It’s upfront week and not a lot of game show news has been going around. We’ve really been over-saturated in primetime and it’s time for a short break, which is good because if we keep getting shows like Set For Life, I give up. Anyway, FOX announced their schedule and all three of their game shows survive into the Fall 2008 schedule. They’ve really benefited from using safe formats with relatively interesting concepts that generates a lot of water cooler talk.
First off, if you’re used to watching Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? and Don’t Forget the Lyrics! on Thursdays, get ready to make a change. The night of punctuation moves to Fridays, with Fifth Grader? at 8:00PM ET and Lyrics! at 9:00PM ET. I still can’t stand Fifth Grader; I just don’t think it’s a good million dollar format. When the cheaper daytime version comes in 2009, then we’ll talk. However, I watched Lyrics! a few weeks ago and I have to admit it’s not really that bad. Sure the format is unoriginal and I really don’t like any of the music (I’m a 80s and early 90s alt/grunge person), but it’s a relatively enjoyable fun hour.
My personal favorite of the group, The Moment of Truth will be placed in the Thursday at 8:00PM ET slot. This show generates the most talk and has the biggest chance of combating any of the networks. Look at the Laura Cleri episode to just realize the amount of talk the show generates. The show consistently gets ratings and is a pretty fun way to spend an hour. It’s far from a classy show, but it does something that Amne$ia never did and why shows like ABC’s Opportunity Knocks will fail: even if you can’t really play along it makes you show real human emotion. You want the contestants to win money because they’ve done good things. You want them to fail because they are asses. It makes you voice speak up.
As far as NBC goes, it’s still just Deal or No Deal with 1 VS 100 not looking good to come back. CBS has no traditional game shows but will always have its cash cow Survivor. A CBS representative told us that they have six episodes of Do You Trust Me?, a retooling of Friend or Foe? from GSN, but aren’t placing it on any upcoming schedule. ABC just has the aforementioned Opportunity Knocks which I can just sense the failure slowly creeping off of. On the cable front, like we said we have MTV’s The Phone upcoming, and GSN has three shows. One is Catch-21, which we’ve described in excruciating detail. They also have two more revivals coming out soon.
We really don’t talk about FOX’s singing game show Don’t Forget the Lyrics! much because, quite frankly, there’s rarely anything ever to talk about with it. I’m a bit surprised when I get the show’s ratings as I keep forgetting it’s on. However, the show is pretty popular and with so many people wanting to try out, FOX is creating an online game where you can become a contestant and sing with host Wayne Brady.
Part of the Lyrics game allows players to upload videos of them singing various songs, which will then be browsed by FOX who can choose contestants from this database. “This is a natural extension for us as we continue to explore ways to maximize the value of our show brands,” said Max Benator, head of digital media for RDF USA. “Any production company that wants to survive in this changing media landscape should be creating for as many platforms as possible - and I’m glad we’re finding successes in doing that.” This is very similar to how Deal or No Deal’s new casting website will work; you obviously just won’t upload videos of you singing. Or you might, who knows; it may get you on the show.
I’m a bit stunned that Don’t Forget the Lyrics outlasted NBC’s The Singing Bee, but after thinking about it for a bit it makes sense. The viewers are flocking towards formats which they already know and feel safe with. The formats that have escalating prize money, lifelines, and big drama for big risks. Lyrics, just like its other Who Wants to be a Millionaire? clone friend Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? has this. I really don’t think NBC primetime was the best place for The Singing Bee anyway. It always seemed more like a syndicated game show. I’m never one that foams at the mouth by huge money, but a show for a top prize of $50,000 seems weak compared to everything else on the market.
I went a bit lazy, but the ratings page has a massive update. The Singing Bee keeps slipping down, as it’s now at 1 VS 100 new episode levels. However, Don’t Forget the Lyrics! and Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? keep going up. Also, Without Prejudice? had a very strong debut, doing equally as well as GSN projected. GSN’s ratings for June stayed basically the same, though. Syndicated ratings had barely any change as well. Click here for the page, or click the link in the top right corner, which is easier.
This week marks a very special event for two reasons for me:
1: FINALLY someone stands up to FOX and re-rushes a show to air. It’s about time someone pushes FOX around, especially since 75% of their rushed ripoffs are total crap.
2: I get to see if The Singing Bee will bomb, which will give 1 VS 100 a chance for a longer season.
That’s right. This week marks the debut of two new karaoke game shows. The Singing Bee starts Tuesday, July 10th, at 9:30PM ET to 10:00PM ET. Yes, that means that there’s a major network that isn’t stretching a half hour game show to an hour. FOX is getting shafted finally by getting their ripoff, Don’t Forget the Lyrics!, one day later; Wednesday, July 11th, at 9:30PM ET to 10PM ET. Both shows have contestants singing along to a live band with lyrics appearing on the screen. Both shows will cut the lyrics and music after a bit. Both shows require contestants to continue to sing until told. How are the shows different? Read after the break to find out.
