I’m going to be hiding in a panic room for a few days to shield myself from the onslaught of angry GSN viewers regarding this nugget of information. According to Josef Adalian and his always entertaining TV MoJoe column at The Wrap, GSN’s getting back into the reality show business. Not the competition reality show like Survivor. The really annoying kind like Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Carnie Wilson, host of The Newlywed Game, will be featured in what they are calling a new docusoap called Carnie Wilson: Unstapled. It’s looking to premiere in January right around when the previously announced Bob Eubanks-hosted episode of The Newlywed Game will air.
Unstapled will feature Wilson and her different roles as game show host, media personality, and family person. We’ll also see her struggle with weight loss and that very public battle, trying to “turn her love of baking into a money making proposition,” and trying to start her own clothing line.
OK, I’m going to be as nice as I can about this but just be aware that I don’t foresee a great relationship with GSN after this little number here as this will be the only time we will cover this show at all? Does anyone see a gigantic and colossal failure coming quickly with this? I got word of this show a few months ago and I kept thinking, “With the success of the game shows and the failure of other things like the Awards, this thing has got to be passed on.” I really don’t quite get the thinking behind this. They are aware of the network’s past, correct? They are aware that they tried this with Chuck Woolery’s reality show Naturally Stoned and that it really didn’t work out, right? That after they tried all this stuff they eventually had to go back to game shows since that’s the only thing that was working, right? I’m not doing this from a game show fan perspective completely. This argument comes from the perspective of, “This has been repeatedly tried and it fails every time. Why do you think suddenly it will work?” This is nothing against Carnie Wilson who, in my opinion, is great. It’s more along the lines of, “Did the first few giant failures of this not give you a hint?”
I mean I just don’t get it. Going through the list of things said there are several items which are laughable at best. First Carnie Wilson says they did focus group testing that showed viewers wanted more Carnie. Focus group testing flat out doesn’t work especially for something like GSN. Who did they test? The 30 somethings that don’t watch the network or the 60 somethings who are going to be pissed and turn to Discovery/Hasbro’s new game show network when they don’t find what they came for?
Discussing the Awards in terms of expanding the brand isn’t necessarily the greatest idea on earth either. It was panned by an overwhelming majority of people and the ratings flat out blew for it considering how much money it cost. I’d be promoting, oh I don’t know, the fact that Catch 21 is still the highest rated thing this network has with a .46 rating, and that it builds from its lead-in, and touting it over town. Or even that The Newlywed Game is doing well with a .42 and that it had the highest debut of any GSN/Game Show Network game show since around 2003 or 2004. Or we can discuss how specials that didn’t fit the brand of GSN did very poorly so we’ll continue trying this cycle of failure. The Awards were at least remotely oriented to game shows and they still disappointed. This won’t be even close.
I really haven’t wanted to say this but with the impending Hasbro and Discovery game show network coming out, I feel it’s OK. I truly don’t think the crew at GSN remotely understands what the viewers want to see in the long run (and frankly they don’t seem to care), and this pattern seems to happen every 4 or 5 years with them no matter who is in charge. They had success with shows like Russian Roulette and Lingo, and then a few years later they tried reality before it failed and they had to go back to game shows which is where this current administration at the network took over. They have success with shows like Catch 21 and Newlywed Game. And we’re right back to reality shows. The issue this time is the Hasbro/Discovery game show channel is going to be a killer to GSN because of who is running it. They have the absolute best in the business working over there. Once the viewers turn away from GSN this time because of a switch back to non-competition shows, no matter how little, they are going to have an alternate outlet to find game shows this time around. I don’t know if I’d want to be taking a risk right now if I were them given the talent and resources Discovery and Hasbro have.
There’s a chance I’ll be wrong, but the history with this network trying to expand repeats itself over and over and they never get it through their skulls, and it’s getting worse since there’s not a single game show person left at GSN anymore. This isn’t game show nerd talking. This is common sense. I hate to be unbelievably negative about the network but come on. Actually this entire thing may be worse as we start covering another colossal mess: the High Stakes Poker situation, very soon. Maybe we’ll try to throw something nice in between so we don’t get labeled as being negative about everything the network does again.
