Episode 28.16 - 2011 Year in Review
December 26

Jason: Way too much time.
Chico: And a lot of money (and energy) to burn. They're making shows about everything else.
Jason: Better than some of the stuff we saw this year.
Chico: I draw the line at birthing babies, though. Welcome back. It wouldn't be a complete year in review if we didn't try to cram in a week's worth of show in one segment, so let's do that now. Starting with the last moron left standing in Samoa....



Chico: It was Ozzy's to lose... and he lost it.
Gordon: Then it was Coach's to lose - and he lost it also.
Chico: And the person they both lost it to was the one holding all the cards in the end.
Jason: Sophie did what she had to do, but she didnt deserve to win. At all.
Gordon: Sophie played a good social game. All Coach had to do was say that it was his strategy that got him to the en. He didn't do that. Instead he played the relgion card and made agreements that he did not need to make.
Chico: She did what she had to do in order to survive. Hers was the better social game. And she did the Tebow thing and pretty much asked the higher power to take her to the end. In a way, it ironically did.
Jason: This reminds me of when Natalie won during the game when Russell played the first time
Chico: And that's the thing about Coach and Ozzy. They can both play the game, but they couldn't close. And Survivor is a game where you have to close. You can have all the survival skills of Bear Grylls, but if you can't close, you won't win.
Jason: I dont think Sophie's game was that great until the end, when she won the most important immunity.
Gordon: I dont think she played a great game at all. I think Coach and Ozzy lost it more than she won it. but she took advantage of Coach's errors in the final Tribal Council
Chico: See the "Can't Close" argument.
Jason: You could see Coach tap dancing at the end.
Gordon: All Coach had to do was say 'Yes, I used the religious line and you all fell for it', he wins. If he doesnt promise Ozzy and Brandon Final 3 and does everything else the same, he wins.
Chico: That was a proven, yeah?
Gordon: Yes, becausde then he gets Brandon's and Ozzy's votes and he wins. This is shades of Lil' and Survivor: Pearl Islands. She had the girl scout uniform on and backstabbed when she didn't need to. If coach played the same 'honorable' game at the end that he did at the beginning, he wins everything. Instead, he made too many moves, and that cost him.
Chico: Part of honor is owning your dishonor. Coach never did that
Gordon: Pretty much. That's why he lost. Now we can talk about how Melanie Amaro won - and it wasn't due to her singing.



Chico: Honestly could've made a case for any of them, because they were all good singers, but in Melanie's case, her backstory, as it were, proved to be... the X Factor.
Jason: People love a sob story. Talent be damned.
Gordon: I would say less back story and more Simon Cowell. I couldn't believe 'His mistake' was played out for the whole season, but it was.
Jason: Meaning?
Chico: If I may paraphrase Bob Barker..."If this weren't a game show driven by the audience, people would've scoffed."
Gordon: Well again, in the world of singing and everything else, it's not a pure talent competition. It's about the complete package
Jason: That's true. Unfortunately.
Chico: Hence the title of the show. =p
Gordon: Melanie's back story and consequent Simon Cowell fawning was more powerful that Josh Krajeck's singing.
Chico: Well, take singing over the course of the series, and it's a dead heat. That story and Simon Cowell's moon-eyes over her did the trick.
Jason: Since he is a record label exec after all.
Chico: Of course.
Jason: We all know it wasn't going to be Nicole, and btw, dont let the door hit you in the behind on the way out.
Chico: You're running out of ways to say "You're fired"... Hey, there's another one!
Gordon: Chris Rene, I think, could have a better career of the 3, to be honest. He fits the new generation Eminem and he has a good voice.
Chico: I think he could get on with a decent career on urban radio. If Melanie Amaro uses the $5 million to invest in herself like Kelly Clarkson did back in the day, she could go far as well. Same as Josh Krajcik on rock radio. Someone's gonna have a bright future.
Jason: Let me ask this...does Drew or Rachel Crow win if they are still there?
Gordon: No
Chico: No, because, I don't think they're that good a singer.
Jason: Can you say Nicole blew a $5M winner?
Chico: I can say Nicole blew.
Gordon: I don't think so. I still think Chris finishes in third, but what Nicole did clearly didn't help.
Chico: So basically, the order of win-place-show would hold.
Jason: So...what do you change in Season 2?
Chico: First of all... if Steve can tone it down with the overhosting. We get it, you're on a deadline. No need to be a (^_^) about it.
Gordon: I don't think you'll have to worry about Steve in season 2, because I don't think he's returning. Same with Nicole.
Chico: There's no saving Nicole. At all. Ever. None. I honestly think she's done.
Jason: Me too.
Gordon: Im still thinking there could be a Lady Gaga in the mix. Call me wacky, but she'd be a great fit.
Jason: Gaga would be insanely good.
Chico: Who do you get to host? And no, you can't say yourself.
Gordon: If we go American (which is what they should do) - I'd go after Mario Lopez. Mario needs a national hosting campaign. This would be it.
Jason: I would too.
Chico: I think so. Mario has majorly improved since his debut on ABDC
Gordon: If we go UK (holding nose)...Vernon Kay.
Chico: Well, you could go as far back as season 2 of Masters of the Maze. You could see... and now I'm quoting JC Chasez... "The meat is there in the sandwich."
Jason: Yes.
Gordon: Or if we were allowed to poach from the Michael Davies stable - Tim Vincent
Chico: Or if you want to go gimmicky. Drew Lachey needs work.
Gordon: Drew wouldn't be a bad choice, though I think he's stiffer than Mario.
Jason: I like Mario for it.
Chico: So the pool is open. We want to know what you think. Drop us a line at WLTI@Gameshownewsnet.com or on our Facebook wall. Meanwhile, to round out our trio of triumph, we have Jason Keller. Tried getting on the show for 16 years. After six games, he's making it pay off in ALL That Jeopardy! money.
Jason: I believe its $147,000 by now
Chico: I believe three games were won by runaways. Wednesday, Jason actually trailed by $400, helped by the fact that Janemarie, his closest opponent, didn't know about the NFL. The clue!

