Million Dollar Cat Game Show on GSN; I’m Serious
Ever read about one of those shows that makes you question humanity and makes you see if you have any easy way to remove your eyes lying around? I got a press release from representatives this weekend (sorry, I was out of town) about GSN partnering with Meow Mix to do a cat game show called “Think Like a Cat”. My jaw dropped and I just kept thinking, “There’s no way they can be doing another cat game. Was the last one, Catminster, that popular?” I triple checked with representatives from each company and it’s true. This time it’s an actual game show rather than a pageant. This sounds absolutely painful. Could have had Lingo or another season of some original, but nope, we have a cat game show. So you can join in the misery, here are the rules, and these are all 100% confirmed from the official rules of the show:
Round One: “Lightning Round”: Eight cats are standing in front of food. The first three to finish their bowl of food, or the three who finish the most food, move on. A cat food eating contest. Unreal.
Round Two: “Are You Smarter Than a Cat”: Honestly it’s Jeopardy! just to add to the lack of originality and insanity of this. Six categories, five questions in each, point totals are 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. No Daily Double at least. All questions are general cat knowledge. That should get fives of tens of people to play along. Highest two scores move on.
Round Three: “Think Like a Cat”: The final two contestant’s cats are taped doing seven different situations. The contestants have to answer three questions based on the actions of the cat. The contestants, before each clip is shown, wager a portion of their points. The contestants basically have to predict what their cat’s next action is going to be. Thrilling, isn’t it? You can’t wager more than half your points on the first two questions to stop people from going bankrupt. Highest score plays the end game.
Round Four: “Meow Mix Million Dollar Challenge”: Ten sealed Meow Mix bags of food with a different symbol inside are placed on the set. Only two bags have matching symbols, the other eight are unique. The human chooses one and the cat chooses one. If they match, they win $1,000,000. I’m not kidding. If not, they still win $25,000.
We can’t get Russian Roulette. We can’t get Whammy!. We can’t get Lingo, or That’s The Question. But we get a friggin million dollar cat game show? Seriously? Think Like a Cat debuts November 15, 2008 on GSN. I’m pretty sure our little gag of LitterBlog will reappear around the same time. Also you don’t know how many dirty jokes I have going through my head but I’d be yelled at by people on here for saying them, haha. If you have any dirty jokes about this, please feel free to comment them!
Oh, Christ. Not another piece of dreck.
And here I was thinking Fox greenlighting “5th Grader” was ridiculous…guess that thought got shot to (CENSORED) after I read this, huh?
It was bad enough when GSN used to overkill “Dog Eat Dog”, and now this ‘cat crap?’ What the hell are they thinking (or are they even thinking PERIOD?) Don’t they remember how horse racing took them down a couple of years ago (except for one weeks worth of “Tattletales” episodes), and don’t even get started with “Catminster!”
There’s only the one date mentioned so I can only presume it’s a one-off especially if it’s Saturday.
It makes more sense for GSN than we think, as sfan786 points out; MeowMix is ponying up a million (and I think I want them to give it away for inflicting this dreck on us – $1m on this format is silly, but at least there’s a skill element, unlike on DoND, Set for Death and any US lottery game show ever), GSN gets attention (even if it is of an ‘OMG’ variety like here) and no doubt money, it’s only half an hour (I think I saw it mentioned as such on the Meow Mix site, and if this format is dragged to an hour that would just complete the ‘this feels like a parody of DoND-era game shows’ feel it already has), and hey – I doubt too many here will complain if this is what funds a season of all-new Russian Roulette.
That doesn’t stop this being utterly insane in itself though.
How to get a game show on GSN:
1. Create something with animals. GSN loves cute and cuddly animals. Don’t even think about a word game, poker game, or anything that’s remotely popular among that 18-34 male demographic.
2. Sleep with someone and have them give GSN a million dollar check to put on their show.
3. Damn the audience, since it seems like GSN is already doing that.
G.
Maybe this whole thing is a gigantic plot to make stuff like Temptation look better?
I was shocked when I first read about this, but seeing the details here I just can’t stop laughing. Even though it’s a one-time-only thing, it really never should have made it past the idea stage.
You know what? All of us who cover game shows should set up a live blog and watch/cover this train wreck together. At least we’ll get some amusement out of it that way.
Remember Set for Life? Remember Temptation? They’d both be on my video recorder before this. And that’s saying something.
I think I can sum this up with one word
WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Is it any wonder why GSN isn’t respected anymore. They won’t buy the rights to show the original “Sale Of the Century” or “Scrabble” but they’ll pick up a cat game show. WTF!?
I’m suprised they didn’t have a fear factor type round where the humans eat the cat food. I mean seriously.
