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Game Show Friday Night

Posted by Alex Davis On February - 23 - 2008

A lot of game shows were on the major networks Friday. I was out at a party so I didn’t get to check all of them out, but a few notes.

1: Wow, Drew Carey has to be the luckiest person in the universe. First Power of 10 and now Price is Right.

2: Amne$ia wasn’t as god awful as I expected, but it still seems off to me. It’s another one of those shows that does not fit in primetime despite the efforts of producers. I really unfairly compared this to Moment of Truth; it’s like comparing apples and oranges. I’m still more of a fan of Moment of Truth. I felt more emotion on that game than I did on Amne$ia, and Mark Walberg comes off as a much stronger host than Dennis Miller. But still, not a bad little show at all and one of the few times where my snap judgements were really wrong.

3: 1 VS 100 had its season finale, and who knows if it’s coming back. I truly feel Endemol dropped the ball big time. From changing the game so basically everyone who wins less than $100,000 is a dumbass to dumbing down the material, it was just a mess. Nothing against big winners like Jason Luna, but I’d like to see if he would have gotten as far with season one material. It would have been a severe challenge compared to before. The ratings haven’t exactly been fantastic, though they haven’t really gone down that much either. It’s definitely on the bubble again.

Popularity: 4% [?]

1 vs. 100, Amne$ia, CBS, NBC, Spoilers, The Price is Right

1710CommentsGame+Show+Friday+Night2008-02-23+20%3A54%3A54Alex+Davis

Sam Said,
Wow, lucky guy. Good for him. :)

Posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
John Goodman Said,
Lol. Someone won $1,000,000 on “Price is Right” before DOND.

Posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Sam Said,
JG,

*laughs* You’re right! :D

Posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Tim Tender Said,
I guess I watched the wrong show. I watched Amnesia (which was good)… but it would’ve been so cool to see that as it happened.

Oh, and the fact that someone won the million on TPIR before DOND is just crazy. And DOND has a 50/50 shot right now.

*shakes head*

Posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 7:00 pm
John Goodman Said,
Did anyone even lose this season on 1 vs. 100 (besides the woman on the first ep.)? I only saw 4 or 5 episodes, and she’s the only one I remember losing.

Posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Wheelloon Said,
I truly enjoyed Amnesia, it was a fun hour. It’s a game not meant to be taken as god awfully seriously as The Moment of Truth or others, which I liked a lot. Dennis Miller was also the farthest cry possible from Grand Slam, as he was actually entertaining to watch. I had a number of laughs from him!

I’d like to see it return for a 2nd run, but given it’s up against TPIR, it’s unfortunately likely to get pummeled ratings-wise. It’s such a shame too, because I think it’s a good show. Maybe it could work in syndication, hmm……….

As for TPIR, well, what else is new? Drew did great, the set updates for primetime were GORGEOUS, so much show I’d want the regular show to keep them, and the pacing, excitement, and energy were all on par. Drew, again, was a great host, and moreso especially because of the fact he was sick taping this episode. Major kudos to him. I smell an Emmy nod this year for best GS host. He really does deserve it.

As for 1vs100, I end this season with mixed feelings. I have grown to accept the new money tree, as there are times which I think it does breed more excitement then the other versions, but I do also agree that it may be easier, at this point, to win big then what it should be (notice how most people are winning more on 1vC than on DoND!?). I also, like most of the rest, wish some of the writing from the first season returned as well. I did like some of the more humorous q’s from this season, but the “two-tiered” questions (with the roundabout answers), as I called them, were one of the best features about the show last year, and they need to return. Saget has also come into his hosting position quite well, and if he can’t stay on 1vC for whatever reason, I’d like to see him get some other opportunities in the GS world…

Posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Scott Meckley Said,
I personally didn’t mind the new change to the money system on 1 VS 100 but the writing of the questions is what i miss. I’m not smart at trivia and i can’t remember what the contestants name was but it was a pop culture edition and I knew the answers to most of the questions. I probably could have gotten to at least $100,000. I don’t mind some easy questions but when this show started the questions challenged my brain alot more than they do now. I can’t see how 1 VS 100 won’t be back the only thing I can see taking it’s time slot is Deal Or No Deal and I dont’ think people want to see Deal on three times a week not that I dont like Deal because i love Deal but I want deal on twice a week and 1 VS 100 on once to twice a week. As far as Amensia I actually enjoyed it not as much as Deal, 1 VS 100, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, The power Of 10 but i enjoyed it more than The moment of truth. Amensia was not as super embarrassing as the moment of truth and was more funny and light hearted. I do think those that Mark L. Walberg is a better host than Dennis Miller but for some reason I actually think Dennis Miller fits well with this show because he can use some of his humor in this show. I will watch Amensia next week again since it did make me laugh.

Posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Jordan Hass Said,
1. Drew did not seem as “excited” as Power of 10; I think he was burnt out…
Maybe they should have made the rule $1,000 will be both showcases and $500 will be both showcases and a million bucks. The Million Dollar Game idea is still off… I think they should stick to the big wheel.

2. Amne$ia was a very fun show, Dennis Miller was so-so as a host, but I did get a kick out of how Dennis Miller forgot about “The Dramatic Lighting” when he is about to say the catchphrase “Let’s Play Amne$ia”. The other problem is it is not really much “Play at Home”. Unless the questions are “Who was your 2nd Grade Teacher?” No Play-Along Factor and a so-so host gives the show a 7.5/10. A hell of a lot better than MY DAD IS BETTER THAN YOUR DAD!

3. 1 vs 100 was weird this season it really was 1 vs 102 and a Muppet (seeing they had the Dahm Triplets and Oscar the Grouch). The Writing was bad, but I think they should axe the sneak peek, seeing the format of the questions are different now, what’s the point? It does fail, also I still miss the “Who is in the Mob?” segment with “5 Firefighters” “8 Airline Pilots” and “3 College Professors”

Posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
GUY Said,
Is it just me or does anybody else think that Amensia should be on Comedy Central (or something like that)

Posted on February 23rd, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Tim Tender Said,
Guy, I think you’re right. That would be a good game for Comedy Central.

Posted on February 24th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Chris Parsley Said,
God no, Comedy Central would make the Total Amensia round for $500,$1,000 and $3,000 lol

Posted on February 24th, 2008 at 2:59 am
Marc Power Said,
Lol, every other show is giving away $1m before DoND. this is actually getting pretty funny. I agree, the reaction to the $1M win on tpir seemed somewhat mellow. but personally I would like to see them add this rule to the daytime show in that, if you win both showcases you also win say $25,000, this would finally solve or at least assist in the problem of big winners having to sell most of their prizes to pay the taxes.

I never got to see Amnesia I think one of the stations here re-airs it Mondays so i’ll check on that I know they re-air DoND

i watched the first 2 eps. of the moment of truth and then i got tired of it. I personally see more flaws in that game then good things, this might be another candidate for the british are better than us, I’ve seen clips of their version and it seems to be moreso a comedy game and Jerry Springer is right in his element. That being said I think Mark L. Walberg is the most underrated host on TV right now.

I must admit I haven’t been watching 1 vs. 100 that much this season, I saw the last question when Jason won the $1M and the ep. after that but that was it. Friday just isn’t a good night for me.

Posted on February 24th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Intelligentfan777 Said,
TPIR MDS: What more needs to be said…….Great show, great win, great everything! To top it off, We have FIVE specials to go!

Amne$ia: I didn’t see this, I was still abuzz over the Million-Dollar Win. But from the reviews I’ve heard, I should check it out, and see if I agree.

1 vs. 100: Say what you want about the writing (I still think the questions were a balanced mix of easy and difficult), but you can’t deny they have done most things right for Season 2, the set, the money tree allowing for deeper games and more tension, and Bob was great! There has to be a Season 3 in this show’s future, it’s just too good of game!

Posted on February 24th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Mike Said,
I liked just about everything about Amnesia; the most impressive thing to me was that they got the prize structure seems perfectly structured so there are none of the common complaints we’d throw out.

Posted on February 24th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
GUY Said,
Amensia should be on comedy central with

$700 (u in 60)
$1500 (500 per)
$4000 (1000 per)
$10000 (2000 per)

$2,500
$5,000
$10,000

Total
$44,700

Posted on February 24th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Ryan Said,
Well, for once, I watched a show and I had no idead about a big win, this hasn’t happened to me since Millionaire came on the air, every big win has been spoiled through TV promos. Either that or I missed the promo on CBS!

As for the $1,000,000 idea, I agree with a prior post – I believe $1,000 is very liberal. I would like to see that tightened up a bit, so that it isn’t a million dollar giveaway fest.

Just my opinion. I didn’t mind the million dollar game idea at all, but as I was watching, I still didn’t think that that million dollar spin was a bad idea.

Nice done either way.

Posted on February 25th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Scott Said,
Being within $1000 on a very expensive showcase is a tall order. You have to make it reachable, not so much a crap shoot. It’s just Luck-O-The-Drew, you might say. What is amazing is that the audience had no clue until the $800 difference showed up on the board. Drew did nothing to give it away. I can tell now he was sick but he seemed almost shocked more than everything else. If they want to cut back on the million dollar wins, all they need to do is make the showcases more expensive.

The One Away game was an interesting way to play the Classic Million Game. Very suspenseful. It actually requred some thought by the contestant.

