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August 28, 2006
Chico: Ah yes. Come for the news... Stay for the lowbrow comedy.
Tom: Almost mono-brow comedy.
Gordon: Can you imaging a hungry Mike The Mouth Matesow?
Tom: Hey, poker was the reason the sandwich was invented.
Jason: And the beer.
Chico: That's true. Lord Montague didn't have pocket rockets, and we'd still be
eating sliced meat with nothing on it.
Tom: Aces and eats.
Jason: Pretty much.
Tom: The fat man's hand.
Gordon: Let's rocket along to..The Big Finish. Who's next to leave on Big
Brother?
Jason: Janelle.
Chico: Totally.
Tom: Julie Chen?
Chico: We only hope.
Gordon: I think Mike and Will need Janelle in the game. This could be very bad
news to George or Danielle.
Chico: Superhero. Who wins it?
Jason: Fat Momma.
Chico: I think the stunner elimination of Major Victory this week was the
catalyst Fat Momma needed for the W.
Gordon: The editing is pointing to a Fat Momma win. In what direction will we be
stunned after seeing Midnight Money Madness?
Jason: Lets hope positive.
Gordon: First episode by a cable station that shows in the past that they can't
do game shows correctly...not too optimistic here.
Chico: They're one and only game show hit... Starcade, 1984.
Jason: I just want to be able to play and take the cash. But seriously, I hope
they do it right.
Chico: Oh yeah, and the Gilligan thing a while back, that they screwed up with a
second season.
Jason: 'The Real Gilligan's Island."
Gordon: The Mansion.
Chico: Oh yeah. That was a real hit.
Tom: Try to do a game on a shoestring, and it's not gonna be good.
Chico: Did George Stromboli host that, too?
Gordon : Actually, it was your game show hussy Mark Walberg who hosted it.
Chico: It's called a comedic device. Look it up. The point is.. Mansion, dead.
Outback Jack, dead. He's a Lady, dead. Gilligan was a hit for one season, but
that's IT.
Jason: Oh we have the hosts for MMM
Chico: Survey says..
Jason: Jerilee Bonner and Danny Seckel
Chico: Who? and... hoo?
Tom: You know... she was, uh...... I'm guessing cleavage and "hip" comic relief.
Jason: Two comedians...you got it.
Gordon: Jerilee 'Give Jason A Game Show' Bonner?
Jason: That's boner.
Chico: And Danny "I hosted two forgettable GSN marathons" Seckel.
Tom: That's Schmeckel.
Chico: True story.
Gordon: Danny 'Potato' Seckel
Chico: Time to check the mail Seckel. First mail is from Josh Johanneson.
Thanks, Josh!
To: WLTI
From: Josh Johanneson
Last Monday, Treasure Hunters ended with a big $3,000,000 payoff, which is a
fantastic payoff, $1 Million to each of the three pre-tax. Though $600,000
post-tax still ain't bad. But, that's not my question. My question is this:
Considering that the Amazing Race, the only other show doing this sort of
thing out there pays off $1 Million to its winners, and 1 vs. 100 was set to
have a $1 Million payoff, I have to wonder if this is what happened to that
prize from 1 vs. 100... In other words, did NBC pull the old bait and
switch on us?
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Jason: I think I have this one.
Chico: Answer, J. Go.
Jason: As To Treasure Hunters....
Tom: Bait and switch? How is this possible?
Jason: The show was heavily sponsored (and probably bankrolled) by Genworth
Financial, a multi-billion dollar financial services company. They were the ones
who sponsored the $100,000 online contest, and I bet plunked in heavy for the
$3,000,000 prize...which is probably paid in an annuity anyway. Don't know for
sure.
Chico: But it seems the most likely explanation.
Jason: As for 1 v. 100, Endemol probably saw the jump from $500K to $3,000,000
and just adjusted. No bait and switch I think.
Chico: And you know what I say.. Occam's Razor.
Gordon: Let's not forget that the public never really knew about 3 mil as a top
prize. They never advertised it as such and the only reason why it's out there
is that we know about it.
Jason: They called it " a huge treasure"
Chico: And that's all they called it.
