Fox Drops “Our Little Genius”, Contestants Briefed Too Much?
We’ve gotten just about as close as we can to a quiz show scandal as we can these days. Out of no where Fox has dropped the much-hyped quiz show Our Little Genius. It’s not clear if it’s a clear cancelation at this point or if it’s just being redone. Now comes the really interesting part. The show wasn’t dropped because of lack of confidence. Our Little Genius has been removed from the schedule because of concerns about information given to contestants during preproduction about what topics they would see during the game. All of this is according to the New York Times.
So it seems information about questions or the topics were exposed in some way, shape, or form. There’s no other information that can be given out that would cause the show to be pulled beyond information specific to the material or topic of the questions. It leaked out somehow. Maybe someone got ahold of it through other means. Maybe during contestant briefings too much was given away. There’s no full explanation yet so we can’t comment on this. Great job not picking up The Cube and taking this instead, Fox! Here’s a statement by executive producer Mark Burnett:
I recently discovered that there was an issue with how some information was relayed to contestants during the pre-production of Our Little Genius. As a result, I am not comfortable delivering the episodes without re-shooting them. I believe my series must always be beyond reproach, so I have requested that Fox not air these episodes.
And if I had to take a guess I’d say this actually means the lawyers got on their asses and did this. I could be wrong as always, but it makes more sense than sitting on this information for weeks before suddenly saying, “You know what, let’s pull the plug,” a few days before debut.
This has been a major issue with game shows this decade and it finally came to its breaking point now. The amount of production done to these shows to turn them into the absolute perfect product teeters on sickening and they went too far. What we were given by most production companies in this primetime era were semi-scripted dramas, not game shows. I mean nothing will change because of this. The show still may air. This sort of stuff is just annoying. Why do so few producers understand this genre? It’s not hard to get. Mark Burnett is clearly a fantastic reality producer. He’s given us some of the best in the genre and I enjoy his Shark Tank especially. But this isn’t a reality show. Game shows are treated differently. You let the show happen. When you produce everything to a point of being anal, what do you get? You get Our Little Genius, and you get a lot of wasted money on a show that won’t air.
Thanks to Michael Hetrick for the link to the original New York Times story on this.
Edit: I removed a few things that weren’t needed in the original dialog and cleaned it up a bit.
Wow. A Fox show a bit shady?! What a shocker! This POS had stink all over it from the beginning. Luckily for Kevin Pollack, he wasn't featured much in the promos, no maybe the masses will forget he was ever associated with this thing.
"Television IS virtual reality. Word."
-Joel Hodgson, TV Wheel (1995)
Is it just me, or do I have a bad feeling Fox is going to drop down the decency ladder and pick up Heads or Tails? Oh, God, no. Please don't. Seriously.
Solely for legal purposes just saying I got all the info from New York Times first, haha. I just threw together extra info from the other stuff we know.
I agree, Burnett didn't suddenly get a change of heart. There was a legal situation. The only information regarding the topic of the material that could have been released and caused the show to be canned is questions and/or answers were released in some way. Maybe it leaked out accidently. Maybe it was given in briefing by accident. I don't know. But they couldn't have pulled it out of integrity this soon when they fully knew what was going down.
The Cube is laughing. WE HAD YOU!!! We. Had. You!
"You let the show happen."
The producers who are doing prime-time game shows come from the "reality" genre, for the most part… and nothing "just happens" on a reality show. They don't understand that reality shows and game shows are not the same thing… and they can't help themselves from trying to inject some pseudo-reality into games.
And yes, you can apply that last paragraph to GSN, too. :)
They are still paying the kids according to a news story released about it.
I have to wonder what caused this change of heart. I can't imagine Mark Burnett, six days before the premiere, suddenly having an epiphany and opting not to air the show.
Do you think a parent of a contestant, or a crew member on the show, threatened to go to the tabloids, trades, TMZ, etc., with the information in Alex's report? Perhaps the parent was upset that something Junior was suggested would be asked did not? Or the crew member with a background in game shows was uncomfortable with the way the show was being run and was willing to spill his/her guts?
Is it just me, or do I have a bad feeling Fox is going to drop down the decency ladder and pick up Heads or Tails? Oh, God, no. Please don't. Seriously.
Yikes! People can go to jail for this, so no wonder why they yanked it. I am surprised there wasn't more lawyer/security presence to avoid this. Yanking a heavily promoted show is not done lightly and there will likely be consequences.
