Gordon: This is Gordon Pepper - and we are celebrating being around for 5 years - and celebrating the end of Next Action Star.
Chico: And we're mourning the end of Last Comic Standing while wondering why anyone would eat cockroach burritos for a green card. I'm Chico Alexander, and from somewhere in America, where the sun is shining.. unless of course it rains... WLTI is on. First up, the end of Last Comic Standing... if only for 16 days.
Gordon: We are joined today by our favorite Canadian, Ryan Vickers. How are the Canadians dealing with the end of LCS 2 and NAS?
Ryan: You mean the few that are watching it?
Chico: Yep, the few that are watching it.
Ryan: There's been some press about the fact that the female winner of NAS is originally from Ottawa, and we love to trumpet those type of people.
Chico: Kind of like what happened in NC when Clay "lost" American Idol
Gordon: How is she handling it?
Ryan: I've seen one article in the press about the lady from NAS but other than that, nadda. We're more worried whether Survivor 11 is coming to Canadian soil or not. As for Last Comic Standing, the few parts I've seen of it confuse the living daylights out of me because they change the rules frequently from what I understand.
Gordon: They do have a history of saying one thing and then doing something else. We call it the Political Comedy Version of LCS 2
Ryan: Isn't that pretty much par for the course for some other shows too?
Chico: Yep, pretty much.
Gordon: Yes - like BB5 - expect the unexpected.
Ryan: And more!
Chico: Rules change. You have to adapt or else... Boom... Gone. Case in point: Jase and the two Adrias.
Ryan: See that's my problem... shouldn't they be stating the rules at the start and then sticking to them? As for the twins... a little too much help I think.
Gordon: That would mean that people would play fairly. What's the fun in that?
Chico: Have to agree. If you get the chance, read "Warrior Politics". Victory fares those who play dirty.
Ryan: But as a viewer I expect a certain standard from these types of shows... maybe I'm naive, but imagine if during a random episode of Wheel the price of vowels inflated? Imagine the outrage!
Gordon: What if they changed the price values of the wheel to Canadian dollars?
Chico: Or Disney Dollars.
Ryan: Now that's something entertaining! Congratulations, you've won $50 even though your score reads $12,356. And you'd get to shop for various sizes of maple syrup and back bacon.
Gordon: What replaces the ceramic Dalmatian?
Ryan: Ceramic beavers, of course!
Chico: I was thinking moose.
Ryan: Also a distinct possibility.
Gordon: We have the annoying talking singing mantled fish. Do you guys have the annoying singing mooseheads?
Ryan: I have a singing lobster in my closet that has never been opened. His name is Larry. He would make an excellent pet, I'm sure.
Chico: Okay, back to where we were.... where were we again?
Ryan: Jeopardy!
Chico: Okay. Tabloid misuses the term "fixed".
Ryan: You're talking about the Globe, right?
Chico: Right.
Gordon: Gee, a tabloid misrepresented a word? Shocking!
Chico: Scandal!
Ryan: I saw that at the checkout aisle and couldn't bring myself to buy it, even if it would have been for "business". Guys! Tabloids are brilliant! C'mon!!
Gordon: What is the Canadian opinion on Jennings?
Ryan: It certainly has done wonders for the Jeopardy popularity up here - there are people that come and talk to me and ask "so, is he still on"? People seem to like him overall, though, although I see various comments about "nerds". I haven't checked, but I bet you CTV is having a cash cow right now with their holding of the rights.
Chico: Them and everyone else. You know they bumped up ad rates right?
Ryan: Yes, I heard about the ad rates. But I should also mention that the National Post did a NCAA-style bracket system for news stories during July and guess what, our boy Ken came out on top.
Ryan: For popular culture that is.
Chico: I should also mention that he made VH1's Best Month Ever's top 10.
Gordon: That's pretty impressive.
Ryan: Indeed.
Chico: Number 4 in July. But for all intensive purposes, the survey taken for the show was... relatively unofficial.
Ryan: Will he have the same media impact as Carpenter did for Millionaire?
Chico: He might. I mean, I've seen stories in the local paper, and he has no local connection! I think that when he DOES get dethroned, it's gonna be a field day.
Gordon: It will be major - from both camps.
Ryan: Yes and you can bet that someone will suspect that he was put up against impossible competition, bad categories, etc... But I think that then the race will be on to beat the record - someone will most likely have a streak in the dozen game range and people will start talking again.
Gordon: That's what makes this fun... and then there's that Tournament of Champions thing.
Ryan: Exactly! And for a lot of viewers, the name "Thom McKee" doesn't mean anything. When is the ToC scheduled for right now?
