Behind the Buzzer: Report and Interviews from the Set of “Scrabble Showdown”

One thing we, at BuzzerBlog, are incredibly lucky to be able to do is go behind the scenes of some your favorite game shows, or maybe some that are coming in the future.  A few months ago we were given the chance to visit the set of The Hub’s Scrabble Showdown.  The new show pits a team of family members against another in a game of words to win a trip anywhere.  The series, hosted by Justin Willman, has a sneak preview on Saturday, September 3rd, at 4:30PM ET and officially debuts September 17th at 6:30PM ET.  Our correspondent, traveling Wheel of Fortune road host Marty Lublin, visited the set for us.  Below he talks about what he saw on set, he interviews key members of the show, and we get an exclusive first look at the set.

Marty:

Today I’m on the set of the brand new Hub Game Show, Scrabble Showdown.  Joining me today:
*Justin Willman – The Host of Scrabble Showdown (Hubworld, Food Network’s Cupcake Wars).
*Bob Boden –  Sr. VP, Reality & Game Show Production & Development, Hasbro Studios
*Pat Finn – Executive Producer Scrabble Showdown/Rubicon Entertainment

Marty: Let’s talk about the development of Scrabble Showdown

Bob Boden:
The main focus in the reality and games division is taking our game products and turning them into game shows.  We know that Scrabble is one of the most popular brands of all time and we really wanted to create a game that hi-lighted what Hasbro thinks about Scrabble in the future which is the “World of Words”.  “World of Words” games which engage the viewer in this new way to play Scrabble.  We brought in Rubicon and Pat’s team.

Scrabble Showdown set, courtesy Hasbro

Marty: Pat assembled a dream team of producers, writers and casting people.

Pat Finn:
We are working with as our consulting producer Sande Stewart.  Sande’s dad is Bob Stewart who is legendary when it comes to word games.

Bob Boden:
Can I tell you his resume?  He created The Price is Right, To Tell the Truth, Password, Pyramid,

Pat Finn:
So when we are doing a word game to have Sande contributing to the process really made a huge difference in development.  Our co-executive produce is Cindy Clark whose dad is Dick Clark and we worked together on a number of projects and she’s run a bunch of different game shows.

Marty: “How is it different from the Scrabble show of the 80′s and 90′s?”

Bob Boden:
It’s a completely different format.  We are very aware of that show. Our contestant producer Laura Chambers was a contestant on the original pilot of that Scrabble version and she went on to become the contestant producer of that show in the late 80′s so she knows Scrabble.

It was a really well done show and up to this point has been the most successful translation of a board game to a game show but their format is completely different from our show.  We made sure of that.  It’s about the World of Words. Any game that involves word play thinking on your feet about words can come under our umbrella of Scrabble. We are not beholden to the traditions of the board game or the old show. You will see an homage.

What they proved in the 80′s and what were going to prove again is you don’t have to be literally translating a board game to make

Scrabble Showdown, courtesy Hasbro

a game show based of a famous brand work. That show was of for 6 years and it was very popular and it was not a literal translation at that time.  Neither are we but we really do understand the core values of Scrabble and in our mindset the world of words takes us in so many different directions we never imagined.

Marty: “How did you find your host Justin Willman?”

Pat Finn:
We were told you got to look at Justin Willman.  We were like, “OK, we will do you a favor.”  He came in first audition and nailed it and we never looked at another person.

Marty: What did you like about him?

Pat Finn:
He’s comfortable and he connects with people. Whether he is talking one or one or thousands of people as a magician. He has this ability to connect in the moment. He likes people. He is excited when people win.  You feel it is authentic.  He’s Justin Willman.  He is anchoring and hosting this amazing game. He has a real natural sense of humor.

Marty: Justin talked about becoming the Host of Scrabble Showdown.

Justin Willman:

Growing up as a kid it was either become a magician or become a game show host and for years I’ve been doing magic. As a kid whenever I was sick from school the highlight was always seeing The Price is Right and see Bob Barker and be like, wow, that looks like the most fun job in the world to be able to finally dip into the world is a dream come true.

Marty: “Biggest surprise about becoming a game show host?”

Justin Willman:
Honestly, the biggest surprise sincerely is how fun it is. I thought after a little while it would become common place and become a chore but it really is a lot of fun. I truly get into it. I get hooked into their stories and I’m rooting for everybody. It’s a  playground out there and every show is different and it never gets monotonous.

Marty: “Talk about the games. Can the viewer play along at home?”

Bob Boden:
If you don’t watch the show and yell at the TV at least a dozen times then you are not really watching it. It is the most playable fun game you can imagine for families.  It really involves a lot of teamwork. A lot of solving of words. There are dozens of challenges in each show.  It is really fun interactive show

Scrabble Showdown, courtesy The Hub

This show is all about families. It’s about teamwork. It’s about parents and kids working together. It is designed for a family audience with co-viewing in prime time and so what I think we are asking our viewers in the home audience to do playing along is exactly what we are asking our players to do is work together as a family.  There is not a lot of television especially in the game show space that asks people to do that. Very proud of it

Marty: What do you win?

Pat Finn: [The] grand prize is tickets to anywhere they want in the world.  We were able to work it that every game someone wins a trip to anywhere.  We always end on a high note.  I love the fact we are doing programming that is engaging and entertaining.
About the Author…

Marty Lublin is a Host & Emcee for Game Shows, Sports and
Entertainment. He is also a former Contestant Producer, Game Show
Contestant and Game Show Winner.

Twitter: @martylublin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartyLublinHostandEmcee

Scrabble Showdown has a sneak preview on Saturday, September 3rd, at 4:30PM ET before debuting at its regular slot on September 17th at 6:30PM ET on The Hub.