in terms of having too many possible answers. Although none of them have been gimmes, the fact that everyone seems to pick Rosie and the way she plays everything down the middle makes it pretty easy to cut down the possibilities.
The "spin _____" audience match, on the other hand, was brutal. I had six or eight possibilities off the top of my head and still managed to not think of two of the top three answers or the answer the contestant gave.
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The show that aired on July 3rd was the first one taped. So we got to see the two extremes, when someone wins big and when someone doesn't get an answer with the Super Match. I liked it when Rosie asked who they polled for the Super Match that tanked.
Is it me or are the Head-to-Heads a bit tougher to win on this incarnation so far -- having more than 2-3 good choices to pick from?
Head-to-heads haven't felt that bad to me in terms of having too many possible answers. Although none of them have been gimmes, the fact that everyone seems to pick Rosie and the way she plays everything down the middle makes it pretty easy to cut down the possibilities.
The "spin _____" audience match, on the other hand, was brutal. I had six or eight possibilities off the top of my head and still managed to not think of two of the top three answers or the answer the contestant gave.
Agreed on the SPIN ______ Super Match, I thought City as well as Doctor(s), but that was a great Super Match word nonetheless.
_________ GUITAR Head to Head Match, OTOH, was a bear as well (Air/Acoustic/Electric/Rhythm/Steel/Etc...) would've fit better as a Super Match. Bass was not one of my immediate choices.
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AFAIK, "acts like he doesn't want to be there" is basically Adam Goldberg's persona when he's doing talk shows and such. Which makes me wonder why they booked him in the first place.
I mean, wasn't that how Henry Morgan acted a lot of times? I felt that he certainly looked to enjoy himself on I've Got a Secret at times, but he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else on his few panelist appearances on What's My Line?
The whole curmudgeon thing can be funny. I don't think it translated that well here, but I'm happy that for the most part he tried playing the game and help out most of the time.
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The show that aired on July 3rd was the first one taped.
OOPS - mea culpa. According to the celeb listings, the July 3rd show was the 4th show taped, not the 1st. Horatio Sanz was on both. The show airing July 10 was the 3rd show taped. Ana Gasteyer, Bobby Moynihan and Maggie Q are among the guests.
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AFAIK, "acts like he doesn't want to be there" is basically Adam Goldberg's persona when he's doing talk shows and such. Which makes me wonder why they booked him in the first place.
I mean, wasn't that how Henry Morgan acted a lot of times? I felt that he certainly looked to enjoy himself on I've Got a Secret at times, but he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else on his few panelist appearances on What's My Line?
The whole curmudgeon thing can be funny. I don't think it translated that well here, but I'm happy that for the most part he tried playing the game and help out most of the time.
Morgan was kind of cast that way, opposite Bill Cullen, who was the opposite of curmudgeonly. But that didn't translate well to What's My Line? and its well-establishd cast. (Morgan stopped getting bookings on WML, accordingly to Gil Fates, shortly before the network run ended after he repeatedly interrupted a Bennett Cerf introduction.)
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I think that tonight's episode is the first time in years when I've watched a first-run game show and thought to myself "Man, they had a lot of time left over." We even got a halftime mill-about after the first head-to-head match.
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Got to see MG tonight for the first time.
It's not bad, but I'm not fully impressed with the writing either. Just doesn't seem as crisp. That may just be me though.
I notice the theme kinda sounds like a cross between the classic theme and the mariachi-sounding 1990 theme. Which I also like.
If I have to grade it, I put it at B- for now.
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Coincidentally, a commercial for CarMax came on during Match Game featuring Andy Daly. Daly, as you may remember, was the host of the recent TBS Match Game pilot.
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It's not bad, but I'm not fully impressed with the writing either. Just doesn't seem as crisp. That may just be me though.
The writing is still painfully bad for the most part. The first game last night was better, but the game was still won in the second round because the person who got to pick picked A.
