Episode 29.16 - A Salute to Spoilers
May 7

Gordon: This is Gordon Pepper, and once again...(takes planned schedule. Puts it in Hamtaro shredder.)
Chico: This is Chico Alexander, and for the second time in three weeks, the show we had planned on doing is not the show that is going to be done. We'll explain later, PLUS we'll get into some tournament and finale action AND... a salute to the spoilers. From Somewhere in America, our very special WLTI... is... ON! We've got a lot to cover this week, so we'll start with the reason for the Hamtaro Shredder. The breaking news of last Friday, that is the very tragic passing of game show royalty Bob Stewart. Now you may or may not have heard of him, but if you've seen "To Tell the Truth", "The Price Is Right", all the way up to "Password" and "Pyramid" in its most recent forms, you have seen his work.
Gordon: You have. He's an amazing, amazing producer. He's had a multitude of game shows under his belt.
Chico: Name a popular word game from the 50s to today, and chances are Bob Stewart had a hand in it.
Gordon: His work spans from as early as the 50's to Million Dollar Password, only a few years ago - and of course, the up and coming $100,000 Pyramid for GSN. Do the math - and that's 60 years of episodes.
Chico: And that all started with a stint for Goodson-Todman in 1956, where he had a hand in a number of TV hits from the historic game show house.
Gordon: Including the original Price is Right - the one with Bill Cullen
Chico: Interesting story, he pitched a game where you rattle off items on a list to Mark Goodson... He didn't like it. So when he spun off his own company in the late 60s and early 70s, he gave it a go, and wouldn't you know it, the myriad of Pyramid shows made him millions, if not billions.
Gordon: I'd say billions, with a B
Chico: But if you ask me, I think it was all about the game, stupid.
Gordon: He also did Eye Guess, 3 on a Match, Jackpot, and Chain Reaction. While not as big as his other hits, each of these shows lasted at least 3 seasons on the air. So even his mid-rangers were nice-sized money makers.
Chico: And in the case of the latter two, multiple runs. Jackpot was on the air in some form from the 70s to 1989. And Chain Reaction lasted to the GSN version back in 2006. So yeah, his legacy has some staying power.
Gordon: Tons of it.
Chico: And interesting trivia from our good friend Randy West... his "Password" was the first show of its kind on TV, where a contestant was paired with a celebrity partner. Not bad for the prince of games who "wanted to be king".
Gordon: He was the uncrowned King. His legacy will be huge for many years to come. So for the second straight week, and with a heavy heart, can I have a moment of silence please?
Chico: Moment of silence for Bob Stewart, uncrowned King of Games, dead at 91...

(Silence)

Chico: Thank you. So as hard as it may be, we go from crowning a producer into glory to crowning a new teenage champion of Jeopardy! Now if you watched the Friday show, for only the second time in about 10 years, a tournament game ends in a tie. This would be between Evan Eschliman of Olathe, KS, and Gabriela Gonzales of Winston-Salem, NC. What had happened... well... just watch.

 
(video courtesy Chad Mosher)

Chico: Friday's Final Jeopardy! was a triple stumper, as no one can name Benedict Arnold as the Revolutionary War figure who would sell out his own country for money. I could make a comment about Congress here, but I'm going to stay classy.
Gordon: You know, over the years, we've gotten in trouble with a littany of organizations. Do you really want to add congress to it?
Chico: .... No.
Gordon: Ok then. So Mr. Jeopardy genius, what happens in a tie?
Chico: Well, rules state that there must be a WINNER in a tournament game. So we go into a tiebreaker clue.
Chico: And the winner must provide the correct response - no defaults. Because that's not how we roll. The category: Literary Characters. The clue... oh, you thought my Congress joke was bad before. I defy you to come up with worse on this..

ALTHOUGH HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY APPEAR IN "1984", HIS PRESENCE IS EVERYWHERE--ON POSTERS, COINS, & TELESCREENS.

