Jason: OH geez.
Chico: Welcome back. I'm going through WLTI in 2006... of the 40 some odd episodes we did in 2000... Gordon only failed to mention American Idol once :-)
Gordon: How many times did I mention Bai Ling?
Chico: Many. This is the WLTI 2006 Year in Review. We're taking you on a trip back in time and you don't even need a 50s style British police box. Coming up next, July onwards. First up, the WLTI crew invade LA AGAIN for Game Show Congress 5. A lot of good stuff happened.
Jason: Including our 2nd live broadcast!
Chico: GETTING THERE!
Gordon: And a fun time was had by all...again. Some people more than others, as our own Aaron Huertas takes over $3,000 worth of goodies from Bob Barker.Jason: Go Aaron!
Chico: The TTD reunion was pretty sweet. With Thom McKee going up in one grudge match against our own Game Show Man.
Don: Cool!
Chico: Peter Marshall and game show agent Mark Itkin were also honored for their service to the genre.
Jason: Great to see Rose Marie and Betsy Palmer there.
Chico: Sure was. On the camaraderie front, we had the third annual Game Show Tournament. Who won this one, you remember?
Gordon: I do indeed.
Chico: ... you want to say it?
Gordon: I think so.
Chico: ...  ... Well?
Gordon: We have Jeff Suchard, Julie Suchard, David Legler, and Steve Kastenbaugh.
Jason: Navy guy if I remember right.
Gordon: The 4 of them combined have won a lot of money.
Chico: Thanks. But anyway, the stage is set for GSC6 with Wink Martindale being honored, GST4, and WLTI Live Show 3.
Gordon: Not to mention the requisite travels to Disney, TV tapings, a miniature golf rematch (which I know some people want to dethrone me), and other fun stuff. Its never too early to plug this - The Game Show Congress is tons of fun.
Chico: Start saving your nickels, kids.
Don: I've started saving up.
Jason: Alright!
Chico: If Gordon will let me, I'm going to be pulling double duty as host and contestant. Hopefully they'll have 1 vs. 100 auditions that don't require you to write a novel in order to get in the door. While we were there, we learned of four shows... two would premiere in August, the other two... were still in planning stages. Meanwhile, the two shows that would premiere in August, both on GSN... First one... "It starts with word, there's a G underneath.."
Jason: Chain Reaction!
Chico: One of the better non-Playmania shows to come from the Network for Games.
Jason: Good stuff. Reason enough it warranted a season 2.
Chico: Yep. Dylan Lane started out as your stereotypical 20ish presenter, good looking, but stiff as a board.
Jason: He grew into the role.
Chico: Then once he got into it... well,... we're still waiting for him to really get into it, but he's not as rigid as he once was.
Gordon: Dylan grew into the role. However, hopefully, the game (especially the bonus round) will be tweaked.
Chico: The other game.. Starface.. Which was pretty wild from the get go.
Gordon: Wild? No. Stagnant? Yes.
Chico: It's no secret that this was Danny Bonaduce's first hosting role, but he fit the party atmosphere of the series. Unfortunately, it didn't really go anywhere.
Jason: For what it was...it wasn't horrible. But it wasn't good enough.
Chico: This was supposed to be the Best Week Ever of game shows... It wasn't horrible, but it didn't really bring anything new to the party.
Gordon: Bonaduce couldn't save this. It was straight by numbers trivia. No strategy and no deviation. Another show that had these same issues will be showing up in a few months and will also meet the same fate.
Chico: It was cut back on the GSN schedule, and... well, the rest is history.
Jason: See ya.
Chico: The other two we learned about? A revival of a classic and a new show whose pilot was circulating the trading circuit for what seems like ages.
Gordon: That would be the revival of The Joker's Wild and the hope to soon see Combination Lock
Chico: Both are targeted for fall of 2007. But both are still very much in the planning stages. The one thing we do know.. Sony is aiming for HD.
Travis: Gold.
Don: Should be interesting to see how those turn out.
Jason: We saw the taping of this in July...but Sony debuted Jeopardy and Wheel in HD on Sept. 11.
Chico: And everything sparkled with newness.
Jason: Beautiful.
Travis: Even BANKRUPT sparkled!
Chico: Tell me about it! Anything to wash the stench of Unan1mous out of our mouths. There, I said it.
