Episode 23.5 - Sweeps Clean-Up
February 8

Gordon: This is Gordon Pepper, and today, Chico and I are brandishing the shiniest in vacuum technology. (Wheels in Vacuums)
Chico: You think GSN sucks now? Wait till you get a load of this! *turns on vacuum*
Gordon: Yeah, baby!
Chico: Check out the suction power!
Gordon: Can it do liposuction?
Chico: That patent's pending.
Gordon: Well, this show is pending, so let's start it. From somewhere in GSN's schedule editing department, this week's version of We Love To Interrupt...Is...ON!
Chico: Woo! We got a lot of stuff to go over and not a lot of time, so we're gonna start with this. It's February sweeps time again! And as you know, that means a lot of stuff is going to come across the pike. Some of it good, some of it not so good, but all of it designed to get YOUR attention. For example, this Friday was a very special TPIR: The Super Bowl edition.
Gordon: It was a 'NFL' edition of the show, complete with CBS broadcasters and teams and logo displayed prizes.
Chico: And two, count'em two, special Showcases. While the Hoosier Faithful and Who Dat Nation faced off against each other on Sunday, we have Alfred Konuwd and Samuel Merdal will play against each other for them. First up... Eric Dickerson has trips to Beverly Hills, Hawaii, and the International Series game in London. Do you have a bid for me, Gordon?
Gordon: $69,000.
Chico: You would.
Gordon: Seriously though, I would pass it to you.
Chico: Really? Why?
Gordon: This is a NFL Show.
Chico: Right.
Gordon: It's sponsored by CBS
Chico: Right.
Gordon: CBS is hosting the Super Bowl
Chico: And doing a bang up job of it.
Gordon: I don't see 2 tickets to the Super Bowl in that package.
Chico: Right.
Gordon: You KNOW there will be 2 tickets in the Super Bowl somewhere.
Chico: Yes there will.
Gordon: So I'd be passing it, hoping for a Super Bowl package and a man cave.
Chico: Me too. Samuel, the top winner... keeps it and bids $17,600.
Chico: Showcase #2... the Phil Simms/Jim Nantz package. You used to work at CBS Sports. You ever meet them?
Gordon: I have. Met them both. Both of them are cool guys.
Chico: Nice. They have your tickets to Miami... they have your tickets to the game.... and they have a 2010 GMC Terrain. So there's your Soup XLIV package.
Gordon: Thaaats what I'm talking about.
Chico: Rubbing your hands together in evil glee, I see.
Gordon: (rubbing hands)
Chico: Bid, please.
Gordon: $36,969
Chico: Okay. That's the Showcase Alfred ends up with. He bids $27,557. Actual price... $38,041. So you'd be closer, by about... a lot. You'd be off by about $1000. Alfred off by $10,000 and change. Actual price of Eric Dickerson's Showcase... $21,625. So you with a bid of $69,000... yeah, you're over.
Gordon: Aw.
Chico: Samuel, on the other hand, is under by $4000, so he takes the game.
Gordon: Good job by Samuel. Unfortunately, as for the rest of the show. How do the civilians usually do on 'specialty' shows?
Chico: Shoddily. For the record, the only winner on Friday was Roxanne Garza, who wins about $7500 worth of entertainment center playing Shopping Spree. But wait! there's MORE!
Gordon: I like more.
Chico: Say the Super Bowl isn't your bag.
Gordon: Since I would have been more entertained seeing the killer tomatoes come into Florida and make tomato sauce out of both the Saints and the Colts, I'm not.
Chico: Ok then. We have basketball on Monday. Let's play six degrees of Kevin Bacon. TPIR is on CBS. What other game show is on CBS?
Gordon: Survivor!
Chico: ... What OTHER game show is on CBS?
Gordon: Let's Make a Deal!
Chico: ... Primetime?
Gordon: You didn't say primetime :)P
Chico: Yer killin' me, smalls.
Gordon: The Amazing Race!
Chico: Good, good. Now who was in the Amazing Race last season?
Gordon: Meghan and Cheyne!
Chico: Who else?
Gordon: Erica and Brian!
Chico: Who else?
Gordon: Sam and Dan!
Chico: Think tall...
Gordon: Gary and Matt! They are tall.
Chico: You're killin' me, smalls.
Gordon: Would you, per se, be looking for Flight Time and Big Easy, who also show up on TPIR?
Chico: There you go. They help give away a basketball court in Pushover, AND a VIP package to see the Trotters in LA. You wouldn't think that it all added up to $13,168... Heather Freebury did, so she's going to see them. Think you're up to one last Showcase?
Gordon: Bring it on
Chico: Okay, call it your very own Amazing Race to Tokyo, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. Price me.
Gordon: $26,969
Chico: The actual retail price: $27,776. So... Good. You're paying attention.
Gordon: :D
Chico: While we're on sweeps and world-class athletes...Did you see WWE Week on DOND?
Gordon: As a matter of fact, I did.
Chico: As did I. We had Divas as models. Always nice... And a guest Banker...Dolph Ziggler. Popular heel. And makes sense, really, seeing as the show airs on MyNetwork TV, which is the home of Smackdown.
Gordon: Sure does. And hey, it's February! Sweeps time!
Chico: See? It works! And you want to talk about Smackdowns... I believe Dolph was 0 for 3 entering Thursday's showdown.
Gordon: Dolph was 0-3, but he got some wins on Thursday and Friday.
Chico: Ah. So Thursday's show had Stephanie Swift playing against the house. I've got a board if you want to see it.

