However, the thing that really struck me about this current version of the show was how fucking dumb the contestants were. I don’t love THE CHASE (the host annoys the crap out of me) but the questions are tough. For THE WEAKEST LINK some of the questions were just laughably easy and the contestants were so stupid they got them wrong.
Example:
“Which brand of service has as their theme song ‘Wild Blue Yonder?’” The contestant said “the Navy.” Wouldn’t wild blue yonder perhaps suggest the sky and thus maybe the Air Force? One girl, probably in her early 30’s didn’t know Rodeo Drive was in Beverly Hills. She had never heard of Rodeo Drive. They tape the show in Los Angeles, by the way.
Finally it came down to the last two. Each had to answer a series of five questions. The one who got the most right won. Going into the last round, collectively they had answered 8 of the 9 questions wrong. These were the brains who eliminated everyone else. I was calling out the answers left and right — and trust me, I’d get crushed on JEOPARDY or THE CHASE.
Obviously these contestants are screened beforehand. The fact that they knowingly put dim bulbs on the show begs the question, why?
Do they not want to give away much money? Or do they think the audience is so stupid this level of intellect is about their speed? All I can say is that as far as game shows go — this one is the Weakest Link.
There was an American version of The Weakest Link that aired April 2001-July 2002, with Anne Robinson as the host. As you had mentioned, she also hosted the British version of the show 2000–2012.
ReplyDeleteI remember getting annoyed at myself for missing what I thought was a trick question: What where the Tennessee Titans known as before they were known as that? I responded the Houston Oilers, but I forgot they were the Tennessee Oilers for the two years after leaving Houston but before their new stadium in Nashville was ready.
Could the dumbed-down questions exist to make the home viewers feel smarter compared to how dumb most people feel when watching Jeopardy? Agreed that many of Lynch's quips sound scripted, but she handles the banter with the contestants well.
ReplyDelete"Or do they think the audience is so stupid this level of intellect is about their speed?"
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the news clip of a guy saying "Donald J Trump is a genius, that's what the J stands for," nothing surprises me anymore about the intellect of the masses.
I made the mistake of watching "Celebrity Family Feud." The only reason? It was "Hacks" versus "Abbott Elementary." Love both shows. Unfortunately, each team acted like psychos, cheering each other on, in a weird hyper-mode. Forced. Creepy.
ReplyDeleteCan't watch this newest "Weakest Link" - definitely scripted.
I miss the recent version of "Match Game." (Unfortunately, a victim of the whole Alec Baldwin situation.) A few of the celebrity panelists were dumb____, but most took the game seriously, which was fun.
I hate to think this, Ken, but I think it's deliberate. People don't tune into this for a game show, the tune in for the snark and the putdowns. So they book the contestants that will give Jane (or the writers) the best set-ups.
ReplyDelete@Leighton - Wow! You miss the newest Match Game? And, they "took the game seriously"? Perhaps I gave up on it too fast, but the version I saw was unwatchable. An absolute sex-fest.
ReplyDeleteThe earlier version, with Gene Rayburn, relied heavily on innuendo. I was a kid when that was on and my Mom had no problem with me watching it. Those certain jokes went over my head with ease. Baldwin's version (I did like him as the host) was outright raunch. I wouldn't let a kid anywhere near that version of the show.
But if you enjoyed it, great. Perhaps they cleaned it up after I stopped watching. Oh, and I know some reviewers online have said that the "stars" on Baldwin's show were a bunch of unknowns or C-list. Most celebrities on the Rayburn version weren't exactly material for the front page of Variety, either.
As for Weakest Link - I had no idea that was on again.
Well, there are weaker game shows. Take a look at Anthony Anderson's version of To Tell the Truth, which has dumbed down this TV-staple to where it is unwatchable. God, I hope the new version of Password doesn't suck, but the promos do not give me hope.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jane is delivering scripted quips, but her badinage with the contestants is spontaneous, and her ad libs are often superior to her scripted jokes.
The thing that gets me is the chain building to the big amounts. In 22 years of watching various iterations of this show, I have yet ever to see a chain completed. Never seen it happen, not even once. Basically the game is structured so that the chains can never be completed, so the hostess can always insult them for not completing one.
