LoC 69: Top 51 Gameshows Countdown!

[CJones]

If I were cool, Raiden. That was the handle I used to go by, a long time ago.

Realistically, probably Heart Attack. In that I would have one. I'm not even overweight, I've just never had any physical stamina.

[Mrs. Dick Courier]

mine would be Steve Reeves

Awesome show

[CJones]

#8 QI - 75 Points

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/MqU5BsQS-0Y" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/MqU5BsQS-0Y</a>

4 of 9 Lists
Highest Ranking #1 Imrahil

Here it, the king of the British panel shows. At least as far as the nine people who submitted lists are concerned.

QI (short for Quite Interesting, as well as being IQ backwards) started in 2003 and is still on the air. It stars Stephen Fry as it's host, and features four panelists, one of which is always Alan Davies. During it's time on BBC Four it was the highest rated show on that network. It's currently on BBC Two and HD, where presumably it still gets high ratings (correct me if I'm wrong).

The show involves Stephen Fry asking particularly obscure, bizarre or vague questions, to which he is looking for a particular answer. Usually it's next to impossible to get the answer straight away, which leads to Davies and the other three panelists to discuss the subject, offer up potential guesses, ask Fry questions to try and narrow it down, all the while trying to entertain the audience. The whole point of the game isn't so much to get the right answer, but to come up with interesting answers, hence the title. However, there are also, very often, certain very obvious answers that were not only wrong, but unimaginatively so. A panelist attempting to give such an answer would cause klaxons to go off, and they would be penalized 10 points. Speaking of which, the scoring scheme for this show is not entirely apparent. Which is why I chose the clip above, mainly for the opening bit.

There would almost always be a running theme to each episode. And the panelists would be given personalized sounding buzzers, which are usually related to this theme. The series are lettered, rather than numbered, starting with A, and currently on G. The topic for each episode in a series starts with that letter.

Stephen Fry wears an earpiece during the show, through which the seven "QI Elves", the people who do the research and write the questions, can contact him and keep him informed of anything relating to the topic that he would need to know to keep the show moving. 

I have to thank Imrahil for getting me to check this show out. It is, as the title suggests, quite interesting.

[CJones]

#7 (Tie) Press Your Luck - 79 Points

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/jnryD1tBazM" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/jnryD1tBazM</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/eQLPIz6CYLE" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/eQLPIz6CYLE</a>

5 of 9 Lists
Highest Ranking #1 Pak-Man

Above is the most famous episode in the show's history, but I'll get back to that later.

Press Your Luck ran from 1983 to 1986 and featured host Peter Tomarken, who was killed in 2003 when his private plane crashed with him piloting. Which is why he wasn't the host of the remake, simply called Whammy, which aired in 2002 and 2003 on GSN.

The show had two rounds, each of which had two phases. First the question phase. Tomarkin would ask a trivia question, to which contestants could ring in. Once someone had, Tomarkin would read off three choices, which always included the answer that had always been given, and the remaining contestant would choose from them. A correct answer from the multiple choice question was worth 1 spin; a correct ring in was worth three. The second phase was playing the game board. After this was done, they'd go back and do it all again.

The game board consisted of 18 squares, which cycled through 3 possible items. While doing so, a ring of lights would light up around one of them at a time, jumping from one to another seemingly at random. At any time, the player who's turn it was could hit their buzzer, stopping the board. Which ever square was lit, they won, or suffered, whatever was in that square. Scattered around the board was a red devil/thief like character called the Whammy. Hitting this caused the contestant to lose everything they had accumulated during the show. The Whammys were computer animated characters, and every time someone hit one, one of about 50 animations would play. If a played racked up four whammys, they were out of the game. At any time, they could pass their remaining spins too the next player, who had to to them. Whoever was in the lead after the second board round kept everything they had won.

It was generally assumed that the game board was random. Which is where the most famous episode comes in. There are actually only four sequences that the lit square can follow. A person who has all four memorized can recognize which one is playing, and know which square will be lit when. And this is exactly what Michael Larson did. He had hours upon hours of the show taped off of TV, and he used this to figure out how the game board worked. He even built himself a miniature version of the board, programmed with the lighting sequences, to help him learn them. He than managed to get on the show. On his very first spin he hit a whammy. There's some suspicion that he did this on purpose to throw the producers off. He went on to spin 45 consecutive times, winning a record total of $147,517. There were two spots on the board that always gave an extra spin. As long as he could hit one of them consistently, he could keep the game going. The show ran so long they had to break it into two episodes. The producers figured out what he was doing, but not before it was too late to reshoot the show. The two losing contestants where later invited back on Whammy!