Continue reading ‘UK “Singing Bee” Rules + “Lyrics” Info’
The karaoke wars are officially on. NBC served up a televised bitch slap to FOX by rushing their new singing show, The Singing Bee, to air on July 10th following America’s Got Talent. No word on the host or top prize yet, but we’re hearing you can win somewhere around $100,000 (at least on the pilot). Let’s see the rules of both shows.
The Singing Bee: Contestants hear the house band play a song. Lyrics will also appear on a screen. Contestants have to sing along. When the music stops and lyrics end, the contestants have to continue to sing. Each one right wins a prize.
Don’t Forget the Lyrics!: Contestants hear the house band play a song. Lyrics will also appear on a screen. Contestants have to sing along. When the music stops and lyrics end, the contestants have to continue to sing. Each one right wins a prize.
We’re in for a very fun time soon. If there is any good news to come from this, it’s that we might have an uninterrupted Fall of 1 VS 100. I’m crossing my fingers for this.
If you notice the site doing weird stuff today, our apologies. We’re attempting to get the new website online and we’re having issues.
We’re seeing shades of the Chair/Chamber situation with singing game shows. Hot on the trail of NBC’s Singing Bee, FOX is rushing Don’t Forget the Lyrics to air. The Wayne Brady hosted show will debut on July 11th at 9:30PM ET and its second episode is July 12th at 8:30PM ET. On the show, contestants will have to sing along to the show’s band while lyrics are displayed on a large screen. The contestant will have to continue to sing when the music and lyrics stop. After each right lyric, the contestant has the option to stop the game. However, if they can answer all 10, they win $1,000,000. In the pilot, two “Helplines” were used. For more pilot information, click here.
Also debuting this summer is CBS’s Power of 10. The show sees contestants predicting the percentage of people to answer a topical survey question. The first right answer gives the contestant $1,000. Each right answer after that multiplies their money by ten, making the top prize $10,000,000 for five right answers. The Drew Carey hosted show from Embassy Row will debut Tuesday, August 7th, at 8PM ET before settling into its position of Wednesdays at 8PM ET the following night. Taping will start in mid July.
Any pre-airing thoughts about either of these shows? Don’t Forget the Lyrics is going to be polarizing for the main reason of musical taste. I guarantee you all of the songs will be known pop songs. I like the old 70s/80s/90s punk and grunge music like X, Pixies, and Fugazi, so I know at least that if they stick with pop music, I’ll be screwed. I couldn’t even name one popular song today. A good chunk of my fear about Power of 10 is gone from what I’ve seen of tiny chunks of the pilot. It looks rather good. I’ll always have a tiny level of fear about Embassy Row shows after the horror that is Chain Reaction, but I think Power of 10 will make me completely forget about it. Looks like we finally have another winner in this new boom of game shows.
Why do I have a feeling that we’re on the road for another Chair/Chamber situation? FOX is rushing their ripoff of NBC’s The Singing Bee to tape. Don’t Forget the Lyrics, FOX’s new song identification show, will be taped on June 19th through the 21st and hosted by Whose Line is it Anyway cast member Wayne Brady. If you would like to see the show and live in LA, click here to get tickets. This is some information given to us by a casting person:
10 songs…10 missing lyrics…One Million Dollars. Don’t Forget The Lyrics! has the perfect mix of nostalgia and cool factor. Like Karaoke on steroids, our contestants take center stage to sing along as the lyrics are projected and our studio band provides the music. Suddenly, the music stops and the words disappear. Will our contestant belt out the correct missing lyric or will they freeze under the pressure of the bright lights and studio audience? With each correct lyric, our contestant must decide to “stay & play” or “take the money & run.” As our contestant climbs the money chart, the songs become more popular but the missing lyrics become more difficult. When a contestant is unsure of missing lyrics, they can use any one of three helplines to aid them. In Which Line Works?, the contestant is given three possible missing lyrics. One is correct and two are incorrect. In Friends & Family, the contestant can ask their in-studio guests for help in completing the missing lyric. In Scratch The Record, their originally selected song is thrown out and a new song is provided from the same category. So sit back, turn up the volume, and get ready to sing along to the biggest hit songs of all time! But, if you want to be successful in this game, there is one thing you have to remember… DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!
I love that we’ve combined 1 VS 100’s Helps and Millionaire’s Lifelines to get Helplines. This show doesn’t seem absolutely dreadful so far though, which is a step up for most FOX shows. Although, can someone please tell me what is so appealing about Wayne Brady? I thought he was the biggest waste of time on Whose Line. His only skill was singing, and that didn’t save him on the show at all since it was a comedy. For the most part he lacked the comedy aspect. I’m guessing the singing is one of the sole reasons he was casted to host. Regardless, what do you all think about this show so far?
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