(The argument here is usually "it's Match Game; it isn't about the game," which is true except it also holds a whole lot less water when there's $25,000 on the line.)
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The first game last night was better, but the game was still won in the second round because the person who got to pick picked A.
(The argument here is usually "it's Match Game; it isn't about the game," which is true except it also holds a whole lot less water when there's $25,000 on the line.)
There's unfairness inherent in the game, but the pairing of questions in that round was ridiculous.
Also...since it's been, oh, 15-20 years since one of Alec's brothers did anything, the Baldwin Brothers references aren't terribly fresh.
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The more that airs, the more convinced I am that the writers and producers at Match Game either aren't thinking about the difficulty level of the material or aren't doing a very good job of estimating how easy it will be for the contestants.
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Also...since it's been, oh, 15-20 years since one of Alec's brothers did anything, the Baldwin Brothers references aren't terribly fresh.
In a way, that kinda makes the joke.
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Also...since it's been, oh, 15-20 years since one of Alec's brothers did anything, the Baldwin Brothers references aren't terribly fresh.
In a way, that kinda makes the joke.
That was my thinking too...
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(The argument here is usually "it's Match Game; it isn't about the game," which is true except it also holds a whole lot less water when there's $25,000 on the line.)
$25,000 now was $5,000 in 1973. So whatever side of that you would have taken then, you have to take now.
Certainly, the writing can use work. But contestants are being offered a chance at $25,000 for giving four answers to fill-in-the-blank questions. So, what game?
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So, what game?
They do call it Match Game. When one player so obviously gets jobbed, it's a bummer amidst the fun and frivolity. Stupid panel answers are part of the game (and the fun), but this is easily avoidable.
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Certainly, the writing can use work. But contestants are being offered a chance at $25,000 for giving four answers to fill-in-the-blank questions. So, what game?
And Treasure Hunt offered $25,000 for opening the right combination of two boxes. It was also totally random and didn't pretend to be anything else, so that was fine. Pyramid offered $25,000 as a top prize and the game material was constituted appropriately. Louis Virtel might be a legitimately funny fellow and great at throwing off attitude snaps but there's more to preparing a packet of questions for Match Game than capturing the zeitgeist and making sure your question has a blank at the end.
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Louis Virtel might be a legitimately funny fellow and great at throwing off attitude snaps but there's more to preparing a packet of questions for Match Game than capturing the zeitgeist and making sure your question has a blank at the end.
Where did that come from? I thought we were all wise enough to realize having one's name in the credits (unfortunately) doesn't mean having total control over that certain domain of the show. There's a whole cadre of people who write, then another who approve questions and put them into the rounds. If you're going to call out one name, at least go higher up the food chain.
-Jason
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It comes from his being the name I can recall from his stint on Jeopardy. And you're right--they're all derelict in one form or another, whether it's questions that are ill-suited for the game or rarely good questions that are stacked poorly.
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And you're right--they're all derelict in one form or another, whether it's questions that are ill-suited for the game or rarely good questions that are stacked poorly.
Let the record show this is not my opinion. I was merely saying there's not just one cook in the Match Game kitchen.
In general, I'm surprised the board as a whole in coming down so hard on the Match Game writing, as if the '70s provided a perfect template. The Rayburn years were far from short on questions that led to only one really good answer in round 2. I prefer the later questions lead to just a few, but it's not something new they're doing on ABC either.
-Jason
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To be super-scrupulously fair and above board: there's a whole team working behind the scenes on the game material on Match Game.
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I personally think they're falling down on the job on a few key points that have been enumerated and pored over.. I can understand why Mark Goodson was enamored of the original parlor game version more than the crazy antics that we got in the 1970s, but he cashed the checks that rolled in.
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I keep thinking back to when I was watching with a group of people and the question about The Rock and Justin Bieber came up. And rather than all of us coming up with an answer and then enjoying the antics of the panel, the room descended into a racket of voices trying to figure out not just what a reasonable answer to the question was, but what the question was even trying to go for in the first place. Forget the definitive answer -- we were struggling to find a good answer.
