The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: ET206 on January 16, 2017, 02:04:43 AM
-
What are some gimmicks that some shows do that really don't add to the game itself that you find annoying? Here are a few in my opinion:
*Mama Doris (Anthony Anderson's mom) on TTTT
*George Gray's "Morning, Mama Mae!" (Although I'm being a hypocrite here because I like Allen Ludden's "Hi, Doll!")
*Drew doing the "1...2...3" with the reveals
*"The fact of the matter..." (early days of PYL when Peter revealed the answers)
*TJW audience game
*families giving Richard useless gifts on FF
*the Tootsie Pop trees on FF.
-
Mama Doris is fine to me. I've been watching the second season and she's not as dominant as she was in the first season. She doesn't even "keep score" anymore.
George Gray's greetings could use some variety here. Allen didn't ALWAYS say "Hi Doll!"
Oh yes... the 1,2,3 reveals... that and many other crutch phrases Drew has that he just won't give a rest.
Never noticed that about Peter.
I was always on the fence about the TJW audience game. When there was an entertaining contestant, Jack was fun with them, and showed more enthusiasm than he did with the main game players. I think as the series progressed after 1982, he was obviously becoming more tired of the show. When the audience players were more "run of the mill", then the whole thing felt like a waste of time.
Family Feud- The gifts did get ridiculous. Perhaps they were encouraged because it gave Richard more reason to stretch before actually starting the game. The last 2 seasons of Feud, for me, were painful to watch because it was obvious Richard was tiring of the show. He was running out of funny things to say, so the gifts gave him material.
The Lollipop trees- Richard gave lollipops to family members, friends, and staff as a kind gesture. He also remembered everyone's birthdays and was generous with gifts, which is likely why when it was Richard's birthday, the staff always did something nice for him on the air. Interestingly enough, for the first week there was only ONE lollipop tree that both families picked from, until Richard asked why each family couldn't have one, and the following week there were two. The lollipop trees, IMO, didn't really interfere with the game, they just signaled "the beginning of the end" for those that watch the game in reruns.
-
The Momma Mae thing does grate- it just doesn't feel natural.
Drew's 1-2-3 bit is old. but it's miles better than "Hold my hand and say Alakazam".
The Prize Puzzle is an annoying gimmick to me.
-
Here are a few more
Richard Karn- "Drawing first blood"... "TRIPLE THE POINTS"... I'll give Karn credit for one thing though, the Halloween shows were fun because he would host in character, which was more interesting than Karn as himself.
TTTT- During the last season of TTTT, they would have a celebrity's spouse as a subject for the first game. However, the panel was also allowed to question the celebrity before the actual game started. For me, this took away from what the premise of the game was.
Tattletales- Representative members of the audience play a round- For a week of shows only, a representative audience member from each section played a question. The round was played similarly to the main game of Mindreaders. Each celeb was asked a question that they had to answer "yes" or "no", and they simply picked one of the answers secretly. If the audience member could correctly predict the celeb's answer, their section won some money. I'm not sure if this came before or after Mindreaders, but one thing it did do was slow down the game. If you thought the buzz in format was slow, this was slower. Thankfully they never did that again after that week.
-
*Drew doing the "1...2...3" with the reveals
Barker did the same kind of thing, only he'd draw it out more.
The STYD bits where the announcer cross-dressed and modeled the prizes were quite annoying.
-
The pregnant pause when revealing information. Match Game now does it sometimes for the Super Match, and it's not as bad as a show like, say, Deal or No Deal. But it's noticeable enough to where I shake my fist at the TV. What's even more irksome is that I see this trend on reality shows now, on HGTV for instance.
When John O'Hurley hosted Feud they had audience sections on either side of the game board, and some audience members would hold signs rooting for whatever family. It was a very weird idea that I wanna say was inspired by American Idol. IIRC, someone on this board said it was simply an idea the Feud staff threw at the wall, to see if it would stick.
The cross-dressing announcer schtick on STYD creeped me out, esp. when he'd play a grandma.
-
When John O'Hurley hosted Feud they had audience sections on either side of the game board, and some audience members would hold signs rooting for whatever family. It was a very weird idea that I wanna say was inspired by American Idol. IIRC, someone on this board said it was simply an idea the Feud staff threw at the wall, to see if it would stick.
I recall seeing prospective families holding up signs as well, and always thought it weird that one would root for a family that could be their next opponents.