58 Responses
I guess GSN wants to get Carnie divorced from her husband since Chuck and his wife divorced after "Naturally Stoned" aired – what the hell does this have to do with game shows? If they want reality with Carnie, go to VH-1, as she was a singer at one time! I give it a year or less, and this network will officially be history if they keep going in this direction! Spend money on the Goodson/Todman library vs. making reality programs – you do the math!
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 7:06 am
As a 30 something, I have no interest in this crap! This has bomb written all over it! Dumb move GSN!
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 7:20 am
My thoughts exactly, my friend. I mean, this may be even WORSE than that Think Like a Cat show last year.
Maybe RCN did the right thing by dropping GSN from its lineup. Honestly, I may not see GSN beyond 2011 even if this keeps up. Discovery Kids/Hasbro better show me the goods, that's all I have to say about that, This, comming from a soon-to-be-45-year-old tradditionalist.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 8:10 am
I have a better idea for GSN and i really hope they listen to this. Please GSN don’t be airing reality junk unless its something like people trying out to be a gameshow host. That to me would be the only reality show idea that would make sense on the network. Bring back classic Chaini Reaction ( Cullen and Edwards Version), Jackpot, and try and pick up Sale of the century with Jim Perry and Scrabble, plus High Rollers with wink martindale because GSN doesn’t have a dice gameshow. Im not saying GSN should go all classics but i think it should be mostly classics. GSN if you read this stop spending money on reality programs that doesn’t work and pick up classics that will work. Please think this post is no disrespect to Carnie Wilson at all whatsoever. I have no problem if they want to keep the originals ( Catch 21 and Newlywed Game) just please consider picking up more classics like the ones i listed and also maybe add Supermarket Sweep, Shop Til You Drop, Debt
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 4:17 am
I can see it now. The headline will read:
"Fans of Family Feud now have an ultimate destination as GSN strips the show for 18 hours a day and changes their name to FFN (The Family Feud Network) after the failure of Unstapled, the horrible "docusoap" about Carnie Wilson, causes network to lose loads of money."
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Hi Alex,Hi Alex,
I appreciate GSN for what it is– an endless source of old game shows and an occasional source of new game shows. You're right– GSN has made many, many poor decisions over the years. Delving into a reality "documentary" show with a less-than-exciting (or ANY) celebrity doesn't make any sense at all. The airwaves are saturated with the uninteresting lives of many celebrities and viewers are tuning out.
I hate to say it, but even its original programming — High Stakes Poker, Catch 21, The Newlywed Game, etc.– are generally not very good either. The best is H.S.P.– good music and production. Catch 21 is not bad for an original show fro GSN, but it has struggles with the hosting, with Treadway-esque repeating of canned lines show after show.
The best original show ever on GSN was Lingo, and– if the producers at GSN are reading– the reason was because the gameplay was compelling. If they want to succeed as a network, they should try to produce innovative shows with great gameplay and stop chasing tired ideas. When they decide to repeat old shows, they need to find the ones with enduring appeal. For example, "Dog Eat Dog" was a piece of cr-p, and the host on it sucked. The IDEA of the show was good, maybe great; but the execution was poor. Whereas "Match Game" with Gene Rayburn remains compelling even today. If GSN wants to excite people to watch their network, all they need to do is focus on good competition and entertainment. When it cheapens the competition (a la Big Saturday Night), its image suffers badly.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 12:55 pm
You know the old cliche: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? Well, GSN sent that straight to Hell. Haven’t they learned their lesson from the past? Hello, GSN? Do you remember Natually Stoned or Anything to Win? Apparently not because you’re going right back to what brought you to this point. Right now, I rather see Hole In the Wall than another reality show that has absolutely nothing to do with the genre the network actually is. Case in point, ESPN airs SportsCentury, which is a documentary about…..wait for it……SPORTS FIGURES. E! airs True Hollywood Story, which is a documentary about……wait for it…….ENTERTAINMENT. You get the point, GSN, and I hope you were taking notes.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 10:11 am
Regarding that Hasbro channel–let's not get ahead of ourselves…they still need firm commitments to be carried by providers before you can say it'll be a "GSN killer". I really don't see either Dish or Directv all that interested NOW in adding additional general interest programming (not enough profit), despite a number of those channels having been available for months, if not years.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Niche networks have a long and tedious history of trying to "branch out". Just as GSN announced this trainwreck… um… new show, The Weather Channel announced that it's going to show weather-related movies like "Misery". No, I'm serious.