Jason: Nasty.
Don: Heh.
Gordon: JD Roth is very talented. We got The Biggest Loser and Endurance out of him. Not everything is great. Sometimes you get golden eggs and sometimes you get poop.
Jason: This was poop.
Chico: Speaking of bad reality... again. We were treated to an "all-star" version of Big Brother, which, if nothing else, gave us the famous "I hate all of you" diatribe. It got me through many a night at work.
Jason: LOL
Chico: Yep... And then there's Rock Star Supernova... which was just a disaster to begin with.
Gordon: but at least it was a disaster that finished the season. Meanwhile, we had a disaster that didn't get past week #2.
Chico: The One! With George Stromboli!
Jason: Snuffleupagus.
Chico: Mmmm... stromboli
Gordon: 4 Episodes, 3 bad plotlines, 2 weeks and 1 crappy show than ended mercifully.
Travis: and a partridge in a pear tree.
Gordon: it makes dubious history as being the first live musical competition show in the US that ends without a champion.
Chico: It's now the joke Harlemm Lee makes. And if you thought the backlash was bad here... Don... how bad was it up in your neck there?
Don: One Peter Mansbridge, trusted CBC newscaster, didn't like how The One was pre-empting news program The National.
Chico: Not only a reality show on the CBC... but a reality show from America.
Don: He had to be relieved upon hearing of its cancellation, though.
Chico: Him and everyone else. Canadian version still possible?
Don: As far as I know, not a chance.
Chico: Meanwhile, our Latino version "Objetivo Fama" returns in February on the network that brought us "Que Dice La Gente"... Telefu-TU-ra. Good show, that Que Dice la Gente..
Gordon: Are they the same group that will be bringing a revival of The Hollywood Squares?
Chico: Nope.
Jason: Thats Spain's Channel 5 or 6
Chico: But while we're having a Feud in South Florida, Bob Saget was signed to host a new series for NBC... "1... vs. 100!" Debuting in October, it became a new favorite.
Jason: A nice companion to Deal.
Chico: And quite deservedly so.
Gordon: Not only a nice companion piece, but a nice change of pace. We finally get a primetime trivia show to test our intelligence against
Chico: And it was deceptively easy. Example question... "Who was the first President of the United States?" "The one from Virginia, the one from Massachusetts, or the one from Pennsylvania"
Don: Some creative writing, there.
Travis: Although the phrasing of the questions was a tad obscure.
Jason: I like it :-)
Chico: Very creative.
Travis: Very indeed.
Chico: That summer also gave us The World Series of Pop Culture, returning... Who Wants to Be a Superhero, returning... anything else?
Gordon: Top Chef 2
Chico: Project Runway 3.
Jason: Next Food Network Star 3
Chico: Iron Chef America 3.
Gordon: Reality Shows featuring dream jobs = good
Chico: We also got news that Endemol was enlisted by many to find the next Deal or No Deal.. Among other companies. Let's see how that search turned out... Rich List... gone after a week. Show Me the Money... gone after a month. Set for Life... still waiting on a date for that.
Gordon: Identity...not gone. The ratings are good for this show, so expect it to return.
Jason: It wasn't terrible. But not appointment TV.
Chico: We'll await official word from NBC. For all intents and purposes, given NBC's restructuring plan, do expect it to return. Remember, NBC wants reality Friday-Wednesday at 8.
Gordon: I think my issue with the show is that it's a good syndicated show, but not a good primetime show.
Chico: It would work on GSN. It's low-profile, straightforward... no pretense... And that episode with Maurice Greene, Stan Lee, and Phire Dawson was the stuff that dreams are made of.
Gordon: I like Penn Jilette in the role, but the game is too slow, the Lifelines are too generic and the lineup of the people is too awkward to make any good impressions if you are playing at home. I personally liked it when Bruce Jenner was labeled as a ventriloquist.
Travis: That was great. Classic moment.
Gordon: We did, however have one $500,000 winner who played the game perfectly and cleanly.
Chico: He knew his stuff.
Don: Indeed.
Chico: Meanwhile, to wind up the summer, we have Wheel, Jeopardy!, and Millionaire back... and a new Feud with a new 'tude, thanks to John O'Hurley
Travis: Boo yah!
Jason: Yeah baby!
Chico: The first respectable Feud host in its current run... and it took only eight years. Go figure.