-
When John O'Hurley hosted Feud they had audience sections on either side of the game board, and some audience members would hold signs rooting for whatever family. It was a very weird idea that I wanna say was inspired by American Idol. IIRC, someone on this board said it was simply an idea the Feud staff threw at the wall, to see if it would stick.
That's probably the worst offender in one of my annoyances: the modern on camera audiences shtick. Having the audience on camera is an integral part of some shows (Price, Let's Make a Deal) and a byproduct of regular directing (Dawson Feud, Press Your Luck), but once Millionaire came on the scene, it seemed every show just had to find a way to get an observing audience on camera far more often than it needed to be. The trend seems to have curbed a bit. Pyramid last summer didn't spend a whole lot of time trying to get the audience in view (unlike the pilots they did a few years back where they sat the audience on both sides of the set).
When I think of the other side, anything taped at Burbank back in the day seemed to virtually never have the audience on camera, outside of maybe a ticket plug. Did they ever show the audience for such shows a Blockbusters and Sale of the Century?
-
When I think of the other side, anything taped at Burbank back in the day seemed to virtually never have the audience on camera, outside of maybe a ticket plug. Did they ever show the audience for such shows a Blockbusters and Sale of the Century?
Scrabble is the only NBC show from that era that I can think of. Password Plus would show the audience for ticket plugs, but other than that, I can't recall anything else.
-
When I think of the other side, anything taped at Burbank back in the day seemed to virtually never have the audience on camera, outside of maybe a ticket plug. Did they ever show the audience for such shows a Blockbusters and Sale of the Century?
I want to say "Bullseye" did a few times. "Super Password" did on some occasions (I can cite the finale intro and Natalie Steele's ToC win, for starters). I *wish* SoTC did for lot wins.....but as far as I know, they never did.
And then there's "Your Number's Up", where the audience was quite integral to the gameplay......(ETA: And how dare I forget early LMAD!!)
Drew's 1-2-3 bit is old. but it's miles better than "Hold my hand and say Alakazam".
Am I the only one who liked the "Alakazam" bit?
-
One of my biggest annoyances is any "10 member"-based question on Card Sharks. However, I'm not sure if there's unanimity on this being a gimmick.
-
When I think of the other side, anything taped at Burbank back in the day seemed to virtually never have the audience on camera, outside of maybe a ticket plug. Did they ever show the audience for such shows a Blockbusters and Sale of the Century?
I want to say "Bullseye" did a few.times.
Bullseye did it more after the move from NBC to CBS TV City to show their flashing sign in the audience.
-
One of my biggest annoyances is any "10 member"-based question on Card Sharks. However, I'm not sure if there's unanimity on this being a gimmick.
At least you're naming something that was dreamed up to jazz up the show and not just "a thing I don't like".
I mentioned this in the A/V Room a month ago, but I wish there was a way to do it faster, but when your host is born to have funny conversations with people in the backdrop of a light game, it's a big ask. I'd even be OK with first question of the day and then the car question (which means the match changes from best-of-three, but that can be worked around)--I think that goes to the problem. Your coordinator finds ten lottery millionaires or retirees or umpires and you want to make use of them, but it can't be at expense of the original article too much.
-
It's not just game shows, but coming back from a commercial break and showing the same ~10 seconds of footage that was run going into the break. One of the things I always hated about The Amazing Race.
-
Any time there's a pause or slowdown in the action for the sole purpose of "Let's watch the set change around!" Something like a brief chat between the host and the match winner on Card Sharks while everything moves around to the Money Cards is one thing, but ever since everyone started emulating Millionaire with the dramatic music and change of lighting at the start of every game, it seems like it' was everywhere for a while. I suspect it's an unpopular opinion, but I'd include the backdrop parting for the Gauntlet of Villians to be in this.
-
I suspect it's an unpopular opinion, but I'd include the backdrop parting for the Gauntlet of Villians to be in this.
Completely apropos of nothing at all, are your affairs in order?
/I agree that it's a bit overmuch, but it's a cartoon game show that beats you over the head with everything.
//serious question: would you prefer if they went to break as the partitions split and come back with Tom and champion at the starting line?
///I love it on Whew! and hate it on the two most recent Pyramids.
-
ever since everyone started emulating Millionaire with the dramatic music and change of lighting at the start of every game, it seems like it' was everywhere for a while.