Chico: Gordon? (tosses joker's wild hat)
Gordon: What are the Gold Soviet Union Olympic Medals in Los Angeles?
Chico: And now...(tosses the man hat)
Gordon: That would be a show we'll be talking a lot about later - What is Big Brother?
Chico: Correct. And Evan is the first to ring in with the correct question. So we have our field of nine, which brings one question.

Chico: .... Who wins if...
Gordon: (PART 1)

MONDAY: Catherine Briley vs. Ben Greenho vs. Eliza Scruton.

Chico: Ben and Eliza won some lopsided contests, while Catherine is a wild card.
Gordon: I like Ben's chances here
Chico: I also like Ben's chances, but I wouldn't count out Eliza. She was the most consistent of the field.
Gordon: Agreed.

TUESDAY: The aforementioned Evan vs. Elyse Mancuso vs. Anshika Niraj

Chico: I think Evan gets in and he doesn't need a tiebreaker to settle this one.
Gordon: I wouldn't count out any of them. Kids are more limited in terms of knowledge than adults, so the chances of them running into categories that will stump them are greater than adults. I'm going to go with Anshika for the Upset special.

WEDNESDAY: Krishna Bharathala vs. Rose Schaefer vs. Kevin Yang.

Chico: I think your upset will come from this field in the person of Rose.
Gordon: They are all good. I'll say Kevin.

Okay, now who wins the whole thing?

Chico: I like Ben's chances.
Gordon: I'll...agree. Now we're usually pretty good on selections. Not so on Jeopardy, so we'll congratulate Elyse for winning the whole thing,.
Chico: Speaking of being "pretty good on selections"...



Chico: Just when you think you have it all figured out...
Gordon: Well, we almost did. 3 out of 4 is not too shabby. And the only potential upset special did happen... The only person who lost got knocked out by someone we called as a favorite to begin with... That would be Juliet Simms.
Chico: That WOULD be Juliet Simms. Now the final is that much more interesting.
Gordon: Well...no.
Chico: Do tell.
Gordon: I still have Jermaine winning in a rout,
Chico: If it comes down to two, it'll be Jermaine over Juliet.
Gordon: I agree.
Chico: That was the easiest Who Wins If... we've ever done. So Tony Lucca and Chris Mann... no chance at all?
Gordon: Zero. What chance do you give them?
Chico: ZERO.
Gordon: Well there you go. That would be the same as Kat's chances on Survivor.



Chico: NOW.... getting on my soapbox here. In the history of Survivor, there have been many moronic moves, and as Sun Tzu once wisely stated, the battle is won or lost before the first shot is ever fired. In this case, the battle was lost when Kat decided to choose people who, honestly speaking, didn't like her, to go on a reward adventure with her.
Gordon: Actually, not even in this case. In this case, the battle was lost when the Martians came down and attacked the collective intelligence of the females.
Chico: Oh yeah, forgot about the Martians.
Gordon: Can't forget about the Martians. They are wily beings.
Chico: I see that.
Gordon: Let me make this quote clear to the women. There is NO WAY ANY of you will win should Tarzan make the final 3.
Chico: Call it the Chris Daugherty rule. A group of women will tear each other's faces off. A group of men will vote one of their own to win.
Gordon: Yepperz. Women are catty beeyatches. They will NOT vote for you if they have another option, and a lovable stupid oaf would be said option.
Chico: And the best thing about it... Kat didn't even see it coming.
Gordon: Well there is no best thing about it. Kat wasn't a serious threat to win.
Chico: She never was.
Gordon: You can bring HER to the final 3. I would. She won't win. Tarzan is a threat.
Chico: Yes he is. Both physical and mental. Now who is a threat to cross the finish line first?



Chico: We're down to four. Rachel & Dave, the army couple. Brendon & Rachel, the whining BB couple.... Vanessa & Ralph, the open divorce, and Art & JJ the US Border Patrol. Now here's the thing, this was largely a race dominated by two teams: Art & JJ and Rachel & Dave. So much so that they even entered into an alliance of sorts right before it just sorta... fell apart?
Gordon: Possibly, But now it's every team for themselves
Chico: Yep. And with that, it's time for part 2.

