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)05Jan2012
“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)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)18Nov2011
Roger Craig Beats “Jeopardy!” with a Web App
For the most part a contestant's experience on Jeopardy! is pretty basic. Just pick a question and answer it. You'll need to bet once, maybe more if you're lucky, but for the most part it's as robotic as can be. There's no secret ways to fix the game, much like the non-random patterns on the 80s game show Press Your Luck. So how can you figure out a way to beat Jeopardy! writers (and your opponents) at their own game? Do what Roger Craig, the 2011 Tournament of Champions winner did, and develop a web app. He made one, which he showcased at the New York "Quantified Self Show & Tell," and given his incredible performance it's hard to deny it works. Click here to learn more about his program and see a video of him explaining it.
Read MoreView Comments (4)16Nov2011
Roger Craig Wins 2011 “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions
Roger Craig, the largest single-day winner in Jeopardy! history, has proven he's the best of the best this year. Newark, Delaware, resident Craig has won the 2011 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, winning the $250,000 top prize. Craig beat 14 other Jeopardy! champions to take the title. “It feels incredibly special to win the Tournament of Champions, especially since it’s a marquee event for ‘Jeopardy!’” Craig said. “It’s amazing to win $250,000. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I'd play the game for free!” His competitors, Tom Nissley (2nd place) and Buddy Wright (3rd place), receive $100,000 and $50,000; respectively. Congratulations to Roger. Click here to see Roger's winning moments.
Read MoreView Comments (5)31Oct2011
“Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions Launches November 2nd
The highlight of each season of Jeopardy!, the annual tournament of champions, is quickly approaching. It's time for the 2011 Tournament of Champions, taking place from November 2nd through November 15th. The 2011 Tournament of Champions invites 15 of its biggest winners of the year back to play again. This time, however, $250,000 is up for grabs for the ultimate winner. Included in the group of 15 is the winner of the College Championship and the Teacher's Tournament. Click here for a list of everyone who is taking part. Who do you think will win?
Read MoreView Comments (7)30Aug2011
Fall 2011 Game Show Season Debut Dates
We've got some cool features on The Hub's Family Game Night and Scrabble Showdown coming soon. However, when discussing some things with readers on Twitter this morning, I got a lot of questions regarding when your favorite game shows would be debuting. The usual debut month is September, and with that quickly approaching I thought having a run down of the new debut dates and what to expect would be smart. Click here to read about all the debut dates.
Read MoreView Comments (24)05Aug2011
Morning Buzz for August 5, 2011
Good morning, everyone. We've been pretty busy around here recently, and couple that with lack of any remotely interesting news to make a pretty slow day or so. However, over the past day and a half, a few interesting stories. Not that much is going on in America right now, but collectively over the world we've found some interesting stories. Stories this morning include the return of a classic game show to GSN's weekend schedule, casting notices for a new New York-based quiz show and a Sky show in the UK, taping information for ITV's upcoming live Millionaire celebrity special, and a new version of The Cube is coming. Read about all the stories here.
Read MoreView Comments (12)28Jul2011
Make Your Own Jokes: Alex Trebek Injures Himself Chasing Burglar
It's time for another one of our popular features: Make Your Own Joke posts. We waited to report on the Alex Trebek situation specifically for the jokes. If you haven't heard yet, Alex Trebek was recently injured when chasing a burglar. A woman was robbing Trebek's hotel room. As she fled Alex ran out after her, met up with her, and she was apprehended. However, during the chase, Alex fell and injured his leg. Alex is doing fine, but it's just a weird story. Weird enough that we're getting an influx of Jeopardy! related jokes regarding the situation. So instead of taking the story seriously like many are, since it's so bizarre, we're asking you to come up with jokes. We asked our Twitter and Facebook followers to come up with some, and we've got some winners. Click here to see some of our favorites and send us your own jokes.
Read MoreView Comments (41)20Jun2011
Ben Bailey Wins Emmy; “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” Tie
Last night CBS presented the 38th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, hosted by Let's Make A Deal host Wayne Brady. I didn't watch (not a fan of award shows) so someone can clue us in as to how Wayne did, but regardless many other game shows were represented well. As previously established Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak and Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Trebek told CBS News backstage, "We're part of Americana. People, when they hear the themes to 'Wheel' and 'Jeopardy!', they know immediately what the reference is. Part of that is because we've been on for so long. We hope it will continue for as long as we want to do it." Click here to learn more about the awards.
Read MoreView Comments (21)11May2011
Game Show Nominees for 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
The 38th annual Daytime Emmy Awards are rapidly approaching and, as always, game shows are being represented well. Last year Discovery's Cash Cab (a show I still think is incredibly overrated) swept the games, winning both best game show and best host for Ben Bailey. They'll both be back trying for yet another, but a field of others will try to keep the newest Emmy Award off their shelf. The host this year will be Let's Make A Deal's Wayne Brady. Click here for the full list of nominees.
Read MoreView Comments (11)25Apr2011
“Jeopardy” Lands on Facebook
Game show fans on Facebook have yet another daily distraction. The popular quiz show Jeopardy! has been released for the social networking site. The game is a joint venture between Sony and GSN Digital. The last collaboration was the Facebook edition of Wheel of Fortune which sees over 200,000 plays a day. Sony Pictures owns 35% of GSN. Any Facebook user can play Jeopardy! and match their wits against their friends. Click here to learn more about the game and to play.
Read MoreView Comments (10)22Mar2011
“Vanna For A Day” Winner Katie Cantrell Appears on “Wheel” March 24th; Trebek and Sajak Win Award
Lots of Wheel of Fortune news for you today. In February, Wheel launched the "Vanna For a Day" competition where one lucky winner would get the chance to stand in front of the iconic puzzle board in place for regular host Vanna White. Katie Cantrell, a senior at Savannah College of Art and Design, won. She beat out more than 1,000 other ladies for the chance.
Not only that, but both Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek are being honored with a Lifetime Achievement award at the Daytime Emmys which will be broadcast live on June 19th on CBS. “Who of us has not laughed and been entertained by the unique and ever present game shows, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!?” asked NATAS Chairman, Darryl Cohen.