But yeah, dumbo contestants abound. In last night's episode, a woman who claimed she was an architect did not know the name of the newspaper where Clark Kent and Lois Lane worked. (She answered "The Times?"), and another supposedly educated contestant, when asked "What A-word grows into oak trees?", she answered "Almonds." I wonder what she thinks Almond trees grow from.
But The Weakest Link earned its existence when it was used on Doctor Who in the first season of its revival, when The Doctor's companion, Rose, ended up on it in the far future (Hosted by a robot called "The Ann Droid," who was voiced by the actual Ann Robinson) where, when you got voted off, you got zapped out of existence. The same story also used the zapping of eliminated contestants on a futuristic Big Brother.
I have a friend who appeared on the new To Tell the Truth, so I watched, and I'll just say that as one who grew up the version hosted by Garry Moore, I was appalled. The original premise worked well for decades. Now I hope they don't screw up Password.
ReplyDeleteClassic Password moment. The cast of Barney Miller was doing it, and the password was director. Hal Linden's eyes lit up and he said, "Noam." Ron Carey looked at him puzzled and said, "Pitlik?!" Well, Noam Pitlik was the director, but ....
I don't mind it - the thing that annoys me is, there is so much pressure to "bank" the money, they will never hit the big numbers. Unlike Jeopardy, they can't just buzz in when they know the answer They get stuck with a random question and it's rapid-fire.
ReplyDeleteNever confuse knowledge with intelligence. Besides, Wild Blue Yonder could have referred to the ocean.
ReplyDeleteIt's not even The Weakest Like, anymore. They dropped the "the"; just Weakest Link. I tried watching when it returned two years ago, but gave up. That is the main reason I don't watch game shows these days: contestants are enthusiastically dumb boxes of rocks. There have always been dolts on game shows, but not all were stubbornly enthusiastic. I mentioned over the weekend that I've been watching segments from mid '80s episodes of The Price is Right on YouTube. Today, YouTube recommended two behind the scenes videos: one from the late '70s and one from the late '90s (after the 5,000 show when Studio 33 was renamed The Bob Barker Studio). Producer Roger Dobkowitz said staff only looked for genuinely enthusiastic contestants in the line outside Television City. I'm not so sure that's still the case.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked the Anthony Anderson (and Mama Doris) era of To Tell the Truth, but some of the panelists were assholes (Joel McHale!) and I eventually got tired of that. The Match Game revival was another show weighed down by stubbornly enthusiastic dolt contestants. The staff of that show claim it was canceled before the Rust shooting accident. I'm not saying I believe it; just putting the claim out there.
I loved Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, but speaking of stubbornness, I stubbornly avoid watching because I don't like contestants that say "please" every time they select a clue, call a letter, or buy a vowel. Nor do I like fumfering contestants, which is worst among the younger ones. "Uh, I'll take [category] for $400, please." That crap kept me from enjoying the Manning Brothers (Peyton and Cooper) revival of College Bowl. "Uh, Peyton, we're gonna go with..." Like nails on a chalkboard!
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ReplyDeleteJay Leno is doing a version of You Bet Your Life. I am not a Leno fan, so I have no idea what it's like. That said, how can you get better than Groucho ?
ReplyDeleteI was a contestant on the original Password hosted by Allen Ludden. Carol Burnett was my partner and Ross Martin (the other star) did remarkably well with my clues. I lost and ended up with a consolation prize: $37 worth of men and women's leather accessories (faux leopard cigarette cases and key cases). Yes, I had to pay income tax on those. Password was not about intelligence, but quick recall of synonyms. Ah, the good old days. I still have nightmares with Ludden's intoning to the home audience as he handed out the passwords "As they look at it, you look at it." For the record, the word that cost me the game was "CREW."
ReplyDeleteAnne Robinson's quips were totally scripted too. They would stop tape, the writers off-stage would come up with them, and she would then use them.
ReplyDeleteI tried out for Weakest Link when it was a thing. I didn't make the second round, which I was appalled because on game show tryouts I always make the second round. Apparently I was too smart.