If they kept the $Million for a perfect $1.00 bonus spin (and only did it if you had $1.00 on the first spin only, then on the bonus spin), the odds would be very low in getting the million — 400 to 1 odds per player if my math holds up, which amounts to once every 6 shows. If you did it that way, you could keep that excitement going all show long.

By the way, TPIR is way more watchable than when Bob Barker used to host it. It is good to see Syd’s name appearing as the lead Executive Producer at the end. It is more about the contestants now, and less about the host — which is as it should be.

Posted on February 25th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Alex Said,
“By the way, TPIR is way more watchable than when Bob Barker used to host it. It is good to see Syd’s name appearing as the lead Executive Producer at the end. It is more about the contestants now, and less about the host — which is as it should be.” QUOTED FOR TRUTH.

Anyway… It’s pretty common for contestants on Spectaculars to miss their Showcases by, like, $25,000. So the new $1,000 range for a Double Showcase Win doesn’t really do much.

In retrospect, I never did like the idea of the million dollars being winnable only through the Showcase Showdown. That’s too luck-based. As Bob Barker said on the first episode in 1972, the show is based on the pricing of merchandise, with big rewards for smart shoppers. So any gimmick to liven up The Price is Right should harken to the show’s roots. And the $1,000,000 thing they did for One Away did just that. :)

Was Drew Carey really sick? I thought he sounded bored…he was less excited in this episode than he has been in the daytime recently.

Posted on February 25th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Intelligentfan777 Said,
Drew’s not bored. He loves doing what he’s doing right now (He has documented often), just remember, sometimes the taping schedule can wear on you bit. Same thing with Bob, he’s sounded less energetic on some days, than others obviously. Especially in his later years.

Posted on February 25th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Voltaire Said,
I was one of the stage jumpers when Adam won the showcase – I’m the one in the Maryland shirt in the video. Most of the audience had an inkling that they were going to give away $1,000,000 simply because the stagehands moved the confetti cannons from backstage to near the turntable. When asked why they did that Drew responded “It’s the end of the show.” Luckily Adam didn’t faint once the confetti cannons shot off.

I personally liked the $1,000,000 game better than the wheel bonus – either you can tell right away if the contestant can even have a chance at the $1.00 on the bonus spin, or if they get the $1M then it takes away all the suspense the rest of the show, or if they have the $1M spin at the end of the show it takes away from the showcase win at the end of the show. However, some of the $1M games had unique elements to them for the other MDS’s.

Drew was sick the entire week of MDS tapings – he was recovering from a strep throat and drank tea, coffee, water, or soup along with cough drops during the stopdowns. Drew was in complete disbelief when Adam won the $1,000,000 throughout the credit roll. You could tell when he stumbled reading Adam’s showcase ARP.

Posted on February 25th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
andrew Said,
they only miss them because there’s usually motorhomes no one needs or can price at the end of the showcase.

the only other choices are the XLR or the viper, because of stubborn roger not accepting foreign cars!

Posted on February 25th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
D Said,
Didn’t anyone else see the HUGE spoiler CBS ran during Price last week? They did a promo for the MDS and they put the $1M winner clip right there for all to see, so anyone who paid attention knew the $1M win was coming. Boo on CBS for that spoiler. I can’t believe other people didn’t notice….

I wasn’t too thrilled with the game for $1M. After the contestant didn’t win it on One Away, Drew was like “Ok, sorry, you didn’t win $1M but now you can try and win this POS worth nothing near that!” It didn’t work on some levels for me.

I hear a foreign car is going to make an appearance on Price sometime in the future…

Posted on February 26th, 2008 at 7:14 am
steve Said,
To Alex or the other editors of this site: It looks like the above video has been yanked, likely due to CBS contacting the people who’ve posted such clips. Of course, CBS isn’t totally heartless (I guess), they’ve posted their own version of the clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR1Mmxr2Cb4

I love reading the reactions of the people who saw this clip on YouTube… It’s a dead-even split between OMGBESTPRICEMOMENTEVAR and OMGRIGGED. Now, I’m not going to point any fingers here, this is all speculation, but what if it were rigged?

I’ve been thinking lately about the possibility of how one could rig the games on the price is right. Not necessarily by planting a contestant (like the million-dollar winner, in theory), but by adjusting the difficulty of the games. This came about when a friend of mine went on TPIR and didn’t win a car playing “Stack the Deck.” (Bizarrely ironic, methinks.) Part of the difficulty of her winning came when she only won one of the three free numbers, by mispricing two items. What made this hard was that (if I remember correctly), among one of the pairs of items to price was one item worth $7.99, and another worth $9.99… It’s hard to say whether the price goes on one item or the other when the prices are so high, and the gap is so small. Almost all of the audience agreed on her three choices, two of which were wrong, and not by much. Part of me wants to say that that particular game was set up slightly in favor of the house (or some other card-related metaphor, there’s so many to choose from). Of course, this could just all be sour grapes over a friend not winning.

