Episode 19.15
December 31

Chico: 2008... It was a year that was centered around one word... CHANGE. No one was smarter than a 5th grader... THAT changed...Password was a chore to redo... THAT changed...Deal or No Deal was a hard game to successfully complete. THAT changed...
Gordon: Sort of. **********
Chico: Sort of.
Gordon: Most people are looking for change after the recession. Got a dime, brother?
Chico: Sorry, I'm a penny short.
Lee: And those quick change artists were on America's Got Talent!
Chico: THAT... was two years ago.
Lee: TPfft! They guest appeared this year.
Gordon: He got you there, Chico.
Chico: Hmph.
Lee: Nyah.
Chico: Anyhoo, A set of big balls, a guy named Rome, and an army of suits changed the way we think about the game show in Japan... A clock changed the way we play Millionaire... High-definition cameras changed the way we looked at our favorite shows... $1 million changed the Wheel...
Gordon: ..While we changed producers on The Price is Right
Chico: And the truth... well, the truth changed everything, now didn't it?
Gordon: It always does.
Chico: But one thing didn't change... If it made game show news... we were all over it. And now... we're going to go all over it AGAIN, JUST in case you missed anything.
Lee: Like The Entertainer on any new woman on a reality show?
Chico: Right. I'm Chico Alexander... He's my brother Gordon Pepper...
Gordon: Hey, bro.
Chico: And from somewhere in America... 2008 ... is... ON!
Gordon: Yay! We'll be having many of our guests pop in and out this episode. We are joined now by Lee DiGeorge. Hey Lee.
Lee: Hello, my peoples!
Gordon: We start with the start of the year. That would be January, and we start...with this flashback...

(After Push or Flush 6)
Chico: Okay. Gordon... Kill the toilet.
Gordon: I can't yet. We may need it next week :P

Gordon: In my opinion, this is the biggest story of 2008 - something we're STILL feeling the effects of - the Writer's Strike of 2008.
Chico: Eventually... we DID kill the toilet, but not without going through a strike-fueled epidemic of cheap=-as-all-get-out-to-produce reality product...American Gladiators...Secret Talents of the Stars...Big Brother 10...An overabundance of Deal or No Deal and 5th Grader...I could go on and on, really I could.
Gordon: You sure could. Over 170 game and or reality competition shows debuted this year, far and away a record for amount of programming devoted to the genre.
Lee: The writers strike cause (or fueled) America's choices of shows to watch to change. Soon, everyone was watching reality TV.
Chico: Not all of it was good.
Gordon: Celebrity Apprentice, 1 Vs. 100, How Much is Enough, Rock of Love...
Lee: Rock of Love was amazing.
Chico: So you were the one.
Lee: I will be the first to admit that.
Chico: And that's just the titles. Translating into runs, we're talking over 10,000 hours of programming.
Lee: Wow. That's a lot.
Chico: Give or take a few hundred for reruns. But you get the gist.
Gordon: Also showing up in January, one of my favorite shows this year...The Moment of Truth.
Lee: There's sarcasm there... right?
Gordon: No. I did like the show.
Chico: Because you're a fan of the "gotcha!" form of entertainment.
Gordon: I thought it was a great show. I think it got stale because the writers harped on the same thing, and I wanted to look at America's other issues instead of just harping on lust and adultery, but I though it was intriguing to see America take a look at itself.
Chico: And of course it wasn't without its share of controversy.
Lee: It was impossible to watch live due to the horrendous nature of the pacing of the show.
Chico: Also, it seemed like they just taped segment after segment and piecemealed the show together in post, often resulting in some shoddy editing. For example, a show would start in "FilmLook", but end in full-on tape. That always bugged me.
Gordon: Someone who may have wanted to have been on The Moment of Truth instead of Deal or No Deal - Heather Mckee, the first, and so far only contestant...to win the penny.
Chico: She got a pig in a poke.
Lee: I wanna watch European Vacation now :-)
Gordon: On the other side of the spectrum, Jason Luna becomes the first million dollar winner of the year as he takes the money in a Men Vs,. Women edition of 1 Vs. 100.
Lee: Yet 1vs100 changes their whole show layout.
Chico: And he did it all legitimately... by knocking out 100 of his closest mates.
Gordon: And they are changed from On the Air to Off the Air in a matter of months.
Chico: Do you attribute that to the changes?
Gordon: I do.
Lee: Me too. I'm unsure those changes were for the better. 1 vs. 100 was a fantastic idea, but trite after a short while. The questions were always a bit lame.