And that's not the only time I've had that reaction. There have been other questions where even after the panel's answers are revealed, I was left wondering what the writers intended the good answers to be. That's what I find most frustrating.
I acknowledge that it's difficult to write a good Match Game question. But many of the questions on this version give off the impression that the show was bound and determined to make a pop culture reference, but didn't know how to turn it into something playable. The worst offender so far has been the Schweddy Balls question. Not only did it provide no context for viewers who were unfamiliar with the SNL skit, but they put the double entendre in the body of the question, so the most reasonable answer ("mouth") was also the most mundane.
(I admit that Ana Gasteyer's response to that question was actually very clever. But I have to assume that the writers intended "mouth" to be the most likely answer.)
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I keep thinking back to when I was watching with a group of people and the question about The Rock and Justin Bieber came up. And rather than all of us coming up with an answer and then enjoying the antics of the panel, the room descended into a racket of voices trying to figure out not just what a reasonable answer to the question was, but what the question was even trying to go for in the first place. Forget the definitive answer -- we were struggling to find a good answer.
This is where I stand. I get the questions will have a variety of answers. For me, I think of the Baldwin Brothers question from the premiere (the one with the infamous "nothingness" and literal blank card answers). I sat on my couch racking my brain, and couldn't think of a single thing related to the Not Alec Baldwins, that at least one or two celebs could've also said. No pun intended, I drew a blank.
It's one thing if the answer has six different possibilities, one for each star. But my example prolly had 60. The questions don't always have to be super obvious, but when the game is known for not being very solid, why make it such an exercise to give a halfway decent answer?
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And if they were playing for Win, Lose or Draw money I don't think people would care as much. But when you get to $25,000 they cease being Game Show Points--it's actual money that people could do some real good with, and when it feels like the opportunity is awarded in a way that looks to be random, it leaves a sour taste. It's similar to Hollywood Game Night; Martin Short can be a jerkweed on his own time, but please don't take away someone's chance at a big pile of money.
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"The Biebs" is a nickname for Justin Bieber, but even with that context it's still a lousy question because it's basically a guaranteed zero if the contestant doesn't know that and it's a no-brainer answer that isn't funny if (s)he does.
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I don't have a high opinion of Justin Bieber, so I got to "the c**k" pretty easily.
I'm assuming they borrowed one of Steve Harvey's writers for that one.
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Many of the questions on this version give off the impression that the show was bound and determined to make a pop culture reference, but didn't know how to turn it into something playable.
This.
You don't have to tie in nearly every question to a current events' who what or where subject. There is nothing wrong with generic John and Marsha questions, as long as the gist of the questions are easy to understand. And it's OK to have both Round 1 questions harder-to-match and both Round 2 questions with one or two obvious definitive answers. Judging by the caliber of many of the players seen so far, even with equally-difficult questions per round, the chances of 6-6 tie games still remains slim.
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I don't have a high opinion of Justin Bieber, so I got to "the c**k" pretty easily.
That occurred to me, but I had "the crock" on my card.
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I'll tell you some other things interesting about last week's taping of MG, now that it aired.
The two games that were taped were switched! The game with the $25000 win was actually the SECOND game. I had mentioned in a previous post that there was a stop tape while Tittus' answer "pinot noir" was being considered. That one was taped FIRST. They had also asked Alec to redo the part where Tittus gave his answer, so Alec simply asked Tittus for his answer, and then Tittus repeated what he was said before, and the match was granted. I suppose the producers thought saying it wasn't a match then Alec saying "I protest" was better. Then in the second game, there happened to be a question about Tittus and pinot noir, that's why the audience laughed. I was trying to remember if i saw them switch out questions at the last minute, because it was an interesting coincidence. I do remember them testing the question holder to make sure it worked, and also to verify that the right questions were in the slots.