During the Pyramid taping I was at last spring, the celebrities had a rehearsal game with one of the producers and two other staffers. (Side note: this was where it was revealed the default preference was to have a contestant giver in the Winner Circle, so they had responsibility if an illegal clue was given.) While they were going through the motions for the Winner's Circle, he mentioned the "DiPirro Push" or words to that effect -- essentially, the director's signature light cue/zoom.
-
Any time there's a pause or slowdown in the action for the sole purpose of "Let's watch the set change around!" Something like a brief chat between the host and the match winner on Card Sharks while everything moves around to the Money Cards is one thing, but ever since everyone started emulating Millionaire with the dramatic music and change of lighting at the start of every game, it seems like it' was everywhere for a while. I suspect it's an unpopular opinion, but I'd include the backdrop parting for the Gauntlet of Villians to be in this.
I think that was more or less every Jay Wolpert show, or a vast majority of them. Yeah, it was a lot of chrome, for what's merely the backdrop rotating or moving.
/Complete with musical number
-
I can forgive a whole lot of Jay Wolpert's sins given that he put such a premium on the game as opposed to now where we have theatrics and stretching to cover for the fact that there's not much there there.
-
//serious question: would you prefer if they went to break as the partitions split and come back with Tom and champion at the starting line?
I wouldn't even have minded if they came back from the break on the runway and had to walk back to the starting line. It's something weirdly specific about the combination of the pause and the set change, but not either one without the other.
Also, I had considered singling out Second Chance/Press Your Luck lingering on the wide shot of the desk rotating around before going into a break as an example of showing off in the same way without killing the momentum of the show specifically for the sake of watching it happen, so I could hardly object to a hypothetical situation doing the same thing.
-
At a taping of one of the first season episodes of Match Game last year before the celebrities came out they had the audience do reaction shots. They had us laugh, clap, boo, act happy, act sad, etc. I had been to several other tapings of both season 1 and 2 episodes and they only filmed us once. I never did see them use the audience reaction shots in the episodes.
-
I *wish* SoTC did for lot wins.....but as far as I know, they never did.
I've wondered what kind of audiences, besides pending contestants and contestant "fan clubs," Sale had. I've gotten through much of the syndie version and for a show of that era, there's an unusual amount of noticeable sweetening, everything from cheers to guffaws.
-
I *wish* SoTC did for lot wins.....but as far as I know, they never did.
I've wondered what kind of audiences, besides pending contestants and contestant "fan clubs," Sale had. I've gotten through much of the syndie version and for a show of that era, there's an unusual amount of noticeable sweetening, everything from cheers to guffaws.
I kind of wonder myself, actually. SOTC seemed like it was done in somewhat of a "not live" fashion, especially shopping round segments and the like. Studio audiences may not have been comfortable with that at the time (though, as we all know, times have changed in that regard).
Bringing this thread back to the original topic.....I caught TPiR today (it's only once in a blue moon that I watch any of it these days) and was reminded of the "Winner" license plate bit. Never liked it when it started....don't like it now.
-
I was going to have a bit of fun at the expense of our estate agent of fictional places, but then I remembered the stage rising bit from Million Dollar Password and how fatuous I thought it was. I could quibble with the contestant island rotating on Press Your Luck because television is supposed to be a visual medium and you want to see stuff moving. Earlier today I thought of John McEnroe proclaiming "It's game time!" as the flames licked higher and the title bit of furniture moved into place, or Brad Sherwood intoning "This is your big moment" as the drum hit accompanied the lights being dimmed and I think the difference is that some elements are meant to draw attention or to punctuate that something is about to happen, and others are done by necessity, design or they look cool. You could have new contestants on Match Game walk on set and sit down, but it looks spiffy to have them twirl on set as Gene introduces them.
-
One gripe of mine is how many times Drew says "Good luck!" to everybody for everything. I'm sure it is with good intentions but it grates on my nerves when you hear "good luck" 60 times a show, give or take.
-
I could quibble with the contestant island rotating on Press Your Luck because television is supposed to be a visual medium and you want to see stuff moving.
The shots of the rotating contestant island was used more for "padding" than actual annoying game show gimmicks.
When the game play runs long, they would edit rotating set out and go right into commercial when Peter finishes his lines (and go right to Peter when coming back from commercial). When the game runs short, the rotating island stays in, and if they really needed to stretch they would show a poem on the screen.