The bottom line is that niche networks don't make as much money as general-entertainment networks, so instead of being happy with their status, they try to expand.
This will fail, GSN will retrench (especially if Discovery/Hasbro executes their game network well), and in a few years, they'll try again as a new bunch of empty suits with no memory of previous failures comes up with another bright idea…
As to HSP – I think GSN is trying to kill it. Those silly poker shows are taking up time that could be devoted to reality shows, after all. HSP is doing to well to just flat-out cancel it, so dumping Benza and ruining the chemistry of the show comes off as an attempt to drive the show off a cliff.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I think the people running GSN are clueless, but don't you think you should wait to see the show before crapping all over it? The problem isn't the show, it's the fact that nothing that network has done in the past two years has been any good.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 3:20 pm
It's the fact that Reality TV has no replay value whatsoever compared to traditional game shows. Look at "The Amazing Disgrace" on GSN. It started plummeting after its first cycle.
Even the game show queen herself Betty White can't stand Reality shows, and calls them "disaster shows". That's how bad Reality TV is.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Well that is just CRAPtastic!!!
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Your comments make no sense. Reality has no replay value? Who cares? This is an original show. And Betty White doesn't like reality shows, so that makes them all bad? Come on, now. I think this show sounds stupid and Carnie Wilson failed on her talk show already. I don't think it will be any good or worth watching. But that's not because Amazing Race didn't get good ratings on GSN or because Betty White doesn't like reality shows.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 4:33 pm
GSN still seems to have an identity crisis. The demise of Fox Reality should tell them something. If they would just develop good games and keep adding to the portfolio, they'd be fine. GSN better watch out, an unconstrained Bob Boden (i.e. actually in charge) is going to slay them.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 5:19 pm
To paraphase an old adage:
"Those who forget the mistakes of the past, and fail to correct them, are doomed to repeat them."
I know it's old news that GSN wanted to make Carnie Wilson the new face of GSN. But this? A reality show? On a network dedicated to showing game shows both classic and original? (Well, at least BEFORE new management dropped the ball… again.) This is like Cartoon Network showing reality shows: it just doesn't work, it smacks of desperation, cheapness and stupidity, and it shows a sheer lack of understanding between management and what the audience wants.
I'm hoping by next year, we see this headline: "GSN: Under New (and more competent) Management", and not "GSN To Discontinue Operations As Of December 31st, 2010". Then again, I've been disappointed many times this (and last) year, so I'll still be praying for the best yet expecting the worst.
As I've said at the end of many blog posts (and not just on this website):
"Fire (insert names of current CEO and president of programming/marketing/licensing) and hire someone who has an emotional attachment to (insert name of genre/artistic medium).
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 5:21 pm
If you get Discovery Kids, you'll get the new Hasbro channel.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Hmm… let's think about this.
"Naturally Stoned" did "wonders" for Chuck's marriage to Teri. "Hogan Knows Best" did "wonders" for the Hulkster's marriage to Linda. And we all know how great Jon and Kate are getting along. (If you're wondering where I'm going with all this sarcasm, Carnie's been married to Rob Bonfiglio since 2000.)
Seriously, all sides to reconsider this and throw this in the dumpster — STAT. I fear the train's already left the station — but I don't think it's too late to bail.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Stop living in denial, and just admit that GSN is killing themselves to an early grave.
This show won't even remotely be a memory, when it will be gone after just a few short episodes. Count on it.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 6:16 pm
RIP GSN
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Next thing you know, GSN will be promoting the new Hasbro channel.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 7:17 pm
I wouldn't call the above a sarcasm. How about a trend…an ugly trend, one I don't want to see continued.
