Fresh from the “Millionaire” Set
Just a reminder if anyone at all cares that the week of Who Wants to be a Millionaire I saw this week is on television. Right now the back of my head is nationally famous. Here’s a repost of my set report.
Millionaire is my favorite game show, bar none. I wasn’t really into game shows before Millionaire came out. So when I heard about all the changes coming to the show, I was obviously a bit nervous. I was happy to say I was mostly satisfied with what I saw on set.
First off, if you go to NYC, I can’t urge you to go to see the show enough. It was an incredible amount of fun. My only other taping experience was Chain Reaction and, well, that didn’t go so well. A three hour taping for a 21 minute show sort of destroys you. Millionaire tapes nearly exactly as it shows, which is nice. The studio atmosphere is great. Also, Meredith Vieira, the host, is as nice and warm off screen as you see her on screen. She’s great.
But now for the show’s changes. For the most part, I really enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed the Menu (aka categories) more than anything. Sadly, though, not a lot of people used the strategy of “I’m not sure about this question, but I know the next category, so I’ll risk it.” But it’s early, give it time. The Ask the Expert lifeline works relatively well if you get someone who knows something and not a person just for the press, but that’s how television works. It just really depends who you get. One thing that needs to be watched out for is to get a well rounded person, not someone necessarily specifically in one mind set. That screwed a few contestants over this week. Double Dip was extremely exciting too. Really everything was great.
Again, the clock is my only issue. I think it’s a good idea in theory, but it’s just implemented remotely wrong. I really don’t know how you could do it without confusing people with math which is apparently a bad thing. My easy fix to the clock is do what they do for the Million Dollar Question: any time left over from the previous question carries over to the next one. The limits don’t necessarily hurt in the first two tiers, but I still can’t help thinking a 45 second time limit to answer a six figure question is rough. But as a really fantastic producer out there told me, these shows aren’t in it to give people money. It’s there to be an exciting show and it does work to some extent. It didn’t hurt the game nearly as bad as I was afraid of. It ended up working a lot better than I expected. If anything it made the taping more exciting. My heart was pounding when it was down to one second.
In review, it was just a fantastic experience and I can’t recommend going to see Millionaire if you’re in New York City enough. Every crew member was fantastic to me, too, and I can’t thank them enough. It was nice seeing the changes in person, because things like the clock definitely helped the studio atmosphere. And after seeing it and nearly fully accepting everything, I’m hoping the public does too.
Sounds good, Alex! Looks like Millionaire is going to A O.K. for the most part! We all want to see another Millionaire, hope it happens this season. It will happen again at SOME point.
BTW, I doubt you did but, did you run into Davies?
Definitely seems as though the clock works better in the studio than on the television. It may well come into its own televisually in time – ditto Ask The Expert, which I think should be treated as almost like an enhanced PAF. Both PAF and ATE can be neatly used in conjunction with the Menu if anyone thinks about it and manages to think ‘Next question’s on biology, my Expert is Ogi Ogas/my PAF’s a doctor, if I get this one I’ll go to the next level too’. So it’s definitely more interesting strategically – the rub being that these decisions need to be made a heck of a lot quicker.
It’s not Millionaire as we knew it, but that might be exactly what it needed. Worth noting that this season started ten years almost to the day after the very first Millionaire episode, here in the UK. Here’s to a second decade of Millionaire. You’ve done it a bit better than our Dance Party changes for sure.
quite frankly, i enjoy more the dance party music. but usa graphics are awesome.
I’ve seen 2 episodes this week, I will never like the clock. TBH, I don’t watch Millionaire and only watched to see this clock. It’s given me more reasons not to watch. Maybe if it was used how you mentioned it, Alex.
I agree with everybody about the menu. That is the best thing ever. That MAY give me a reason to watch, but if I don’t…blame the clock.
You’d really stop watching just because of the clock? This point was made to me yesterday and it’s true: the clock hasn’t changed the game or the viewing experience that much. It’s still basically the same for the first 9 questions. From beyond it depends on how well you know it, but it hasn’t altered the game in a way where it’s unwatchable. I think the final time limits are a bit rough. I’d go 60 seconds if it were me. But it’s really far from unwatchable. I truly believe nearly everything they did was an improvement. It’ll be interesting to see the ratings, especially since syndie DoND remotely tanked somehow.
I never got into the Syndie version of Millionaire. I watched the Merv hour instead. I only watched so I can see the new graphics. The desire I had to keep watching (thanks to menu), wained with the clock. It got annoying. So I don’t think it was unwatchable, it just wasn’t enough to pull me in over WoF (and I haven’t been a consistent WoF viewer since I graduated from high school 7 years ago).
DoND tanked? THat’s a shame. I hope it’s not b/c the models aren’t all there. The game is SLIGHTLY more than that. Saw the first segment on Tuesday and I agree that it was too fast. If only they could find the happy medium.
I have to say: I have always prefered games with clocks (probably bc I’m an “old school” game fan). But, I think the game works better this way…it forces the contestant to choose something…I couldn’t stand watching a contestant spend 10 minutes (or a lot more time) on one question…it bored me to tears.
I also have to say something about the categories: while I like knowing what the next question is about, you have to “get there first”! Unless I’ve missed something, you can’t just jump a question. So, like I said, you have to answer a question in order to get to the one that you want.
Would like to see it first before considering reeturning to NYC (I last wnet Oct. ’07 for Couples Week). Aside, I think SyndDoND is flowing nicely. We have the back-to back here in Buffalo (5&530 on WUTV-29), so when I get home I see the last of one group and the first of another week’s group…
the clock is awesome and was badly needed :D
I really got tired of watching people fumble around for seven minutes trying to debate how to answer a $2000 question.. I really did have to FF through most of the show for it to be watchable, to where I now would skip all the intro BS and start watching around the $8000 question.. saved tons of time — but now with the clock, it not only adds a little dramatic pressure, but it definitely keeps the game moving
I also like the double dip over 50/50, since I will never fully believe the 50/50 was entirely random :D but now it really is all on the contestant .. The only thing is — since they FORCE you to go through with answering once you invoke it, if you are at a $500,000 question and that’s your only lifeline left, are you going to use it even if you have no idea what the answer is? With 50/50 there’s no gamble, but with double dip it’s a total gamble. Eh, I like it.. makes the game more exciting … great collection of changes for the new season, Mista Davies!
did you guys see bill nyes question he got wrong thursday LOL.
At first (as posted in a previous blog), I didn’t like the whole “time” thing. But now that I’ve watch the show (not as regularly as I should), I kinda like the idea. I basically like the changes in the show, it actually makes it better and even easier to win knowing the catergories in advance. I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to see this show change.