Game Show Addict
Feb. 3rd, 2022 06:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cjlasky7As I might have mentioned in the past, my wife and I like to decompress after a long, hard day with game shows. Game shows have a storied history on American television; long after many genres have withered away to nothingness, the TV game show seems to reinvent itself every few years—and in the age of COVID, they are a safe, sure-fire winner for network programmers. (They are also extremely inexpensive to produce, which I'm sure has nothing to do with why TV executives love them...)
Of course, some game shows (and their cousins, "reality" show competitions) are better than others. For 500 points and the new kitchen set, here's a basic rundown of the field:
The All-Time Champion
Jeopardy! (ABC): The undisputed GOAT. When Alex Trebek died in 2020, the quest for a new host played out like a House of Windsor succession drama. What other game show could possibly have produced such hyperventilation in the national headlines? What other game show has contestants who have become familiar names in a significant number of American households? There are people out there who actually spend time ranking Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer; and many more who debate if Amy Schneider can beat Matt Amodio in the upcoming Tournament of Champions. My wife and I can't wait to see that matchup, and the TOC is months away. (That's insane.) Jeopardy! is still the gold standard for viewers who want to test their brainpower against the best of the best, and it'll survive any minor tweaks in format that have J! fanatics all atwitter.
And as for the whole host question: no knock on Mayim Bialik, but for me, it's Jennings all the way. He looks and sounds like he's lived on that set all his life, and the comfort factor outweighs any nagging questions about his likeability. He handles the answers smoothly and without hesitation, because he knows this stuff cold. And there is something to be said for a Jeopardy! host who the audience knows could smoke almost anybody at the podiums. (Still...is there any way we could get Buzzy Cohen to host one of the tournaments? I liked Buzzy....)
Also recommended: The Chase (ABC). Jennings, Holzhauer, Rutter, and British bounder Mark Labatt take turns hunting down wannabe trivia experts and steal their winnings. (Seriously, that's the show.) The best part: on the rare occasion when the Chaser lets a contestant get away with the money, the other three guys (looking on from the Green Room) mock him mercilessly....
The Perennials
Wheel of Fortune (ABC) chugs along in its fifth decade, still with Pat Sajak at the rail and Vanna White (blank and ageless as ever) providing decoration. Sajak's dry and sometimes cutting wit remains this show's secret weapon, as his what-the-hell attitude towards himself, the puzzles and the entire format of the show tells the audience not to take anything seriously and relax.
I think I enjoy the celebrity version even more, as a venerable institution like WOF can attract actual celebrities (as opposed to grade Z wannabes) who are willing to risk potential embarrassment for their favorite charities. The viewer can suss out pretty quickly who has the sharp mind (Tatiana Ali was killer)--and every once in a blessed while, you get a celeb who just derails on the air. Jeff Garlin (from Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Goldbergs) simply would not shut up, and may have rendered himself unemployable for the foreseeable future.
Still got it: The Price is Right and Let's Make a Deal (CBS). The formats are old and a bit wheezy, but Drew Carey and Wayne Brady give their respective shows an impressive jolt of comic energy.
Also: The $100,000 Pyramid, hosted by Michael Strahan; To Tell the Truth, hosted by Anthony Anderson (and starring his Mama, Doris).
I Wish They Would Bring Back: Concentration
The Comeback Kid
When COVID first hit in 2020, most game shows were able to modify their sets and maintain production, even without a studio audience. But The Amazing Race (CBS), a competition all about traveling the globe and experiencing the cultures of different countries, simply could not adapt. They were off the air in 2020 and Season 33 was forced to take a 19-month break before a brief window opened up between Delta and Omicron. (Poor Phil Keoghan spent his down time hosting Tough as Nails, a construction-themed competition held in a sweltering gravel pit somewhere in southern California. The man got paid, but I still kind of felt bad for him.)
