Personally, I’m not offended by this incarnation. That said, I agree that I wish there was more game. The more “party” atmosphere for show is fine, but not fit for a 30-minute format. At the end of the day, I wonder if the average person is watching to watch people win money or to watch celebrities have fun.
A few things that bothered me. First, giving each square a seemingly random dollar worth doesn’t make sense to me. Second, Bob isn’t really phenomenal. The first three minutes of the episode was pretty much just him saying “[insert celebrity] is here!!!” Third, not that I’d expect it, but the fact that Caroline Rhea HAS done Hollywood Squares before could’ve maybe been mentioned. Fourth, making each question some kind of a “game” is cute for a couple of questions, but it got old. And fifth, I just don’t see how celebrity contestants makes this any better. There are already 9 (or in the case of the first episode, 10) celebrities — what does adding two more REALLY add to the game?
With that said, I really didn’t think it was atrocious. I also know I’m not really the audience, so I don’t know if I’ll keep watching.