@ Chuck,
ReplyDeleteYes, I liked the recent "Match Game." Watched the original, of course. (I'm 60.)
Appreciated the fact that they were blatantly drinking, and that some of the celebrity panelists were quite serious about matching the contestants. Yes, some of the latter were dolts, but overall, I didn't mind it. I did NOT watch the 80s/90s versions, however.
Of course, this was a sexed-up edition, and not intended for kids. A few of the celebrities thought that it was "cute," to give lame responses, and they always brought the game "down."
It was a silly raunch-fest. As a rule, I don't watch any game shows. The current trend of cheap summer programming, utilizing them, is getting tiresome.
I do enjoy watching old Password (and Password Plus) episodes on Amazon Prime. I've even tracked down some of the contestants, forty years later. (Google can be fun.)
ABC canceled “The Hustler,” so to hell with them.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if they’d had Craig Ferguson’s mother kibitzing from the sidelines…
(I was watching What’s My Line the other night, and was appalled at the “fat” jokes made by the purportedly sophisticated panelists and host at the expense of a plus-sized female contestant. And I’m not easily appalled.)
I watched the old version of Match Game [late 60s], mainly cause I loved the theme song "A Swingin' Safari" and the 70s version, which is being shown on Buzzr. Some of the contestants back then weren't very smart either with their answers [you'll catch me yelling at the screen "You F'n idiot!" many times]. When it was brought back as Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour it just seemed like Gene Rayburn was annoyed about the whole thing, he didn't seem to be happy and carefree like he was on the 70s version....maybe they wouldn't allow them to drink anymore?....and half the time I think if he could have gotten away with it, he would have punched "Bowzer". Who knows, he may have been having health issues, 15 years late he would be dead from CHF and dementia.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you do, don't watch Family Feud. Talk about stupid. "Name a sound your grandfather makes when he..." or "name a part of your body that your wife..." and so on. And where does it rank among syndicated shows? Right near the tippy-top after Judge Judy.
ReplyDeleteWhat I also hate is the way virtually every game show now requires - demands - that the contestants scream and yell and roll around on the floor like idiots (and in the case of Price Is Right, dress like a homeless person).
Jay Leno is doing a version of You Bet Your Life. I am not a Leno fan, so I have no idea what it's like. That said, how can you get better than Groucho ?
ReplyDeleteInviting comparisons to Groucho? talk about leading with your chin
(I'm sorry. I'll see myself out)
I was alway a Letterman guy first and foremost, and Leno really fucked Conan, but I saw Leno's stand up show right right around 1990 and I gotta say, he killed.
Well, in that contestant's defense, the ocean is also blue, at least on the map. ;-)
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind that the way WL is set up, until the final round you don't want to seem to be the best contestant. Particularly in the penultimate round, if you seem to be significantly the smartest, it's in the other two's best interest to vote you off so they don't have to face you.
ReplyDelete"maxdebryn said...
ReplyDeleteJay Leno is doing a version of You Bet Your Life. I am not a Leno fan, so I have no idea what it's like. That said, how can you get better than Groucho?"
Of course, no one can get better than Groucho. Leno's version is Godawful. I watched two episodes and I certainly will never watch a third.
You Bet Your Life has been revived before. Bill Cosby hosted one. Perhaps they should have called that one "You Bet Your Wife." (The Secret Word is "Rufie"!) Buddy Hackett hosted another revival of it. They tried reviving it for Richard Dawson in 1988 (I was briefly employed on it in the development stage. My job was playing the game, so they could try various versions to see which version of the game played better. Great job!), but it only aired once, as a "Special." The thing is, the original You Bet Your Life was a slightly different game almost every season. It existed solely for the purpose of showcasing Groucho, so there never was and never will be a reason to revive it with anyone else.
I've been watching the old game shows To †ell the Truth and Password on the Buzz channel. I love them. TTTT is a time capsule of the people, world events, and mores of the era. The celebrities on the panel are also contestants, and their sophistication and wide-ranging knowledge are stunning.