-
That's probably the worst offender in one of my annoyances: the modern on camera audiences shtick. Having the audience on camera is an integral part of some shows (Price, Let's Make a Deal) and a byproduct of regular directing (Dawson Feud, Press Your Luck), but once Millionaire came on the scene, it seemed every show just had to find a way to get an observing audience on camera far more often than it needed to be. The trend seems to have curbed a bit. Pyramid last summer didn't spend a whole lot of time trying to get the audience in view (unlike the pilots they did a few years back where they sat the audience on both sides of the set).
This will date me: I went to a taping of The Money Maze (well, my family went too; I was 12 at the time), and Alan Kalter explained they could have just had the audience sit behind the maze out of camera range, but they wanted to convey the excitement of running the maze. Our job: being excited about the running of the maze, but also being silent while doing so, so as not to drown out the person calling out directions. Most of the audience got lots of screen time (we were at the edge of the camera sweep going into commercials, but we did get a family shot at the end of the second show).
When I think of the other side, anything taped at Burbank back in the day seemed to virtually never have the audience on camera, outside of maybe a ticket plug. Did they ever show the audience for such shows a Blockbusters and Sale of the Century?
Going to the 1960s New York-based NBC shows, I don't think we ever saw audience shots, mostly because those were some tiny studios. Based on the photos I've seen, I'm pretty sure it couldn't have been much more than 150 people.
-
Going to the 1960s New York-based NBC shows, I don't think we ever saw audience shots, mostly because those were some tiny studios. Based on the photos I've seen, I'm pretty sure it couldn't have been much more than 150 people.
"He Said She Said" panned through the audience during their intros.
As far as capacity.....150 sounds about right, at least for 6A and 6B (maybe 8G as well?).....I'm not sure about 8H's "official" capacity (SNL puts chairs on the floor for some of its audience).
-
SOTC seemed like it was done in somewhat of a "not live" fashion, especially shopping round segments and the like. Studio audiences may not have been comfortable with that at the time (though, as we all know, times have changed in that regard).
There was a certain amount to the show that wasn't live to tape. I know I read somewhere the prize plugs and accompanying B roll were all recorded at the start of the taping day and plugged into shows as needed (and in later tapings when they reused the same prize/theme setups). I'm sure I saw somewhere too that Jay Stewart's intros were recorded too and he didn't start live to tape until he said, "And now, here's the star of our show..." It becomes a lot easier on your editing department when they don't have to cover up live applause in the wrong places, which may have resulted them in instructing the audience to remain quiet by times. It's where the applause and cheers are clearly expected where they were sweetened that perplexes me.
It's especially evident as Jim makes his entrance. Pull up a few intros earlier in the syndie run and you'll hear the same chorus of "yay"s as Jim sprints across the stage.
-
Didn't Jay also do the "So far (contestant) has won X..." live at the start of the show? Also, is it true that he didn't start pre-recording his stuff until his voice started to struggle, so they had him pre-record things so he only had to say it once. I believe he may have done the prize plug for the Fame Game segments live too.
-
Didn't Jay also do the "So far (contestant) has won X..." live at the start of the show?... I believe he may have done the prize plug for the Fame Game segments live too.
Yes, I believe so. Sorry, I should have specified that. He did the precap, they played the intro tape, then continued live to tape with Jim's entrance, and the Fame Game plugs were done live as well.
At least as far as I can tell from all the episodes I've seen that's how it was done, but if somebody who knows the inner workings of Sale better than I do knows better, prove me wrong.
-
Going to the 1960s New York-based NBC shows, I don't think we ever saw audience shots, mostly because those were some tiny studios. Based on the photos I've seen, I'm pretty sure it couldn't have been much more than 150 people.
"He Said She Said" panned through the audience during their intros.
I didn't know that; thanks for the correction. Perhaps Buzzr will run a few episodes again this year for Valentine's Day. I have no memory of this show during its original run - I know it did run in New York, but I just didn't catch it. (In fairness, I was seven years old when it went off the air.)
-
When I think of the other side, anything taped at Burbank back in the day seemed to virtually never have the audience on camera, outside of maybe a ticket plug. Did they ever show the audience for such shows a Blockbusters and Sale of the Century?
Scrabble is the only NBC show from that era that I can think of. Password Plus would show the audience for ticket plugs, but other than that, I can't recall anything else.
