09Feb2012
Jeremy Blais Wins $250,000 on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”
Jeremy Blais, a Surf Rescue lifeguard and pharmacist from Matunuck, RI, became the newest mega money winner on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. On Wednesday Jeremy won the $250,000 prize, making him the third person this season to take home the third biggest amount of money the show can offer. Jeremy won by Jumping over the $100,000 question, reasoning out the $250,000 and finding the right answer, and finally walking away on the $500,000 question. Click here to see his journey through Classic Millionaire to the $500,000 question, including some clips of the big win incase you didn't get to watch.
Read MoreView Comments (4)01Feb2012
“Wheel of Fortune” Salutes Military Spouses During the Week of February 6th
Wheel of Fortune has a very special week coming up for fans of the show starting February 6th. For the first time ever, the show will be holding a special "Military Spouses Week," running through February 10th. The week will feature 15 spouses of military members representing all the branches of military. It will also feature a special message from First Lady Michelle Obama and information on "Joining Forces," her initiative for the benefit of military families. Click here to learn more about the week.
Read MoreView Comments (2)01Feb2012
Ratings Report: “Millionaire” Hits High; “Who’s Still Standing” Exits
We've got some ratings and viewership figures to share with you this morning. In addition to syndication we also have some broadcast network numbers, plus international figures which will probably depress you a bit. Let's start with the positives, though. With the meteoric rise of Family Feud, Who Wants to be a Millionaire has accidentally been pushed to the side for a bit. However, they had some great news for the week ending January 22nd. It was actually good news for all the syndicated shows. Next, NBC's Who's Still Standing? didn't end its series with a bang, but it managed to somehow maintain its audience week in and week out despite some major problems. And finally, get ready to be depressed about the viewing figures for ITV's intense quiz show The Exit List. It's not looking good. Click here for the full run through of all the ratings.
Read MoreView Comments (14)30Jan2012
“Jeopardy!” College Championship Begins Wednesday, February 1st
One of Jeopardy!'s more popular annual events, the College Championship tournament, is back. This is the 24th annual College Championship. The event, beginning Wednesday, February 1st, sees fifteen of the country's brightest college students competing for a $100,000 grand prize and the coveted title. More importantly, though, they will gain entry into the Tournament of Champions and a potential $250,000 top prize. Click here for more information on the tournament and for a list of who's competing.
Read MoreView Comments (9)27Jan2012
Report: “Baggage” Cleared for Syndication in 70% of the Country
It's been a slow news day and an incredibly busy day, personally, for all of us. Luckily we found something interesting for you. According to Marc Berman and TV Media Insights, Sony Pictures Television's Baggage looks to be syndicated full time starting Fall 2012. According to TVMI, the Jerry Springer-hosted dating show has been cleared in 70% of the country. Baggage began a syndication test run in January 2011 throughout ten markets, where it saw ratings hovering around 0.8 to 1.0. These are off-network reruns of the GSN version which has been silent for months. Click here to check out a fun moment from the show.
Read MoreView Comments (9)24Jan2012
Hillstrand Bros. of “Deadliest Catch” and Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” Play “Millionaire” in February
Some of the most popular reality show personalities, used to already performing strange and intense tasks on their individual Discovery shows, are about to undertake another heart pounding task. Deadliest Catch's Hillstrand Brothers, Johnathan and Andy, and Dirty Jobs's Mike Row will be coming to New York to play Who Wants to be a Millionaire for charity. In February each of them will play for $1,000,000 for their charities. The Hillstrand Brothers will be playing for Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial on February 2nd and 3rd. Mike Rowe is playing for mikeroweWORKS Foundation on February 27th and 28th. Click here to check out a special Backstage Pass video of the Hillstrand Brothers getting set to play for a million dollars.
Read MoreLeave a Comment05Jan2012
“Jeopardy” Schedules Online Tests; Adult Test Starts January 17th
Jeopardy! is well known for embracing modern technology. Take a look at their sets through the years for proof. Nothing shows it more, though, than their online exams to become a contestant. It's the only show I know of that actually allows you to take the test at home and possibly become a contestant through that. If you want to be a contestant on the show, the exam is coming up and this is your chance to stand behind the famous board and win big money and the glory that comes from being a Jeopardy! champion. Exams for adults and regular programs, the annual "College Championship", and the annual "Teen Tournament" will be happening the next few weeks. Click here to learn when the exams are and register to become a contestant.
Read MoreView Comments (11)05Jan2012
“Millionaire” Launches “Cruise In and Win” Week January 9th
Starting next week Who Wants to be a Millionaire will give contestants, audience members, and a home viewer a chance to win a Disney cruise. Millionaire is launching a special "Cruise In and Win" week starting January 9th and going through January 13th. The special week will work the same as recent prize weeks; one question will have the cruise attached to it. If the contestant can answer the question, they'll win a three night preview cruise on the Disney Fantasy cruise ship. They'll also get the dollar value behind the question. Audience members can also win, but most importantly you can be getting away from the cold and snow. Click here to learn more about the week and how you can win.