This team that joined the NFL in the mid-1970s is the only one whose name starts with the same 3 letters as its city's name.

Jason: I had this one easily.
Chico: So did I. And Tim Connolly had this as well. Just saying. Jason?
Jason: Who are the SEAttle SEAhawks. Hi, Robert Seidelman :)
Chico: Gordon?
Gordon: Who are the WAShington WAShy Wishy Congressman who can't pass anything unless being threatened by the American public?
Chico: ... You're really trying now, aren't you? =p
Gordon: Hey, it fit the clue
Jason: It did :)
Chico: Yeah. Anyway, Gordon's NOT WRONG, but Jason's Right. So he takes $147,000 into the Boxing Day show next week. But if ever he answered a question incorrectly, his feet would remain firmly planted on terra firma. Not so much for the players in our first (of three) Capsule Reviews... NBC's Who's Still standing.
Jason: OH BOY.
Chico: Oh boy indeed.
Chico: Who's Still Standing takes the premise of Russian Roulette from 10 years ago and adds four holes and Wheel word puzzles... or Definition, if you're old school.
Jason: And bored me to tears.
Gordon: Stop me if you've heard this one: A person in the middle challenges 10 other people to a series of rapid fire questions. The first person who misses falls into a hole. If the guy in the middle can defeat all 10 opponents they win a million...
Chico: STOP.
Gordon: Stop...at a Whammy. (Waaa-waaaaa)
Chico: Now Gordon had to derive the rules from the show from watching the four episodes. And you leave out that each of the 10 challengers has cash on them from $1000 to $20,000. I say this because nothing is explained at the outset. Now I've been watching game shows since the old CBN put on reruns of Blockbusters. I think it's important that we as an audience know how to play this stupid thing.
Jason: Which is one of the first things wrong with it.
Gordon: Well the rules are simple. The good: The game is a good playalong and Ben Bailey does as well as he can with what's there.
Chico: Yep. Give it up for Ben Bailey, he proves that his two Emmy wins were no fluke. The game itself is a good playalong and it's as solid as it can be for being a game show on NBC. That said, and this goes into the bad... the real problem. Tim Puntillo and Craig Plestis are morons.
Jason: Chico you are wrong on all accounts. How many times did you MISS a question?
Chico: Zero. They were the producers of this show, and they also produced Minute to Win It. apparently they think stopping in the middle of the action for a commercial makes for good television.
Jason: And because the questions were written for 5 yr olds.
Gordon: I think you're both nit picking. The show has more serious problems that neither of you are addressing.
Chico: Oh yeah, they also package the contestants as caricatures. Not to mention the padding. DEAR GOD THE PADDING.
Gordon: The first one, is, as Chico said, the padding. These areo obviously set to be self-contained episodes and they shouldn't be.
Jason: A big problem which has been going on for years.
Chico: They really shouldn't.
Gordon: The second one: The contestants. This is a page out of Duel (which didn't work) and Identity (which also didn't work). They should have made it like 1 Vs. 100 and brought the people who survived back.
Chico: Agreed. If you run out of time on a game, suck it up and shoot the remainder of the game on the next show.
Jason: I agree with that.
Gordon: And the players are caricatures and they shouldn't be. Part of the fun of this show should be to give us info on the outer ring players.
Chico: Right.
Gordon: The questions are ok. The problem isn't the questions: it's the format itself.
Chico: Although I will say that Adam Nedeff's vest... that's HIS. He owns that. And in the WTHWT moment on this show... the "running-out-of-time" speed round is actually better than the main game.
Gordon: You give a contestant 2 passes for what reason? How can the players on the outer rings defend themselves?
Chico: They can't. They get it wrong, they're gone. This game was tailored to the man in the center. And if he loses, the game just ends.
Jason: It made me honestly question the intelligence and the validity of them not getting of the answers.
Gordon: The format is roughshod. I understand this is based on an Israeli format, but this should have been better thought out.
Chico: There's no "Hey, you can take your money OR you can become the new hero" Which would've been a good idea.
Jason: I like that Chico...A LOT. Take your $6,000 or risk being the hero. BRILLIANT. See people. We can do this better.

