What could have happened?  We saw the pilot and we heard audience reports.  The game works and isn’t bad.  It’s just boring.  It’s pretty evident if a team is going to win or lose so you don’t get a sense of unpredictability that even standard shows like Millionaire offer.  It’s a show that should be a lot better than it is.  It’s the typical blue-colors-on-metal look that we’re used to and given the maze atmosphere they are trying to do they could have done so much more.  An early description I heard was a quiz show version of Indiana Jones.  That could have been an interesting theme to try.  However, it’s still really not a bad show and I’ll be looking forward to it.

ABC ordered a pilot for the show recently but ITV’s scuttling of The Exit List doesn’t bode well for it.

*ABC’s You Deserve It, for all intents and purposes, is dead most likely.  The second episode of ABC’s charity based quiz show scored a 2.8/4 rating and 4.36 million viewers.  It lost half its audience from the previous week.  I know it didn’t have the lead-in of Dancing With the Stars this time and its lead-in this week, Shrek the Halls, wasn’t as strong at 7.66 million viewers, but it still managed to lose 43% of that audience.  It’s likely it’s dead.

So can producers finally get it that people want to see a good game in an equally good package?  People watch game shows for the game.  If you shove it to the side then what’s the point?  It’s why this is failing.  It’s why stuff like Millionaire and Deal or No Deal succeeded.  It’s why stuff like Million Dollar Mind Game manages to retain its audience week in and week out and, at this point, has a better shot of showing up somewhere else with new episodes.  A decent game destroyed by a not-so-good show.

*Bother’s Bar has a set report from The Exit List, ITV’s newest quiz show.  We’ve covered it a bit ago, and what we reported basically sticks.  A team goes into a series of rooms and answers questions for cash.  Each right answer is added to the list of answers you have to rattle off to leave with what you’ve won.  You can click here to read it.  It doesn’t sound bad, but it sounds like it should be a lot more exciting and fun than it is, which is what we figured.  Looking forward to seeing how it turns out on television, though.  We were skeptical of The Cube based on audience reports and it ended up being great.

*We’ve got some release dates for returning favorites.  Wipeout comes back for another winter series starting Thursday, December 8th, at 8:00PM ET, on ABC. New co-host Vanessa Lachey makes her debut.  Then, in February, ABC brings back Shark Tank for a third season.  The new season debuts Friday, February 3, at 8:00PM ET.

Did we miss something?  Let us know.

“Many of the most popular shows on television today—including DANCING WITH THE STARS—are essentially game shows at their core,” says Amy Introcaso-Davis, Executive Vice President of Programming for GSN. “GSN is all about the potent combination of games, competition, entertainment and fun, and we know that DANCING WITH THE STARS is a show our female audience already loves.”  This is Amy’s first major acquisition since joining GSN recently.

I’d say it’s a smart move by GSN but you never know.  GSN tried off-network reality with The Amazing Race previously but it didn’t work out.  However, this is different.  I don’t like the show at all and you may not like it either, but it’s hard to deny it’s incredibly popular.  Not to mention that its basic audience is, admittedly, middle aged ladies and that’s the group GSN is going after.  Regardless of what you or I think, it makes sense for them to do this.  We’ll see if it pays off.

Classic Deal or No Deal (Challenge, 6pm & 6.45pm Weekdays)

Challenge continues to air the first series of Deal or No Deal from 2005. After last week, they have moved the double bills from 8pm to 6pm. So please note the new time. This week’s repeats feature some amazing shows, the ones to watch out are. Adrienne (Tuesday 6pm), Madie (Tuesday 6.45pm), Jennifer (Thursday 6pm) and Len (Friday 6.45pm).

Only Connect Children in Need Special (BBC Four & BBC HD, 8.30pm Monday, repeated BBC Four 12,30am and available on BBC iPlayer)

The fifth tournament of Only Connect takes a break this week to celebate the BBC annual telephon, Children in Need. Tonight’s star studded show features some well known celebries and not those who have been in some jungle. These folk have done some proper things that deserve to be on the show. The line up includes the editor of Private Eye and Have I Got News For You panelist, Ian Hislop. The creator of Buzzerblog’s favourite panel show, QI, John Lloyd and About a Boy novelist, Nick Hornby.

Sorority Girls (E4 & E4HD, 9pm Tuesday)

The reality show continues where five US girls from different sororities try to form a UK sorority group in Leeds. Last week’s premiere episode had the girls select the final 14 pledges. Now the real competition begins where gruelling challenges will have the 14 pledges cut down week by week until a final group of five remain. We don’t usually mention reality game shows on here but this one is very original and shows a difference of cultures been the US and the UK. It is also produced by 12Yard Productions. The company that brought you The Rich List, In It to Win It and the Colour of Money.

