“Millionaire” Using Auditions; What About Phone Game?
Edit: An addition/retraction is at the bottom of the story.
Thanks to regular reader Regisfan for this email. I got it on Saturday, but my schedule is clearing up so back to full speed writing. Who Wants to be a Millionaire‘s website has updated itself with information about the new season’s auditions. That’s all normal, but a really interesting nugget of information came from it. It says they will draw people for the syndicated and ABC primetime revival from this audition pool. So you either need to be in the New York City area or do one of the traveling auditions to get considered, it seems. We don’t yet know if the phone game will accompany the auditions, but there we go. I see this as a huge budget saver. Instead of flying these people out to New York City, just draw the contestants from the New York City base, where most of the auditions take place at that time, and save the airfare. (See retraction) However, they are sacrificing the allure of the show if they don’t bring back the phone game also.
One of the main points of excitement about Who Wants to be a Millionaire? is that literally anyone can win. You call the line, you get selected to play, and you are on set for $1,000,000. All in a 24 hour time period. You can’t duplicate that thrill with auditions. I love syndicated Millionaire, and they have a great contestant selection department, but it doesn’t have the same feeling. I’ve been to an audition before. It’s great if you’re smart, but you have to have that crazy personality or the sob story also. It really lowers the odds of you getting through. They are missing out on a huge selling point to this revival if they don’t bring it up. In this economic slump, it is amazing television to see literally anyone call up and make it on the air. This lowers the potential contestants drastically and the primetime version essentially becomes an hour long episode of daytime Millionaire.
I hope I’m wrong and the phone game does show up, but they are really missing out big time if they don’t.
Retraction: Thanks to regular commenter James D. for the heads up. I overlooked this point in the rules page for the show. They said if you get selected for the primetime edition that your flight and expenses will be paid for like the old version. The daytime version does not provide this. So that’s better, at least.
I also think it’s better to use the phone game, because more people will be selected for their knowledge, and not for their personality etc.
Yeah, but a downside of the phone game is that a lot of dorky contestants with zero personality get on. Sure, you should be smart to play on a game show, but you need to be personable and likable as well. With the phone game, you can’t make sure everyone will be a good game show contestant in the fullest sense of the word.
That is the downside and I should have said that in retrospect. However, I think the positive of the publicity of some poor people who lost their jobs because of this economy calling a phone line and 24 hours being on the show vastly overpowers this.
That’s modern television for you. So many shows search for people who have a unique story, whether it’s someone who lost their family in Hurricane Katrina, a blind man, or someone who lost almost everything because of the recession. It’s nice that we have people who have great personalities on the show, but the phone game has that feeling of “Everyone can play, and everyone can win.” It makes me wonder, do the only people that are able to compete on most game shows now have to have a “specific” story to them?
Put it this way, John Carpenter most likely would have never got on millionaire if it was “audition” only… Just think about that for a few minutes :)
Yeah, this really disappoints me. Even if it makes for better television, it’s kind of sad to remove the “anyone can play” element from the game.
That doesn’t mean I’m still not looking forward to this in a huge way, but it’s kind of shocking to see the phone game eliminated. Maybe it will still be used to some degree, if not only because a Ring of Fire that consists solely of New York City contestants would look kind of ridiculous.
And thanks for the news credit, Alex!
You know… theres and upside and a downside to the phone game.
The upside, and you’re absolutely right, is that anyone can get on. And it’s a great selling point that adds to the mysticism of the show. A person can do well, and suddenly find themselves being flown across the country to improve their life. Rags to riches sorta vibe really.
The downside, is that anyone can get on. Let’s not forget how many times we saw Regis grind his teeth trying to force a pleasant conversation out of some of the early contestants. Some of them never even looked away from the screen or even cracked a smile when they won large amounts of money.
Maybe there’s some hybrid between the phone game and auditions that we haven’t considered yet. With the economy the way that it is… they could market this revival of Millionaire as some sort of relief for hard working americans. “The best bailout ABC could deliver” sort of thing. Let’s not forget ABC is the master of sob story contestants (exhibit A: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition). If they could fill the fast finger seats with people who had stories of being laid off, having to foreclose, having to move back with the parents, etc, the show could have a great new dramatic feel to it… not unlike Slumdog.
