“Grand Slam” Commentary for August 25th
Is it just me, or is it getting very difficult to call the Grand Slam games recently? It seems most of my calls have been on such petty items that it seems more like a guess than anything else. Anyway, on today’s Grand Slam on GSN at 7PM ET, we see Ken Jennings face off against Phyllis Harris and Michelle Kitt versus John Carpenter. Let’s take a look at Jennings/Harris.
This one is tricky because of how they both stand. Jennings is obviously a trivia giant and used to the speed of a game because of Jeopardy!. Phyllis Harris has been on roughly two million game shows and has experience across the board; on shows that require and don’t require speed. I’m going to actually go with Phyllis Harris to win. As I saw in Ken Jenning’s initial round, he’s awesome at trivia but not as much on the word and math round. Phyllis is very well rounded because of her massive game show experience and that will easily come in handy. Where Jennings gets her on trivia she can easily make up on words, logic, and math. I’m calling Phyllis Harris to beat Ken Jennings.
And now we come to the other match: Michelle Kitt versus John Carpenter. I’ve been talking to a few people about this one, and I am truly stumped. John Carpenter is, again, one of those masters of trivia obviously. He answered 25 Millionaire-level questions correctly without a lifeline; 28 out of 30 in total. However, Who Wants to be a Millionaire does not involve any remote amount of speed thinking. This is where Michelle Kitt might have an advantage. It took me a bit of time to realize it, but think about this: Weakest Link and Grand Slam are very similar in the style of the game. The only huge difference is the voting. Michelle Kitt’s game involved trivia, words, logic, math, and more under intense time pressure. You have to be the perfect player to make it to the end and win over $100,000 on that show. Sadly, I have no clear opinion of who will win this one. On just some weird hunch I’m going to say that Michelle Kitt beats John Carpenter and I am completely ready to be totally wrong. What are your pre game and post game thoughts? If we’re lucky, maybe Ms. Kitt can tell us of her experience on the show.
Welcome Phyllis! Kudos to you on your GS performances. You did great! Thanks for coming and chatting with us about GS. I do have two question for you, if you don’t mind. I’m just curious, one, which 5 shows you couldn’t or wouldn’t be a contestant on, and two, how you have managed to be selected as a contestant so many times. I’m sure the answer would be very enlightening to those of us who keep trying out, but never seem to get very far in the process. Thanks in advance, and hope to see you on more shows soon!
Two questions. Plural. :D Seems I’m so starstruck I’ve forgotten basic grammar.
I agree with Ryan that this comment thread discussion has turned into something star-studded! (Note to Alex…DON’T UPDATE ANYTHING! :))
I’m so curious, how much did you win on Card Sharks, Phyllis, and how was Jim Perry off-camera?
LOBs – I got an email out of the blue which I thought was a joke. So I emailed back and called the number and left a voice mail (at which time I figured it was legitimate). Megan called the next day. She said “We have been looking for you for so long…” which surprised me because I didn’t know I was that hard to find.
In 2004, I did one natural, amateur bodybuilding competition to try it out and posted the photos on a women’s bodybuilding site. I placed 3rd however never did another contest (dieting down was the pits) but the photos still remain. That’s how GSN found me. Unfortunately they can’t let go of the bodybuilder angle! I am about to start a new drinking game where you drink every time that shot of me flexing shows up.
I am simply in awe of this thread! Seeing a good number of Grand Slam contestants offer some great insight… I don’t know what to say!
I just wish I had a question or two, but I can’t think of any that haven’t already been asked. :/
Don — if you are ever at a loss for questions, always quote Airplane! as a last resort.
i.e. Have you ever seen a grown man naked?
