24Jun2010
Review: Wheel of Fortune Platinum for iOS
Wheel of Fortune has seen about 450,000 different iterations of at-home play. From the Nintendo Entertainment System to desktop models to the PS3 and your local casino, people love playing Hangman for money. The iOS version of America's Game for the iPhone and iPod Touch was released not too long ago, and it is one the better iterations of a game show on the App Store, far surpassing the lazy hack job of the first Wheel of Fortune iPhone game.
Read MoreView Comments (9)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)12Jun2010
UK Weekend Replay: “Take It or Leave It”
The word of NBC's newest pilot Who's Bluffing Who had me remembering a slightly popular UK game show Take It or Leave It. I say slightly because it was on Challenge which is the UK equivalent of GSN so imagine popularity in those terms. Actually GSN was developing this but it didn't get too far, but more on that later. The part of Who's Bluffing Who that had me remembering Take It the most is the entire money box situation. In this NBC show the money boxes, or safes, have absolutely no bearing on the show whatsoever. They are just there to give people extra money and do not have a hint of influence on the income or a win-or-lose situation which seems a bit strange to me.
Read MoreLeave a Comment07Jun2010
“Late Night Liars” Brings Old School Panel Shows to the 21st Century
GSN's Late Night Liars is coming soon. It's an old style panel comedy game show, but instead of celebrity panelists they go for puppets from Jim Henson Company instead and with Larry Miller hosting. It debuts June 10th at 11:00PM ET. This is going to be the most selfish review I've ever done, just to warn you.
Read MoreView Comments (13)02Mar2010
“Minute to Win It” Review: Not Bad, But Too Bland For Its Own Good
So if you read the site which I assume you do since you're reading this, you've read what I've had to say about NBC's new game show Minute to Win It. I want to clear something up. I've criticized the direction the show has taken. Other news organizations know how identical it is to The Cube. The host, Guy Fieri, even mentioned it today in a conference call. But I didn't know how the show would end up. NBC amazingly wanted to send me a press kit for it. First off for all the bad stuff I've said about how it's royally ripped off ITV, I expected it to be spiders in the box or something. It's actually a "home game", with a bunch of food, drink, and other objects to play with. Good touch, and I'll explain why soon.
Read MoreView Comments (64)06Oct2009
Review: “Let’s Make A Deal” Pretty Good, But CBS Picked the Wrong Game Show
By now I'm guessing a good deal of you have seen CBS's revival of the classic game show Let's Make A Deal starring Wayne Brady. I finally saw it online a bit ago and it left me with mix feelings. If you know of the classic version at all then you know this. It's the same exact show, where people trade supposedly useless or hidden items for what may be behind a door, curtain, or box. Prizes can range from cash, cars, camels, and more. At the end of the show host Wayne Brady goes through the day's biggest dealers and asks if they want to trade away what they've won during the show for a chance at the Big Deal which is in excess of $20,000 generally it seems. Only
Read MoreView Comments (68)20Jul2009
A Look at ABC’s “Shark Tank”
We've been talking a lot about Who Wants to be a Millionaire's return on August 9th, but there's another show airing after that which deserves to be discussed. It's a Japanese/British import called Shark Tank. If you get BBC America you may have seen it on there before as Dragon's Den. I really don't know what to describe this show. It's not really a complete game show, it's not really a complete reality show, it's not really a complete drama. It's definitely unscripted. It's just a mix of all of them. I wasn't a fan of Dragon's Den for some reason. I don't think it was converting it to American so I can relate more or maybe it's because I didn't give Dragon's
Read MoreView Comments (16)17Jun2009
Review of 20Q: OK, I Was Wrong
I don't think you have to be a regular reader to know that I wasn't a fan of the original 20Q pilot shot for syndication. When I heard GSN picked it up, I had low expectations. Before the tapings began the network tried to make me excited for it. They said how much they improved it and all that stuff, but I still wasn't sold. I know there may be some people, especially at the network, who think I'm negative about a lot of stuff they do (which isn't true since I've only been really negative about Big Saturday Night so far, but I digress). I have to make a u-turn on my original thoughts and feelings of 20Q, airing Saturdays at 8:00PM ET on GSN. I went in not
Read MoreView Comments (11)08Jun2009
“The Money List” is a Big Winner for GSN’s Big Saturday Night