Chico: Not quite sure. Probably not before the next College Championship. We would've heard about it.
Ryan: This is true - do you think they're waiting until he loses?
Chico: Wouldn't surprise me.
Ryan: I can see Merv prepping the next Super J! tournament as we type...
Chico: Also wouldn't surprise me.
Gordon: Well, you do have at least 15 champions for this past season, even though Ken occupied a good chunk of it. I wonder... if he continues his run into the next season if he would have enough credentials to be included in both this years AND next year's TOC.
Ryan: *That* would be an interesting proposition... he's good but I figure like everyone else he should have one shot at the proper ToC. As for invitations for special tourneys, well, that's not my decision!
Chico: No, but it wouldn't hurt to push the idea.
Gordon: You've never had that problem before, since when you have had 5 days, you would go when you finished. The qualifications this time around isn't on wins, it's money, and there would be a good chance that Jennings would have enough money in this season to qualify for the season coming up. I think 1.1 million plus may be good enough to qualify for this past season.
Ryan: Still though, what if he would have put together 30 odd games in the middle of the season - just because he does it over a break doesn't mean that he should have special privileges.
Chico: I have to agree. I think that it should be, if it isn't, measured into the period between tourneys, rather than seasons.
Gordon: Well, it depends on when the 30 games is. If he goes 15 on one season and 15 on the other, then why not?
Chico: Because there's no tournament to separate the two!
Gordon: I also don't think that they had any idea that they would get this sort of potential dilemma.
Ryan: So if by dumb luck the contestant staff calls me and I start in June, then I get two tournaments? That really doesn't seem 100% fair. Last time I checked... fair to the point that they don't change the rules en route.
Gordon: If they are thinking like I do - double the Jennings = double the ratings.
Chico: And all of a sudden, fairness and integrity go out the window and you have a NEW game show scandal.
Chico: Would you honestly want to create that?
Gordon: Not a scandal - just a dilemma.
Ryan: Double the Jennings? Paging Julie Chen, Arnold Shapiro, please come to the front desk...
Chico: Good segue there.. You're learning.
Gordon: So what do you think about Double the Adria/Natalie?
Chico: I think Natalie's the hot one? =p
Ryan: LOL!
Gordon: Here, moley, moley moley
Ryan: I think it's an interesting twist but there are other things that could be done to improve the show.
Chico: I think after a while, the novelty wears, and Project DNA becomes Project DNR once again.
Gordon: Do you think they are done with the twists?
Ryan: Probably not - didn't they make a minor rule change to guarantee that at least Natalie would stay in the house if Adria got the boot?
Chico: Yes.
Ryan: Gee, I wish I had that kind of power...
Chico: Me too... And I'm a twin, so think about how I feel about this!
Gordon: I have twin sisters.
Ryan: Yeesh! Do you notice though how the hamsters this year are a little more peeved than previous hamsters?
Gordon: The hamsters seem to have had Jolt put into their water
Ryan: I'd need Jolt too if I had to talk to Julie Chen three times weekly, if not more.
Chico: You know what the problem is... Narrow age bracket. Not really a diverse crowd this year.
Gordon: It's very diverse in terms of culture.
Ryan: It's pretty much your stereotypical bunch of personas.
Chico: You get rid of the oldest guy, then you get the rest of the crowd as a naive bunch of... morons, to be honest.
Ryan: Pretty much.
Chico: But something happened over the last week...The morons... started to think.
Ryan: AHHHH!
Chico: Should we be scared?
Ryan: The fire is burning!!!
Chico: Should we start calling clergy?
Ryan: From what I've seen, a show like BB doesn't really involve thinking that much (unless you count "scheming", which I guess we should).
Gordon: I think that certain people have been thinking for the whole time - and Will and Karen, the smart hamsters are being smart and quiet and out of everyone's way.
Ryan: The more you stay low, the further you go?
Chico: The rest of them are in a collective brain trust... and they're giving their all to the brain trust, so that when one leaves, vis a vis Scott, chaos ensues.
Gordon: They are playing BB perfectly - let the two sides knock each other out, then swoop in at the end and gather the pieces. That's what Jun did to perfection last season.
Chico: Agreed.
Ryan: Yeppers.
Chico: And for the most part, they're succeeding. Not failing... Unlike some real stinkers that have invaded the airwaves... Big Board time, I think.
Ryan: Light it up!
Chico: Today's subject: The Summertime Blues.
Ryan: I have a cure.
Chico: First off I can name... "The Player". A game with no discernable rule book and no discernable outcome.
Gordon: I got your cure for you right here.