Interesting news though!
Did anyone read the fine print on the page where you submit your information for the NYC application? It says that those selected for the 10th Anniversary shows would have their travel and “other expenses” (presumably hotel and a per diem for food) paid, while those selected for Meredith are responsible for their own costs. So it appears contestants for the Regis version will get the “VIP Treatment”. (curious what hotel they will choose to house contestants, as the Hotel Empire shut down a few years ago — still have my door card from my experience :) ).
I would also expect auditions between now and August in other cities.
At a Game Show Congress a few years back, attendees mentioned how they would take the same test for two different game shows (TJW/TTD, day and nite versions of FF and Pyramid, etc.), and the coordinators were specifically looking for contestants for each show (one mentioned that coordinators would put the better test takers on TJW over TTD, and the $100,000 Pyramid over the daytime version). Perhaps this is what they are doing with WWTBAM — there’s no doubt there will be those attending who will be aiming for the Regis version. If they’re told it’s “Meredith-only,” they’ll raise a fit, accuse the coordinators of being unfair, and complain to anyone who’ll listen.
It’s only right to do auditions for Regis at the Meredith auditions as well. At this point, we don’t know if there will be a phone audition — it’s been suggested but, AFAIK, not set in stone. As Joe noted, perhaps they are looking for a hybrid contestant pool — 50% from the phone, 50% from the auditions. Perhaps there would be an interview element in the phone audition — not sure how that could be done, but it’s an idea.
I’m also thinking the possibility of an online audition — similar to what J! does now. Again, not sure how it would work, but it would certainly be an attention-getter, and would give everyone in America an equal shot of getting on the show.
The producers would be making a mistake if they do not bring back the phone game. What made the original run of WWTBAM popular was the possibility of ANYONE getting on and EVERYONE getting a chance. The phone game popularized the show and DEFINITELY increased the viewership. Yes, they would save a few thousand bucks by not doing the phone game, but they would likely LOSE millions of bucks in advertising.
Well, if they use a hybrid contestant pool like James D. and Joe suggested and there’s 5 phone game players and 5 audition players in the Ring of Fire (assuming that it remains, of course), then won’t the phone game players win nearly every single time?
On the other hand, what if all contestants came through auditions? Then you basically have an hour-long clone of Meredith’s version with bigger money and Regis.
What I’d do is go back to the phone game (for all contestants), but after the game, you say a few seconds about yourself. A random sample of contestants who do well will be chosen, and those who seem the most promising will be chosen. This way, you preserve the anyone-can-win factor of Regis’ version, but you have less chance of getting some (pardon my french) apethetic, no-personality type in the hot seat.
Perhaps they could do a phone game to establish a bank of players, and then do quick interviews afterwards just to make sure the contestant is somewhat engaging. I don’t think the producers are going to be looking the giddiness we see on, say, a deal or no deal contestant. But so long as they’re actually going to talk back to Regis, then I think everyone would be happy.
Alex, I totally agree with your comments and analysis regarding auditions vs. a phone game, even though my success on the show came as a result of an audition in St. Louis in late 2000. I know that you and I both care very much about WWTBAM and want it to be the best it can possibly be, so I hope that any readers here will view these comments as constructive. Regardless of any production decisions about the anniversary shows, I’ll remain fiercely loyal and proud of my association with “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” I hope I’ll get to be in the studio this summer when Regis returns to celebrate his iconic role in broadcast history.
Someone on the WWTBAM board wrote that the original 1999 show “was lightning in a bottle and you can’t recapture that.”