I was also a little surprised that they matched "intern" with "Monica Lewinsky", with rare exceptions, general answers do not match specific answers, but when you think of an intern and Bill Clinton, who else comes to mind? It was also funny because while Monica would've been the definitive answer for MG 98, a LONG time has passed since then.
In case you're wondering, Pete Wentz said "dick" to the Lemonade question, but I thought Bobby and Maggie Q's answers "lemons" were a clever play on words and putting in parenthesis "I mean balls" just in case the judges didn't get the reference. Also, Bobby didn't actually write out the word "f*ck" on his card to "sexy as f*ck", he just wrote F and scribbled the rest, but I guess because he also said the word, the card and his mouth were bleeped. If you think about it "pinot noir" is also clever because it's a drink, and lemonade is also a drink... the judges probably realized that and the obvious soundalike of pinot.
I enjoyed the Schwedy Balls references because I liked the series of the "Delicious Dish" sketches that Ana Gasteyer and Alec Baldwin did.
I seem to recall that they shot the end of each game with Alec saying first "that's it for Match Game", and then "Stay tuned for more Match Game" I guess, in case they decided to switch the order, but unlike Pyramid, they couldn't do the second half with a different panel because a second intro would take too long, unlike Pyramid which is much faster.
For the Chris Christie question, which had a brief Trump reference, Rosie did comment that she was glad she didn't have to participate in a Trump question. For some reason that remark was edited out.
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Regarding the ep that aired on July 17, Leslie Jones needed a tranquilizer shot real bad. Other than that, an enjoyable show.
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Regarding the ep that aired on July 17, Leslie Jones needed a tranquilizer shot real bad. Other than that, an enjoyable show.
There was some very questionable judging in that episode as well (I would not have accepted Bikini for 'down there'). Leslie at times was channeling Nell "That's A Very Good Answer" Carter, and her trying to steer the entire panel into the same answers on several occasions was really going overboard. Here's hoping she is never invited back.
Now that there have been episodes without Rosie O'Donnell, I have to say I kind of missed her in the Brett Somers Memorial Chair this week, although Mrs.RFK, Jr. was okay and the calmest among the females by far last night.
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There was some very questionable judging in that episode as well (I would not have accepted Bikini for 'down there').
Why not?
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I thought it was a stretch too to match bikini with vagina... (bikinis also cover the upper region), even Alec thought so. Also, Jack's answer "tea" for "drink" breaks the "general answers do not match specifics". It would've been a problem if the panel all had different drinks, like prune juice or orange juice, they'd have to match it since they matched "tea". I think somehow the producers know what the panel writes down, because I think they would've decided that the audience would be confused how all these different liquids are considered a match and decide not to match the answers. This was a problem with MG 98 too because there was too much leeway about what was a match and not.
With MG's current format, there's no reason for the panel to be sure they have the same answer UNLESS the player NEEDS to match ALL to win. The first round should be "anything goes"... if you can't think of an answer, copy from someone, but other than that, just go with your gut and come up with an answer on your own.
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I think somehow the producers know what the panel writes down, because I think they would've decided that the audience would be confused how all these different liquids are considered a match and decide not to match the answers. This was a problem with MG 98 too because there was too much leeway about what was a match and not.
One of the episodes I saw tape had what I'd call a full blown melt-down over an answer from a celebrity as to if it should be deemed a match. The judges waited for quite a while then deemed it not a match. The panel, audience and Alec all protested and they ended up reversing their decision. They ended up doing a re-shoot of that celebrity revealing his/her answer after they were done taping the episode. The delay from when the answer was revealed to when they initially said it was not a match makes me think they don't know what the panelists write.
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You don't wax the "upper region" when you get a bikini wax. Difference.
I agree with the judging but wouldn't have cared one way or another if they wanted the more exact phrasing.