Read MoreView Comments (4)30Dec2011
Top Ten Moments of 2011: Number Two (With Guest Blog from Executive Producer Gaby Johnston)
We're in the final stage of the Top of 2011 countdown. The last three were very close, but this edged out Roger Craig's Jeopardy! experience. It's always a tough choice when a show makes a big change in tone and cast. Sometimes it ends up well. Look at how Match Game shifted to the comedy game it became. Other times it's just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I don't think a large shift in feel has ever worked out the way it has for Family Feud, though. Click here to read what you voted as number two, and to read a guest blog post from executive producer Gaby Johnston.
Read MoreView Comments (10)20Dec2011
Ratings Report: Lackluster Start for “Who’s Still Standing?”
Who's Still Standing? may not be standing for much longer. NBC debuted the show last night to tepid reviews at best and the ratings show it. The debut airing scored just a 3.4/5 rating with 5.6 million viewers. Fear Factor began its second week on the air and suffered from a poor lead-in. It still had a very strong showing in the key demographic, though. You Deserve It is still on the air and it somehow lost more viewers in its fifth week. And, finally, we have syndication ratings. Click here to see all the ratings.
Read MoreView Comments (25)15Dec2011
“Millionaire” Launches “Broadway Giveaway Week” December 19th
Who Wants to be a Millionaire will celebrate Broadway next week with a special "Broadway Giveaway Week". Starting December 19th contestants will be asked one question each game about Broadway. If they answer it correctly they will win tickets to a performance of Mary Poppins or The Lion King for themselves and a member of the studio audience. In addition the two lead actors from Mary Poppins, Steffanie Leigh (Mary Poppins) and Gavin Lee (Bert), will kick off the week with a charity game. Their charity, The Actors Fund, is guaranteed $5,000 no matter what. Earlier this year Meredith Vieira had the chance to appear on Mary Poppins and play a chimney sweep in two dance numbers. Click here to take a look at a Backstage Pass video showing her experience.
Read MoreView Comments (2)13Dec2011
Ratings Report: “Fear Factor” Debuts Strong; “You Deserve It” Continues to Drop
We've got a few network game shows on television for the first time in a while so we've got an interesting ratings report. NBC debuted the newest season of Fear Factor after a five year break. It picked off right where it left off in terms of success. It's not all good for game shows, though. ABC's charity based quiz show You Deserve It inexplicably drop again. Syndication perked up for nearly all for the week ending December 4th. Click here to learn about all the ratings and what they mean.
Read MoreView Comments (20)08Dec2011
Ratings Report: “Family Feud” Near Doubles Year-to-Date; “You Deserve It” Slides
November sweeps is over. The period is historically very important for syndicated shows for the ad buying process. All game shows came out ahead. Who came out the best, though? Far and away the biggest winner is Family Feud. Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire also all saw increases year to date. Really the only bad news is for ABC's You Deserve It, which is just not having a good run. If you're a fan of the show I'd watch it while you can. No show can last with these ratings. Click here to read all the ratings and tell us what you think.
Read MoreView Comments (11)07Dec2011
“Millionaire” Ends Its “Club Millionaire” Viewer Appreciation Program
Seemingly out of no where, Who Wants to be a Millionaire has axed their giant gimmick for the season: Club Millionaire. Club Millionaire offered viewers points if they answered a Club question online, and points could be redeemed for discounts, prizes, and sweepstakes. One of the sweepstakes promised winners a chance to appear on the show. An email went out to club members yesterday that the program would end on December 6th. A letter was sent to members and posted online. The Club's website now forwards to the show's main site. Click here to read a copy of the letter sent to club members and discuss why you think the program is gone.
Read MoreView Comments (14)29Nov2011
Local News Anchors Play “Millionaire” for “Play It Forward” Charity Week
All this week you may be lucky enough to see some very familiar faces play Who Wants to be a Millionaire for charity. Local news anchors from across the country are teaming up and trying to win $1,000,000 for charity during "Play It Forward" Week. Yesterday Lionel Bienvenu and Lisa Hidalgo from Denver’s 7News won $26,550 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, so congratulations to them. Tune in today to see Greg Warmoth and Vanessa Echols, anchors of WFTV’s Channel 9 Eyewitness News Daybreak in Orlando, play. Each team is guaranteed $5,000 to donate. I'm personally excited because my home town local anchors, Peggy Finnegan and David Johnson of WPXI are playing this week and given the trailer it looks like they win very big. Check out all this week. Click here to see a behind the scenes Backstage Pass video.
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