	WHO'S STILL STANDING NBC - 8p ET Mondays
	GORDON	CHICO	JASON	AVERAGE-O-MATIC
	D-	D-	F	D-

Gordon: There's a lot of really good ideas you could have had here, and instead of that, we get a retread of better shows on a format that wasn't thought out correctly. I like Ben Bailey, but he's not the right fit on this format and he can't save this. Biggest disappointment of the year for me. Sorry. D-.
Chico: Bigger disappointment than The X Factor? :-)
Gordon: Without a doubt. The X-Factor at least had parts that work. This doesn't work.
Chico: Ben saves it from failure. D-
Jason: I can't even give points for Ben Bailey. He looks like he is cashing a check. Copied Format, Bad contestants and questionable question writing. F.
Chico: Not even close to a nice try, NBC. Next on the docket, we go from an old TV format to an old internet format. Who here has heard of FunnyorDie.com?
Gordon: I have.
Jason: I have.
Chico: Well, Fuse decided to take one of their bits and craft it into a TV show called "Funny or Die's Billy on the Street". Now I can't watch it on TV, because Time Warner Cable doesn't want to pay for a network that no one watches.
Jason: Great.
Chico: But I did watch it on the internet. And honestly, I think it would've worked better on the internet.
Gordon: It would have worked better in the sewer.
Chico: It's a throwaway show, where, aside from obvious answer-questions-win-money games, you have the outcome of the game hinging on whether you agree with the host's opinion.
Jason: Which makes NO sense.
Chico: I have an example question here. This is the kind of question that Bill Eichner will ask you on the streets of New York when the big (for Fuse) money is on the line...

On “Glee,” which requires the greatest suspension of disbelief?

A) That the Glee Club has a full-time adult band
B) That McKinley High classrooms are equipped with AutoTune, while most high schools in this country are low on chairs
C) That neither Jane Lynch nor Matthew Morrison’s characters aren't regularly sleeping with their students
D) That the guy with the faux-hawk would be friends with any of these people.

Jason: My answer is B LOL
Chico: My answer would be D. And apparently, my answer would've been ruled correct. Gordon?