Ryan: That could easily apply to BB as well...
Chico: And no discernable likeable characters? Cures?
Ryan: You talking The Player or BB?
Chico: The Player.
Gordon: I think you have likable characters in BB5. I think the Player reminds me of Cupid, Urban Style.
Ryan: Can't comment, I'm safe from the grasps of the UPN here in St. John's.
Chico: I think reality TV has to keep it real sometimes... This is just... too unreal. People didn't buy it.
Chico: Did you buy it, Gordon?
Gordon: Buy what - The Player, BB5 or St. Johns?
Chico: The Player.
Ryan: Easy!!!
Gordon: Well, the St. Johns in NYC is under athletic corruption charges, so I won't buy that - and I don't buy the Player either. There is nothing original or entertaining here, and I although I liked the premise, the execution is awful.Unoriginal premise + Bad execution + Unlikeable characters = under 3.0 Nielsen rating
Chico: Right. Second failure: On the Cover. So bad, that it was pulled after two shows, only to return this week. Will it meet the same fate?
Gordon: No - it will be on for at least a week.
Ryan: Priceless.
Chico: It's just too covoluted. Someone along the line forgot the Golden Rule: KISS. Keep it simple, jacka... stupid =p
Ryan: :)
Gordon: We have to stick Next Action Star in here.
Chico: Number three on the loser hit parade. Althoguht it did deliver on its promise of a movie that, for most part, wasn't that bad, it just wasn't Hollywood caliber.
Gordon: It was - it was B-Movie caliber.
Chico: Any more failures? Oh wait! I forgot Studio 7! Talk about disarray.
Ryan: I haven't seen it (also the WB sadly is missing from my lineup) but from what I've heard the observation/recall round isn't that entertaining.
Gordon: Great premise + Bad Format + Uneven Execution = under 2.0 Nielsen rating.
Chico: The quiz elements are solid, hands down.. Outside of that, it's just... what the..
Gordon: The quiz part is solid - but once again, they aren't making the characters compelling
Ryan: And if it had been on ABC, it would have gotten slightly better ratings?
Chico: Not really... Ever see ABC recently?
Ryan: Come to think of it, I've seen all 13 episodes of Hope and Faith, so no, I don't ever watch ABC anymore...
Chico: Maybe. I mean, I don't see Mark Burnett pulling a hard quizzer, but if it was compelling enough for him to believe in it, I think we'd see a winner.
Gordon: Can I suggest another Big Board?
Chico: You can.
Ryan: Go for it.
Gordon: Game Show Disasters on ABC.
Ryan: The Family.
Gordon: All American Girl.
Ryan: Are you Hot?
Chico: The CHAIR!
Ryan: You Don't Know Jack (although I loved it)
Gordon: What about Monopoly!
Ryan: The ultimate love test
Chico: Exception: The Bachelor series.
Gordon: and WWTBAM, of course
Ryan: What about series one of The Mole?
Gordon: The Mole had 4 seasons, so it would be a hit show in my eyes
Ryan: Thank you :P
Chico: yeah, although two were celeb-ridden. Form failure and a round of Outburst, we go to a success in Latin American markets: Gana la Verde, "Win the Green", in which contestants undergo Fear Factor style stunts to win a green card. Thoughts?
Ryan: Very bizarre premise - you'd think you'd have to do something a little more intelligent to win a green card.
Gordon: I think they are playing with fire here.
Chico: It's one of those instances when a genre serves as more of a social commentary than anything else. It just makes me uneasy thinking about that.
Gordon: With the level of security that the country is dealing with here, all it takes is one terrorist to win their way into America via a game show and we can have the Communist Scare all over again.
Chico: That's what makes me uneasy.
Ryan: But is the prize not just a lawyer to help? It's not guaranteed, is it?
Chico: Let me check the crib notes here. Okay, the prize is a year of legal help to get their green card status pushed.
Gordon: Yes, but any good terrorist will have a plausible story to tell the legal help - and of course they will have people from the inside helping him get in.
Ryan: This is true...
Chico: It's frightening... Not just the process, but the possible after effects..
Gordon: This is a very scary world to be living in, and I think that the people who created this idea weren't thinking of the ramifications.
Chico: Okay, good place to break. Still to come on the We Love to Interrupt program, we kick off the Big Five with Biggest Game Host in the last five years...
Gordon: And when we come back, we see if we can earn our acting card as we do some role-play.
Chico: Genius!
Ryan: Woo!

(Brought to you by the American Candidate Kit, comes with buttons, bumper stickers, and signs. Campaign manager sold separately)

Click here to continue...