Back in August a British audience casting website listed information for new episodes of a game show called Who Dares Wins, which in America is better known as the quickly canceled FOX quizzer The Rich List. Luckily we have fantastic readers from England who went to the taping and found out it was a GSN revival called The Money List taping on the British set. Ten months later, the show is set to debut. On June 13th at 9:30PM ET, after nearly a year of waiting, The Money List, hosted by Fred Roggin, is part of GSN's Big Saturday Night promotion, following 20Q. I'm a fan of some of GSN's new programming like Catch 21 and Newlywed Game but nothing has really been appointment viewing on the network since Grand Slam. I'm glad there's finally a show I can get fully behind again. If you know the FOX version, your opinion will most likely generate from your liking or hatred of the one episode that network aired. The GSN version is the same, just using the British money chain. Two teams, comprised of strangers, bet how many items in a list they can name. Lists can be anywhere from "Mariah Carey Hits" to "Female Grand Slam Tennis Champions" to "European Capitals". A challenged team must fulfill the bet they placed to claim the list, and if they don't the other team gets it. The first team to claim two lists plays "The Money List", where they have to name up to fifteen items in a category. They can stop after every three and take the money they earned, but getting all fifteen earns the team $50,000. Any money won on a Money List is theirs to keep no matter what and best of all, they get to return the next game and keep winning. There's no limit to the amount that can be won. I can't tell you how nice it is to see a big money quiz show on GSN again that's not some special event. It's been so long. It really has been since Russian Roulette or WinTuition around 2002-2003, hasn't it? There hasn't been a show which actually demands anything of higher than basic intelligence since Grand Slam a few years back so it was such a relief to see a mix of basic pop culture as well as actual academic trivia. $50,000 for winning the end game is fine. I'm overjoyed that GSN kept the returning champions rule. It's something they do unbelievably rarely and it really adds a lot to this show. There's a good chance you'll be seeing some six figure winning teams here. It's so refreshing to see GSN throw money at a format. It doesn't happen that often and it makes a world of difference. The main issue I had with the FOX version was how drawn out it was. It's why I'm glad to see the show have two full games, including two Money Lists, each show. In the screener copy I was sent, the pause between answers really didn't seem like it took more than ten or fifteen seconds. The show still is drawn out in a few awkward places, like in the middle of a list when it's clear a team is going to win, but I'll take that if it means I don't have to sit through a minute of agonizing thought for something that's not brutally hard. The only issue I really have with the show is the dragging-out, though. It's blatantly clear they could fit a lot of games in if they cut out a lot of the stalling. They really could fit another game in there most likely. However, this is such a part of modern game shows that I've given up fighting it. As long as it's not painfully drawn out I'm fine.
Read MoreView Comments (16)05Apr2009
GSN’s Big Monday: “Catch 21” Season Two Gets 4 Out of 5
We've already gone over The Newlywed Game which made the really interesting change from fantastic live show to "eh" televised edition. Now on to what is my favorite show GSN's done in quite some time, and looking at some figures apparently a lot of you agree with me. Catch 21, which has its second season debut on Monday, April 6th, at 6:30PM ET has a long, interesting record at GSN. It was a pilot called Casino eons ago. GSN passed on it originally but around five or so years later decided to come back to it. Season one had its issues, most of which has to do with the presentation and production of the show. I was so relieved to find out most of those changes are fixed for season two. The look of the show has been redone to be a more modern looking show, and it's a nice look. Essentially combine the season one front game and end game set and remove most of the bulkiness and that's what you get here. Everything's smoother, sleeker, and much better looking. Even the hosts got a wardrobe change. The biggest complaint for season one, from all of the emails and comments, seemed to be the really dumb set change from the front game to the end game. Everything's all in one package this season which is a relief. Plus there's a much larger audience meaning you'll have a lot of interaction and cheering which was sorely missed from season one. You can't get the excitement out of a 20 person audience that you can from a 200 person one. Game play wise, everything stayed basically the same. The only change(s) come in the end game. An additional power chip is given for winning the game, so you get up to four. It should help contestants win a bit more. Some more changes are coming later in the season as well. I'm not really supposed to say what they are. I hinted at it before a few posts back. I didn't scratch the surface of what they will do. Also I heard that the first 21 of the game will receive a bonus prize. I wasn't told if it would be for the entire season or just later in the season due to a few circumstances, but it's coming. I've got to talk about the hosts for a moment. I've always thought Alfonso Ribiero did a nice job on the show. I constantly hear things about his volume, and I just don't see it. I really don't think half of the complainers do