The Celebrity Chase (ITV1 & ITV1HD, 6.15pm Saturday)

The celebrity version of The Chase is back after a week off for English football. A new batch of celebrities try to take down the Chaser in front of a 500 strong studio audience. You will recongise most of this week’s team as they are. Comedian John Thomson, Coronation Street’s Eileen Grimshaw, Sue Cleaver, ex-Countdown co-host and now Loose Woman, Carol Vorderman and game show and entertainment presenter, Paul Ross. Since we’ve had Mark Labbett and Anne Hegerty appearing on the series so far. Expect the Chasee this week to be either Shaun Wallace or Paul Sinha.

The Cube (ITV1 & ITV1HD, 7.00pm Sunday)

The BAFTA award winning The Cube reaches the half way point in the fourth series this Sunday. So far, The Cube remains undefeated and only one person from the first six contestants have won £50,000. Has The Cube become harder? We will be asking this question later this week. This week’s challengers are a builder and a young mum. Can either of them beat the cube to win £250,000?

Here’s a list of the episodes and who will be appearing on each day.

Monday, December 12th

• 3:00AM: What’s My Line; 6/4/61; Hosted by John Daly; Celebrities: Phil Silvers, John Sellers, Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, Joey Bishop
• 3:30AM: I’ve Got A Secret; 6/3/63; Hosted by Garry Moore; Celebrities: Betsy Palmer, Hugh O’Brian, Bess Myerson, Henry Morgan, Bill Cullen

Tuesday, December 13th

• 3:00AM: What’s My Line; 5/8/60; Hosted by John Daly; Celebrities: Dick Van Dyke, Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, Benett Cerf, Gertrude Berg
• 3:30AM: I’ve Got A Secret; 2/1/61; Hosted by Garry Moore; Celebrities: Jayne Meadows, Betsy Palmer, Bess Myerson, Hengry Morgan, Spike Jone, Steve Allen

Wednesday, December 14th

• 3:00AM: What’s My Line; 10/4/64; Hosted by John Daly; Celebrities: Dorothy Kilgallen, Buddy Hackett, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, Steve Allen
• 3:30AM: I’ve Got A Secret; 10/16/61; Hosted by Garry Moore; Celebrities: Betsy Palmer, Bess Myerson, Henry Morgan, Art Linkletter, Bill Cullen

Thursday, December 15th

• 3:00AM: What’s My Line; 2/1/66; Hosted by John Daly; Celebrities: Ginger Rogers, Mark Goodson, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, Harry Belafonte
• 3:30AM: I’ve Got A Secret; 10/8/62; Hosted by Garry Moore; Celebrities: Betsy Palmer, Bess Myerson, Henry Morgan, Bill Cullen, Victor Borge

Friday, December 16th

• 3:00AM: What’s My Line; 6/26/55; Hosted by John Daly; Celebrities: Betty White, Dorothy Kilgallen, Jose Ferrer, Bennett Cerf, Fred Allen
• 3:30AM: I’ve Got A Secret; 12/4/61; Hosted by Garry Moore; Celebrities: Roy Rogers, Betsy Palmer, Bess Myerson, Henry Morgan, Bill Cullen

Get those DVRs set early. If any more weeks pop up I’ll be sure to let you know. What are you looking forward to most?

Contestants play a series of rounds in studio with Chris Harrison for cash starting at $10,000 and going to $250,000.  They will need to buy a series of clues to help them solve the puzzle for the round and win the cash attached to it.  However, each clue costs money and they don’t know what it is until they select it.  Unlike most other quiz shows there’s no instant elimination and no giant, depressing losses.  At the end of the show the person who receives the cash will be awarded the cash in a life-changing hidden camera moment with co-host Brooke Burns.

What do you think?  Looking forward to it?  Good luck to the show.  It’s always great to see new quiz shows pop up.

Another popular Endemol show is making its way back to Challenge for the first time since it’s become Freeview.  BBC’s 1 VS 100 will start Monday, November 21st, at 9PM.  It’s the first time the show has been rerun on a Freeview channel.  The lottery quiz show sees one contestant taken from the Mob of 100 others.  That One must beat the others to win tens of thousands of pounds.  The series ran from 2006 to 2009.  BBC’s edition of the show more followed the Dutch format, where each player eliminated was worth a bounty and you were not allowed to walk away after every question.

Two older series are being showcased as well.  Series 9 and 10 of the classic show 3-2-1 will be seen starting Thursday, November 3rd, at 10PM.  Also, series 17 of Blankety Blank, the British equivalent of Match Game, starts on November 3rd at 11PM.

Looking forward to any of these?

The format follows foreign versions pretty much verbatim, save for bigger money and a new look and set.  You can read about foreign versions here, from previous reports we did.

This comes as such a shock because we had multiple people confirm to us that Who’s Still Standing? was not going to air.  We also had reports of shady goings-on during taping.  Don’t get me wrong, though.  I want the show to work.  It’s not the greatest thing on earth but it’s a good, fun show.  We don’t get rapid fire quiz shows often, and I’m a sucker for the drop zone.  It’s just confusing to see this all of a sudden.  I wish it luck, though.  This December slot has a weird history.  Deal or No Deal launched around this time, but so did stuff like Million Dollar Money Drop.