Chico: A lot of countries co-opted the money-ladder idea, though. The questions... needed work.
Gordon: We also had this small show debut it's 7th season in January called American Idol.
Chico: Yeah, whoever heard of that...
Lee: Ooh. Idol.
Chico: Hot on the heels of Jordin Sparks' rise to fame, the good folks at 19 went in search of the next big thing. They found... well, a guy who was my brother... my best friend forever....
Lee: We're brothers 'till the end of time. Together or not, you're always in my heart.
Gordon: Bleeeaaaaagggggggh
Chico: Gordon only has sisters. =p
Gordon: Ok, Hurl shows up later this year, but I needed to introduce it now
Chico: Heh. What we also found were three guys named David. One was from Utah., One was from Kansas City, and One liked to take off his clothes. One of these Davids would drop his pants, drop off the face of the earth and would never be seen or heard from again. The other two... Big stars. Probably the biggest rivalry since a skinny white dude from North Carolina and big fat guy from Alabama went at it in 2003.
Gordon: 2 of the Davids we'll see a lot more in May. One of them we got to see a lot more of because he wound up being a stripper in a gay night club. He was stripped out of the Top 12 very early.
Chico: Boom. So unless you were a stripper in a gay night club, it was a good year to be a David... or a Dave.
Gordon: And right now on Maury...Boy Britney!
Lee: Really?
Gordon: Really. Flip it.
Chico: Maury don't air here until 11. So I can sleep through it at least. Tee hee.
Lee: My wife and I went to La Cage in Vegas last year and we saw Boy Brit live before her AGT stint.
Chico: Heheh... Gross.
Lee: It was actually a fun show.
Chico: I bet it was.
Gordon: We'll get to her in a few months. Now we go to February, where we start the month of groundhogs - with a skunk.
Chico: Interesting you mention skunks... Did you know that the summer hit of 2007 went to air in January and February 2008... and then got yanked?
Gordon: That would Be Power of 10?
Chico: That WOULD be Power of 10.
Lee: What percentage of people watch the first run, and didn't watch the 2nd?
Gordon: 69%
Lee: Go ahead and lock that percentage in.
Chico: (fidgets with dials aimlessly) You walked him right into it. Thanks, Lee.
Lee: I try :)
Chico: Second season... not too powerful, but people LOVED watching the PIR in the primetime.
Gordon: Just goes to show that Summer programming should STAY in the summer. Of course, in this case, you had a writer's strike - which ALSO ended in February before they could do massive damage to the Award shows.
Lee: Why? Because the comedians can't write their own jokes!
Chico: Apparently not.
Gordon: If you saw last comic standing, you knew that already :)
Chico: So most of what was contingency programming ended quietly. My Dad is Better Than Your Dad... gone. Amnesia... Gone.
Lee: I forgot about Amnesia
Chico: That was the idea, Lee.
Lee: It worked!
Chico: American Gladiators... apparently one of the few hits of midseason.
Gordon: Unfortunately, Crosswords was still there, and that's where we saw the infamous contestant win with -$250.
Chico: They ever get paid proper money for that, Gordon?
Gordon: No they didn't
Chico: They just.. won.
Lee: :-)
Chico: And that was it.
Gordon: You win...with no money. Yay! We also get our American Idol Top 24...and controversy when Josiah Leming comes out and bashed Idol, and promises everyone that he's going to be a big star. How exactly did that work out for him?
Chico: I'm guessing not too well.
Gordon: No. Josiah doesn't even have an album out yet.
Chico: Though he swears it's coming.
Gordon: We also get our highs and lows on Temptation this month.
Chico: You mean there were highs?
Gordon: Amazingly, yes.
Lee: I was excited that they were remaking sale.
Gordon: We have Ian win a car. We have Tyra end the game with...$2, after giving such glorious answers like Little Red Robin Hood and that the host of Deal or No Deal is Howard Cosell.
Chico: Dude, Howard Cosell's dead.
Lee: That was atrocious.
Gordon: We also inherited a pig, 2 groundhogs, a mole, and a bookworm to WLTI's staff.
Chico: Because the hamsters were on strike.
Gordon: And a casting call...for Game Show in My Head. That's right, a casting call for a show 11 months ago.
Chico: That's just airing now. On a Saturday. You do the math.
Gordon: What we saw in February was the return in Primetime of The price is Right, which awarded their first million~ to Adam Rose.
Chico: Big winner comes from February. His name is Adam Rose. He became the first person in TPIR history to win... One. Million. Dollars.
Lee: He.. deserved it.