either. There seems to be a thing in really any community, like the game show community, where if one person who has some authority says something others will take that person's opinion to be liked and avoid arguments. I just don't see the volume issue. He got excited. I never heard shouting. If that was your definition of shouting, then you may be a bit sheltered. He's not the best thing on earth or some hidden treasure, but he does well in the format. The real star for me, especially after I talked to her on Friday, is co-host Mikki Padilla. Never in my years of doing this have I talked to someone so enthusiastic and excited about hosting, and it shows. It showed in season one and it shows even more this season. I've never talked to a host who can remember specific contestant's names and their specific cards from specific episode numbers even in season one. I really hope more people use her. Mikki has such enthusiasm and love for this show and you rarely get that. There are still a few issues which haven't been ironed out, but it doesn't begin to distract. The scoring system is a little goofy but it's not like it creates unfair advantages or damages the game. The only change I wish they really would have added is letting the champion place all of their cards. Placing the first three cards automatically is a bit cheap. However, again, it doesn't really distract. It just makes me say, "Huh? Whatever." Catch 21 is very entertaining and it's incredibly improved
Read MoreView Comments (7)04Apr2009
GSN’s Big Monday: “The Newlywed Game” Gets 3 Out of 5
For the next two days we'll focus on GSN's big upcoming day: Monday, April 6th. GSN has two launches coming out. The one I'm more excited for, Catch 21, we'll cover tomorrow. But today we'll stick with The Newlywed Game which debuts Monday, April 6th, at 6:00PM ET on GSN. I almost feel a bit bad. I really hyped it up during the set visits, and I stick by that. On set it was a very entertaining, funny, interesting show. Carnie Wilson, the new host, was very quick and amusing, which is all you can ask for from a host for this. It seemed to go great. But then we got the DVD screeners. It's the first show I've ever experienced that's so much better in person than on television. The show was directed beautifully, produced great; everything was great in person. It carries the general Embassy Row stamp of excellence. But something happened when it got to the editing room. First, the positives, and there are a lot to talk about. The show plays exactly like The Newlywed Game. No unnecessary changes were made. Yeah the set's a bit small but if you saw the size of the studio in New York City, where studio space is hard to come by, they really did the absolute best they could. I wish they'd show the turntable spinning more, but what can you do. Basically anything that you loved about the old version is here. It feels like The Newlywed Game and it plays like The Newlywed Game. It's impossible to create the magic of the original version of any show. I'm not a fan of the general Newlywed Game format in any version, but I left the show entertained which is all I can ask for. Nothing was tasteless and it was in general really funny. There are some hysterical answers; I can't wait until you guys hear them. It's the first time I've ever had to walk out of a TV studio I was laughing so hard. Just wait for, "Australia." I will never forget it as long as I live. I watch The Newlywed Game to laugh. Very few watch The Newlywed Game for the gameplay. The show makes me laugh. It should make you laugh. There's not a lot more you can ask for from the entire package of The Newlywed Game. The show's fine up until the final five minutes, where they decide to throw in a completely needless and boring end game that doesn't work at all. It takes up five minutes of the front game which could be used for joking around and just generally having more fun. Instead what they end up with is an extremely rushed front game which is missing so much of what made the live show enjoyable. They also really screwed over Carnie Wilson with the end game. In the edited television version, because they have to basically cut everything they can to fit in the end game, she seems pretty stale and repetitive and rushed. It seems like she never engages the players at all and does nothing more then read the question, ask for the answer, and move on. In person did seriously did fine. I don't know what they did with the editing to fit in the end game, but they really cut out a lot of her charm and humor. She interacted with the contestants, she joked around, she was just generally fun. But they edit her to nothing more than question reader and that alone. So that's what to expect from the show. The first 25 minutes are pretty fun, funny, and enjoyable. The last five minutes drags it to a halt and again, it's really in the best interest of the show to remove that so quickly next season. It didn't help anything. I'm glad they are embracing the past of the show. Find another way to do it. It didn't work here. I was told by an extremely influential game show producer in a pitch that not every show needs an end game, and he wishes more shows which really don't require one wouldn't tack one on. The exact opposite is happening here. Everything else is pretty fine.
