08Sep2010
Ionoco Provides Power for the Game Show Market
I've always been more interested with the production aspects of television more than seeing what goes when you watch it over television. It's just interesting seeing how everything is put together. It's nice to see some of these bigger companies getting recognition. One such company is Ionoco, someone we've talked about briefly before. They've recently got a big boost from three new American shows. Read on for all the details.
Read MoreView Comments (4)16Jul2010
“Downfall” Season Finale July 20th; Clarification on Season Finale
Fremantle's very good game show Downfall, hosted by the remarkable and equally very good Chris Jericho, has its season finale next Tuesday, July 20th. The show was scheduled to run six weeks but it's running five. We need to clarify the loss-of-an-episode and "season finale" thing here. A lot of people are thinking this is the series finale because the ratings haven't been incredibly good and, again, they lost an episode. I've heard it from multiple sources that after the reception to the first episode Fremantle went into the edit bay and re-edited the show. Namely, they sped the show up. That's why you are seeing one less episode. Read on for more information and commentary.
Read MoreView Comments (5)09Jul2010
Ratings: “Wipeout” Still Strong, “Downfall” Dropping
Wrapping up an extremely uneventful week, it's time to look at some of this week's ratings. Starting with the ABC shows, Wipeout still continues to do very well even when adding a second episode a week this year. The usual Tuesday edition saw 8.8 million viewers tune in with a 4.8/9 rating. ABC's very good game show Downfall, from Fremantle Media, is dropping to very ugly lows, sadly. This past Tuesday's episode saw only 3.77 million viewers. It lost around 5 million viewers from Wipeout. Read on for commentary and other information.
Read MoreView Comments (3)06Jul2010
“Wipeout” and “Downfall” With Fake Prizes Tonight
So as you can tell this is quite possibly the slowest news week I've seen in quite some time. This seems as good of a time as any to remind people that ABC's game night is tonight at 8:00PM ET. First is Wipeout. It's a special couples edition where two people will be playing together on the course. Not that kind of playing together. It'll apparently be like the really fun Blind Date edition they did a few weeks back. After that is Downfall at 9:00PM ET. The show's been very fun and I'm hoping ratings can increase or stay remotely steady for a slight prospect of another summer run, but who knows. On tonight's episode both Chris Molles and Yolanda Allen play a fast paced trivia game against the clock along with host Chris Jericho, a
Read MoreView Comments (6)30Jun2010
“Downfall”, its Ratings, and its Prizes
Downfall had its second episode last night. Let's get the ratings out of the way before I move on. The show, sadly, dipped 23% from last week to get a 2.7/5 rating. It held just 54% of Wipeout's audience which continues to do well every summer, getting a 5.0/8. Basically all shows dip week-to-week, but given the ratings weren't that great from the start it's troubling. We'll see how it does in the future. It's got the usual perks of being on in the summer where expectations are really low and the show's pretty cheap to do, but still. I'd love to see it stick around. But given how, apparently, completely ignorant audiences watching the show are maybe it shouldn't be a huge shock. Read on to find out why.
Read MoreView Comments (26)29Jun2010
An Interview with “Downfall” Host Chris Jericho
ABC's Downfall debuted last week to pretty decent numbers and the next episode will air tonight at 9:00PM ET on ABC, directly after Wipeout. The show gives contestants the chance to win a million dollars plus some great prizes. The catch is the show takes place on a tall building in Los Angeles and if the contestant loses the contestant will drop off the edge. It's a fun show and most other people agreed. Another thing agreed on was that the host, Chris Jericho, did a great job out of the gate. I recently got the chance to talk to Chris about his job as a quiz show host, being an entertainer, and what it's like on the set. He also tells us if he took the drop or not. Be sure to watch Downfall tonight at 9:00PM ET on ABC. Read on for the full interview.
Read MoreView Comments (3)23Jun2010
Ratings: “Wipeout” Returns High, “Downfall” Debuts Medium
ABC debuted the new game show Downfall last night as well as the return of summer favorite Wipeout. Ratings are in for both and it's a mixed bag. Wipeout continues to entertain people (and rightfully show) during the hot summer nights. The show averaged 9.5 million viewers and peaked at 10.03 million during the final half hour. The key demographic of adults 18-49 rated a first place 3.1/10, so 10% of the people watching TV at that time were checking out Wipeout. Downfall's debut was middling at best. The show lost a little less than half of Wipeout's viewers, dropping to 5.86 million viewers. Frankly that's not that bad for summer and for how cheap this show has to be, but it obviously could be better. Comparatively, the more expensive Who Wants to be a Millionaire scored at least a million more viewers each night. The troubling thing is Downfall lost more than a million viewers through the hour, so next week should be interesting. Read on for more commentary.