In answer to Rick’s questions: The 5 shows include “Weakest Link” half hour version (wouldn’t go on because I believed that getting the most answers correct would get you voted off- Michelle dispelled that) “It’s a Mad, Mad House” (forgive me if I got the title wrong of a Sci-Fi network reality show that I wouldn’t go on because when I asked if there might be nudity I was told that they couldn’t say no) “Caesar’s Challenge” (wouldn’t go on because at the time, the prizes were awful and I thought there would be more opportunities to win more money on another show… I chose “Wheel of Fortune” at that time ) “Sale of the Century” (couldn’t go on because I chose “Scrabble” instead) “Hollywood Squares” (was in the contestant pool, but it went off the air before I was called)
Getting chosen as a contestant has two separate components. The first part is passing the test. I can’t help anyone do this, but I suggest that if you want to be on a quiz show, tape some of the shows and practice answering the questions. They almost always use questions from past shows on the test. (I’ve never done this, but I understand it’s extremely helpful) The second, and for most people who are reading this I suspect, hardest aspect is the audition. I’ve found, from my experiences and from speaking to contestant coordinators, you need to speak loudly, smile often and engage the judges. Think of the audition process as a job interview or blind date. Nobody would hire, or date somebody that wasn’t interesting. You never should lie about your life experiences, but you can make them exciting to listen to. You only have about 30 seconds to get a judge’s (AP, PA or producer) to want to put you on their show. Give them a reason to think that people will enjoy watching your performance. If you notice that nobody is looking you in the eye as you speak, ask a question that they have to answer. You can try saying something like “I’m kind of cold, is anyone else here cold?” Do something to get them to look at you.
For Stanford: I was on Card Sharks in 1979. I was a five day winner and won $9350. I haven’t a clue what Jim Perry was like. I never imagined winning money on a game show, was entering my junior year in college, and won more than my entire college tution cost at that time. I was so excited that even if Jim had spoken to me, I have no recollection of it.
If this webpage is accurate with its calculations (in 2006 dollars. I know it has been bookmarked for AWHILE!), $9,350 then is $27,915 in 2006. That’s enough for me to stay at a dorm and take classes for all my five years in-state…
((John Carpenter’s voice)) at Rutgers University!
Rutgers-Camden that is. :) Thanks, Phyllis for the reply!
I am calling this game show GSN GRAND SLAM “The Best Game Show You Are Not Watching”. Not only because of the ratings GSN has been getting nowadays, but also GSN is mostly available on digital cable. At where I live we get cable but not digital cable. Fortunately there is YouTube and I have been following it that way when I want to see it. I have also been following the news at Steve Beverly’s Game Show Convention Center. After watching the clips on YouTube I have to admit this is one exciting game show! Tense and intense as well! As of now, I won’t reveal my picks for the Championship round so I will say GOOD LUCK TO THE FINAL FOUR!
By the way, Jonathan Gabel is my real name. At the GSN website my ID name is JMGTPIR. Last week over at the GSN Classics, I listed the three longest running game shows. I believe it is now at page two. Just go to the community section. Then to GSN Classics. Then to page two and you will find my post on THE THREE LONGEST RUNNING GAME SHOWS!
Meanwhile back at GSN GRAND SLAM all I can say is Ken Jennings, Michelle Kitt, Ogi Ogas, and David Legler: good luck to all of you and feel free to respond. That will also go to the others who played GRAND SLAM! HAVE AN AWESOME TIME! I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO EVERYTHING!
Phyllis is here now too?
*bows asgain*
I’m even less worthy! I’m even less worthy!
OK, now that that’s taken care of: Phyllis, you were on Scrabble and Super Greed, so it’s natural to ask: Are you an expert on Chuck Woolery, or what?
the only game show I ever appeared on was one with Chuck.
Ryan: Due to compliance and practice rules, there’s little communication with the hosts during commercial breaks, so I know almost nothing about Chuck Woolery. He does root for his contestants, and tries his best to pronounce words, but other than that, I really can’t give you any inside info.
I noticed that on grandslam some questions take longer to read than others. Did this present a problem to any of you, since if both people get all of their questions right but one person’s questions are longer overall then that person will lose.
Also, if you could change the format of grand slam, what would you do to make it better?
In answer to a couple questions (way) above:
1. Mormons don’t drink coffee and tea, but there’s no injunction against any soft drinks (though I imagine many Mormons don’t drink caffeinated ones, by choice). Common misconception.
2. Obviously prize amounts are a GSN budgetary decision, and I’m sure Embassy Row would have loved a bigger pot, to increase the tension, perceived “stakes,” etc. Personally, I don’t think $100K is comically low that it interferes with the gravity of the show, and it’s pretty clear that most of the contestants were in it for the thrill of the game and (potential) bragging rights anyway. We would have shown up for gas money. Maybe game show contestants need to unionize.