$10, $100, $400, $50,000
OFFER: $8,000

Chico: At this point, there's no real safety net... Knock out $50,000, that's it.
Gordon: I'd bail out at that point, no safety net.
Chico: So would I. It would be the smart thing to do. You know. You're not leaving with the big money, but you're leaving with something.
Chico: Stephanie... decides to play on. Gordon... What was the next value opened?
Gordon: $50,000
Chico: It usually happens that way.
Gordon: Sure does.
Chico: It's the "One More Time!" rule. Famous last words. The offer drops to $150. And that's what Stephanie leaves with.
Gordon: Waa Waaaaa. What about Friday?
Chico: Friday we meet Michael Levine, who wants to get out of his parent's basement. Sounds familiar. Michael knocks out the big one... penny... and gets a big offer. The board...

100 / 7500 / 10K / 250K.
Offer: $26,000

Gordon: It's a low offer, but if I open up the big case, I lose at least $16,000.
Chico: IF you're lucky.
Gordon: For the same reasons that I mentioned in the other scenario, I bail out here, too.
Chico: Good. Michael doesn't. Want to take a guess at what happens next?
Gordon: $250,000 shows up and DDT's Michael?
Chico: Yep. "I might end up regretting that." His words.
Gordon: And he does.
Chico: And then Dolph... loses it again, in a good way. Next offer is $6000. And it just keeps getting better. $10,000 goes away leaving an offer of $3000. So $3000 or your case. Michael takes the deal. In his case... $7500. So Dolph as the banker goes 2 for 5.
Gordon: Not a bad record. However, if you're Robert Wuhl, you're record on Millionaire this week: not good.
Chico: No, sir.
Gordon: Big bored, please?

Gordon: The Subject: If Robert is my Expert, Wuhl is me. We start with this, for $50,000:

Who is Shigeru Miyamoto?

Chico: OH! I KNOW THIS ONE!

A: Video game designer
B: Prime Minister of Japan
C: Hip-hop producer
D: CEO of Toyota

Chico: Sorry.. Got a little excited there.
Gordon: Who is he, Chico?
Chico: Shigeru Miyamoto created the game Donkey Kong and its protagonist Jumpman, who would later become the icon of his very company, Mario. The answer is A.
Gordon: That is correct. you win a 1-Up Mushroom.
Chico: Yay. I'm wearing the shirt right now.
Gordon: If you're a gamer, you're screaming at your TV right now. Robert, a self-proclaimed 'Pop Culture Expert'...doesn't know it. 0-1. Next one:

"Laodicean," the winning word in the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee, is an adjective meaning what?
A: Cluttered
B: Indifferent
C: Young
D: Deceptive