It's a shame, because The Amazing Race is one of the best entertainment dollars out there, a combination game show, travelogue and interpersonal drama, with episodes filled with breathtaking mountain panoramas, ancient temples, and bustling marketplaces. Picking up after the long break, Season 33 has spent the last two weeks in Switzerland and France; the competitors rappelled down mountains and went "abseiling" through one of the rivers of Corsica. (My wife told me that if we ever go on Amazing Race, I can do all that fun stuff.)
Messing with Success: Survivor (CBS) also had its COVID problems, but it has not recovered as gracefully. The most recent season baffled long-time viewers with a dizzying array of twists and turns that essentially mucked up a golden formula. Confusing, and at times unwatchable.
Hosts with the Most
Leslie Jones is not what you would call subtle. She is high volume and high energy, every emotion projected from her elastic face coming at you at 100 mph. In some ways, she is the perfect game show host. Her boundless enthusiasm carries the revival of Supermarket Sweep (ABC); Jones is like a one-woman studio audience, shouting her support for the contestants as they zig and zag through the grocery aisles. (Leslie has a reason to be enthusiastic; she owns a piece of the show.) I wish SS would cut down on the zany characters they've saddled Leslie with as her supporting cast. They don't really add anything, and Leslie doesn't need the help.
Also recommended: Making It! (NBC), a crafting competition hosted by another SNL alumna, Amy Poehler, and her Parks and Recreation buddy, Nick Offerman. Poehler and Offerman have successfully captured the warm, mutually supportive vibe of the Great British Bake-off, and watching these two old friends recreate the chemistry of their great (if underappreciated) sitcom is icing on the cake. (Or varnish on the bookshelf, as the case may be....)
Keeping it in the extended family, Poehler's ex-husband, Will Arnett, is about to host his third season of LEGO Masters (FOX). As our house is covered top to bottom with LEGOs, this is a must-watch for our entire family, and the near-infinite possibilities for invention and construction make this one of the most eye-popping spectacles in the game show world. Arnett is fine when he tamps down his natural smarminess; but when the show goes all-in with a comedy skit, it distracts from the competition and the real stars of the show (those multi-function, multi-colored bricks).
Attack of the Grade Z Celebrities
My wife knows I can tolerate Survivor, even at its most annoying; but she also knows I have little to no love for Big Brother (CBS), which starts every episode with Julie Chen introducing herself as "Julie Chen Moonves," and goes downhill from there. The protracted interaction of shallow, self-obsessed nincompoops has never appealed to me, and the Big Brother house has always seemed like a lost circle of Hell. But there is one thing even worse than Big Brother: Celebrity Big Brother. The combination of Nickelodeon-level gooiness and the desperate clawing for attention of former boy band members, Real Housewives, washed up comedians, and Loni Love (who needs to talk with her agent about "diluting the brand") is even more painful.
Also NOT recommended: The Real Dirty Dancing (FOX). I was never that big a fan of Dirty Dancing, or the films of Patrick Swayze in general. But you know? I could have gotten behind this one. Take six ordinary couples, all of whom feel a connection with the movie and how it related to their own romances; take them back to where Dirty Dancing was filmed and put them through the paces of Johnny and Baby; award the best dancers a $100G prize; and get Jennifer Grey out of cryogenic storage to host the competition. But that's not what we got. More grade Z celebrities, including Loni Love (who REALLY needs to talk to her agent), and Jennifer Grey is nowhere in sight. I did not have the time of my life.
Of course, some game shows (and their cousins, "reality" show competitions) are better than others. For 500 points and the new kitchen set, here's a basic rundown of the field:
The All-Time Champion
Jeopardy! (ABC): The undisputed GOAT. When Alex Trebek died in 2020, the quest for a new host played out like a House of Windsor succession drama. What other game show could possibly have produced such hyperventilation in the national headlines? What other game show has contestants who have become familiar names in a significant number of American households? There are people out there who actually spend time ranking Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer; and many more who debate if Amy Schneider can beat Matt Amodio in the upcoming Tournament of Champions. My wife and I can't wait to see that matchup, and the TOC is months away. (That's insane.) Jeopardy! is still the gold standard for viewers who want to test their brainpower against the best of the best, and it'll survive any minor tweaks in format that have J! fanatics all atwitter.