There are things GSN could do, and those they can do better. "Unstapled" is clearly not one of them.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Somehow, I can feel the phrase "EPIC FAIL" forming in my head.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 8:01 pm
It's really simple. If GSN wants other programming, do a few more of those documentaries they did before like the "Press Your Luck" scandal one. Have a weekly GSN news show with game show news (an idea I'd like to do and see done). Do a talk show with game show guests…anyone from Tom Kennedy to John O'Hurley to the Deal or No Deal models (it'll all be better than this reality show). Pick up some more originals and more classics (STILL haven't seen "Scrabble" and "$ale" on the network). This is the kind of crap that truly will see the end of GSN in a year or two. This didn't work the first time. AT LEAST the last time Chuck was a game show legend, so, although reality shows suck, it KINDA made sense. This is RIDICULOUS!!! Pay attention GSN!
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Um…adding? Where did you get that? It's taking the place of Discovery Kids. The providers that already carry that network will carry this one instead. I think the new network will definitely be a GSN killer since it already has better placement on most systems than GSN has ever had.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but Fox Reality's demise happened right when Bob Boden was hired from that network to run the new Discovery/Hasbro network. I see a coincidence there. Without Boden, Fox Reality was nothing.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 10:30 pm
OK…They proposed a game show news show, IIRC. Never happened. They had a talk show with game show guests called GSN Live before they completely ruined it. Picking up shows like that would make more sense for the new Hasbro network since Scrabble is one of their properties. As I eluded to before, I see it becoming an all Family Feud all the time network called FFN.
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Maybe, Scott, GSN could stage it's own revival of High Rollers under the Wink Martindale format…
Posted on October 21st, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Am I missing something here, or is there really something wrong with the Trebek edition? That's the one I remember better and I was only maybe 5 when that was on.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 12:35 am
Well GSN isn't Game Show Network it's the Gay $h1t Network
Do people over there think, or what? Watch as Hasbro gets a hit on their hands and GSN goes out of Business
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 12:47 am
Somehow, I see the phrase "Carnie Wilson: Unhinged" coming around the corner shortly after the series ends/is canceled prematurely.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 1:25 am
Disclaimer: I'm NOT saying I like this idea, but the death of Fox Reality in favor of what amounts to Nat Geo 2 (a step up IMO) doesn't mean reality as a genre is dead. Just look up and down the dial on all types of channels. One outlet dedicated to the genre has faded away, but it is alive and well elsewhere.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 2:35 am
Ok, all this "Hasbro channel will be the GSN killer" stuff is a bit out of hand. If GSN's big strength is in classic –well known, familiar–game shows, this Hasbro channel has nothing of substance to counter with. And as essentially a start up, the budget for originals will be stretched thin until –and unless– revenue starts coming in.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 2:38 am
Well, yeah, but Reality shows just don't rerun too well. So, unless Fox Reality could fill their schedule with new programming almost all day with the infrequent rerun of AYSTAFG? and DFTL, they didn't have much life left.
I know the reality genre is here to stay, as much as I don't like it.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 2:44 am
Is that what Betty White told you to say? I'm not living in denial. I'm living in the very real world where your comments reveal you to be an idiot.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 2:52 am
What makes you say that? Do you know their business plan? With Hasbro behind it, I bet they have more money to spend than GSN, whose recent efforts look like they've been pinching pennies. But even though it hasn't been announced, what makes everyone think the new channel is going to compete with GSN? Since it's coming from Discovery Kids and they still have 50% interest, my guess is their competition is Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon. No one really cares about GSN any more.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 2:57 am
First of all Betty White didn't tell me to say anything. I never even met the woman.
Secondly, that comment came from an interview she did for A&E game shows.
Finally, no name-calling. You could get banned.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 3:35 am
The whole thing about reality shows being disaster shows was from an interview that she did for A&E Game shows.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 3:37 am
I loved Naturally Stoned but only because Chuck's life was so boring they did an episode of him trying to find his favorite cottage cheese at the "big warehouse store"
I loved that episode.
I will not watch this show because I really have nothing invested in the host. I enjoy newlywed game not be cause of Carnie but because of the contestants.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 4:10 am
@ Doug Morris: Just like “Being Bobby Brown” did “wonders” for Whitney and Bobby. Or like “Chloe & Courtney” will do “wonders” for Chole Kardashian and Lamar Odom (I know he’s not the topic of the show, but give it a year).