CS did too. And there were a few weeks in the spring of 1979 where CS made a concerted effort to show a spouse in the audience during the Money Cards. P+ also showed the audience when nobody solved the puzzle or got the fifth password.
I don't ever remember $otC showing the audience, which led me to wonder either on this board or one of our earlier iterations whether they actually had one. Matt O. set me straight.
/Because he's Matt O., and he can do that.
-
When I think of the other side, anything taped at Burbank back in the day seemed to virtually never have the audience on camera, outside of maybe a ticket plug. Did they ever show the audience for such shows a Blockbusters and Sale of the Century?
Scrabble is the only NBC show from that era that I can think of. Password Plus would show the audience for ticket plugs, but other than that, I can't recall anything else.
CS did too. And there were a few weeks in the spring of 1979 where CS made a concerted effort to show a spouse in the audience during the Money Cards. P+ also showed the audience when nobody solved the puzzle or got the fifth password.
IIRC, CS also showed the audience giving Jim Perry a standing ovation when he entered for a milestone (I think it was his 3,000th game show episode).
Jim once noted a $ale contestant getting a standing ovation after winning the lot. I was really surprised they didn't show the audience then.
-
I don't ever remember $otC showing the audience, which led me to wonder either on this board or one of our earlier iterations whether they actually had one.
Someone once asked Mitt Dawson if they did on one of his videos, and he replied in the affirmative. Also, in some of the later episodes Jim shouts out school groups and the like who came to see the show.
-
Other NBC Burbank games (that I can think of) that regularly showed the audience:
You Don't Say! (during the intro)
Let's Make a Deal (well, of course)
Celebrity Sweepstakes
Mindreaders (audience game)
To Tell the Truth '90 (audience game)
Among East Coast NBC shows, Concentration often did pans of the audience at the midpoint of episodes.
OTOH, there were CBS shows that rarely or never seemed to show the audience -- Gambit (in the surviving episodes I've seen), Pyramid and Pass the Buck, to name a few. Now You See It sometimes showed the audience, but I don't recall Double Dare doing so. What about Whew?
-
IIRC, CS also showed the audience giving Jim Perry a standing ovation when he entered for a milestone (I think it was his 3,000th game show episode).
They did the same thing for Bert Convy on the Super Password finale. A standing ovation, that is.
-
Not a gimmick, but for some reason, it bugs me that on Match Game Alec calls the bonus round "Super Match" instead of "the (big money) Super Match". It's so minor and I'm prolly the only one who notices it, but it bugs me.
-
So here's something for you--the "big money" is only $5,000 more than what you could win on the two years of Match Game PM with the star wheel or the syndicated daily version. At the beginning I looked askance at the money amounts for the Audience Match portion, but there's no carryover, no other place to win money, so it's not so bad. I still wish they had the wheel and the chance at fifty grand.
-
I kind of liked the audience game on The Joker's Wild just because it changed up the rhythm. What drove me nuts is asking if they wanted to quit and take the money after every bonus round spin. We're talking $500, not $5000 a point as on Twenty-One.
-
I kind of liked the audience game on The Joker's Wild just because it changed up the rhythm. What drove me nuts is asking if they wanted to quit and take the money after every bonus round spin. We're talking $500, not $5000 a point as on Twenty-One.
The one thing you can give Jack Barry credit for is that he knew how to crack the whip about it. Even Wink Martindale moved along the Beat the Dragon game--even though they were utterly random and silly at least they kept going forward.
-
Not really a gimmick, but
"Welcome to Family Feud everybody...I'm your man Steve Harvey and we've got a good one for you today..."
He says that at the beginning of every show. I guess he must think they're all good.
-
Not really a gimmick, but
"Welcome to Family Feud everybody...I'm your man Steve Harvey and we've got a good one for you today..."
On that subject, when not so very long ago the very first words spoken each episode were, "This is Joey Fatone." And the fact an ex-member of '90s boy band is now doing recorded voiceovers to serve as your announcer is that big a deal because...?
-
"Hi, I'm your wacky host Sinatra. Welcome to another condescending and craptacular episode of Thousand Dollar Bee where we won't give away any money or prizes."
I get what you mean, but he's not going to throw shade on the show that employs him.
-
I get what you mean, but he's not going to throw shade on the show that employs him.
No, but he's supposed to be a comedian. He could say something that's supposed to be funny. He doesn't have to just read the prompter.
-
I get what you mean, but he's not going to throw shade on the show that employs him.