Chico: A?
Gordon: I knew this, It's B.
Chico: Oh. See, I would've gone to the air on this one.
Gordon: Robert...didn't know it. 0-2. Next one:

Star Athletes: [$15,000] A national hero in the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao earned international fame as a competitor in what sport?
A: Boxing
B: Tennis
C: Golf
D: Soccer

Chico: See, I know this one.. A
Gordon: I do too. So does Robert and he FINALLY gets one right. 1-2.
Gordon: Have some Fast Food, Chico:

[$10,000] (Fast Food) The phrase "Quality Is Our Recipe" is part of the logo of what fast-food chain?
A: McDonald's
B: Wendy's
C: Burger King
D: KFC

Chico: B. And she doesn't exist, at least as depicted in the logo.
Gordon: It is B, and it's an easy one. Robert (who again, claims to be a pop culture expert), says...D. And what's worse is that contestant goes with him. 1-3 and -$5,000. Next one:

[$12,500] (James Bond) What James Bond film gets its title from Bond's family motto, "Orbis non sufficit"?
A: Quantum of Solace
B: You Only Live Twice
C: The World Is Not Enough
D: Tomorrow Never Dies

Chico: Easy. C. I have a friend who's a Bond expert. She's an ex-pat in Britain right now.
Gordon: Robert also says C. Both of you are right. Record: 2-3 and -$5,000

[$15,000] (Musical Instruments)
Because of how it's played, which of these unusual musical instruments is also known as a "wind piano"?
A: Melodica
B: Sackbut
C: Ocarina
D: Xaphoon

Chico: A. I wanted to say C, but it's A.
Gordon: It's A.The Melodica is a variation of a Harmonica. Robert says D. Record: 2-4 and -$5,000.
Chico: So we basically have yet another pop culture expert who would know (body part) from (natural feature)
Gordon: Yep. Next:

[$12,500] (Hard to Say) Barack Obama's White House counsel is a lawyer with what tongue twister-esque name?
A: Daniel Daniels
B: Brian Ryan
C: Greg Craig
D: Bart Barth

Chico: That's C.
Gordon: it is. Robert...doesn't know it. Record: 2-5 and -$5,000.

[$10,000] (Wars) In France, what war is known as "La Grande Guerre"?
A: War of 1812
B: World War I
C: Hundred Years War
D: Vietnam War

Chico: B
Gordon: The Great War, and yes. Robert does get it right, but...do you really want an expert with a record of 3-5?
Chico: ... no.
Gordon: I don't either.
Chico: I'm waiting for Sam Murray to be an expert. The reigning Million Dollar* Tournament of 10 champ.
Gordon: The rate they have been going, I'm waiting for Paris Hilton to be an expert.
Chico: That's not...err, That's hot.
Gordon: What about Jeopardy College kids? They can be better college experts.
Chico: Especially the ones we saw this week.
Gordon: Absolutely, We have some VERY strong candidates for this year's tournament.
Chico: The point of week 1 is to get to week 2. So if you have a pretty good feeling that you're NOT going to win a match, go for wild card. A nice safe score of $12,000 MAY give you the upper hand. But if someone goes all out, throw the rules to the wind.
Gordon: How much is safe, is the question.
Chico: Don't try and force a win if you know that you can't.
Gordon: Right, though again, it's based on how much you feel is safe.
Chico: And of course how much you have.
Gordon: Right. And I know you have some FInal Jeopardy questions this week for me.
Chico: I'll give you some of the zingers. RECENT BOOKS...

IN A LECTURE CALLED "STORIA SENZA STORIA" (STORY WITHOUT HISTORY), AN ITALIAN CARDINAL REBUTTED CLAIMS IN THIS 2003 NOVEL

Gordon: That's an easy one. What is The DaVinci Code?
Chico: Good. You're one for one. Now try this... 20th CENTURY PEOPLE.

THE JULY 1, 1946 COVER OF TIME MAGAZINE DEPICTED HIM WITH THE CAPTION, "ALL MATTER IS SPEED AND FLAME"

Gordon: Another easy one. Who is Albert Einstein?
Chico: Good! Now for the zinger. This was Monday's show, only one got it right. The category: MEDICINE.