Tom: I think "1 v. 100"-style questions might allow for more $3,000,000 winners
than say, "DonD", which could foul up the budget for the season real fast.
Gordon: Thanks for the email,. Josh
Chico: Next?
Gordon: I have some mail. This one from Wendy Weaver. Thanks for the e-mail,
Wendy!
To: WLTI
From: Wendy Weaver
Will Extreme Dodgeball be coming back? My son has Tivo'ed every episode and
watched them at least a hundred times each. PLEASE - new episodes!!!! Does
it film in LA? Any possibility of watching a taping? Please let us know.
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Chico: Thanks, Wendy. There's really no way of
saying this without having it hurt... There are no plans on the table to bring
Dodgeball back.
Tom: the ball has been deflated permanently.
Gordon: Sniff sniff =(
Chico: Not saying that it isn't completely likely, I mean, look what happened to
Lingo. We're just saying that it's highly improbable.
Gordon: Wendy, I feel your pain. I was a huge fan of Extreme Dodgeball as well.
Unfortunately, when they eliminated the format, they eliminated the fun right
along with it.
Chico: Not to mention adding celebs to the format. That's always a death knell.
Tom: Just like adding kids to a sitcom.
Jason: Usually is.
Gordon: Especially celebrities that played less like contributing weight and
more like dead weight
Chico: Sorry to say, Wendy, but it looks like checkmate in two for Extreme
Dodgeball. Especially given that Zach and Bil have moved on to other projects.
Next mail is from Matthew Gertzog. Thanks, Matthew!
To: WLTI
From: Matthew Gertzog
Can you give me any additional info about Sabotage and its producer LM
Beasley? Is the program for real? How can I check on them to find out that
they are legitimate?
I can explain more if you get back to me.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
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Chico: I'll take this one. After some pressure
was presumably applied, we finally have word that Sabotage is to be broadcast as
an online-only.
Gordon: Do they still have the top prize?
Chico: It'll be produced in association with Realitygamestation.com
(which, BTW, hasn't even been put online yet) for
broadcast in 2007. As far as I know, the top
prize is still $1 million for each member of the winning team. How that's
possible with a team of ... no idea. This is all from press releases released by realSabotage.com. So there you go.
Legitimate.. Yes... and no.
Gordon: So the game is legit...sort of...
Jason: So noted, and thanks, Matt...
Tom: That's an awfully big prize budget for a web-only show.
Chico: It's all legit, but it's not coming to TV.
Jason: Way big.
Tom: That would be huge for a network show.
Chico: oh yeah
Gordon: Just another example of the soon to be merging worlds between television
and the internet. Any more email?
Chico: Oui, mon ami.
Tom: Hey, this ain't that kind of show.
Chico: It wouldn't be a season finale without a Wuthrich mail.
Gordon: Of course not. Thanks for the e-mail, Jason
To: WLTI
From: Jason Wuthrich
Stat Boy is in the house. Bianca Ryan is 11, not 12, and is ESPM that new
network for sports models? By the way, who ya got in the World Series of
Blackjack final?
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Jason: The final four are Jeff Bernstein, John
Payne, Kami Lis & Charlie Montoya
Tom: The undefeated streak remains intact.
Chico: I'm going to go with Bernstein.
Jason: Kami Lis was in the finals last year and was runner up.
Gordon: Good enough reason for me to take Kami Lis then
Jason: I will go with her as well.
Tom: I would think Lis would have something to prove, which is always an edge.
So, the edge to Lis.
Chico: I'm still going to go with Bernstein. Just to go against the crowd. Okay,
got two more mails here. Here's the first, from Wendy Baner.
Gordon: Two Wendys in the same show!
To: WLTI
From: Wendy Baner
Watch out Craft Lady of Steel! I'm up for the challenge!
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Chico: ... okay I'm going to stop there, and I'll
tell you why.
Tom: Do tell.
Chico: Craft Corner Deathmatch has been cancelled for the better part of two
years now. It ain't coming back any time soon. Sorry to say. But thanks for the
e-mail.
Jason: And the 2nd?
Chico: Final e-mail comes from a person who wishes to remain anonymous.
