2005 Year In Review

Chico: In 2005... losers won... Winners lost... We crowned new legends... and said goodbye to old ones. A farm girl became an idol.... A taxicab became a think tank... A high-level negotiation became a really high-level negotiation. One Apprentice almost became two. Families were brought together. Partnerships were torn apart... And we all got proof positive... celebrities shouldn't sing. But they really can dance.
Don: Amen.
Jason H: =)
Chico: The year isn't over until we have our say, because now, January through December in the course of four hours...  from somewhere in America... 2005 ... is... ON!
Gordon: A happy holidays to all of you as we bring you the last WLTI of the year. Joining us is the TPIR grand poobah, Mr. Travis Schario.
Travis: Thank you, thank you. And I have news to share with all.
Jason H: Yes, share
Chico: What's that?
Travis: According to Roger Dobkowitz, and I have to check back in a couple of weeks, I may have a "Price is Right" internship next Spring or Fall!
Chico: YAY!
Don: Cool!
Jason H: I knew that, but yey!!!!
Travis: I'm still buggin' about it.
Gordon: Well, I have a surprise also to announce.
Chico: What's that?
Gordon: We'll get to it....after we announce our resident Millionaire recapper (and cool Canadian), Mr. Don Harpwood!
Don: Thanks. It's been quite the year, hasn't it?
Chico: Sure has... Still waiting on a Millionaire there, though.
Don: Yep.
Chico: And finally, there's the other half of the TPIR fandom contingent today, Jason Hernandez!
Jason H: *looks around* WHA? :-P
Chico: Fine. The Press Your Luck dancing guy :-)
Jason H: Whoohoo!
Chico: Check him out on Dancing with the Fanboys next year.
Jason H: :-P AND...AND....
Chico: AND?
Travis: ?!?
Jason H: Let's hope I get on Lingo for season 5, perhaps
Chico: That'll be hot.
Jason H: Yep; my sister and I.: Apparently, we're cute. :-P
Chico: Well, everyone's here. So we might as well start at the beginning... January 1. Nothing happened. :-)
Travis: No wonder this is gonna take four hours :-P
Jason H: January 2nd.. Anything happen there?
Chico: Nothing happened. But if you go about three weeks later, you have the beginning of the search for yet another superstar in what Gordon refers to as a holiday, American Idol
Gordon: It's a Idholiday
Jason H: Or what I call "American Idiot".: I have the sign to prove it. :-P
Chico: No, that's a decent Green Day album. :-)
Travis: Ah, Green Day.
Jason H: Which is what I might have if I get on Lingo, a VERY green day. :-P LOTS of green. *shakes head* Oh, Jason.....that was terrible. :p
Chico: Heh.
Jason H: Even for ME, that was awful.
Gordon: You know what else was awful?
Chico: What else was awful?
Gordon: January 5th - Who's Your Daddy!
Travis: BLECCH!!
Chico: Oh yeah. I was trying to hard to forget that.
Jason H: .......... *TO's agent* Next question....
Don: Ick. I heard about that, and got sick after finding out what it was about.
Gordon: Thus started a month of good - and not so good - debuts in January.
Chico: What started as an idea for 5 shows ended with just one. Thank God.
Gordon: What about Wickedly Perfect?
Chico: That SHOULD've ended with one.
Jason H: *nods*
Chico: But January wasn't all bad... Later that month we also got the best game to begin and end in 2005: Ultimate Film Fanatic 2.
Gordon: Ultimate Film Fanatic was fun.
Chico: Oh yeah. Just plain fun. You can't say that about many a show these days. Another show that was just plain fun to appear in January... ALLEZ CUISINE!
Don: Iron Chef America, right?
Chico: Iron Chef America yeah.
Jason H: Si, signor.
Chico: With one of the OGs of the Iron Chefs on board. Nice.
Don: Indeed.
Chico: Now in season 2, I think it has the legs to withstand as the Japanese edition did.
Jason H: We shall see.
Chico: Let's hope for the best. Also in January... My birthday. But that's another show :-)
Gordon: Also in January, the start of the Amazing Fix...I mean Race 7.
Chico: Aw, Gord, you're still on it?
Gordon: Karma my propeller-geared butt.
Jason H: AR7, a great one there. =)
Chico: Oh yeah. Now on DVD, I should add.
Gordon: Yeah yeah yeah. But on another note, we also saw the debut of Guillermo Huesca on Trato Hecho.
Jason H: *ding ding ding*
Chico: A very nice piece of work, indeed.
Jason H: It should have lasted longer, I thought.
Don: I definitely wanted to check that out, even though I don't get the station that it was on.
Gordon: We also had the debut of The Apprentice 3 and Survivor 10.
Jason H: Ew and ew
Chico: Ehh... on both accounts. Apprentice 3 was a suck job and Survivor 10 was just painful to watch.
Gordon: Survivor 10 wasn't THAT bad. The Apprentice 3 certainly was.
Chico: Oh yeah.
Jason H: It was THAT bad.
Gordon: Moving on...any action in February?
Chico: Distraction!
Jason H: w00t w00t!: It's such a guilty pleasure of mine.
Don: I had to wait a few months for the Comedy Network (Canada's version of Comedy Central) to start airing that one, but it was worth it in my opinion.
Chico: Based on the original British show with the original British host... and many of the same stunts.