Gordon: No...he didn't.
Lee: I.... was sarcastic.
Gordon: All he had to do was to get a Showcase within $1,000.
Chico: File that one under "Like that's hard?"
Gordon: Just as a reference point here...you guys in February were telling me how hard it was.
Chico: Yeah, but then again, hindsight's 20/20. Just do the homework (we'll get into that later, too)
Gordon: If you had the same rulw in the Daytime Version...they would have already given out over 10 million dollars.
Chico: Daytime doesn't have the big ticket prizes primetime has.
Gordon: It's NOT that hard to do. Certainly not million dollar worthy.
Lee: I think a prize is worth it. I'd say 100k in cash - it is a feat.
Chico: It is.
Gordon: 100k I could deal with, but a million? Really?
Lee: I hear ya
Chico: That's a little TOO spectacular.
Gordon: And in March, we get our SECOND Million Dollar winner.
Chico: Did he earn it too, daddy?
Gordon: ...NO
Chico: Thought so.
Gordon: Another bid within $1,000 for the win. Sigh. And then, in an exit interview, Drew said that bidding withint $1,000 may have been a bit too easy. NO, YOU THINK?
Lee: :P
Gordon: We also start Dancing With The Stars - a show that would be be won - make that steamrolled - by Kristi Yamaguchi.
Lee: She was awesome.
Chico: She deserved it.
Gordon: We get the swan song on network TV of Beauty and the Geek - but also the breakout season of Top Chef.
Chico: I believe we got a taste of Chicago that season?
Gordon: We did. And we also get the confirmation that GSN cancelled Lingo.
Chico: Boo. You know what they would go for instead of Lingo? Bingo. The America kind.
Gordon: We also get Adam Jasinsky and his retards rant. Unfortunately for America, Adam would wind up WINNING the season of Big Brother.
Chico: Just goes to show you that you don't have to be a good person to win BB. Then again... since when did a good person win... Oh, Eddie McGee.
Gordon: In a format that's different than the format we have now
Chico: See what I mean?
Lee: Damnit, Pepper.
Gordon: But we see better people that get on game shows. Joe Van Ginkel and David Whitely, both fans of GSNN, get on Crosswords.
Chico: And they both rock up the joint. But for every person who's one of the good ones, we have a person who's one of the bad ones...I submit for your attention... MARCH. And this question that rocked the pop culture world..."Do you consider yourself a good person?"
Gordon: ...no :D
Chico: We KNOW that, Gordon!
Lee: Ha!
Chico: Lauren Cleri did... and in a round of Moment of Truth... LOST.
Gordon: Waa waaaaa
Chico: The question was simple enough... Do you consider yourself a good person. Ironic coming from a person who would admit to the nation that yes, she's thought about and/or committed an extramarital.
Lee: Well...she was delusional enough.
Chico: Oh yeah. I don't expect anything less from a person who looked like THAT.
Gordon: I can trump that, Chico. Want me to trump that?
Chico: I want you to trump that, Gordon
Gordon: Remember this?

Chico: "Okay, Diane. The smoothie maker is not $71, but 7 is the first number in the price, or the 1 is the last number."
Gordon: The 7 is the last number, Drew! (Jiggles)

Chico: ... My god! I've just been trumped!
Gordon: That would be Diane Proctor-Martinez, who is the second person in the history of The Price is Right to win $0 on Plinko.
Chico: Plinko stinko.
Gordon: We also get the short lived debut of The World Poker Tour on GSN, and PlayCafe (which we hope has a long life)
Chico: Speaking of trumped, we have our first case of coincidental network stumping as Piers Morgan wins Celebrity Apprentice.
Gordon: And let's not forget...Stacy Elze and her panties to Matt Grant...who is still single after getting dumped by the daughter of Lorenzo Lamas.
Chico: Such a shame... *snicker* He's still single, and apparently Shayne likes chicken.
Gordon: We move to April, where we see the end of the strike-filler. Rock The Cradle - BUST. Duel, Season 2 - BUST.
Chico: My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad... big bust.
Lee: Why was duel such a failure? Was it the show, or the host?
Gordon: Both
Chico: I blame it more on the show. It was more complicated to figure out than the American tax structure. I thought Greenie was doing well... given what he had.
Gordon: And of course..Secret Talents of the Stars!
Chico: Ah, Secret Talents of the Stars... which lasted all of ... ONE show.
Gordon: Yay, one show!
Chico: And John O'Hurley opted out of Celeb Feud for that. Good move, John O.