ReplyDeleteThe original Password is simple and, in my view, a perfect game show. It's competitive but very friendly, simple yet mentally challenging. Watching Betty White play back in the day it's clear she was a very smart and competitive lady. One thing that's noticeable, though, is that the contestants generally had a shockingly limited vocabulary. The simplest words that are commonplace today elicited scrunched noses and shrugged shoulders in 1965.
Lately there are ads for a new version of Password, and the show seems to be focused on presenting celebrities pretending to have tons of raucous fun by acting like jackasses. It doesn't look like fun to me. And I would bet that, like the recent re-do of The Match Game, there will be a heavy emphasis on double-entendres. Game show as hacky comedy show? No thanks.
While we are talking Game Shows, "You Bet Your Life" has grown on me. It really depends on the contestants as to how entertaining it is going to be for a certain episode. The categories do bug me - if you get "Las Vegas" and you and your partner have never been to Vegas, you are screwed.
ReplyDelete"Todd Everett" - I liked the Hustler as well. Craig Ferguson hasn't really hit anything since he quit the Late, Late Show. Joel McHale and Ferguson seem like they are having a tough time finding something that hits. I think for both of them it will have to be streaming.
I wonder how the UK game show called COUNTDOWN would fare in 'murica ? It's a bit more complicated than most US game shows. That said, there are silly celebrity versions of the show. I'm posting a link, but I have no idea how to make it a "clickable" link.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/oUMkzpdwkTg
No love/hate for "Let's Make a Deal"?
ReplyDeleteI'm with McEwan. It's a fine show and Lynch is a perfect host--and yes, a lot of her quips are spontaneous. Don't forget, she comes from an improv background and was in a lot of Christopher Guest's movies.
ReplyDeleteHave you watched more than one episode? Not every contestant is an idiot; maybe you just caught it on a bad night. And don't forget that being on TV, with the lights and cameras and everything, even without a studio audience, can be very intimidating. I'm sure a lot of us would also freeze up in that kind of situation.
@maxdebryn
ReplyDeleteI catch "8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown", which I find absolutely hysterical sometimes. I love the fact that they don't bleep the comics/contestants and it's pretty much a free for all. But yeah, soon as you introduce the main parts that constitute "Countdown", Math and coming up with the longest word possible out of random letters, I could hear TV sets all over the USA clicking to another channel...."Gertrude, turn that shit off , they're tryin' to make us think!"....so it probably would work best on a streaming service or cable channel. I'd love to see Jimmy Carr hosting some version of a game show here in America but I think he's an acquired taste.
Fran Lebowitz: "If you removed all of the homosexuals and homosexual influence from what is generally regarded as American culture, you would pretty much be left with Let's Make a Deal."
ReplyDeleteOf the reboots, I think Pyramid works the best, because, beyond a lot more innuendo than you'd get in 1982, the game is still the game, fast-paced and with a certain need for knowledge by the contestants and celebrities.
ReplyDelete@maxdebryn The new You Bet Your Life is ok, although they really try to force the contestants to say the Secret Word. One time the word was “plane” and Jay asked “So how’d you get [to L.A.]?” That’s one thing I hate about today’s game shows: everything is so contrived and nothing happens naturally. The most recent Match Game revival started off fun but they started forcing the humor too.
ReplyDeleteAs for Weakest Link, I was never a big fan because the best contestants always get voted off by the idiots. I don’t wanna see people struggle to answer simple questions. Unfortunately in this viral video era I’m sure the producers love getting YouTube moments out of simple bloopers so the dummies are here to stay.
I’ve grown to enjoy To Tell the Truth, but I have yet to understand why Mama Doris is there, outside of the fact that she’s Anthony Anderson’s mother. IMO, she adds nothing to the show.
I'm going to guess the occasional Weakest Link contestant that's less that stellar in the smarts department is NBC's doing. The executive producer of the show is a traditionalist who previously produced ABC's $100,000 Pyramid. That show is exactly the same as the '70s and '80s version (excluding the prize amounts and Michael Strahan taking Dick Clark's place); it's probably the most challenging game show on the air excepting Jeopardy!
ReplyDelete