Here’s part of my response:
“So I guess you’re saying, ‘Why even try?’ The main element of the show that made it a cultural phenomenon was that anyone could be at home one evening watching the tube when Regis came on and invited him or her to call a number and play for a million dollars on national TV. Many who picked up the phone and made the call found themselves whisked away to New York, only a day or two later. The fantastic unscripted whirlwind immediacy is what created the buzz and made the show a hit, along with the realistic possibility that anyone could have a chance to be on the show, just by playing at home. Even those who never called in probably knew some friends and family who did, and had a rooting interest in them. Each show ended with an announcement of the names and cities of the next show’s contestants, which further boosted the anticipation, and created more interest for viewers. How much water cooler talk is generated today by the carefully screened, demographically desirable, utterly predictable contestants who taped their appearances last summer and eventually are scheduled to be aired as much as nine months later? The show has no sense of urgency. The viewers sense that and feel no urgent need to watch. It was a lot different in 1999.
If ABC thinks they can recreate the magic just by taping eleven of the watered down daytime episodes for prime time, with Regis as the host, they are throwing in the towel and not even trying. They still don’t get what made WWTBAM such a big hit.”
By the way, everyone here seems to be assuming that there will be a “ring of fire” and Fastest Finger questions. I hope they are right. Winning the Fastest Finger question was the biggest instantaneous thrill I’ve had on a game show. The intensity, pressure, split second timing, and emotion are unlike anything I’ve seen on TV. Why would any show replace such an electrifying competition with a preordained casting decision made by a panel of interviewers? And why should every contestant be likable, telegenic, and personable? That can get boring after a while. Isn’t it better if there is a mix of real people, including some that you feel compelled to watch because you’d like to see them lose? That’s what happens when there’s a phone game.
One good thing about the game show community is that there are a legion of readers who will report on auditions and what they hear from contestant coordinators.
With the first round of auditions coming up next week, let’s hope “one of us” will be able to report to BuzzerBlog and other sites what contestant coordinators told him/her about the 10th Anniversary episodes. Specifically…
– Will contestants be determined by auditions only?
– Will there be a phone game or online game element for qualifications?
– Will there be a Fastest Finger/Ring of Fire element for the Regis shows?
– What other cities will host auditions?
– Money tree/lifeline changes
– How different will the Regis version be from the Meredith version?
– What elements from the Meredith version will be incorporated into the 10th Anniversary episodes (clock, Double Dip, Ask the Expert)?
– If picked to play on the 10th Anniversary edition, what will the show pay in terms of travel?
Also, it wouldn’t hurt to ask about any changes for the daytime version for 2009-2010
From a British point of view, there’s a lot of things we don’t understand about your approach:
1) If the producers are worried about show expenses, why not put the application line on a premium rate number? It’s how we fund our prize money.
2) Most people have some kind of interesting story in them. You have nothing to fear from the phone game.
3) The phone game does lead to a mainly male response, but I can’t see any reason why you couldn’t select five women and five men for Fastest Finger First.
4) Why use a clock? Just edit out the boring bits, but don’t unnecessarily pressurise the contestants. It’ll only force them out from gambling.
5) Chop the lower levels if you must, but don’t try to add levels up top. Really, there’s no need. A contestant winning $5 million isn’t going to give five times the reaction of a contestant winning $1 million.
D
To answer David B.’s first question…
The first incarnation of Regis WWTBAM (the summer 1999 episodes) featured a phone-in game that required a 900 number (which, in the U.S., means you are charged a certain amount to dial — either per minute or for the entire call, not including what the local phone company may call) to call to play. AFAIK, the money collected from those calls were not used to fund prize money.
There were a number of problems with the 900 number approach…
1) In the US, 900 numbers have a reputation of being used primarily for, uh, “adult” conversations.
2) Several states disallowed residents from calling the number due to laws in said states prohibiting the use of 900 and similar pay-to-play numbers for “chance” games. A similar situation occurred in 2008 with game and reality shows (DoND, 1 vs. 100, Big Brother) using texting contests that charged 99 cents a call. I live in Georgia, and I was not allowed to play any of these text games due to state law. Any attempt to make such calls were rejected.
Back to WWTBAM, I lived in DC at the time, and nearby Maryland disallowed the calls. I would have a Maryland friend or two come visit me in DC a few times during the show period, promptly drop a dollar on my phone table, and play the game.