Hey Ken, it’s Chris from the Cali Congress…thank you again for signing my book and my offer for Passwords still stands
and a related Grand Slam alert, Phyllis Harris started yesterday, Friday, her run on GSN with Card Sharks at 1:30PM weekdays, where’s shes facing contestant Charlie (Colonel Mustard from Clue :)) keep an eye on all of next week at that time
Welcome Phyllis Harris, Game Show Juggernaut of GS. Now, I find this interesting, but she’s appeared on game shows with 2/3 real Card Sharks hosts. (By that I mean pre-2001.) Jim Perry (for CS) and Bob Eubanks (on Trivia Trap). Phyllis, did you appear on anything with Bill Rafferty and make it a 3/3?
Game Show Chris: Thanks for the heads up about my Card Shark appearances running on GSN. Whammy: I have not been on any Bill Rafferty shows.
Ken: I know you played Grand Slam for reasons having nothing to do with the monetary prize, but that wasn’t true for me. Yes, I love competition. I was a varsity tennis player, inter-mural water polo player, nationally ranked swimmer and competitive cheerleader. Those, I did for the competition. Televised game shows are for winning money. Otherwise, anyone can get the thrill of playing against terrific trivia minds by playing NTN, at many venues, each night of the week. I knew that Grand Slam was going to be extremely competitive and that, without practice and preparation, I was a big underdog going into the show. However, I love the concept, love game shows, and hoped to be a part of a change in the landscape of reality-type programming. I’m not a fan of the reality shows that create situations where guise, and mean-spiritedness rule the day. I think shows rewarding intelligence, fair play, and “no whining” are lacking on television right now. I’m happy to have been a participant in Grand Slam and I hope more shows of its ilk start cropping up. I will always be playing and I will always be hoping to win the money.
Anytime Phyllis, do you need copies?
On a side note, GSN has released a Grand Slam minigame, and it’s HARD!! It is a faithful adaptation, the gen. knowledge Q’s are all multiple choice, and as you go further along, some are type in’s (for Words/Letters and Numbers/Logic). ‘Tis a very good game, and you should try it. Makes me feel like any one of the GS greats are standing 3′ away from me.
Just the Whammy’s opinion.
“Order! Order! I sentence you to POVERTY!”
whammy — I played it for a bit last night and, although the game play is pretty professionally programmed, some of the questions were RIDICULOUS and not very indicative of what we see on GS.
Example: In the MATH round, one of the questions actually asked “How many points in Frogger must yo achieve to win an extra life?” .. That’s not only NOT a math question, but it’s way beyond obscure trivia that is very very specific to a select group of Frogger nerds.
While I can certainly appreciate 1980s arcade trivia (Whoever wrote the questions is an obvious coin-op game fan, as I saw four other direct trivia references to Pac Man, Ms Pac Man, and Donkey Kong), after playing only about four times, there is an obvious bias towards that genre, whereas I’d say one in every ten thousand questions you see on television game shows would be about arcade games… :p Weird. :D
Now, if GS realllly wants to get their game on, they can always consult our little online game show programming group and get that puppy two-player-ified. :D
LObs
This is just incredible, and I say that as someone who’s been in touch with at least a couple of dozen Deal or No Deal contestants here in the UK (and actually offered advice to one of them – didn’t help him, DID help someone else who played while he was on the wings).
Ogi, between you replying and me seeing your reply, I realised Rutter would still be on top. His chance came and went on 1 vs 100′s Last Man Standing.
Regarding Millionaire (and I apologise for reopening a wound) – I guess you were prepared to take more risks to see Q15 than you were once actually there… can’t blame you for that either. Heck, I’d be infinitely more inclined to take a chance when uncertain on Q14 than on Q15, on your tree anyway – mostly because $500,000 after tax is a house and $250,000 after tax… isn’t? (Generalising to the UK; I’d actually not even risk the £250,000 question for that very same reason. I felt that £125,000 would buy me a house, at least a small one; since the levels below £250,000 have changed to *£50,000*/£75,000/£150,000 for this season, I am even more certain that the first six-figure sum would be my stopping point if I got onto the upper tier. But bear in mind my sensory defensiveness related to autism means that controlling my environment is probably the best use of money I can think of.)
I doubt you were in any position to notice, but I’ll ask it anyway; did you ever gain the impression of external forces, such as the host, influencing your decision to take risks or not to, and do you think that different external forces would have influenced you? I know regulations (of the sort Harris alludes to in an earlier comment) prevent a certain degree of host/producer involvement, and I mostly ask because some of the Deal or No Deal contestants I’ve spoken to (see paragraph 1) have alluded to a certain degree of intervention (which also comes out in the aired product) towards risk-taking.
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