	FUNNY OR DIE'S BILLY ON THE STREET Fuse - 11p ET Thursdays
	GORDON	CHICO	JASON	AVERAGE-O-MATIC
	F	F YOU	F	EPIC FAIL

Gordon: My answer, which matches the grade that I'm going to give it, is F) Are we that desperate for programming? F.
Jason: Same here. Bill Eichner isn't funny at all. F.
Chico: Go figure. But yeah, I can see why Time Warner doesn't want to pay for Fuse anymore. This gets the F YOU.
Gordon: We have some late entries for worst game show of the year.
Chico: I'd be disappointed were it not for the already low expectations.
Gordon: And the sad thing is...and I hate to say this...this actually could have worked if we know anything about Billy or his opinions.
Chico: Speaking of playing for laughs, we have one more show to review. And it's more of a one-off than a series, but go with me here. We're all fans of the NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!". Basically what happens when you turn "The Daily Show" into a quiz with three comics and an old guy. Well BBC America saw it fit to not so much turn the radio show into a TV show... but film the TV show as it was recording the radio show. Because that's what it felt like.
Jason: Which is bad because on radio...work. TV NOT SO MUCH.
Chico: Again, Peter Sagal's adept at doing what he does. Carl Kasell, same deal. Panel, same deal, but when it's on TV, it's like "Oh my god there's a camera there." There's a bit of a mystique to cracking wise on public radio that you don't get on a TV show, almost like "They can't see me... I can do... ANYTHING!" Now it's like "Oh god, I hope I remembered pants."
Jason: YAWN...
Chico: I found myself watching 5 minutes and then going back and doing something else while listening to the other 55 minutes. Because that's what it feels like. It feels like a radio show.
Gordon: Can we just flunk this piece of boring tripe and move on to BrainVision?

	WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME! BBC America - 8p ET Friday
	GORDON	CHICO	JASON	AVERAGE-O-MATIC
	F	D+	D+	D

Chico: Momentarily, Gordon. This is one of those shows that, and I hate to sound like a broken record, I wanted to like more than I actually did. Do us a favor and stay on the radio. D+
Jason: Same here. D+
Gordon: ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz F
Chico: And the hamsters haven't slept off watching 'Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me' yet...
Gordon: Ok. If we have a new game show, can we actually try to make it entertaining before we put it on the air? Please? pretty please?
Chico: Gordon's begging. Gordon NEVER begs.
Gordon: There ARE good NEW game shows out there. Really, there are.
Jason: I have this (shows airhorn) Should I hit it?
Gordon: Yes
Jason: (blows airhorn)
Chico: ... Okay, the hamsters are awake now.
Gordon: Roll That Beautiful 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: Our own version of Carl Kasell, and infinitely better looking, Doug Morris. We're going to start with a baseball bat.
Jason: (hands Chico the Bat)

Survivor has released its new wrinkle for the spring season... "One World".

Chico: You're going to have two tribes competed against each other, but they will be living on one beach. Hence the title, One World.
Jason: Interesting
Gordon: I like the twist. It tries to prevent the '5 person alliance with the people in the same tribe since Day 1' syndrome.
Chico: Take this with a grain of salt, but our agents are saying that there are no returning castaways.
Gordon: I think, based on the last 2 seasons, that it's a good thing.
Chico: I think we've run the gamut on returning players being a threat.
Gordon: You know what I'd like to see? A Survivor featuring every player that got booted first. THAT would be redemption island.
Chico: I'd like that. I don't think Sonja Christopher would be up to it, though. Who knows who Sonja Christopher is?
Jason: I don't.
Chico: Gordon?
Gordon: The VERY first person booted from the show.
Chico: GOOD! You get a cookie
Gordon: And a datebook.
Chico: It's a double datebook.

No New premieres this week, but as we're taking a week off after this, January starts us off with Rachael & Guy's Celebrity Cookoff, and Chico's Faaaaaaaavorite show in the whole wide world, THE BACHELOR.

Chico: Yuck

We also get The Biggest Loser, Wipeout and Project Runway All Stars, but who cares about them?

Gordon: I think you two need to get Fully Loaded. Unless you already are.
Chico: Not until New Year's Eve.
Jason: HIC

GSN is launching a new app for iOS and Android... GSN Casino

Jason: How about putting this money into new shows, huh? : )
Chico: Just a suggestion.
Gordon: Well maybe they can generate money from this and THEN put them into game shows.
Chico: ... or if it doesn't... because it's free to download on Android Market or the App Store
Gordon: Well that's a pretty dumb idea. Free? Really?
Jason: Really
Chico: But I bet it's not the dumbest plan you can think of this week.
Gordon: Definately not.
Jason: Whatcha got?
Gordon: Are YOU Smarter than...

Adam Lambert, who gets arrested outside a gay nightclub for fighting with his soon to be ex-boyfriend Sauli Koskinen.