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The interesting thing about this episode is that during the taping, Colleen actually did achieve a tie in round 2 after matching all the celebrities. They went to the tiebreaker round, and coincidently, Shaun matched all 6 again. So the question shown on air in round 2 was actually the one she had from the tiebreaker round. (If you look at the wide shots of the contestant area during that question, you can see that they blacked out the round number on the question holder, although at last once you can see the reflection of "TIE" on the table.) Since ultimately the outcome of the game was the same, there's technically no harm no foul... but I thought it would have been a better episode with the full tie left in. However, I'm not sure they could have easily condensed everything else down to have the time to show it.
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For anyone else who was curious, here's a screen grab from just after Colleen answered showing the "TIE" reflection:
(http://i63.tinypic.com/o7lxl2.jpg)
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So, wait, rather than just adopt the quickie PM/98 tiebreaker and trim a little bit off the first two rounds in post, they dump the entire second round from the broadcast and replace on the sly with a full tiebreaker round? First off, does no one associated with this program have a rulesheet written after 1974? And second, what do they do if a player scores in Round 1, and then there's a tie after Round 2? Send everyone home and strike the set?
EDIT: So they cut half of the second round and replaced it with half of the tiebreak? That's arguably more convoluted and dumber.
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EDIT: So they cut half of the second round and replaced it with half of the tiebreak? That's arguably more convoluted and dumber.
Basically, though Shaun had matched everyone in round 1 so he wasn't asked a question in round 2. So they presented half of the tiebreaker round as the one question asked in round 2.
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I, too, looked at "Bikini" as the article of clothing and not what the article of clothing was covering. I forget who said "Bikini Area", but that I'd match as it was meant to describe the vaginal area.
Remember that this was a Dumb Dora question, and I could envision ol' Dora wanting her two-piece bikini waxed, and not her bikini area waxed.
BTW, thanks for the behind-the-scenes observations and the great catch on the TIE screengrab.
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Anybody who is arguing *against* "bikini" hasn't seen a lot of bikini waxes. Read into that what you will.
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Yet again, Mr. Lemon makes me bust out laughing.
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Anybody who is arguing *against* "bikini" hasn't seen a lot of bikini waxes. Read into that what you will.
The definitive answer.
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The exact wording of the question was "she has her _____ waxed". Since "wax" was in the question, I don't see a reason to have to put it on the answer card, even if you're using the word "wax" as a noun instead of verb.
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Was this round one or two?
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The interesting thing about this episode is that during the taping, Colleen actually did achieve a tie in round 2 after matching all the celebrities. They went to the tiebreaker round, and coincidently, Shaun matched all 6 again. So the question shown on air in round 2 was actually the one she had from the tiebreaker round. (If you look at the wide shots of the contestant area during that question, you can see that they blacked out the round number on the question holder, although at last once you can see the reflection of "TIE" on the table.) Since ultimately the outcome of the game was the same, there's technically no harm no foul... but I thought it would have been a better episode with the full tie left in. However, I'm not sure they could have easily condensed everything else down to have the time to show it.
If they can't get six questions in a show, they're just not trying. Though, come to think of it, I was at that same taping; they probably *couldn't* get six questions in a show without taking a coffee break to sober up. That's disappointing.
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Was this round one or two?
It was round two.
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I may be making this up totally, but I recall a question about how sane people get their baby's shoes bronzed, but Dumb Donald getting his blank bronzed instead, and the primo answer was gold medal, which makes me chuckle a little. I think I would have struck out on the question we're discussing unless there was something that pointed toward a part of the body or more than just wax in general, but I wouldn't have tried out for MG in the first place, I'd try out for the show that precedes it.
/They wouldn't need to get six in. They could play the speed-up tie-break that has been referred to.
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Okay, here's the deal:
There were two reasonable answers here: "legs" and some form of "vajayjay", because those are the two parts of the body a woman stereotypically has waxed. And the nature of MG is to reward the contestant who has the sack to go for the somewhat racier answer, so yeah, they're gonna be somewhat more generous there and accept "bikini" assuming the celebrity wanted to get the point across without actually writing down "p***y" or what have you.