To: WLTI
From: Anonymous
I was fortunate enough to have attended a taping of Wheel of Fortune
recently. The wheel has received some minor touch-ups for HD. Most notable
is a thin iridescent border added to the edges of the numbers. The Jackpot
space is now also a $500 space. (When it's hit, $500 is added to the
jackpot; the contestant also receives $500 for each occurrence of the
letter.) No visual change to the Jackpot space accompanies this.
MID-SEASON CHANGE (Sometime between October and January - I'd guess
November): The Wild Card is added to the wheel before round one, and remains
until it is picked up by a player or until the end of Round 2. The card,
slightly larger than a gift tag, is glittery red and bears a striking
resemblance to the rightmost third of the Joker's Wild logo displayed on the
slots. The Wild Card is picked up the same way as any other piece of cheesy
cardboard; land on it, call a consonant, and if it's in the puzzle, you pick
it up. The Wild Card may be used after any subsequent time a contestant
spins, lands on a dollar amount, and successfully selects a consonant.
After any such occasion, the player may elect to surrender the Wild Card,
and select another consonant, for the same amount as that of the last spin.
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Jason: So a 2nd guess actually.
To: WLTI
From: Anonymous
(Obviously, the best time to use this would be on the top dollar value.) The
Wild Card could be used on the Jackpot Wedge (but only as a $500 space) or
on a Mystery Wedge that is not turned over (for $1,000).
One more wrinkle: If a contestant carries the Wild Card the whole way to the
bonus round, it can be redeemed there to select an extra consonant, for a
total of four consonants and one vowel.
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Tom: Could generate some big change for a lucky
contestant.
Jason: I like it.
Chico: Totally, should the right player know how to use it. This could prove to
be one of the better changes made in recent years on Wheel.
Jason: You use that with a $5,000 space and the right letters... You could see
a 6 digit win.
Tom: It's possible.
Jason: with the bonus round as well.
Tom: can it be used in the speed up round?
Jason: Probably not.
Tom: for $?
Chico: Nope. By that time, Sony's bleeding green.
Tom: Geez, if it was in play the first shows of the season... it would have been
huge.
Chico: Oh yeah. That first week is going to be a good week. Trust us on this. We
were there.
Tom: And a great TPIR in October, because... we were there.
Chico: October 5. Mark your calendars.
Tom: It's great when clueless contestants listen to us.
Gordon: It is, ain't it?
Chico: Now now. Contestants are not clueless. Contestant coordinators, on the
other hand .... But that's another show.
Tom: Some of THESE contestants WERE clueless.
Gordon: That it is.
Jason: But people who aren't clueless...our readers.
Tom: Exactly.
Jason: Thank you so much for making another great summer for us.
Chico: Well, another season has come and gone. But the game continues. E-mail
your questions and comments to
wlti@gameshownewsnet.com. We'll be back with a whole new season before you
know.
Gordon: Thanks to you guys - and all of your email. Because if not for you, then
there's no us.
Tom: Or "We".
Gordon: argh
Chico: PS3 guy, there.
Jason: I don't get the reference but ok.
Gordon : We take next week off due to the holiday, but we'll be back the Week of
September 11, for more silly fun. And for us East Coasters, we will need some
silly fun come September 11th...
Tom: An encore presentation next week?
Chico: Until then. Big thanks to Tom Gauer and Jason Block, you were splendid as
usual...
Jason: Thank you.
Tom: You are too kind. Thank you for having me on again.
Jason: Oh...one more quick question for the group...who will be GSN's #1 show
this week?
Chico: I'm going to pin all my hopes on TPIR and hope for the best.
Tom: I'm going with "Price."
Chico: It would be something amazing if they manage to show an episode.
Jason: I am going with Match Game.
Gordon: I'll say anything except Price
Tom: Or, as Mr. Pepper suggests, one Cullen and one 30-min. Barker
Chico: We'll see on Thursday. Meanwhile, we're going to go to the beach. For
Gordon Pepper and everyone at Game Show Newsnet. I'm Chico Alexander... Spread
the love, everybody
Jason: AND GAME OVER!!!!!!!!!!
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