Gordon: The Subject: WHO WINS IF....PART 2. I happen to think Art and JJ are the favorites, BUT, if they blow it....
Chico: Dave & Other Rachel can come in and win it. Now if you ask me, those are the only two with any shot at it. Vanessa & Ralph are playing hurt, and at least one task in the final leg will involve recall. Brendon & Rachel were too busy... crying.
Gordon: Believe it or not, if Art and J.J. were out, I WOULD give Brendon and Rachel the shot to win.
Chico: How?
Gordon: They do whine and moan, but they have the uncanny ability to get their act together when it needs to be gotten.
Chico: But have they been paying attention? And more than that, can they translate that into a win in the clutch?
Gordon: I think they can - and I think again if its not against Art and JJ, they can back into it.
Chico: So basically, it's Art & JJ's to lose.
Gordon: I think so
Chico: But they'll have to come back from fourth to do it.
Gordon: The plane rides back from one continent to another is always the great equalizer.
Chico: Yep
Gordon: So they don't have to worry about that. If they survive hour #1, they win. if not, I'll give it to Rachel and Dave, but I wouldn't be shocked with a Brendon and Rachel super upset.
Chico: Another thing they don't have to worry about... moving to cable. In what could be a portent of things to come, the Daytime Emmys could be moving to, of all places, HLN. After being on broadcast for so many years. Many people are citing lack of soaps for the move. I call BS. Last I checked, the Daytime Emmys were about more than just my stories. There were about the court shows, the lifestyle shows, the game show... and no amount of respect is being paid to any of that.
Gordon: I agree. The problem is of course, lack of game shows. Kidding. The big issue is of course, the lack of ratings across the board.
Chico: Yep. Much like TV as a whole, ratings across the board have sunk. No one seems to notice that for some reason. Probably because how newsworthy is that? Often the simplest explanation is not exactly the most elegant.
Gordon: Most people don't like the facts getting in the way of a good argument.
Chico: Ironically Nancy Grace happens to be one of those people, as her network may be hosting the show. The nominees have also been postponed, which lends some credence to the whole finding a TV home for the spectacle.
Gordon: Sure. You certainly don't want this to go the way of the 2008 Golden Globes.
Chico: That sucked, the 2008 Golden Globes.
Gordon: Ok so you're the Emmy Chairman.
Chico: I AM THE CHAIRMAN.
Gordon: This is obviously not what you want for 2012. How do you fix this?
Chico: I get on the horn to every big name network head I can find and try and pull favors. Because we can't afford to lose this. It's too big for us. It's our Super Bowl. GSN tried at this and failed. This is all we have left.
Gordon: What will the Emmys do if they found a bunch of tuxedo-clad hamsters, 2 pigs and a cow attending their event?
Chico: Call Animal Control of course. Or that failing, Bob Barker. Brobot, please.
Brobot: Roll That Beautiful Brain Footage...beep beep beep

(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. First up...
Gordon: I've got a Datebook.
Chico: Okey doke

May 9 is Around the world in 80 plates. Sunday gives up the Cupcake Champions and the debut of Season 8 of Food Network Star. And on Tuesday, someone will be named... the Voice.

Chico: It's a great week.
Gordon: And the day before that...Howard.
Chico: Yeah man.
Gordon: And in honor of all food Sunday... (gives Chico a bat made of cupcake)
Chico: A cupcake bat! You shouldn't have! This greenlight comes with a red couch.
Gordon: Oooh

BET's Centric network is ready for showtime at the Apollo once again. It's called "Apollo Live", and it's a new talent competition to be held at the world famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem.

Gordon: Its' about time they do something for the Apollo.
Chico: You've been to the Apollo once or twice, I think
Gordon: I have.
Chico: Great place. Contestants who want to audition should head to BET.com/Apollo for more information. Meanwhile, Fox is up to its old tricks. Stop me if you've heard this one before. Four celebrities in spinning chairs.
Gordon: Blake says...STOP
Chico: But it's "not what you think".

It's actually a dating series called "The Choice" It's going to premiere after Take Me Out on Fox. Guess who created it.