Michael Larson died of throat cancer in 1999.

[gojikranz]

well i have completely failed and didnt get my list in or even see the countdown until now.  sorry i missed out but enjoying the list.  i woulda given some of those kid game shows some more love andi hope double dare is yet to show up...

[CJones]

#7 (Tie) Cash Cab - 79 Points

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/8mX3RlflBfs" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/8mX3RlflBfs</a>

4 of 9 Lists
Highest Ranking #1 ColeStratton

Cash Cab was originally a UK show that aired in 2005 and 2006. Unfortunately I could only find one video from it, and it's crap quality, so I'll think we'll look at the US version instead.

The US version of Cash Cab also started in 2005, on The Discovery Channel, and starred stand up comedian Ben Bailey. Discovery announced April 19 of last year that the show would be ending.

The show took place in New York City. Baily would pick up passengers, then inform them that they were on the Cash Cab, explain the show, and ask them if they wanted to play. If they said yes, there were about 15 minutes of legal issues done off camera, then he'd begin driving to their destination. Bailey would ask them general knowledge questions, getting harder at questions 5 and 9. They were worth $25,50 and $100 (later doubled to 50, 100 & 200). But if they got three wrong before they made it to their destination, they'd get kicked out. At the end of the trip, they had the option to go for a "video bonus", where he'd ask one last question for double or nothing.

There was also the "Red Light Challenge" which occurred any time the cab stopped at a red light after the contestant(s) had won at least a certain amount of money (initially $200). Here, the contestants were asked to list at least a certain number of somethings that fit a particular category. Missing it does not incur a strike. And there were random Double Rides, where all dollar values were doubled. And of course, there were the shout outs, a la Who Wants to be a Millionaire's Life Lines. They could call a friend, or ask a passing pedestrian. On, at least one episode, the person they called did not answer, and they didn't get to call someone else.

Contrary to the impression the show gives, the contestants do not actually receive any cash. The cash they're shown being given is a prop. Instead they're mailed their winnings later. Some contestants know that they're going to be on a game show in advance. They just don't know that the cab is the game show. The cab is trailed by a van, and in one incident, a passer by came up to Ben Baily and asked him, "did you know there's a van following you with a video camera?" Baily is told all the questions and answers, as well as anything else he needs to know, via an earpiece. Cash Cab became so popular, and Ben Bailey so well recognized, that he started trying to disguise his voice. But even still, many would be contestants clearly recognized The Cash Cab when they were getting in.

[CJones]

andi hope double dare is yet to show up...

We'll see...   

Anyway, that's it for tonight. I have minor surgery tomorrow morning, but barring a major disaster, we'll be counting down the final 5 tomorrow evening. See you then.

[Tripe]

Goodnight and good luck tomorrow.

[Kete]

My wife had never heard of Remote Control, so I showed her a clip.  It did not hold up well.

What would your American Gladiator name be.

Fizzle

[Johnny Unusual]

Oh, we should get a third and be Sizzle, Fizzle and Drizzle.  Now we need to find Sizzle.

[CJones]

#5 Double Dare - 83 Points

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/GTou7rZjiOc" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/GTou7rZjiOc</a>

6 of 9 Lists
Highest Ranking #3 Kete

You called it gojikranz 

Double Dare ran from 1986 to 1993, and briefly again in 2000, on Nickelodeon, and was hugely successful. Nickelodeon's ratings nearly tripled thanks to this show. During this time we also saw Super Sloppy Double Dare and Family Double Dare. Marc Summers was host during the entire original run. Marc Summers admitted to having OCD, and even wrote a book on the subject. Last year, he was in a terrible automobile accident while riding in a cab in Philadelphia, which resulted in major head injuries, and left him temporarily paralyzed on the left side of his face, and partially blind in his left eye. This isn't the last game show host in the top ten who suffered some horrible fate, I'm sorry to say.

Double Dare was primarily a children's show, and involved two teams of two contestants each. The show would start with Summers saying "On your mark, get set, GO!", leading into a head to head physical challenge to determine who had control first. From there, the host would ask a series of questions. Answering correctly earned the team in control dollar amounts ranging from $20 to $50. Answering incorrectly gave the opposing team the dollars, and gave them control. If the team in control didn't know the answer, or they suspected the opposing team didn't, they could Dare the other team to answer, which would be worth double the dollars. The other team, if they couldn't answer, could Double Dare them back. Now a correct answer would be worth quadruple. If they couldn't answer, their only other option was to take a Physical Challenge.