True, it might only be a one-time thing…but, come on!!! Don’t GSN viewers deserve some more respect than this? I agree…it might be good for Animal Planet…but, not GSN. At least it isn’t “The Cheap Show”…which was a show, way-back-when, with Dick Martin. He was the only good thing about it. The show was an answer to Truth or Consequences…albeit, a bad one. Plus, winning a car depended on whether or not you could predict which hole a mouse would go in. Yuck! Like I said, Dick Martin was the best part of that show. As for this, new, show…there doesn’t seem to be a comedic part…so, what’s the point?
I’m really not sure how to even respond to this….at all.
this belongs on Animal Planet not on GSN. I know not many liked this show but I would watch National Lampoon’s Funny Money before this. What’s Next Celebrity Pets. Oh dear god I might have given GSN another pet show idea lol. GSN can air this but won’t pick up shows like High Rollers, Wipeout, Sale Of The Century with jim perry, Scrabble, Classic Concentration. I understand that GSN should have a mix of classics and newer shows but at least pick up some more classics before the tapes wear out. Why not pick up John Davidson’s version of Hollywood Squares and some other classics. Revive Whammy with the board looking like the Press Your Luck board. Maybe a cat threatened GSN and tried to claw there eyes out lol jk. I had to insert that joke in there with GSN going to put this on the air.
How about Meow Mix sponsors Lingo… they’d have money and ratings— but no. The folks at Meow Mix think they can sell more of their product when they tie it to one of the worst game show formats ever. Cat Knowledge? How much general knowledge is there about a cat until all the questions are anatomy related? Pathetic
Howell has a good point. If it’s just one-off thing, that could fund something better, i.e. A new season of Russian Roulette, that fine. Get it on, get it off, and get on with life. I still believe GSN has better ideas up their sleeve, they should stick to those, rather than something like this.
Uh, okay. Who came up with this crap? It would not surprise me if anybody involved in the show had worked on the daytime schedule of NBC in the late 70s/early 80s because this is one crap of a decision. Pardon my language, but this show should be thrown in the litterbox before it even makes it to air. Release the hounds to chase this show away!
Am I the only one that doesnt see this as a big deal?
It seems as if this is a one-time special- The date and the prize amount gives me that clue; Meow mix is obviously paying for most of this, and who’s to say that this wasn’t settled before the latest regime change?
Get a grip guys.
If this is a special, then GSN better do something good with the money.
Sounds like an interesting idea. I just need to watch the show and find out.
If this makes GSN money, I don’t care. This is a money in need of some money, and if Meow Mix is willing to pony up some advertising dollars to put this crap on the air, then all power to them. Think of the press this will unfortunately get. Will it be good press? Who knows, but any press is good press for a struggling network. Plus, if the $1,000,000 gets given away, they can boast about having the biggest payout in cable TV history. (or am I wrong about that?)
When I saw it at first, I was confused and baffled as to why they would greenlight this, but I think it’s not a bad idea. Heck…I watched Catminster. (Yes, I admit it.) I have a cat and wanted to see how cat shows differ from dog shows, since I always watch Westminster.
Oh No I need to get a vacuum I think i just seen some fur lol.
Well, folks, it’s finally happened. We’ve come to the point where game shows feature people telling their most personal secrets under a lie detector, trying to fit themselves through a hole in a wall in less than 3 seconds, contestants who are sure that there are 5,280 inches in a yard, and a million dollar cat contest?!?!?!?!?!
And GSN wonders why they’re such a low-rated cable network?
Oh yeah. A CAT GAME SHOW For chrissakes. Bring us Whammy and Russian Roulette. Aren’t those the highest rated original game shows on GSN? Would it be too late to get the Revolver back from Canada?
I don’t mind GSN Trying new shows but a cat show come on. Why not just revive some good classics. I always thought GSN should try and revive Hot Potato, GO, Wipeout, Trivia Trap and many other good classics. I know ways to make Hot Potato, GO, Wipeout and Trivia Trap as an interesting revival and to stay within GSN budget.
This is the greatest idea ever – lordy some of you people are wincingly joyless and humorless. Game shows: serious business.
I may be taking a catnap on this one. GSN needs to bring back stuff we haven’t seen in a while. ANd those “Dog Eat Dog” reruns are getting on everybody’s nerves.
If you don’t like it – don’t watch it! Better yet, stop whining about it. Don’t you people have better things to do? Maybe some of us are interested and think it is fun. Life is not all about being serious and negative. Try having some fun – you might enjoy it.
I’M ONE OF THE FINALISTS. STOP HATING!
Congrats?
Recommence hating…..now!
This network has gone way down hill in the last year or so.. and now their putting this kind of crap on the air! WOW!
What executive gave the green light to this? LOL! Also, what were they thinking with the latest "Game Show Awards" and how can you have a show like this without Wink, or Eubanks, or Dawson.. Unbelievable! The only decent show produced in this network's history was Lingo. If it wasn't for the classic show's like Match Game and Family Feud, No one would be watching this network? I would guess it's just a matter of time till this network closes it's doors! Way to go GSN!