THE GENES OF THIS ORGANISM WERE DISCOVERED TO BE 2 PARTS PIG, 1 PART HUMAN & 1 PART BIRD

Chico: And before you respond, the response is not "What is Jason Block?"
Gordon: ...oh (scribbles out answer)
Chico: or "What is Alex Davis?"
Gordon: stop taking my answers (scribbles out answer)
Chico: Hehehe. They're brothers, folks. We love'em.
Gordon: We do. Got it. What is Pamela Anderson's breasts?
Chico: Judges? (DING!) Not even close! The correct response: what is H1N1?
Gordon: AKA the Swine Flu
Chico: Correct. So now that we had a little fun with that, we're going to pick against the spread here. What's our record, care to venture a guess?
Gordon: That's some good play this week. What about some good singing?
Chico: I wanna say we're 3 for the freaking world. No, we did get the power pick that one time, but we're going to do this really quick. Let's get the board here.

Chico: The Subject: Pick your ponies.
Gordon: I'm going to say Lindsay, Suriya and Nick, with Lindsay to win.
Chico: I'm going with James, Surya, and Lindsay, Lindsay to win. See? Easy. So we move from good play to good singing. We wrap up the auditions in Denver, then show you the best of the worst. Any standouts for you?
Gordon: It's some very good talent. I think we saw some very good singers, and I think some of them make it to the Top 24, but I think the meat and potatoes will show up through Hollywood Week.
Chico: Which, by the way, starts THIS week.
Gordon: I think if Aaron gets through, he can be dangerous to go very very far.
Chico: Agreed.
Gordon: Who do you have?
Chico: Well, there's was one dude.. Big guy.. Thaddeus Johnson... He could be a dark horse in the Hollywood round... or you know... he could fade out in day 1.
Gordon: I think he's a fade out.
Chico: True. I don't think we see the winner until this week. That's usually how it happens. Thats' when we saw Kris Allen last year. Usually is. If you like to hear guys singing women's songs, sometimes Idol is the place to go. Now if you want to see them dress up in women's clothing, then you bneed to go see RuPaul and his Drag Race.
Chico: The hit show came back for season 2 on Logo last week. And am I the only one who found it weird that RuPaul was monitoring the photo shoot dressed like a dude?
Gordon: That's like his 'Business' attire , I guess.
Chico: Not that it's weird or anything, but when we see him, he's usually all dolled up. But back to the show. It's one of the shows that does exactly what it says on the box. It's America's Next Top Model... for drag queens.
Gordon: And if you're into the modeling aspect and don't mind a little extreme (like modeling in a wind storm), then you'll like the show, even if it is for men who like to be women.
Chico: And it's a good story. I mean, it's multifaceted. That's one of the benchmarks. You make a show like this, there has to be a coherent story behind it. And that's one of the reasons why it got a season 2. It's a believable show that plays to its target.
Gordon: Sure does. The host is a good fit with the show, which is a good fit on Logo. The production values are also up and it's a tighter show.
Chico: This is just one of those rare shows that will work on every level. And that's always a GOOD thing.
Gordon: It is. And now, for the Game Show News Net Fashion show. Fluffy the hamster is sharpening up his fur to dress like a porcupine, Drew the bookworm is pasting on wings to be a butterfly, and Eve the cat is painting a white stripe down her back to be a skunk,
Chico: And I'm putting on glasses, a brown-haired wig, and a Yankees jersey. Three guess who I'M trying to be :-)
Gordon: And on THAT note. Roll that Breutiful Brain Footage.

(Doug: Live, local, and latebreaking... From the four corners of the globe to your frontal lobe, this is WLTI Brainvision News, and now here's Gordon Pepper, Chico Alexander, and the award-winning Brainvision News Team)

Chico: Thanks, Doug. Gordon, you want to start us up?
Gordon: I will (grabs date book)

3 high profile shows coming up. Survivor is Thursday, The Amazing Race is on Sunday, and High Stakes Poker is ALSO on Sunday. A little lower key is the premiere of Celebrity Fit Club on Monday, right after the season finale of Bank of Hollywood.