Read MoreView Comments (4)05Jan2009
“Game Show in My Head” Gives Me a Headache
Back after the very very long break, which was needed. As always, thanks for hanging in. But we start with something I'm not overly happy with. Did you remember that CBS was burning off, I mean airing Game Show in My Head, starting this past Saturday? I totally forgot. Did anyone find it just completely void of any fun or comedy? I did. It's become a common trend in today's game shows. Nothing was overtly and horrible wrong. But nothing was really good either. And it makes for a blah half hour. Joe Rogan seemed uncomfortable and I'm sure he was overjoyed that he was the 2nd choice of a host since he had to replace Chris Kattan, whose only major notable thing was Mango on Saturday Night Live, from the pilot. Part of some fun with these hidden camera stunt shows is getting unsuspecting people involved and making them believe it. An old Spike show, Oblivious, handled this perfectly. But when you ask people to marry you, a process which doesn't happen in five minutes except in Vegas, it loses and sense of reality. I always hate to be an advocate of bigger money, but shows that have a top prize of a GSN show seem really cheap in primetime. Horribly cheap. I'm not asking for each show to have a million dollar top prize, but when Game Show in My Head's big winner took home what a loser on Wheel of Fortune gets, it was pretty sad. But I can bring up one positive. I absolutely despise the current trend of stand alone game shows. It ruins whatever drama of a contestant going all the way because you can clearly see no one will be answering ten more questions in five minutes. But this show doesn't need it because it doesn't have the drama to pump out. It's a turn your brain off half hour that realizes what it is. You have to give that credit. It's not like Show Me the Money (which looking shows we've had to suffer through like Bingo Night and Set For Life, I really took for granted) where a really cheesy show was played way too dramatically. But that's not enough to save it. Game Show in My Head, which has been in development hell for nearly two years, is a summer burnoff because it's cheap. CBS still has six episodes of a game show called Do You Trust Me? which they haven't aired for over a year because it's a big money show and they'll have to pay people hundreds of thousands. Here they just give away around $30,000. I'd really like to see some brighter, happier, more comedic, and just plain fun game shows again, but this just doesn't fit the bill. And judging by the ratings it didn't make many happy. What did you
Read MoreView Comments (13)04Nov2008
Review: GSN’s “Think Like a Cat” Needs Spayed
I finally got around to watching GSN's new one time game show Think Like a Cat, or as I affectionately called it, Freaking Million Dollar Cat Game Show. After seeing the episode, I think I'll just continue referring to it as Freaking Million Dollar Cat Game Show. I hope GSN got a good deal of money for doing the episode and use it to make new episodes of a good show like Catch 21 or Lingo or Bingo America or something, because this was rough. We've been over the rules often, but it's so crazy it needs repetition. Eight cats line up on an incredibly small race track, each in their own lane. First three to make it to a bowl of food at the end of the lane move on. Owners of the three cats play cat Jeopardy! at this point. Highest scoring two members play what is essentially cat Newlywed Game. Sole surviving cat and the owner each choose one bag from the ten available. If the symbols inside each bag match (only two of the ten actually match), they win a million dollars. I was hoping I was wrong about this. I was hoping it could have been so insane and funny that it was enjoyable. But it wasn't. It was just really rough. First, sorry to all involved with the production, but the show looked really cheap. Probably the cheapest looking GSN show I've seen since the first official season of Lingo and the cheapest million dollar game show I've ever seen. If they had an audience, it's the most canned one I've ever heard. Couldn't they have gotten a larger set too? I mean I'm guessing Catch 21 doesn't have a large set, much like Lingo, but this looks so unbelievably tiny. Host Chuck Woolery looks incredibly awkward and out of place the entire show. I don't know if he really was or if it's just how he was edited, but it's a big drop from Lingo to this. He seemed really bored too. Contestants weren't bad but my jaw was just dropped at how seriously they were trying to make cats look. And there's the main issue of the show. It's taken too seriously. Not comedic seriously. Like, "Why are they pretending Cat Deal or No Deal is life or death?" Like I said before, I hope Freaking Million Dollar Cat Game Show earns (or earned) GSN a lot of money so we can see some more episodes of deserving shows. Unless you're freakishly obsessed with cats, I don't see the general public, or even the core game show audience, enjoying this. It's an infomercial, without an audience, gone