Jason H: But deep down, it's still a game show with questions and answers.
Chico: It's just a game with a hook... a pretty deviant hook. Loved it. Can't wait for season 2.
Jason H: Me, neither. February also had some other hot action....um...may I, Chico? =)
Chico: You may.
Jason H: We also saw the beginning of the three-month saga known as the Ultimate Jeopardy ToC. There were some very juicy matchups those first couple weeks, too.
Chico: Ah yeah. We were just getting to that.
Jason H: I could read your mind, Chico. =)
Chico: What started as "The Quest for Ken" ended... as "Ken Taking One in the Ass", as we saw many of the great Jeopardy! players that ever were get a shot at $2 million.
Jason H: Yeah, it was awesome watching some of the greats kick some tail in that first month.
Don: Yep.
Jason H: Bob Harris, Dan Melia, and Jeff Richmond playing FJ by himself. :-P
Chico: Yeah, I don't think that's happened in a good long while. I could be wrong, of course. Still, for Jeopardy! fans, a treat indeed.
Gordon: Later on that year, we get Ken creating Quizzology (CD games), Can You Beat Ken Jennings (the Board Game) and a possible Ken Jennings TV Game Show...TBD.
Chico: Don't forget the Allstate and Cingular commercials.
Jason H: Ahh, but of course
Chico: Something with little substance AND appeal, however, was to come next... The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search, anyone?
Don: I missed that one.
Chico: Then came... Season 2 of Stump the Schwab.... I think it was season 2... Well, it was a new season.
Gordon: March didn't come roaring in like a Lion, but we did get to see a pilot from Bravo called Celebrity Pool. That morphed into a show we'd be seeing later on that year - Ballbreakers. We also saw the start of card play, as Poker Superstars Invitational started up.
Chico: Sweet.
Gordon: We also got Nashville Star 3 - and Bret Michaels. Screeeeeeeeeeam
Chico: Meh.
Gordon: Meanwhile, what event in October 2004 was a factor for game shows in April of 2005?
Chico: Gee... I don't know!
Jason H: Gee, I wonder. :-P
Chico: No seriously, tell me.
Gordon: I bet Don knows.
Jason H: Go, Don!
Don: Um... Ah, yes. The NHL lockout allowing ESPN to have room for a few game shows.
Chico: Oh yeah!
Gordon: Correct! Out - NHL. In - Teammates, Battle of the Gridiron Stars and Bowling Night.
Chico: And another season of Dream Job. Don't forget that...
Gordon: I'm trying to.
Chico: Heh. But aside from that, April was also bleh. Now MAY is when things REALLY start to pick up.
Gordon: We had a lot of action in May. The end of American Idol, the end of the Jeopardy TOC, and the end...of Street Smarts.
Chico: Congrats went out to Carrie Underwood, Brad Rutter, and Teresa Lee... with a heavy heart to the latter, because her great moment was Street Smarts' last.
Jason H: Yep yep
Don: Indeed.
Chico: And then there was Tom Westman taking the Palau season of Survivor, but again, nothing big about that.
Jason H: For me, best thing in May was watching those J players duke it out like nuts.
Chico: Couldn't have asked for a better matchup.
Jason H: Watching Frank Spangenberg dominate again for his two games.: But then one of the best matchups, Jerome Vered and Frank going at it. You couldn't have asked for better matchups.
Chico: Also happening in May, we have word that NBC is moving Fear Factor to midseason. Also, perhaps as a byproudct of the Jennings reign of terror, Jeopardy! wins the Emmy for Game Show. Meanwhile Meredith Vieira takes her first Emmy as host of Millionaire.
Don: That was sweet.
Jason H: Yey
Gordon: And for something completely different, we have...Ben Stein! He gives us a cute 5 week series called Game Show Moments Gone Bananas!
Chico: It was a cute salute to all things Fremantle ... Which means more Feud than you can shake a stick at.
Jason H: Don't make me shake my stick!
Chico: Put your stick away, JD, there are children present!
Jason H: Oh, hush. =)
Gordon: With June, we get the start of the Summer Slate - the very disappointing Summer that it was. Hit Me Baby One More Time - Bust. Fire Me Please - Bust. The Scholar - Bust. I Wanna Be A Hilton - Bust. The Law Firm - Bust. Rock Star - Bust. Strip Search - BIG Bust. Rock Star - Bust. The Cut - Bust.
Don: I'm still trying to forget Hilton.
Chico: At least we had three bright spots. Shall I?
Gordon: You may proceed
Chico: Okay, three bright spots. 1) Hell's Kitchen... Back next year. 2) Dancing with the Stars... Back next month. 3) Beauty & The Geek... Also back next month.
Jason H: ......well....we had two bright spots. :-P and then you had to go and try to create a third one. =)
Chico: What's wrong with Beauty & The Geek?
Gordon: It hits too close to home for Jason.
Jason H: ......anyway....
Chico: ... okay.
Jason H: There was a REALLY bright of the summer bright spot, even, and it didn't happen until August. =)
Gordon: And we'll get to that bright spot - AND my announcement....after the break.
Jason H: Awwwww. You pulled a HOWIE!!!
Gordon: (It's in the Spirit of Howie and Ryan, you know)
Chico: But first.... We had a lot of good people to come hang with us. They did... and then they left... but not without answering... 20 QUESTIONS!

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