“Crosswords” is far less interesting to me. It comes across as a low-budget show. I think a lot of the clues in later rounds of the game are too difficult for the average person to guess and therefore they won’t enjoy watching the show. The cash and other prizes are too cheap and chintzy also. They need to up the ante.

Let’s talk about this after the sweeps numbers are out.

We don’t get a double run of either except feud. Cleveland has always been good with their gameshows (except for the New Price is Right with Doug Davidson, I think). They ran during the day anywhere between 9am and Noon with an occasional early afternoon spot. Very few shows get slots against TPIR (a very smart thing). Still hate Craptation, but I agree with Scott that the main game is more of a problem than the end game. I will continue to either watch Crosswords or DVR it. I was proud of myself today for get 85% of the aired clues right! Down with Craptation, Long Live Crosswords!

Btw, sick of Maury? It’ll end the very second you eliminate “You are NOT the Father!” stories from that show.

Haven’t seen Temptation yet, I saw a highlight reel of the premiere on youtube and I can’t understand why they would have celebs (D-List especially) on the premiere episode. and again judging by the clips Temptation is too cheap. a $965 prize, The old show gave away more than that. and it doesn’t do anything when Rossi adds $100 or $200, They’ve got to offer at least $500 in this day and age.

In response to the low ratings, Poor publicity, I only knew Crosswords airs when it did becuase I walked out of school today (in protest over soemthing but that’s off topic) and I haven’t taken my eyes of the channel guide. I haven’t seen Temptation anywhere I thinking it might come on later but if it’s anytime between 6:00 and 8:00 my Tv watching schedule is full.

Temptation’s first regular show was better than the celebrity premiere, which was just awful. The Shopper’s Paradise is just like original SOTC, which is, do you risk it all and come back, or do you buy a prize and go home? The end game allows for a chance at a good prize even after one victory. But were it not for the too-short speed rounds, the sad Instant Brgains, cheesy buy-at-home breaks, and the other mini-games that don’t fit very well, this could be a hit with a far better host (Rossi ranks below Dylan Lane). So it’s not the end-game that’s the problem, it’s the main game.

Crosswords struck me as amazingly cheap for such a high concept. The trips are nothing special, and the two podium “steal” concept isn’t well thought out. If the spoiler always got the less-expensive podium and had to catch up to win (if they did not have the lead already after adding the value of the clue to the lesser podium), that would be better. Instead, the spoiler always takes the lead (which seems somewhat unfair) and the gap gets wider and wider. If the trips were worth something, there could be a choice or strategy factor, but they aren’t, so the spoiler thing really comes off as awkward.

It also seems unfair that 3 spoilers come in at the end. There ought to be an upfront round to qualify the first two contenders of the five (heck, the podiums are already there to be used) and designate the also-rans as mere spoilers (and the two leaders could split the spoilers’ accured money from that first round). That way, everyone begins on equal footing.

I feel as if some of these changes are so obvious, that Fremantle and Program Partners are in the wrong business. Many of us could work for them and their products would be much better. So sad that Merv died before having a chance to really iron out the kinks.

The “Crossword Getaways” are explicitly to places within a 6 hour drive of LA since travel is NOT included in the prize and most contestants live in the LA area. I’m personally not the biggest fan of this technique.

As far as “One Minute to Go” goes, the contestants know that once the Round 3 Daily Double… er… “Crossword Extra” gets hit, there are between 1 and 2 minutes left in play, which could change a little based on pacing and editing. To keep the pace of the game moving, perhaps they should add a little “1 minute to go” graphic, sort of like Wheel’s “No More Vowels.”

Note also that a number of clues get edited out each episodewhen no one rings in to answer for a few consecutively since it does not alter gameplay or score. For example, on Monday’s episode, there was a run of 3 or 4 skipped clues, because no one rang in and it would have been boring for the home audience. These answers, though, are still given in the nearly-solved puzzle at the beginning of the bonus round, as are other missed answers.