Millionaire has switched to a celebrity format since December 2010 and has not had a civilian version, with contestants playing for themselves, since.  Ratings for the previous five celebrity specials have averaged over 4.9 million viewers, an increase from the 3.5 million viewer average of the civilian episodes.

Here’s a look at what the last Millionaire special, with soap stars, looked like.

Here’s the lineup:

Mondays:
7PM: Million Dollar Password
8PM: Power of 10
9PM: 1 VS 100
10PM: Who Wants to be a Millionaire
11PM: Deal or No Deal

Tuesdays:
7PM to 12AM: The Newlywed Game

Wednesdays:
7PM to 12AM: Baggage

Thursdays:
7PM to 12AM: Deal or No Deal

Fridays:
7PM: Match Game
8PM: The $25,000 Pyramid
9PM: Card Sharks
10PM: Family Feud (Dawson)
11PM: The $100,000 Pyramid

Saturdays:
7PM to 9:30PM: Family Feud (Karn)
9:30PM to 12AM: Family Feud (O’Hurley)
(Poker is cut back to 12AM to 2AM only now)

Sundays:
7PM to 12AM: Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

Again, all these changes are effective November 7th.  We get constant complaints from people wanting to see the older shows.  If you do, watch Fridays.  Send a message.  What do you think of the updates?  GSN PDF schedules are updated at the bottom of the page.

*Trick or treat: The Cube is back.  The fourth series of the critically acclaimed ITV1 game show will debut on Sunday, October 30th, at a time to be determined.  The third series, which saw celebrity Tom Fletcher of the band McFly win £100,000, was last seen in May 2011.  No one has been able to beat The Cube for its £250,000 top prize, nor has anyone attempted it.  Will this be the season that changes that?  Our fingers are crossed.  The Cube has been around since August 2009 and we’re always excited to see shows as good as this have a nice, long life.  Continued success to it and Objective Productions so we can see some more.  It’s going to be hard to top series three, but if anyone can do it it’s them.  What was our favorite moment?  Check it out.

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Video courtesy ITV and Objective Productions

*The popular ITV1 daytime quiz show The Chase recently taped some celebrity episodes.  These episodes will feature some of England’s top entertainment and news personalities competing against one of the four Chasers to win money for charity.  Celebrities taking part include Eamonn Holmes, Carol Vorderman, Alex James, John Thomson, Ann Widdecombe, Jenny Frost, Michelle Collins, Austin Healey, and Sara Cox. Others include Sally Lindsay, Barry McGuigan, Shaun Williamson, Nick Hancock, Jenny Éclair, Sue Cleaver, Paul Ross, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Phil Tufnell, Ulrika Jonsson, Jennie Bond, Joe Pasquale, Janet Street-Porter, and Mark Durden Smith.

They will be taking on one of the four Chasers, whether it be Mark “The Beast” Labbett, Anne “The Governess” Hegarty, Shaun “The Barrister” Wallace, or Paul “The Sinnerman” Sinha. If I were them, I’d be most afraid of Mark and Anne. Celebrity The Chase will air Saturday, October 29th, at 5:30PM.

The show invites a team of six to play a game of brain teasers.  Each puzzle correctly solved gives the team more money, and beating the game wins the team $1,000,000.  They only have 60 seconds to think and the captain then must give the right answer, though.  It’s based on a Russian format.  The show was taped over a year ago and never materialized.

Personally, I was looking forward to it for the interesting brain teaser questions.  Test audiences weren’t too into the show, according to our sources, but I think that was expected.  It’s radically different twist on standard Q&A shows and that’s worth it enough for quiz show fans to check it out.  We should hold no illusions that the show will last or end up anywhere.  This is clearly a burn-off, so enjoy the six episodes while you can.  Having said that, it’s still

*Family Game Night debuts its second season on September 2nd.  You can read our preview of the second season here.

*The Hub’s other two game shows, Scrabble Showdown and The Game of Life, will be showcased in a special preview on September 3rd.  We’ll have a feature on Scrabble Showdown soon.  We’ve been told nothing but great things about it so I’d be on the lookout for that.  Before the inevitable questions get asked: no, it’s not the 80′s version.

*Who Wants to be a Millionaire begins its 10th syndicated season earlier than most: September 5th.  New this season are “Double Your Money” days, prizes to questions occasionally, and Club Millionaire.  You can click here to read about all the new features we showcased first.

*Family Feud sees its newest season, the second with popular host Steve Harvey, on September 12th.  The only change is moving to Atlanta to accomodate host Steve Harvey.  When you raise the ratings as much as he did, you do whatever makes the host happiest.  We’ve got some features and exclusive set pictures coming soon.

*The other two syndicated shows, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, debut September 19th.  Not changes have been announced for either of these.

*The Price is Right and Let’s Make A Deal both start their new seasons on September 19th as well.  Both CBS daytime game shows are getting updated sets, upgrades in money, and specifically Deal will be getting some big new games like “Go For a Spin” and “Strike A Match”, which you can see below.

Did we miss anything?  Let us know.  What are you most looking forward to?  I’m definitely looking forward to Feud and Millionaire.