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I enjoy certain game shows. Some games challenge me intellectually and feed my love for trivia. Others simply allow me to comment (sometimes with helpings of schadenfreude) on how people react when placed in pressure situations, especially when they have the chance to win cash and/or prizes. Still others get on my nerves because of the pure silliness they ooze from everyone's unblinking eye. Here is my assessment of game shows, past and present. (N.B. The shows from the past aired in my lifetime, so no references to Monty Hall's Let's Make A Deal or Twenty-One.
Jeopardy!
This is a favorite of many people (including me) who never thought that nerds and geeks could be telegenic. I am privileged to have recently adorned the Jeopardy! stage and pressed the buzzer very recently. Speaking as someone who has appeared on the show, I can say that being an armchair contestant is much easier than being on the show. Placing wagers, even if you know all about sculpture materials, the capitals of South America, or the ingredients of cocktails, is far more difficult than I ever imagined.
The Price is Right
I enjoy this show simply for the pure entertainment value the contestants provide. Watching the everyday people run down the aisles in their discount, big-box store grandeur allows me to bring out my inner Nelson Muntz. Por ejemplo, recently in Contestant's Row, the four players bid on two iPods. Three of the four bids ranged between $400 and $700 (not unreasonable bids). The fourth bid $150. I thought (out loud), "Where in the hell is she shopping?" I would like to go on this show just for the sheer pleasure of doing so and to see if it really that hard to bid on poorly built catamarans (I assume it is).
Deal or No Deal
You will not catch me on this show. While most game shows require a modicum of skill in order to succeed, this one employs chance and more chance. The suspense added to the show with the mysterious, off-screen "banker" offering the contestant guaranteed gobs of cash is the hook that makes it so popular; I can only assume that's the case (no pun intended).
Press Your Luck
This was a favorite back in the day when high top fades and hair sprayed coiffure's were in vogue. This show had a decent mix of skill and luck because the contestants had to answer trivia questions in order to get more spins around the game board. Once the luck portion of the game replaced the skill portion, this is where the comedy and cutthroat, screw-your-neighbor-over appeal took over. The contestants, if they were lucky enough to gain a good chunk of prizes and money, could pass their remaining spins to other contestants in the hopes they would land on a Whammy (which erased all of their winnings). Unlike the earned spins they gained from answering questions, they HAD to use the spins passed to them by their opponents. This lead to contestants screaming things like, "Big bucks and no Whammies... STOP!"
Wheel of Fortune
Who would have thought that a Hangman-type game would be so lucrative? I usually don't watch Wheel of Fortune, but if I do, I generally have the same question: "Why do the contestants buy vowels (especially the obvious 'E') so early in the rounds?"
The Newlywed Game
For entertainment value, The Newlywed Game was pure gold. Each episode I watched left me wondering, "I wonder how that couple's ride home went."
For the record, I have to give props to MTV's Remote Control. Without it, we would not have Adam Sandler to kick around.
Jeopardy!
This is a favorite of many people (including me) who never thought that nerds and geeks could be telegenic. I am privileged to have recently adorned the Jeopardy! stage and pressed the buzzer very recently. Speaking as someone who has appeared on the show, I can say that being an armchair contestant is much easier than being on the show. Placing wagers, even if you know all about sculpture materials, the capitals of South America, or the ingredients of cocktails, is far more difficult than I ever imagined.
The Price is Right
I enjoy this show simply for the pure entertainment value the contestants provide. Watching the everyday people run down the aisles in their discount, big-box store grandeur allows me to bring out my inner Nelson Muntz. Por ejemplo, recently in Contestant's Row, the four players bid on two iPods. Three of the four bids ranged between $400 and $700 (not unreasonable bids). The fourth bid $150. I thought (out loud), "Where in the hell is she shopping?" I would like to go on this show just for the sheer pleasure of doing so and to see if it really that hard to bid on poorly built catamarans (I assume it is).
Deal or No Deal
You will not catch me on this show. While most game shows require a modicum of skill in order to succeed, this one employs chance and more chance. The suspense added to the show with the mysterious, off-screen "banker" offering the contestant guaranteed gobs of cash is the hook that makes it so popular; I can only assume that's the case (no pun intended).
Press Your Luck
This was a favorite back in the day when high top fades and hair sprayed coiffure's were in vogue. This show had a decent mix of skill and luck because the contestants had to answer trivia questions in order to get more spins around the game board. Once the luck portion of the game replaced the skill portion, this is where the comedy and cutthroat, screw-your-neighbor-over appeal took over. The contestants, if they were lucky enough to gain a good chunk of prizes and money, could pass their remaining spins to other contestants in the hopes they would land on a Whammy (which erased all of their winnings). Unlike the earned spins they gained from answering questions, they HAD to use the spins passed to them by their opponents. This lead to contestants screaming things like, "Big bucks and no Whammies... STOP!"
Wheel of Fortune
Who would have thought that a Hangman-type game would be so lucrative? I usually don't watch Wheel of Fortune, but if I do, I generally have the same question: "Why do the contestants buy vowels (especially the obvious 'E') so early in the rounds?"
The Newlywed Game
For entertainment value, The Newlywed Game was pure gold. Each episode I watched left me wondering, "I wonder how that couple's ride home went."
For the record, I have to give props to MTV's Remote Control. Without it, we would not have Adam Sandler to kick around.
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