Gordon: Is he named Mike and Darnell the groundhogs?
Chico: Could be. Four celebrity men will choose one lady to go out on a date by pulling their "love handle". Funny, I pull my love handle in public and I get popped by the fuzz for it.
Gordon: I thought women in North Carolina got excited over that.
Chico: .... 396 shows and we're reduced to organ jokes. Bottom line - this is going to suck and suck hard.
Gordon: I remember a show called Singled Out. Do you remember it?
Chico: I LOVED Singled Out.
Gordon: It was cute and had personality. I fear this show will have none of that.
Chico: You know, Fox, if you wanted to do Singled Out, you should've just done Singled Out. Remember this is the network that gave us Married by America.
Gordon: Well they didn't give us the stupid move this week.
Chico: (lowers smart board)

Are YOU Smarter than...Kris Allen, who decided to throw a concert, only to see it get shut down because they didn't have a license to perform the show.

Chico: This was his Santa Monica Pier show. He just wanted to get his music out there. But dude, you need channels.
Gordon: Just a quick call - or a new agency
Chico: Or something.
Gordon: And now for the Haterade, Big Brother Style. Now Stop me if you heard THIS one. 14 people in a house, their lives broadcast over the internet
Chico: STOP.
Gordon: Stop at...a Glass House
Chico: Which was produced by a lot of people that did Big Brother for Endemol - but not Endemol.
Chico: Right.

CBS has a problem to the point that they threaten lawsuit.

Chico: And for good reason. The issue here is "trade secrets". And if CBS can prove that some of those secrets were used for Glass House, they have more than just a good case.
Gordon: Now this is obviously a ripoff of Big Brother and I think CBS has merit here.
Chico: At this rate, they're looking at season 2 of 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show.
Gordon: I think ABC may need to find a different summer show to get loaded on.

Welcome to "How To Make a Viral Video" with Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. He leads a mass singing of "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island." For seriousness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQiuVaPsCfU

Gordon: But you know what? It's pretty good
Chico: Happened last week at Bluefield, WV, they were singing for a Guinness record.
Gordon: And they got it
Chico: YAY!



Gordon: Now Landau can get a bunch of new media hoes.
Chico: (plays "Paul Revere" by the Beastie Boys)
Gordon: Well played sir.
Chico: Thank you.
Chico: MCA's not dead, he's just sleeping 'til Brooklyn. :-)

In this week's Media Ho report, Wink Martindale fights for his rights to party in the Hall of Fame, Cat Deeley is hosting The Choice, Naomi Campbell hosts The Face...Jessica Simpson has a new baby, Alex Trebek hints at retirement, John Legend replaces Lionel Richie on Duets...

Chico: Who woke up a country star. Can you beat that?

Sharon Needles wins RuPauls Drag Race, JR Martinez has a baby and the 14 Love in the Wild Contestants are revealed.

Gordon: But none of them are the hoes of the week.
Chico: Who you got?
Gordon: Well its an it. The IT...is Guy Fieri's Stolen Lamborghini, which has now been found, The 17 year old minor who may have taken it is under arrest
Chico: And the car itself?
Gordon: Found and safe in a storage unit and now lovingly returned to its rightful owner.
Chico: Yay.
Gordon: And those...are your hoes
Chico: Now that we have our Lambo back, let's drive it somewhere. We're driving it to the UK.

The Bank Job was met with less than stellar acclaim, but it could be eying a daytime slot with a format change.

Chico: Meanwhile, a show that fares considerably better is getting the console treatment with the Cube on PS3.
Gordon: The Boob?
Chico: Yeah, but enough about the body in the Cube.
Gordon: And on that note, Brainvision is over. Shut it Down
Chico: Got it. *fobs* When we come back, our tribute to Bob Stewart continues with two of his greatest games... WLTI style.
Gordon: You're reading WLTi. you give us 22 minutes and we'll give you 22 things associated with game shows.
Chico: Buzzers! Lights! Hosts! Models! Cash! Cash! Cash!

(BrainVision has been brought to you by Bring That Chicken Home... GAME! Cash! Prizes! Poultry! Astronauts on treadmills! It's big in Japan.)

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