No, but he's supposed to be a comedian. He could say something that's supposed to be funny. He doesn't have to just read the prompter.
Bob Barker said "welcome to the Price Is Right" or "I welcome you to the Price Is Right" for how many years?
-
Bob Barker said "welcome to the Price Is Right" or "I welcome you to the Price Is Right" for how many years?
Thirty-five, but he didn't say, "I'm your host Bob Barker, and we've got a good show for you today," everyday.
-
Not really a gimmick, but
"Welcome to Family Feud everybody...I'm your man Steve Harvey and we've got a good one for you today..."
He says that at the beginning of every show. I guess he must think they're all good.
A similar sentiment is expressed at the end of the Saturday Night Live monologue every week (not to mention certain late night talk show monologues), so I've gotten used to that.
However, what irks me is that this season on Feud, he now pauses after "I'm your man Steve Harvey" so the audience will give him an additional round of applause. Sometimes he leads the applause himself.
-
Not really a gimmick, but
"Welcome to Family Feud everybody...I'm your man Steve Harvey and we've got a good one for you today..."
He says that at the beginning of every show. I guess he must think they're all good.
A similar sentiment is expressed at the end of the Saturday Night Live monologue every week (not to mention certain late night talk show monologues), so I've gotten used to that.
However, what irks me is that this season on Feud, he now pauses after "I'm your man Steve Harvey" so the audience will give him an additional round of applause. Sometimes he leads the applause himself.
I dunno if they do it anymore, but when the second player comes out for Fast Money, Steve will say "Your partner did pretty well...(s)he got you 142 points...", and the audience will cheer................like they didn't just see the partner score 142 points two minutes ago! I'm beginning to think the audience coordinators think silence would make the show seem boring.
-
I dunno if they do it anymore, but when the second player comes out for Fast Money, Steve will say "Your partner did pretty well...(s)he got you 142 points...", and the audience will cheer................like they didn't just see the partner score 142 points two minutes ago! I'm beginning to think the audience coordinators think silence would make the show seem boring.
I think somebody around here timed it out once that the Family Feud audience responds with cheers, applause or both about every fifteen seconds, or some small amount of time like that.
It's been symptomatic in the industry for quite some time now if your game is not "serious business." At the Wheel tapings I attended a few years ago, I tried to keep up with all the points where you'd hear the audience applause. Before the end of six shows, my wrists hurt.
/Strangely enough, one place where they don't want you to applaud is when the bonus wheel is spinning. The applause you hear then watching the show is a hundred-percent canned.
-
Bob Barker said "welcome to the Price Is Right" or "I welcome you to the Price Is Right" for how many years?
Thirty-five, but he didn't say, "I'm your host Bob Barker, and we've got a good show for you today," everyday.
It's the same damn thing.
-
It's the same damn thing.
No, it's not. It's one thing to send a greeting. It's another to fall on a crutch of feigned enthusiasm every show. Harvey does that. Barker didn't.
-
"... a chance to win <dollar amount>!!." (Cheers and applause for dollar amount).
-
He could say something that's supposed to be funny.
This pretty much sums up Steve Harvey for me.
-
Not really a gimmick, but
"Welcome to Family Feud everybody...I'm your man Steve Harvey and we've got a good one for you today..."
He says that at the beginning of every show. I guess he must think they're all good.
Just like at the beginning of a good chunk of The Jokers Wild episodes when Jack Barry said, "On our last program we crowned a brand new champion". It made it sound like there was some formal ceremony off-camera where the new champion was given a Queen For a Day treatment for beating the current king of the hill (robe, scepter, crown,...).
-
It's the same damn thing.
No, it's not. It's one thing to send a greeting. It's another to fall on a crutch of feigned enthusiasm every show.
Again not seeing one iota of difference between the two examples or the citation of Jack Barry's opening spiel that preceded this response.
-
Again not seeing one iota of difference between the two examples or the citation of Jack Barry's opening spiel that preceded this response.
The way I see them is like this:
* Bob's line is a standard game show greeting.
* Jack's line is a quick catch-up for viewers and/or audience members who may not have seen the previous show.
* Steve's line is a declaration of quality for an episode that's barely started (and/or a game that hasn't started yet).