The Physical Challenges were really the highlight of the show. These usually involved filling a container to a certain point, or collecting a certain number of something, within a time limit, usually within 30 seconds. They seemed to be a bit predisposed towards food items, or anything else they could think of that was messy. In the short lived 2000 version of the show, the team could opt for a "Triple Dare" where the difficuly of the task was increased (either by decreasing the time, or increasing the amount of stuff needed to be collected.), which would increase the dollar amount. In any case, winning the physical challenge earned the team the dollars, while failing it earned the other team the dollars, and gave them control. There were usually two or three questions per episode that were next to impossible to answer, thus guaranteeing a Physical Challenge.

Finally, the winning team went on to the obstacle course. Here they had to make their way through eight obstacles, alternating team members, all within "the messiest minute on television". At the end of each obstacle was a flag, which the current player had to hand over to the other team member, much like a relay race. They won a prize for each leg they made it through, but they had to make it through all eight to win the grand prize.

The grand prize was often a scholarship to attend Space Camp. I mention this mainly because I used to live in Huntsville AL, which is where the Space Camp is located.   

[Kete]

Last week's Bob's Burgers had a Double Dare spoof called Family Frakas.  It was pretty funny.

[CJones]

#4 Whose Line is it Anyway? - 93 Points

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/pJ3lgeABwXg" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/pJ3lgeABwXg</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/wGyKej_9c0g" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/wGyKej_9c0g</a>

6 of 9 Lists
Highest Ranking #3 Mrs Dick Courier

Okay, I know what some of you are thinking. This isn't really a game show. Well, so many people wanted to vote for it, and I have to admit it's one of my all time favorite TV shows, that I had to allow it.

Whose Line was originally a short lived British radio show created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson, then moved to TV in 1988 with host Clive Anderson. The TV show ran for for ten years, and spawned off an American version, which ran it for an additional 8 years. It was essentially an improv show, but it was staged as if it were a panel game show. The host would instruct the performers to engage in a number of "games", which often had predetermined parameters, decided by members of the audience, and/or the show's writers. The crux of the show was that the performers didn't know the specifics of what they were expected to perform until the time they had to perform it. Regular cast members included Stephen Frost, Josie Lawrence, Tony Slattery, Greg Proops, Brad Sherwood, Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles.

When the show moved to the US, Drew Carey took the position of host. Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie were asked to be regular contestants. In the second season, Wayne Brady was asked to become the show's third permanent cast member. UK version alumni Greg Proops and Brad Sherwood also made regular appearances. I wish Tony Slattery had at least made a guest appearance, but sadly it was not to be.

One of the show's running jokes was "the points don't matter" Clive Anderson actually went out of his way to try and make up clever ways to score the the various games, but in the end the winner(s) was whoever the producers decided on. Drew Carey was more straightforward about it, simply stating that it was a "gag to hold the show together".

Popular games on both shows included Scenes from a Hat, Let's Make a Date, Party Quirks, Movie TV and Theater Styles, and the ever popular and universally hated among the players, "Hoe-Down" "Don't you say another Hoedown!" - Ryan from the bloopers reel.

Drew Carey has made several attempts to resurrect the improv aspects of the show with most of the US cast, first with The Green Screen Show, and more recently with Drew Carey's Improv-a-ganza. Sadly neither one was successful. Last month the CW network announced they were reviving Whose Line, with Ryan, Colin and Wayne on board, but with a new host:  Aisha Tyler. We'll see how that pans out.

Now here's Stephen Fry rapping:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/uSJPr8aYN_w" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/uSJPr8aYN_w</a>     

[Johnny Unusual]

There are people who are hardcore improvisers who hate this show because they consider it a lazy version of a great and complex artform.  I say, suck it up.  There's different kinds of improv and just like there's room for a really good box of Oreos or Chef Boy Ar Dee (to which I add red wine and oregano when I eat, I'm not even kidding) in my pantry, there's room for more accessible and bite sized forms of improv.  Which I admit, is a bit of a backhanded compliment so I'll say "shallow and/or simple" isn't bad.  It's just a different thing.

[Mrs. Dick Courier]

Those people are just jealous because they haven't achieved that level of popularity yet

I have probably every  American episode on tape unfortunately my UK episodes won't play anymore.
Maybe I'll get a DVD on Amazon