Jason: NOT COOL.
Chico: Then he called it embarrassing. Nice save.
Jason: Dumb.
Gordon: Nice attempt at the save. Now for the Haterade. Now being in the NYC area, you had the Giants Brandon Jacobs call Jets Coach Rex Ryan a Loudmouth, disprespectful bastard after the Giants beat the Jets.
Chico: Right.
Gordon: (waves New York Giant Pennant)
Jason: Big time. (puts on Giants Beanie)
Chico: Jason's a fan.
Gordon: In the same wave, after the finale of Survivor...

Coach decides to go the non-religious route and called Ozzy a 'whiny little bitch' while he was on the island.

Jason: Oh...not cool Mr. Dragonslayer
Gordon: Is this any cooler?



Chico: That's cold.

I Love Money and Dance Cam Slam have been turned into post-Christmas mulch.

Chico: And this surprises who again?
Gordon: Not me. Let's take a trip
Jason: Where are we going?
Chico: Japan. Hai! Ikimashou!

TBS has settled out of court with Endemol and ABC over their claim that Wipeout is a ripoff of Takeshi's Castle, MXC, and Ninjawarrior, among others. Terms of the settlement were not filed with the court.

Gordon: We knew this was coming.
Chico: Yup. And just in time for Winter Wipeout to begin again. So there's that to look forward to.
Gordon: What about looking forward to seeing Media Hoes?
Chico: I'm always up to that. (Plays Luda)

In this week's Hodometer, JR Martinez is going to be a dad, John O'Hurley gets an ABC pilot, Chaz Bono ends his wedding plans with his fiance...



Chico: Awwww

Ben Lyons gets dropped from E!, Brad Rutter gives money to the Lancaster County Library, David Archuleta leaves the music business to go to on a 2 year Mormon mission, but sweares it has nothing to do with his latest album which flopped worse than Zucotti Park's Occupy the North Pole...

Jason: Nah...coincidence...I think not
Chico: This was daddy's idea. I know it.

Steve Jones insists he hasn't been fired from The X-Factor, Brian wins Project Accessory and Alexa Chung hosts 24 Hour Catwalk.

Gordon: But none of them are is your Ho of the week.
Jason: Who is the HO HO HO
Gordon: We end the year with Simon Cowell, who gets a nice end of year bonus. 27 million dollars for his new music department.
Jason: DAMN. Share the wealth :)
Chico: Given all this and all he's been through this year, I think it's time to award him the GRILL.

(Ho of the Year grill)

Jason: I think Trump is up there myself.
Chico: Gordon, you're the final voice on this. Who... is the Ho of the Year?
Gordon: There were a lot of good choices this year. Cowell could be one. So could The Donald, or Boston Rob for finally winning Survivor. But this HAS to go to only one person. Or, let me say...one family.
Chico: Oh no...
Jason: HE's right
Gordon: With now EVERY member of their family in a game show or reality show competition, this HAS to go to The Kardashian Family. Big Board please?

Gordon: The Subject: Game Show Kardashian Marathon. I give you a member, you tell me the show they were on. We'll start with Kim.
Chico: Dancing with the Stars.
Gordon: And we can add Robert to that
Jason: Yes.
Gordon: Khloe Kardashian?
Chico: Pretty Ugly? =p
Gordon: NO. Jason?
Jason: I don't know
Gordon: Celebrity Apprentice. How soon we forget.
Chico: Yeah. It was THAT memorable.
Gordon: Bruce Jenner
Chico: Secret Talents of the Stars? Celebrity Family Feud?
Gordon: Identity
Chico: Ah.
Gordon: and Skating with Celebrities. and The Weakest Link. and I'm a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here
Chico: That leaves Kris, Khloe and the two younguns.
Gordon: The Kardashian clan were on celebrity Family Feud. Bruce, and Kris Jenner, and Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian
Jason: Yes...the first family of hoedom :)
Gordon: So hence, they are the #1 game show family, and clearly with them all over the news, the Meida Hoes of the year.
Chico: Congratulations! Now kindly take a break. Please.
Gordon: We'll take a break, but when we come back, we'll be doing the last game of 2011. You're reading WLTI. You give us 22 minutes and we'll give you 22 things we do NOT want to see when we take our week off.

(Brainvision is powered by Card Shark Tank. Civilians go up against the best Acey-deucey players in the world for big money at the Money Cards. Do you have what it takes to swim with the sharks? Kevin O'Leary hosts)

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