@ Kevin: I’d one better that, a late night talk show with game show guest. It’d probably get better ratings than Conan, Kimmel, or a pre-sex scandal Letterman.
All-in-all, GSN, leave the reality show stuff to MTV and VH1.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 12:19 am
But you used her opinion as evidence for your argument. Because Betty White doesn't like reality shows, this one will be bad. And that's an argument only an idiot would make.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 5:10 am
And somehow, I can't see it being possible to end this series "prematurely", only "past its high".
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 1:28 am
Don't forget the EPITOME of those shows…"Newlyweds" with Nick & Jessica. And yeah…when I said talk show I meant like a late night talk show like Conan or Jay and etc. Not every night though…just to make sure they have GREAT guests often instead of scrambling for little guests. They can even call it like GSN Night Live (like NBC has "Today" and then "Tonight")
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 6:12 am
I'd expect something similar, but was responding to the themes that somehow this new venture would be game-oriented (and at that, what's to say it would be for adults). It is making an assumption for the sake of discussion, and one that may well be off base in their final programming focus.
That said, even if it is a sort of game show channel, it won't start out with the type of classics GSN has the rights to (what they do with some of those classics is a different issue). And Hasbro/Discovery, while hardly in the poorhous, is like any business nowadays, and the fact is start-up media ventures are costly affairs and no one is throwing piles of cash into what amounts to a small niche.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 10:46 am
Is it just me, or does that picture of Carnie, remind me of the final death scene from Sleepaway Camp?
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 11:35 am
You do realize you're not posting on G-R.net, right? Dial it down some, man.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I've always tried to live my life by Betty's teachings. If she doesn't like reality shows, then yes…they are all bad. ;-)
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Am I the only one here who thinks that the Hasbro Channel isn't going to be the bastion of game showdom some think it will be? Judging from some of the articles I've read it sounds more like a cynical exercise in product placement in lieu of Saturday morning cartoons than a competitor for a dedicated adult game show channel.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 5:55 pm
It remains to be seen, but you're not the only one who thinks everyone is getting way too excited about a kid's channel that's owned by a toy company.
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I'd rather see them bring Russian Roulette back into production, personally.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 4:26 am
THIS.
Also, last I checked, opinions were not facts. They were just that: opinions. And on the game show queen's view of reality shows, I disagree to a point. Yes, there's a lot of rubbish out there in regards to reality TV, whatever brand of it it may be (there's a lot of rubbish out there in EVERY genre); but there've been good ones, too, IMO. (TAR is still a favourite of mine, for example; but I tend to favour competitive reality shows anyway, because — to me — they're just game shows with different packaging, if you will.)
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 4:36 am
@ Kevin: GSN Night Live, I love it. If that would be a reality, Fred Roggin would be the idea host, but that wouldn’t happen because of his sports anchoring duties at KNBC Los Angeles, so my next choice would be Mark Walberg seeing as he actually had a talk show in the ’90s.
@ shellygrrl: I would love to see Russian Roulette back in production as well.
Posted on October 27th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Sigh .. I can't watch GSN now that it's not just the nice game shows I came to enjoy even if it was old repeats
DVR and autotune off now !!!
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 1:16 am
Sigh .. I can't watch GSN now that it's not just the nice game shows I came to enjoy even if it was old repeats
DVR and autotune off now !!!
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 1:16 am
I like Survivor, Shark Tank, The Apprentice (I wish they'd go back to the civilian version, that was fun), TAR, TBL, etc.
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Here's how I'd like to see a revival of High Rollers:
1987 set & music
max of 5 prizes per column
prizes carry over until they are won
mini-games included
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Here's how I'd like to see a revival of High Rollers:
1987 set & music
max of 5 prizes per column
prizes carry over until they are won
mini-games included
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I like Survivor, Shark Tank, The Apprentice (I wish they'd go back to the civilian version, that was fun), TAR, TBL, etc.
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 4:20 pm
I like Survivor, Shark Tank, The Apprentice (I wish they'd go back to the civilian version, that was fun), TAR, TBL, etc.
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 4:20 pm
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