Chico: But I'm going to be tuning into HSP with keen interest.
Gordon: Fit Club is now on E!?
Chico: On a different channel. Fit Club on VH1, Bank on E. But you watch one,you can click over to the other. Or if you're like me, you can watch one before work, then come back and catch the other the next morning. Heh. :-)
Gordon: Very true. What will be clicking on in the soon to be future?
Chico: I'm so glad you asked.

GSN has a new show coming out... Instant Recall comes at you March 4. Hosting... a man that needs no introduction, Wink Martindale.

Chico: Can I be honest for a moment? Can I be REALLY honest?
Gordon: Let's be honest.
Chico: I honestly don't think it's going to work, even WITH Wink at the helm.
Gordon: Didn't we just debut a hidden camera show?
Chico: Yep.
Gordon: How is that doing?
Chico: It bombed so hard, that all of the reruns throughout the week... GONE. It makes the Three Rivers Stadium implosion look like a sneeze.
Gordon: I bet you can't wait until the regular episodes are gone, can't you?
Chico: I'm wondering why I'm recapping the ones I'm watching! :-)
Gordon: We went over this before. You like pain.
Chico: Right. I also like baseball.
Gordon: Oooh Let's play baseball. (hands Chico the bat)

Ben Silverman's back in the news. His new company, Electus, is going to bring a game called "Cuckoo's Nest" from Facebook to TV. It fuses a home-based game with a studio-based one.

Chico: Nice to see Ben Silverman working again.
Gordon: Sounds promising. With Silverman's repertoire, he's a game player. As much as the media makes fun of Silverman for crashing NBC into the ground (and they would be justified), he does know how to make and put together good game shows Now do you like baseball?
Chico: Yes. I'm a Yankees fan myself.
Gordon: Do you also like stupid people?
Chico: eh.

Are YOU Smarter than Nate 'Big Sexy' Jonatis, who needs a lesson in remedial food identification.

Gordon: Let's go back to Millionaire.

[$5,000] (Pasta) Which of these types of pasta is shaped like a hollow tube?
A: Penne
B: Fettuccini
C: Lasagna
D: Linguini

Chico: I know this, because I'm a foodie. A. I bake a mean penne.
Gordon: Nate says Linguini, and it's back to the bar for the Bartender, who leaves with $0.
Chico: No tip for you.
Gordon: But we're not done.
Chico: Of course not.

Are YOU Smarter than...Steven Harris, who goes Jessica Simpson on us.

Gordon: Besides Tuna, name a seafood that comes in a can.
Chico: Ooh! Ooh! Chicken?
Gordon: And exactly how do you prepare your sea chicken?
Chico: With mayo. On two slices of whole wheat.
Gordon: Yummy.
Chico: Yeah.. I'm totally kidding, folks.
Gordon: Chicken is NOT seafood, but Steven says that and they lose Fast Money.
Chico: That's.... just terrible.
Gordon: Ready for more Family Feud silliness?
Chico: Yes.

Are YOU Smarter than...Rachel and Jimmy Correa, who shows us that the family that flubs together stays together.

Gordon: Name a City that vacationers go to escape from the Winter.
Chico: Miami.
Gordon: That's #1 (DING!)
Gordon: Rachelle says...Hawaii.
Chico: ... I've been there.
Gordon: Altogether now...
Chico/Gordon: HAWAII IS NOT A CITY!
Gordon: Have you ever been in the city of Hawaii?
Chico: Ummm...no. No I haven't.
Gordon: Jimmy says the great city of...Florida.
Chico: Altogether now...
Chico/Gordon: FLORIDA IS NOT A CITY!
Gordon: No its not.
Chico: (unless you count Florida City, which is just south of Homestead)
Gordon: And now for some Haterade.

In this week's Edition of As The Bachelor Turns, Vienna's ex accuses her of wiping out his bank account for boob jobs, while recently booted Corrie says that there's no women left that will stick around with Jason.