-
Just like at the beginning of a good chunk of The Jokers Wild episodes when Jack Barry said, "On our last program we crowned a brand new champion". It made it sound like there was some formal ceremony off-camera where the new champion was given a Queen For a Day treatment for beating the current king of the hill (robe, scepter, crown,...).
That'z just silly talk.
We're already far afield from annoying gimmicks anyway--let's not devolve into making crap up.
-
I dunno if they do it anymore, but when the second player comes out for Fast Money, Steve will say "Your partner did pretty well...(s)he got you 142 points...", and the audience will cheer................like they didn't just see the partner score 142 points two minutes ago! I'm beginning to think the audience coordinators think silence would make the show seem boring.
Very similar to what they do on TPIR, having the audience "applaud" after the prize descriptions are done. Every. Single. Time.
Tyshaun
-
* Jack's line is a quick catch-up for viewers and/or audience members who may not have seen the previous show.
At least it's a cordial welcome to the program.
-
* Steve's line is a declaration of quality for an episode that's barely started (and/or a game that hasn't started yet).
Yeah, they should record the open after the fact, when they know, and insert it in post.
"Hi, I'm Steve Harvey, and do we have a real turd sandwich of a show for you today."
-
* Jack's line is a quick catch-up for viewers and/or audience members who may not have seen the previous show.
At least it's a cordial welcome to the program.
All told, a great observation.
-
Again not seeing one iota of difference between the two examples or the citation of Jack Barry's opening spiel that preceded this response.
The way I see them is like this:
* Bob's line is a standard game show greeting.
* Jack's line is a quick catch-up for viewers and/or audience members who may not have seen the previous show.
* Steve's line is a declaration of quality for an episode that's barely started (and/or a game that hasn't started yet).
Plus (and this is the part that's been glossed over), there is no reason for him to need to say his name again. The announcer just said it 15 seconds prior. I could see there being a need in the first season to increase recognition around the name, but you can't escape Steve Harvey on television now. It's a canned line that needs to be 86'd yesterday.
-
"Hi, I'm Steve Harvey, and do we have a real turd sandwich of a show for you today."
(https://cdn.meme.am/cache/images/folder261/300x/16669261.jpg)
"We have a terrible show for you today... Not!"
-
Very similar to what they do on TPIR, having the audience "applaud" after the prize descriptions are done. Every. Single. Time.
Oh, they don't even wait until they're done. If they're moving between prize plugs in Most Expensive, the audience is cued to chime in.
Unnecessary as it is, it was amusing when I was an audience member to watch Scott Robinson, standing at the edge of the stage, throw his hands up and shout "yay!" each time we were supposed to show some oomph.
-
Plus (and this is the part that's been glossed over), there is no reason for him to need to say his name again. The announcer just said it 15 seconds prior.
I believe I've noticed this with "Big Fan", except it was a lot less than 15 seconds prior. :P
-
Pat Sajak has always had a drier wit than other hosts out there, but his dryness just seems...I don't know...tired. It may just be me, but it seems like he's been going through the motions for a while now.
-
Pat Sajak has always had a drier wit than other hosts out there, but his dryness just seems...I don't know...tired. It may just be me, but it seems like he's been going through the motions for a while now.
I have been really enjoying Wheel of Fortune of late, since I tell the Tivo to grab the last ten minutes before Jeopardy. So I usually get the $3,000 Toss-up, round four/final spin and the bonus puzzle.
-
Pat Sajak has always had a drier wit than other hosts out there, but his dryness just seems...I don't know...tired. It may just be me, but it seems like he's been going through the motions for a while now.
I've actually found him to be more enjoyable this season, but it definitely depends on the contestants. If he gets some more lively contestants, he seems to have a much more enjoyable time.
I felt the same way about Alex Trebek last year, but this season, he, too, has been more engaging and amusing.
-
I've been watching a lot of Les Dennis Family Fortunes on YouTube lately, and I've noticed that before each of the first three rounds, Les always says "Let's play Family Fortunes!" You'd think that for the second and third round he'd say something like, "Let's play" or "Let's go to the next round" just to switch it up.
-
I've noticed that before each of the first three rounds, Les always says "Let's play Family Fortunes!" You'd think that for the second and third round he'd say something like, "Let's play" or "Let's go to the next round" just to switch it up.
That's very much a British thing. Very repetitive, reliable presentation from show to show.
-
Item fails the "gimmicks" hurdle.
-
That's very much a British thing. Very repetitive, reliable presentation from show to show.