And, again, to complain about it points out that you really don't have a good idea what a bikini wax actually is, which if you are over the age of about 20 you probably don't want to call attention to in a public forum.
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I wasn't arguing the point because I didn't see the episode, I was asking for clarification because I hadn't seen the episode.
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I wasn't arguing the point because I didn't see the episode, I was asking for clarification because I hadn't seen the episode.
Not suggesting you were. Just feels like the point is being belabored a little in general, and I wanted to make the point about racier answers enjoying more leniency.
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So her question was certainly very easy to 6/6 on, which brings up another question. What was the first tiebreak question and why was it so easy that the guy could get 6/6 on it? As much as some people have had problems with the differing difficulties of the questions in Round 2 in this series, I find it very odd that they would put two questions in a tiebreaker that would essentially force another tiebreaker.
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I appreciate those who were able to get the point across without resorting to CAPS LOCK in place of bold or run-on sentences.
Sure, it's their game and if the rules allow for it then I've no beef. I do however find it a touch silly that they can't squeeze out some of the happy talk to play a tie-break if it came to it. Since neither Nick Mahut nor John Isner will be contestants it could be done quickly.
I guess I'll belabor this because I'm here, but the big turn-off for me and why I bailed out after the first week is that the humor is similar to a game of Cards Against Humanity: forced crudeness and "yup, you went there" rather than cleverness.
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Knowing that they cut out part of the tiebreaker round for the sake of saving time, one way they could've left in the tiebreaker was to cut away some of Leslie's antics... okay some people may think it's funny, so it was left in, but still, it was overkill. Then again, maybe leaving it in would give reason to NOT have her on again. Of course the 70s version had its fair share of bad panelists, but they had to do 5 shows, plus one more for the PM version. Names that come to mind, Alex Karras (looked bored, didn't want to be there), Don Adams (he's just not funny when he's himself), Robert Morse (gave away TWO answers, and also hinted at an answer when he acted like a monkey, and his answer was "ape")
Also, I thought the question writing for this episode was better, and more in line with the classic MG 70s type questions. Yes there's always room for improvement but I anticipate the show will get better. Looking forward to seeing Jason Alexander on the show.
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So her question was certainly very easy to 6/6 on, which brings up another question. What was the first tiebreak question and why was it so easy that the guy could get 6/6 on it? As much as some people have had problems with the differing difficulties of the questions in Round 2 in this series, I find it very odd that they would put two questions in a tiebreaker that would essentially force another tiebreaker.
Aside from the last question (which scored 5 points for "bikini area" and 1 for "legs"), every single celebrity matched every other celebrity on every single question of the match. I think the celebrities were conferring a lot more than usual to share answers, which might have had something to do with it.
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Looking forward to seeing Jason Alexander on the show.
Tonight's show also features Niecy Nash, David Alan Grier and Sheryl Crow.
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I liked it when Jason walked over to the contestant who said "hair." For the Super Match, I would have struck out with FACE _____. I would've said Face to face or Face the music, neither of which made the top three. For the other Super Match, I would've said "French fries" over "French kiss." and for the Head to Head, I would have said Wonder Bread over Wonder Woman.
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In the spirit of the "contesants on other shows" posts that used to happen years ago, I give you "furniture on other shows": The chairs used on the Match Game set appear to be the same model as the famous chair on the set of Mastermind.
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The show airing on 8/1 was the show where I sat behind the celebs. Behind the triangles that light up red and green are holes that hold the celebs glasses of water - or whatever.
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Behind the triangles that light up red and green are holes that hold the celebs glasses of water - or whatever.
I've seen wine quite a few times. :P
There's a behind the scenes pic somewhere that shows that side of the desks.
The show has gotten kinda predictable, in that, if it comes down to a potential tie and the contestant trails by 1......they're most likely gonna lose by 1 because the tying celeb always gives an off the wall answer.
/At least Ali "offered" to write the contestant a check