*PLEASE NOTE that I have no statistical proof to support what you will read in the following paragraphs. Remember, this is all speculation.*
But lately I’ve started to think about the Showcases. Most contestants in the daytime version, as far as my memory goes, will bid an even $1000 interval on a showcase, or sometimes tack on an extra $500. IF that’s statistically true, the producers can avoid giving out double-showcase wins by making sure all of the total values end with $251-499 or $751-999, as they will not be within $250 of the frequently-guessed bids. For larger showcases and primetime showcases, I’ve noticed (and again, no statistical proof here) that contestants will bid in $5000 increments. Ducking a DSW here is easier, since there is a larger gap for a total price to fall in.

Let’s apply this to the MDS in question. Erica’s showcase cost $45,554. Now that there’s a $1000 allotment for showcases, we can see that that actually falls very neatly between $45,000 (the $5k increment) and $46,000… coincidence? Of course, this is thwarted when Erica bids $42,700, not on the $5k-increment plan. An even $45k would have landed her the DSW. And when Adam wins a showcase worth $84,355, which really (a) is a pretty high number to randomly pick out, especially with fancy cars that you know have a “high price (but you have no idea how high)”, and (b) falls just under $85k, which could have made for a very dramatic overbid (by only $600 and change), that’s when you know you’ve got one amazing fluke right there.

So what does this all boil down to? I say that IF it were rigged, it was actually rigged in favor of Erica (or whoever would have bid on the first showcase), and it might have even been rigged slightly against Adam. Interesting twist, eh?

Please bear in mind once again that I have no statistical data to back any of this up, this is all speculation based on personal observations and a side of sour grapes. Please, feel free to tear apart any part of this theory, I might even join in with you guys myself. Just know that I am in no way asserting that this is the ultimate and forever-binding codex of the Million-Dollar Showcase Scandal.

Posted on February 26th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Intelligentfan777 Said,
It wasn’t rigged, and quite frankly anyone who even implies a hint of such a thing is a moron, a malcontent, and probably doesn’t like TPIR to begin with.

Steve, you must understand that the producers set up pricing games in a variety of difficulties from Very Easy, to Very Hard, depending on your point of view, I guess. But no matter what, every game is winnable, no matter what the difficulty, it’s all in the hands of the contestant.

BTW, when Adam won, he actually utilized a prime Showcase technique that more contestants should think of employing. It’s called “Shaving” a bid. If you initially bid too high on a showcase with danger of going over, you trim, or “Shave” it down to more reasonable number. Whether it results in a win is unknown until the results are revealed, but more often than not, your chances are greatly increased.

Posted on February 26th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Voltaire Said,
Intelligentfan777 is correct – in fact that was one of the things I spoke with Adam about when we were in line for 18 hours outside of the CBS studios – how to shave bids so you don’t go over.

Many games are set up so that it’s a little bit more difficult to win than other times simply because of budgetary concerns. While they aren’t allowed to technically “force” losses they can simply make games harder to win and hope the contestant follows a particular tendency in the game to lose… If the contestant wins, oh well – after all, every game can theoretically be won.

In fact, for the other $1,000,000 games the rest of the $1,000,000 spectaculars – some of them were easier and some were more difficult than the One Away game we saw on the first one.

Posted on February 26th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
steve Said,
Intelligentfan777: I am, in fact, quite a fan of the show. No harm was intended in my post, I just like coming up with theories like that and playing the devil’s advocate. I enjoy taking a situation and viewing it from the opposite side from everyone else, just to see what could happen. I probably should have stressed that I truly don’t think the show is fixed, but that I was looking at an alternate way of “fixing” the game, in a way that didn’t actually work. In fact, my original theory was that the $5k-increment bid theory would have won a DSW for both contestants– until I reviewed the video again and saw that it actually wasn’t the case for both showcases. That just makes Adam’s win all the more awesome. I’m sorry if my post came across as “moronic, malcontentuous, or show-hater-esque.” My mind just works in bizarre ways. Please know that I will always continue to watch Price with great enthusiasm, and that I am a Loyal Friend and True. (And yes, I do know how to play the Check Game, so that statement’s legit.)

Posted on February 26th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Intelligentfan777 Said,
(Spoiler)

Well folks, by now everyone has seen the 3rd special tonight, and indeed…….

IT HAPPENED……….AGAIN!

What’s remarkable is that tonight’s show was kind of a letdown compared to the previous two……until the ending, and wow….WHAT AN ENDING!

In addition, we did have our first big Showcase Showdown money win at the wheel for these specials, that was also pretty sweet!

Posted on March 8th, 2008 at 12:30 am

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