Read MoreView Comments (20)17Jul2008
“Gong Show” Debuts Tonight
Tonight at 10:00PM ET sees the return of Gong Show on Comedy Central. It's hosted by Dave Attell, and you will see judges Brian Posehn, triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and Steve Schrippa and in the future will be Adam Carolla, Kate Walsh, Andy Dick, Ron White, Dave Navaro, Greg Giraldo, Jim Norton and JB Smoove. From the previews it looks to be a really entertaining show. I've noticed that we have a lot of advocates for family friendly non offensive television that roam these parts, so just be warned that it's going to be dirty. But hey, dirty humor is good in my book. Be sure to leave your review of it
Read MoreView Comments (6)15Jul2008
Review of GSN’s “Catch 21″
GSN needs a hit. Badly. How Much is Enough?, which I still feel bad about giving a remotely positive review about after just one episode, bombed. Bingo America is fine enough but obviously cares much more about the bingo players at home than the actual game, and that hurts the final product. Catch 21 has a long history with GSN. Pitched years ago under the title Casino, the network went back to it for some help. I have some good news: Catch 21 is actually really good and a lot of fun! Catch 21 is very simple. Each player is dealt one card face up. A question is asked, and the first player to buzz in with the right answer gets 100 points. A new card is shown, and that player can choose to keep that card or pass it off to another player. If you keep the card, you get the option to freeze. If you're the only player not to bust, have the highest card total by the time everyone freezes or busts, or you get 21 first, you get 500 more. Lowest score after round two is eliminated. In the final head to head round, all points are done away with and the player who gets 21 first, doesn't bust, or gets the highest card total wins $1,000 and plays the end game. Catch 21's end game is equally as simple. Whoever wins gets one Power Chip for each round they won. Three columns of cards are dealt with one card face up in each. A card is shown, and you can either place it in one of the available columns or get rid of it using a Power Chip, if you have any. Catching the first 21 gives you an additional $1,000. Catching a second 21 will turn that $1,000 into $5,000 (If you stop, you leave with $6,000). However, if you catch all three 21s, you leave with $25,000. Both hosts, Alfonso Ribeiro and Mikki Padilla were fine, though Mikki was a lot rougher. Alfonso could use to improvise a bit more as well instead of relying so much off teleprompters. It's not like Grand Slam where every second is insanely fast paced trivia. It's a laid back show, and both hosts could really use to show that more. Presentation wise, the set's nice and bright which is a refreshing change; that is until the end game. I don't know what happened, but they play the end game on a totally different set than what the front game is on. I really don't think that was necessary, but whatever. If you watched our Casino video we posted a bit ago, you can see exactly the software the show uses. Every device used in Casino is used in Catch 21, and it works great. I don't really know what to suggest for the front game, it works fine. However, the point system is a bit annoying when players win $1,000 after getting somewhere between 1300 and 1600 points. I would think they could have figured out a way to make the game use dollars. Yeah it's a budget move to save a few hundred bucks per episode, that's very clear, but it just comes off as insanely cheap when the difference between points and the actual win is only a few hundred. It's the same issue Lingo had. On Casino, you had to answer a question correctly to freeze, and I did like that. I'm not disappointed to see it go persay, but it would have been nice. Again, in the end game, I really don't know what to include. As far as game play goes, the end game works and emulates the Catch 21 online casual game they are trying to plug. It could stand to be a bit quicker though, seems to drag. I can't really fault the pacing that much, though, since it was a rough cut. And in terms of the dozens and dozens of rough cuts GSN has sent me, this is by far the best. Catch 21 would have been a hit when it was originally pitched over five years ago, and it should be a hit now. It's a great update to the old game show Gambit and definitely emulates it perfectly. As with most other decent shows on the air today, it
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