Burnett has played fast and loose with the regulations, earning a pass on Survivor not being classed as a game show, and thus earning regulatory immunity.
So now what? Minute to Win It? What's going on here? AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
Well you guys didn't want this show, so you should be glad.
Well you guys didn't want this show, so you should be glad.
I hate to say this, but it appears that way. No wonder we have an obesity problem in this country. SHEEEESSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
Darn it, and I was so looking forward to it too. Well, I guess that means that Fox is probably going to show some more reruns. Maybe they'll rerun "Glee" or something. That seems to be a hit.
I think Mark Burnett should stick with the 2 shows he does best: Survivor and The Apprentice. As for game shows on Fox, maybe this would be a good time to bring back Greed.
If what I am reading here is accurate, it seems that the contestants may have been the subject of Twenty-One style "briefing." Geesh, even Hollywood Squares had to provide a disclaimer that the celebrities had been briefed prior to the show to "help them with their bluffs." But this was not to be a bluffing game…
Back in the day, Barry & Enright gave you the easiest answers in the 70’s & 80’s, but in the 50’s, they were the center of a quiz show scandal. Now that Genuis show is cancelled, maybe it’s because of the briefing.
Darn it, and I was so looking forward to it too. Well, I guess that means that Fox is probably going to show some more reruns. Maybe they'll rerun "Glee" or something. That seems to be a hit.
I think Mark Burnett should stick with the 2 shows he does best: Survivor and The Apprentice. As for game shows on Fox, maybe this would be a good time to bring back Greed.
Craig, is your last name "Karlberg" by any chance?
And this is why Fox shoud've chanced on The Cube…
On (the original) "Twenty-One," the late Dan Enright did more than merely "brief" (as you put it) contestants; they were given the questions, answers, and coached as to how to behave. Not even close to the "briefing" celebrities got on all versions of "The Hollywood Squares," where they were told of subject matter for questions, and in many cases were given punch lines (in the event that that celeb was not good at ad-libbing, or coming up with a quip on the fly). A similar practice was used on "Celebrity Sweepstakes." No star was ever given an actual question or answer, here.
This game show (like so many aired on Fox) had bullshit written all over it!
Here comes The Cube!
Maybe LITTLE GENIUS should get toned down and air on GSN instead of FOX. Just like in 2009 when GSN revamped FOX's ill fated axed after 1 episode aired RICH LIST as THE MONEY LIST.
http://www.brand-bar.com
Best quality, Best reputation , Best services
—**** NHL Jersey Woman $ 40 —**** NFL Jersey $ 35
—**** NBA Jersey $ 34 —**** MLB Jersey $ 35
—**** Jordan Six Ring_m $36 —**** Air Yeezy_m $ 45
—**** T-Shirt_m $ 25 —**** Jacket_m $ 36
—**** Hoody_m $ 50 —**** Manicure Set $ 20
—****Handbag $36 —****sunglass $18
—****jean $36 —****ugg boot $60
http://www.brand-bar.com
http://www.brand-bar.com
Best quality, Best reputation , Best services
—**** NHL Jersey Woman $ 40 —**** NFL Jersey $ 35
—**** NBA Jersey $ 34 —**** MLB Jersey $ 35
—**** Jordan Six Ring_m $36 —**** Air Yeezy_m $ 45
—**** T-Shirt_m $ 25 —**** Jacket_m $ 36
—**** Hoody_m $ 50 —**** Manicure Set $ 20
—****Handbag $36 —****sunglass $18
—****jean $36 —****ugg boot $60
http://www.brand-bar.com
http://www.brand-bar.com
Best quality, Best reputation , Best services
—**** NHL Jersey Woman $ 40 —**** NFL Jersey $ 35
—**** NBA Jersey $ 34 —**** MLB Jersey $ 35
—**** Jordan Six Ring_m $36 —**** Air Yeezy_m $ 45
—**** T-Shirt_m $ 25 —**** Jacket_m $ 36
—**** Hoody_m $ 50 —**** Manicure Set $ 20
—****Handbag $36 —****sunglass $18
—****jean $36 —****ugg boot $60
http://www.brand-bar.com
To use another JOel Hodgson show, just relax, as it's just a show!
To use another JOel Hodgson show, just relax, as it's just a show!
[...] âOur Little Genius has been removed from the schedule because of concerns about information given to contestants during preproduction about what topics they would see during the game. In other words, they started giving away questions and/or answers in some way, shape, or form.â (from http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/fox-drops-our-little-genius-contestants-briefed-too-much/) [...]