I was thinking of this, too, because we Yanks picked it up. Regis did it. Anne Robinson did it, albeit without the applause. Alec does it now on Match Game.
-
Ready, set. Off ya go!
-
Ready, set. Off ya go!
This was another one that got old quick, IMO. I know it's not much different than when Dick Clark would say "Ready/Here is your first subject..........Go!", but for Craig it felt more like a crutch.
-
Ready, set. Off ya go!
This was another one that got old quick, IMO. I know it's not much different than when Dick Clark would say "Ready/Here is your first subject..........Go!", but for Craig it felt more like a crutch.
Not as bad as when Craig comes out of commercials saying, "Welcome back to Celebrity Name Game I'm CraigFergusonandWeareinthemiddleofanexcitinggameandRobbleRobble RAWRRR!!!"
-
Ready, set. Off ya go!
This was another one that got old quick, IMO. I know it's not much different than when Dick Clark would say "Ready/Here is your first subject..........Go!", but for Craig it felt more like a crutch.
I have a weird suspicion that Dick saying "Ready....Go" was also tied to when they'd show the clock at 30 seconds on the screen ("ready") and "Go" is when the first word would appear. I remember a time or two when he'd say "Ready........" and no clock would show and he'd say "Stand-by....". Once 30 seconds appeared then he'd proceed with "Go". Just a random thought.
I also love the "here is your first subject.....go!". Dick always said it with some authority and made it seem more grand.
-
Alec's efforts to build drama by saying "You'll go on to play Super Match for......twentyfivethousanddollars!"
He's started to yell it this season, and it's even more annoying.
-
Alec's efforts to build drama by saying "You'll go on to play Super Match for......twentyfivethousanddollars!"
Complete with obligatory jib shot.
Why didn't I post this earlier???
-
Alec's efforts to build drama by saying "You'll go on to play Super Match for......twentyfivethousanddollars!"
He's started to yell it this season, and it's even more annoying.
Maybe he's afraid that the Weasel is going to pop out from behind the board and say that due to budget cuts the top prize has been reduced to $9,998.
-
Alec's efforts to build drama by saying "You'll go on to play Super Match for......twentyfivethousanddollars!"
Alec says it that way because he's being sarcastic.
-
Alec's efforts to build drama by saying "You'll go on to play Super Match for......twentyfivethousanddollars!"
Alec says it that way because he's being sarcastic.
What's sarcastic about that?
-
I guess if you use $500s as toilet roll, then any amount of money you can describe is worthy of an eye roll.
-
Not a gimmick, but I noticed that on some Fremantle shows, they now like to keep the contestants' or celebrities' mics open during the credits. I haven't figured out if it's annoying or just distracting, but I'm not a big fan.
It seems too much like an "intentional" technical "error", esp. since the conversation is mostly inaudible small talk about whatever bonus round. It's a change that doesn't add anything to the show IMO.
-
I like this if true. Always liked Jim or Chuck or whoever talking about the previous round when going to commercial which you don't get much now with modern shows.
-
Alec's efforts to build drama by saying "You'll go on to play Super Match for......twentyfivethousanddollars!"
Alec says it that way because he's being sarcastic.
What's sarcastic about that?
Not the amount, but that he has to flog the prize money.
-
Alec's efforts to build drama by saying "You'll go on to play Super Match for......twentyfivethousanddollars!"
Alec says it that way because he's being sarcastic.
What's sarcastic about that?
Not the amount, but that he has to flog the prize money.
Okay...I see where you're coming from on that. Almost like he knows it's silly that he has to say that line.
-
Not a gimmick, but I noticed that on some Fremantle shows, they now like to keep the contestants' or celebrities' mics open during the credits. I haven't figured out if it's annoying or just distracting, but I'm not a big fan.
It seems too much like an "intentional" technical "error", esp. since the conversation is mostly inaudible small talk about whatever bonus round. It's a change that doesn't add anything to the show IMO.
That also happened on Cullen Pyramid, as they had a mill-around (unlike the Clark version) I was always worried that someone might say a bad word or something. :) It was a little frustrating as they sometimes would play the theme to it's conclusion but had crosstalk all over it.
-
I was always worried that someone might say a bad word or something. :)
That's always the trouble with prerecorded television. If only there was a way to dub over a bad word. Maybe just a little high-pitched tone, kind of like a "blip" or something.
-
Maybe a "cuckoo" sound. :)