And as for the whole host question: no knock on Mayim Bialik, but for me, it's Jennings all the way. He looks and sounds like he's lived on that set all his life, and the comfort factor outweighs any nagging questions about his likeability. He handles the answers smoothly and without hesitation, because he knows this stuff cold. And there is something to be said for a Jeopardy! host who the audience knows could smoke almost anybody at the podiums. (Still...is there any way we could get Buzzy Cohen to host one of the tournaments? I liked Buzzy....)
Also recommended: The Chase (ABC). Jennings, Holzhauer, Rutter, and British bounder Mark Labatt take turns hunting down wannabe trivia experts and steal their winnings. (Seriously, that's the show.) The best part: on the rare occasion when the Chaser lets a contestant get away with the money, the other three guys (looking on from the Green Room) mock him mercilessly....
The Perennials
Wheel of Fortune (ABC) chugs along in its fifth decade, still with Pat Sajak at the rail and Vanna White (blank and ageless as ever) providing decoration. Sajak's dry and sometimes cutting wit remains this show's secret weapon, as his what-the-hell attitude towards himself, the puzzles and the entire format of the show tells the audience not to take anything seriously and relax.
I think I enjoy the celebrity version even more, as a venerable institution like WOF can attract actual celebrities (as opposed to grade Z wannabes) who are willing to risk potential embarrassment for their favorite charities. The viewer can suss out pretty quickly who has the sharp mind (Tatiana Ali was killer)--and every once in a blessed while, you get a celeb who just derails on the air. Jeff Garlin (from Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Goldbergs) simply would not shut up, and may have rendered himself unemployable for the foreseeable future.
Still got it: The Price is Right and Let's Make a Deal (CBS). The formats are old and a bit wheezy, but Drew Carey and Wayne Brady give their respective shows an impressive jolt of comic energy.
Also: The $100,000 Pyramid, hosted by Michael Strahan; To Tell the Truth, hosted by Anthony Anderson (and starring his Mama, Doris).
I Wish They Would Bring Back: Concentration
The Comeback Kid
When COVID first hit in 2020, most game shows were able to modify their sets and maintain production, even without a studio audience. But The Amazing Race (CBS), a competition all about traveling the globe and experiencing the cultures of different countries, simply could not adapt. They were off the air in 2020 and Season 33 was forced to take a 19-month break before a brief window opened up between Delta and Omicron. (Poor Phil Keoghan spent his down time hosting Tough as Nails, a construction-themed competition held in a sweltering gravel pit somewhere in southern California. The man got paid, but I still kind of felt bad for him.)
It's a shame, because The Amazing Race is one of the best entertainment dollars out there, a combination game show, travelogue and interpersonal drama, with episodes filled with breathtaking mountain panoramas, ancient temples, and bustling marketplaces. Picking up after the long break, Season 33 has spent the last two weeks in Switzerland and France; the competitors rappelled down mountains and went "abseiling" through one of the rivers of Corsica. (My wife told me that if we ever go on Amazing Race, I can do all that fun stuff.)
Messing with Success: Survivor (CBS) also had its COVID problems, but it has not recovered as gracefully. The most recent season baffled long-time viewers with a dizzying array of twists and turns that essentially mucked up a golden formula. Confusing, and at times unwatchable.
Hosts with the Most
Leslie Jones is not what you would call subtle. She is high volume and high energy, every emotion projected from her elastic face coming at you at 100 mph. In some ways, she is the perfect game show host. Her boundless enthusiasm carries the revival of Supermarket Sweep (ABC); Jones is like a one-woman studio audience, shouting her support for the contestants as they zig and zag through the grocery aisles. (Leslie has a reason to be enthusiastic; she owns a piece of the show.) I wish SS would cut down on the zany characters they've saddled Leslie with as her supporting cast. They don't really add anything, and Leslie doesn't need the help.
