"National Bingo Night"

[ChrisLambert!]

1. Poor planning that the "two words noone wants to hear" ("No Bingo!") include one word that, by itself, one wants to hear.

2. Why in Regis's name do they need a referee to announce there's no bingo? Wouldn't that be obvious?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'ChrisLambert!\' post=\'151445\' date=\'May 3 2007, 04:09 PM\']
2. Why in Regis's name do they need a referee to announce there's no bingo? Wouldn't that be obvious?
[/quote]
It looks like (and Gawd, I fervently hope this is the case, but then this is the network that passed on Poker Face in favor of Show Me Teh Shatner) the ref is being played for laughs.

Which begs the question, what the HELL are they doing using him in that context in the promo?

[xavier45]

I just don't see anyone watching this. To me it looks very boring.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'xavier45\' post=\'151455\' date=\'May 3 2007, 05:56 PM\']
I just don't see anyone watching this. To me it looks very boring.
[/quote]
Figured all of that out from a thirty-second flash-cut promo, did you?

[chad1m]

After watching (and in participating in) an episode, can you tell us if you think the program is remotely worth watching?

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Timsterino\' post=\'151460\' date=\'May 3 2007, 09:09 PM\']For a short time, yes. There is an audience participation element that will make the show engaging, at least for a moment or two. I found the show entertaining but not the most brain stimulating hour of television, then again neither is Deal or No Deal.
[/quote]
Exactly.  

Deal or No Deal is a game that doesn't ask anything of its contestants, is based completely on luck and builds to a relatively dramatic finish.  Just like bingo. I'm sure ABC powers-that-be see the similarities and are hoping to tap into the same appeal.  Even my wife gets it.  She said "It's not really bingo, it's like extreme bingo for kids."

Exactly.

[davidhammett]

[quote name=\'Timsterino\' post=\'151460\' date=\'May 3 2007, 08:09 PM\']
[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'151459\' date=\'May 3 2007, 09:05 PM\']
After watching (and in participating in) an episode, can you tell us if you think the program is remotely worth watching?
[/quote]
For a short time, yes. There is an audience participation element that will make the show engaging, at least for a moment or two. I found the show entertaining but not the most brain stimulating hour of television, then again neither is Deal or No Deal.
I have to see how it plays out on TV because they taped the contestants out of order. I will explain more later.
[/quote]
There will be two things that I think will make people watch the show, at least for a little while, if not longer -- first, the visual of the two and a half story bingo sphere -- and second, the chance to win at home as well (and by doing more than just texting a briefcase number).  And hopefully you'll find the contestants and the games they're playing interesting and/or entertaining as well!

Beyond that, you'll just have to watch!  :-)

[uncamark]

A fifty-page disclosure agreement?

What's on there--"If Audience Member reveals the outcome of any program, Producer will have the right to send Ed Sanders and a crew to his or her residence to tear the rooms apart and reclaim anything from our friends at Sears?"

[itiparanoid13]

I didn't have to sign any disclosure agreement.  ABC sent me a DVD of the first game.  The first contestant plays a game called "The Bingo 500".  All the contestant has to do is guess whether the next ball drawn will be higher or lower, press a button, and let the ball roll to the model who reads the number.  If the contestant is right, the number on the ball is added to their point total.  Audience members mark the number off of their card regardless.  If the player gets to 500 before anyone in the audience gets a Bingo, he wins $50,000.  If someone in the audience gets a Bingo, (s)he wins $5,000.  In the giant hopper are a few prize balls as well.  If one is drawn, the player must win the game to walk away with the prize(s).  Also included are two black balls but Ed doesn't say what they do so your guess is as good as mine.  

The show's horribly boring.  At least when watching Deal or No Deal you can yell at morons who make dumbass decisions.  All the contestant does is say the word "Higher" or "Lower" and presses a button.  That's it.  At least they aren't playing regular Bingo, but it's not much more exciting.  The giant Bingo-plex thing isn't that impressive either, to be completely honest.  The Mob panel is a lot cooler.  This is literally a tall clear ball with a few tubes for the balls to enter/leave.  The show isn't 100% awful, but it's just not fun whatsoever.  Also, it just didn't seem like there was a true contestant.  He got to talk about 5 seconds and they randomly flashed a picture of his wife and children on the screen.  It seems like there's barely anyone to root for or against, and that's not good.  I was also hoping they would make the bingo ref a comical figure and make it some sort of joke.  Nope; he was played pretty seriously.  This was the rough cut, so the editing will be better, but the game won't be.  There is apparently going to be some variety of rounds, but if they are like this, it's going to get old 25 minutes into the show.

[tpirfan28]

Question:  How's the pacing?  Jeopardy-esque or DoND-esque?

If it's more Jeopardy-esque, and they have, say, six different bingo games in "rotation", then it'll be more bareable to watch.  DoND-esque pacing and one or two games?  Not good.

[itiparanoid13]

It's 3 Bingo games.  The first two acts of the show took up one audience game of Bingo + the Bingo 500.  The pacing is rather slow.  It takes about 10-15 seconds to reveal the ball, they put the total on the screen if able to, then the go through the audience.  They take a bit to see if anyone has a Bingo.  If not, the "Bingo Commissioner" screams "NO BINGO.  PLAY ON!"  The crowd screams like morons, a giant graphic goes on the screen that says "PLAY ON", and then the host cues anyone who is one away from a Bingo to stand up.  It took forever.  I'll count how many balls were in play, but I can't say that more than 15 balls were played by remembering the episode.  I'll pop the DVD in and check again when I get back from the office.

Edit: Sorry for the double post prior to this.  The forum crapped up on me.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'itiparanoid13\' post=\'151811\' date=\'May 8 2007, 01:47 PM\']
Edit: Sorry for the double post prior to this.  The forum crapped up on me.
[/quote]
Actually, that was me. Gazpacho.

I dunno, I think they might have a winner here. The play-along-at-home thing seems much better-thought-out than I thought it was gonna be, and a LOT of people are gonna try that out. Any pacing issues, I suspect, will be edited down in post. That they're mixing it up by playing bingo-themed games with the main contestant instead of just bingo feels like it could work, and the chrome might even out any game-quality issues.

Heaping helpings of crow if I'm wrong, of course, but I'm totally willing to give this a shot with an open mind.

[tpirfan28]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'151819\' date=\'May 8 2007, 05:41 PM\']
Heaping helpings of crow if I'm wrong, of course, but I'm totally willing to give this a shot with an open mind.
[/quote]
So am I...but that's because I'm in a trance over that huge ball jumbler.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'151820\' date=\'May 8 2007, 02:49 PM\']
So am I...but that's because I'm in a trance over that huge ball jumbler.
[/quote]
That's the chrome to which I refer. I plan to Tivo it for at least the first night based solely on that.

[BrandonFG]

Honestly, I think the first-to-500/get a Bingo competition is actually quite clever. It almost seems like they put a new twist on the one-vs.-the-house that everyone else uses. From that alone, it sounds like they found a way to make Bingo somewhat engaging. Will it get old? Who knows.

I'm willing to give this a chance, just off the fact that Alex mentioned three games in one show. 1 vs. 100 moves fairly well, but I don't even think they get three contestants on average.

Two questions: 1) does the first to Bingo get to play as the contestant? 2) in the event of a wrong higher/lower guess, I'm assuming the number on the ball isn't add to the contestant's point total, but they take the risk of someone getting their Bingo first.