Chico: YOU THINK?
Gordon: Hence why at the beginning of the season, we heard that Jason does not shell out a ring.
Chico: You think he's going to Schefft out on us?
Gordon: It's a possibility. Speaking of which, we hear from Deanna Pappas that she is going to Jason and Molly's wedding, and that she's bringing her boyfriend Stephen. What's wrong with that sentence?
Chico: Never mind that, who the hell is Stephen?
Gordon: I don't know, but Stephen doesn't sound like Jesse Csinsac, the person she selected on The Bachelorette, does it?
Chico: Nope
Gordon: Hence, I think this is pretty official



Chico: Oh yeah. You want to talk about official?
Gordon: Let's.



Gordon: Hey Augustus.
Chico: Yo

Bromance and A Double Shot of Love have a bromance, alright...on the TV unemployment line, as both shows seem to be axed.

Chico: The Year Rule.
Gordon: Yep. So all of these shows need to go to a bar and get Fully Loaded.
Chico: Huzzah!

Yesterday, if you weren't watching the Big Game, you were probably playing a special episode of 1 vs. 100 on the Xbox featuring NFL styled avatars. If you missed it... so sorry for ya.

Chico: But I have good news...

New editions of Wheel and Jeopardy! are on the way thanks to THQ.

Gordon: Very nice. For what platform?
Chico: We're looking at the Wii and the DS. Sony has already released their own versions for the PS3.
Gordon: ...no MAC? :(
Chico: It's only console, sir.
Gordon: BOOOOO
Chico: But you never know.
Gordon: We can still have media hoes playing though.
Chico: True. But first, how's about a couch?
Gordon: Sure. Let's have a couch.

G4 has ordered up a second American Ninja Warrior tournament. You want to find out how to enter, go to G4tv.com/americanninja.

Gordon: Nice. That would be a good workout for Mr. Chico.
Chico: Yes it would.
Gordon: So you want some hoes?
Chico: Yep

In this week's Media Ho Report, Mark Burnett wins the Normal Lear Achievement Award, Melissa Rycroft works at Entertainment Tonight, Ehtn Zohn shows up on The Doctors...

Chico: Again, who's the bigger ho here... Ethan or The Doctors?
Gordon: The Doctors, since they have 2 hoes on their shows this week.

Simon Cowell does his own charity song for Haiti, Danny Cahill (The Biggest Loser) gets skin removal, and Crystal Cox gets tested positive for steroids for the Olympics.

Chico: Oops.
Gordon: But none of them is your Media Ho of the week.
Chico: Welcome to sweeps, folks. Who you got?
Gordon: Let's give a warm welcome to...Bikini Boy!
Chico: Let's NOT!

http://www.realitytvworld.com/images/heads/storyleads/idol9_bikiniboy1.jpg

Chico: I just threw up a little.
Gordon: This is Ty Hemmerling, aka 'Bikini Boy' or 'Mankini Jr.', who admits to have auditioned for the show as a radio stunt for a station in Denver. Ty is now currently unemployed, so we may have wanted to have taken that audition a little more seriously
Chico: Yup.
Gordon: And those...are your hoes.
Chico: Well, if he's ever in Spain, he can drop by the Guillotine as we go global.

The show is sold to Telecinco. That makes four countries for the Italian show. The word game is currently optioned in Poland and the US. GSN... talk to Phil Gurin. Do it NOW.

Gordon: They should. But will they?
Chico: No. Because they're run by people who know not how to do such things. Am I being mean? I'd like to say "I'm telling you the truth... even if you don't want to hear it."
Gordon: You're not being mean. I agree, unfortunately. And that's Brainvision. Shut it Down.
Chico: (Shutting Down) Still to come, we have fun with things in threes. But first... what's on your box could tell you what's on your mind.
Gordon: You're reading WLTI. you give us 22 minutes, and we'll give you 22 celebrities that you'll be seeing in February and May on The Price is Right.

(Brainvision has been brought to you by RuPaul's Bowling Marathon. Yes, they can be good at Drag Racing, but what about bowling? When do we see a bowling reality show?)

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