Also recommended: Making It! (NBC), a crafting competition hosted by another SNL alumna, Amy Poehler, and her Parks and Recreation buddy, Nick Offerman. Poehler and Offerman have successfully captured the warm, mutually supportive vibe of the Great British Bake-off, and watching these two old friends recreate the chemistry of their great (if underappreciated) sitcom is icing on the cake. (Or varnish on the bookshelf, as the case may be....)
Keeping it in the extended family, Poehler's ex-husband, Will Arnett, is about to host his third season of LEGO Masters (FOX). As our house is covered top to bottom with LEGOs, this is a must-watch for our entire family, and the near-infinite possibilities for invention and construction make this one of the most eye-popping spectacles in the game show world. Arnett is fine when he tamps down his natural smarminess; but when the show goes all-in with a comedy skit, it distracts from the competition and the real stars of the show (those multi-function, multi-colored bricks).
Attack of the Grade Z Celebrities
My wife knows I can tolerate Survivor, even at its most annoying; but she also knows I have little to no love for Big Brother (CBS), which starts every episode with Julie Chen introducing herself as "Julie Chen Moonves," and goes downhill from there. The protracted interaction of shallow, self-obsessed nincompoops has never appealed to me, and the Big Brother house has always seemed like a lost circle of Hell. But there is one thing even worse than Big Brother: Celebrity Big Brother. The combination of Nickelodeon-level gooiness and the desperate clawing for attention of former boy band members, Real Housewives, washed up comedians, and Loni Love (who needs to talk with her agent about "diluting the brand") is even more painful.
Also NOT recommended: The Real Dirty Dancing (FOX). I was never that big a fan of Dirty Dancing, or the films of Patrick Swayze in general. But you know? I could have gotten behind this one. Take six ordinary couples, all of whom feel a connection with the movie and how it related to their own romances; take them back to where Dirty Dancing was filmed and put them through the paces of Johnny and Baby; award the best dancers a $100G prize; and get Jennifer Grey out of cryogenic storage to host the competition. But that's not what we got. More grade Z celebrities, including Loni Love (who REALLY needs to talk to her agent), and Jennifer Grey is nowhere in sight. I did not have the time of my life.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-04 05:29 am (UTC)I think that it's just a case of trying to keep finding radical new stuff for a show where if you go too far from the basic formula-- one of the key reasons the shows you mention work over a long time, like Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune is that they're happy to be themselves, and only that.
For myself, I watch Survivor to imagine I'm one of the engineers building those challenges. I like them, the rest of the show often drags for me. Sometimes I tape it and fast-forward through any of the non-challenge stuff.
Wow, Concentration, there's blast o' the past! Can't even recall the details about it at this point, only the name. Was Hugh Downs the host on that one?
no subject
Date: 2022-02-04 06:14 pm (UTC)The puzzle was a rebis--a combination of pictures and letters that combined to form a person or phrase, like:
Kitten + S + golf tee + 2 fans
Cat S tee fans
Cat Stephens
I loved this game. (And yes, Hugh Downs was the first host; Trebek hosted one of the later versions.) I guess one of the reasons it hasn't been revived for the 21st century is that it doesn't move very fast. You have to just sit there and (yes) concentrate on where the matching prize is on the board. You don't bounce from category to category like on Jeopardy! "Too slow" is a death knell for games these days.
As for Survivor: my wife is a much bigger fan than I am, and this past season had her pissed off like nobody's business. There were so many "hidden powers" in play that tribal council had contestants bopping around like chickens, trying to figure out who had what immunity or what vote. They needed a slide rule to calculate this shit. As they say-- KISS (keep it simple, stupid).
no subject
Date: 2022-02-04 11:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-05 12:48 am (UTC)He only won because six Black players formed an impregnable alliance that systematically voted out every white player.
Naturally, they were accused of racism.
I really don't like this show.