Lee: Oops
Gordon: Let's add Miss Rap Supreme to the carnage
Chico: We can do that.
Gordon: But...we also have some good things.
Chico: What were the good things, Gordon?
Gordon: We have a few additions. We start with the addition of a Reality Host Emmy
Chico: Which would go to Jeff Probst.
Gordon: We also have the addition of...The Fake Idol. It was used in Survivor 16, but it will REALLY come into play in Survivor 17, when Bob becomes an expoert craftsman. And finally, we have the addition (or emergence of the depth)...from Augustus! Our game show zombie stripper.
Chico: Why a game show zombie stripper?
Gordon: Because Augustus is a Zombie, and he eats game shows that have been stripped from the schedule.
Chico: He would eat a lot.
Gordon: FYI, The inspiration came from the movie Zombie Stripper, but Augustus is clothed, because no one wants to see a naked zombie.
Chico: Heh.. Gross. Speaking of clothes, April was the first we hear of Project Runway moving to Lifetime. To which NBC Universal, parent company of Bravo said...
Gordon: I SUE YOU, BIOTCH!
Lee: lol
Chico: We're still trying to figure that one out. The show is recorded, but we don't know where it'll air. Could it air on Lifetime? Could it air on Bravo? That's one of the many questions that will be answered in the year to come.
Gordon: But right now, Project Runway has nowhere to go and nothing to wear to go with it.
Chico: Naked models.
Lee: I'm ok with that.
Gordon: I got no problems with naked models.
Chico: Me neither. We also had the first non-summer season of Hell's Kitchen. It proved to be a success. So now we're waiting on the second non-summer season of Hell's Kitchen.
Gordon: I think it will be a hit too - especially with so many other shows struggling.
Chico: Oh yeah.
Lee: Ramsey is his own entity
Chico: And he has credit to lend to that
Gordon: Sure does. Now he just has to not be seen with any more mistresses.
Chico: How about geniuses named Larissa? Let's go to May.
Gordon: Larissa is a genius - but she doesn't do what Gabriel on Duel does - which is win $500,000.
Gordon: The first - and LAST time that we see that happen on Duel.
Chico: Because he happened to win five season 2 games.
Gordon: Yes he did. And David Cook wins a recording contract.
Chico: One he's using right now to the fullest. CD's not bad. But not to be left out in the cold, David Archuleta also wins a contract...or rather, he earns one.
Gordon: Not bad at all. Parvati also wins 7 digits by winning Survivor: Micronesia.
Lee: Hey, Gordon. I'll give you my immunity idol...If you respect me.
Gordon: (Takes Idol. Throws it in the fire)
Chico: Was that real, Lee?
Lee: No :)
Gordon: Joe wins $100,000 in the Jeopardy College Tournament of Champions.
Lee: Wasn't that the ice cream boy?
Gordon: It was - and it was decided by math, making it one of the better tournaments in recent history
Chico: Good stuff.
Gordon: We also get Whitney Thompson, the first full-figured model to win America's Next Top Model
Chico: Interesting that they went back to rail thin on the next season out.
Gordon: Sure did. But not everything was happy. We had to throw out some more strike filler. The Farmer Wants a Wife and Clebracadabra, anyone?
Chico: No thanks. While we're on the subject of shows that stunk... There was one episode of TPIR...
Gordon: Do tell.
Chico: There was this guy named Joseph. Imagine you're on the Price is Right... and you're a good ol' boy.
Gordon: I'm a good 'ol boy.
Chico: And you bid $420 on everything.
Gordon: Weeee
Lee: lol
Chico: Except for one thing... which you bid $2 million on it. And you become the single-most-hated person on TPIR in a good long while.
Gordon: And probably gets a couple of million people to come down and beat the snot out of him.
Chico: What do you do to cash in on your newfound infamy?
Gordon: What do you do, Chico?
Chico: Me? Continue being a douche.
Lee: I'd make a youtube being a douche
Gordon: And what makes that day different than any other day? :)
Lee: Touche'
Chico: And all I have to show for it is a) a clip on Youtube, and 2) a tape at CBS archives marked DO NOT RERUN.
Gordon: And that's a shame, because you have millions of people who'd love the opportunity to be on The Price is Right....like Chico. (Points to Chico)
Chico: I want badly to meet Drew Carey and win all his cash money.
Lee: lol
Gordon: If you were on Contestants Row, would you bid 2 million?
Chico: Hell no.
Gordon: Would you bid $420?
Chico: No. Because I'd know better than that.