Read MoreView Comments (2)22Jun2010
“Downfall” is Pretty Good, But Should Have Learned from “Russian Roulette”
Downfall: 7 out of 10. Downfall debuted tonight on ABC. I liked the show, but what did you think? The game is pretty simple. The game works very well. It's fun to play along with and very tense and dramatic. The idea of speeding up the belt for each pass is nice, too. The game's simple but works and that's the best kind of game. The show looks nice. Chris Jericho is actually a pretty good host. I mean, really, there are very few complaints I have with the actual game or anything like that. There are a few tonal issues, though, which hurt the show a bit. Incidentally each of these issues could have been seen by watching the other drop show Russian Roulette. There are some cardinal rules that would have been wise to look over when comparing them. Most of these rules come from the fact that they really just could not seem to figure out how to play the show...as a comedy or a tense, scary show.
Read MoreView Comments (29)22Jun2010
“Downfall” Debuts Tonight on ABC at 9:00PM ET; “Wipeout” Returns
It's always exciting when a new game show debuts, isn't it? Especially one of this magnitude. ABC's brand new quiz show Downfall finally debuts at 9:00PM ET on ABC. The specific rules aren't out there but it appears to be like this: get a group of friends, play the board game Outburst on a roof, and shove the losers off. Sounds fun already. Up to $1,000,000 in cash plus some amazing prizes can be given away to either Nicole Breed of Ferndale, WA, or Martin Mullen from Boston, MA. Of course the cash, prizes, and their bodies may be dropping off the side of a skyscraper also. Either way it looks to be a ton of fun. Chris Jericho hosts. We were supposed to have an interview with him but "there were issues", so there we go. To
Read MoreView Comments (15)18Jun2010
Photo Gallery for ABC’s “Downfall”
Less than a week until ABC debuts the newest million dollar quiz show Downfall. You can see it Tuesday, June 22nd, at 9:00PM ET. The show can't be more simple. Answer trivia questions against a clock to save prizes (and yourself) from literally falling off the edge of a skyscraper. It looks fun, terrifying, tense, entertaining, and hysterical. In other words it looks like anything you could really ask for a game show. ABC loaded up their press site with some pictures from the show so you can see what you're in for. One thing is the money chain. The money will progress $5,000 to $10,000 to $25,000 to $50,000 to $100,000 to $250,000 and then the top prize of $1,000,000. You can also check out what appears to be a category board. T
Read MoreView Comments (8)14Jun2010
Watch Stuff Fall Off a Building on “Downfall”
The small post of a grandmother being shoved off a building on ABC's new game show Downfall, albeit in a safety harness for no injury, got a nice reception. Another clip is up and shows off a bit more. You see a contestant and the partner on the conveyor belt and some actual prize destruction. Looks like some (facsimile) cars will be taking the plunge. This show has improved to me just based off of a few trailers and seeing how it appears to be set up. Can't wait to get a glimpse of the game.
Read MoreView Comments (6)13Jun2010
Video Preview of ABC’s “Downfall”
ABC's Downfall is quickly approaching its debut. You can first see it on June 22nd at 9:00PM ET. I had fears about how this would turn up because, really, the idea is incredibly strange. ABC updated the show's website and posted a very small preview of it. I have to be honest...after seeing just this fifteen second clip I'm excited to see this now. They literally built a full game show set on top of a building. How cool is that? Not only that but the conveyor belt aspect looks to be incredibly terrifying as well. Check out the video below. What do you think? Am I alone in looking forward to this more now?
Read MoreView Comments (18)27May2010
ABC’s “Downfall” Puts $1,000,000 on the Edge Starting June 22nd
ABC's game show Downfall, has moved its debut up one week. It now comes on June 22nd at 9:00PM ET, following Wipeout. Six hour-long episodes will air in total. The show takes place on top of a Los Angeles high rise and gives contestants a chance to win up to $1,000,000 in cash and some huge prizes...if they don't fall off the edge.
Read MoreView Comments (13)14May2010
ABC’s “Downfall” Premiere Moves to June 22nd at 9:00PM ET
The premiere of ABC's new million dollar quiz show Downfall has been moved to June 22nd at 9:00PM ET, directly after Wipeout. The previous debut date was June 29th. The show has one of its first casting calls tomorrow. Click here for information.
Read MoreView Comments (6)07May2010
Three of a Kind: “The £1,000,000 Drop”, “Downfall” and “Succes Verzekerd”
One of the things I love doing around here is giving as much attention to foreign game shows, giving you a taste of what else is out there. The two places we give the most attention to are England and The Netherlands. We've been getting a lot of questions about ABC's new game show Downfall also.
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