Lee: I'd bid 420 if someone bid 419 :-)
Chico: Well, that's the ONLY time. Did we have any douches in June... besides NBC for programming season 2 of American Gladiators midseason to run to summer?
Gordon: Well we had a lot of crap in June. June is known as the month where we throw out our game shows that we didn't feel were good to make the Winter schedule. Master of Dance!
Chico: Dance Machine!
Gordon: Your Place or Mine!
Lee: Oh god.
Gordon: The Mole!
Lee: I heart the mole
Gordon: So you were the one, Rock of Love boy.
Lee: Yeah, yeah, yeah...
Gordon: However...we also got...Million Dollar Password
Chico: Once in a while, you get a show that really hits it on all levels...Million Dollar Password was that show. You had real players with real people lives...Not the DOND type that's you know, making a star out of these people. You have celebs who come to play, know the game, and love the thrill of competition. And then... there's Regis. 'Nuff said. Password was THE show of 2008, if you ask me. You feel me?
Lee: i agree, and i was tentative to begin with. Regis may be the best game show host of our generation.
Chico: Oh yeah.
Gordon: He's certainly helmed enough hits, and he knows when to stay away from clunkers like Celebrity Circus, which also showed up in June.
Chico: Ew.
Lee: Not only did the show stink, the watchers of the show didn't even pick the RIGHT winner! I mean, Jeez.
Gordon: And let's talk about a show that used to be helmed by Regis AND also had the wrong winner voted on via the audience - America's Got Talent.
Chico: For AGT or LCS?
Gordon: Both.
Chico: Ah. Understandable.
Gordon: We had a season...that's completely underwhelming. Though we did have our first female LCS winner in the form of Ilsa Schlessinger. And we had Paul Potts 2.0 win AGT.
Lee: I found 1 of the LCS comics - the funniest I've ever seen on the show. Jim Tavare.
Chico: Let me guess.. that person didn't win.
Lee: ... yeah. Jim Tavare was hysterical.
Gordon: That's...dare I say this...the running gag on LCS. The funniest person DOES NOT WIN.
Chico: It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.
Lee: i know. but it wasn't the funniest moment of LCS. The finale was preempted for the TAPED results show of AGT.
Gordon: Nuttin But Stringz was the best group on AGT. you coule have even gone Eli Mattson, but it's Neal E. Boyd who wins it.
Chico: I honestly wanted Stringz to take it.
Lee: Everyone loves a crier.
Gordon: Continuing the controversy., Amir Sadollah wins UFC 7...off of a Phantom Tap from CB Dollaway.
Chico: Wait. I remember that!
Lee: Ask Bret Hart..
Chico: That was... yeah, that was messed up.
Gordon: Dollaway, ironically, is now 7-1, the only loss coming in that match, so he should be 8-0.
Chico: What's Sadollah's record?
Gordon: Amir has been on the shelf, due to a leg infection. So he's 1-0. And that's it.
Chico: Ew.
Gordon: Dolloway's last win was against Jessie Taylor, the person who Amir WOULD have fought in the finale if Taylor didn't kick out the glass in a limo. Ironically, Taylor has been released from the UFC after that match.
Chico: Was that the guy who didn't make weight?
Gordon: That's the next season. Which we'll talk about later. One more show we need to talk about in June...Do you like Big Balls?
Chico: If I may break into song...I've got big balls...I've got big balls...They're such big balls...And they're dirty big balls...And he's got big balls...And she's got big balls...But Wipeout had the biggest... BALLS OF THEM ALL!
Gordon: Wipeout debuted in June - and that turned into the big hit of the Summer.
Chico: Sure was, skip.
Lee: You mean, of course Takeshi's Ninja Warrior?
Gordon: Something like that
Chico: But the folks ate it up, so it'll be back not only next summer... but February... during the Super Bowl.
Lee: I know what I do during the halftime show.
Chico: Pee break?
Lee: That's gorge myself on greasy food and go to the bathroom
Chico: Pee break.
Gordon: But that was nothing...compared to...Dance Machine!
Chico: Speaking of greasy.
Gordon: We also had I Survived a Japanese Game show and Celebrity Family Feud.
Chico: Both were big breakouts.
Lee: Greasy breakouts
Gordon: I'm not sure about big, but good enough to get renewals. So that ends the first half of 2008. We go to the second half - after the break.
Chico: This is the WLTI 2008 Year in Review... the fastest 12 months in recorded history,

(Brought to you by Are You Smarter than an NBC Programming Executive. If you can get one show in the Top 20, then yes you are! Please apply to Ben Silverman for details.)

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