Travis: ONLY 8 years.
Chico: As for Millionaire, thanks to Meredith moving to NBC, we get the biggest syndie numbers since the premiere.
Jason: Couldn't happen to a nicer...or more competent woman.
Chico: Meanwhile, a week later, Bob Barker begins his 35th... and what will ultimately be his final... season on TPIR.
Travis: And I...was there.
Chico: Working.
Gordon: Amazing stuff, Travis, no?
Travis: Completely. The best season premiere I've seen in studio.
Jason: This is the biggest story of the year. This rocked the game show world and the entertainment world in general. The season premiere saw a double showcase win to the tune of over $147,000!
Travis: $147,517 thanks to Vickyann.
Chico: Yep. A move not seen since.
Travis: Biggest winner on daytime "Price" by more than $50,000. $50,387 to be exact.
Gordon: I believe that is the biggest win in Daytime Price is Right History, no?
Chico: Kee-rect. Almost $300,000 in stuff was given on opening day. But that was nothing compared to what would happen later that year.
Travis: There is a primetime special scheduled to celebrate Barker's 50 years in TV to be taped in Mid-April in Studio 33.
Chico: Sounds cool. Bob Barker post announcement after 1 minute: let the speculation begin! So far, the declassified shortlist of candidates has two names on it. Dave Price... and John O'Hurley.
Travis: There's a third name on that short list.
Chico: Declassified?
Travis: It will be as soon as I say it.
Chico: At liberty?
Travis: It basically is DC'd now, if you're smart enough.
Chico: ... alright. I'll bite. #3 is...
Travis: Current "Price" announcer and all-around nice guy Rich Fields.
Jason: Yes!
Chico: Of course! So he did throw his hat into the ring then.
Travis: As soon as Barker gave him his personal backing and blessing, yes. Mind you, Rich is the ONLY ONE that Barker is personally backing.
Jason: Hey now! That puts him in the position of being the favorite, in my opinion.
Chico: So we have the network favorite... the production company favorite... and the host's scion.
Jason: That's an interesting triple threat championship match.
Chico: Which one will emerge as the new beacon of CBS' daytime? Stay tuned.
Travis: All those for Rich, please shout Huzzah! Huzzah!
Chico: HUZZAH!
Gordon: As a fellow journalist, I must keep my unbiased integrity.
Travis: At least Chico is openly on my side. Thank you, my Panamanian brother..
Gordon: But I'll just say any other choice besides Fields blows. Chunks.
Jason: ROTFL!
Travis: Poor Chunks.
Chico: Okay, unbiased integrity out the window, because Survivor's next. This year, a bombshell or not, really.
Jason: More of a fizzle.
Chico: The four tribes were divided among racial lines....  for like two episodes.
Jason: Dumb. If you wanted to do it...do it all the way. This was way half-assed.
Chico: Then the merge into two, then it became "Yul Kwon Kills Everyone Regardless of Race."
Jason: One of the best Survivor players in a while.  Find the immunity idol in the early episodes and play it to your advantage.
Chico: Oh but yes.
Gordon: But here's the thing - Yul didn't NEED that idol.
Chico: He just played it mentally.
Gordon: He did - and it paid off.
Chico: From a big player to a small game... Sure it's a puzzle/trivia hit in
Europe, but would it be able to fly on American TV... on GSN, no less? "That's the Question." The answer... no.
Gordon: Maybe if you Americanized it, it would work. They didn't, and in turn, it didn't.
Chico: Yes, and yes. See what happens when you don't hire union writers?
Jason: Repeats repeats repeats
Chico: Paul Bunyon taking hydrogyn while listening to Wesley Snipes saying "Always bet on the black." Could be worse, though. Could be William Shatner.
Could be Show Me the Money
Travis: The pain...oh, the pain!!!
Chico: Moral of the story: it has to be REALLY bad if Fox doesn't want it.
Gordon: Too bad the Killer Card couldn't be used on the show any earlier
Chico: Yeah..
Travis: The *shudder* Killer Card... which wasn't a frickin' card at all.
Chico: No. It was a scroll. At least there's Dancing to fall back on.
Travis: Yeah...Shatner's dancing.
Chico: Speaking of falling :-) Later, GSN, having success with Anything to Win, applied the documentary format to two game show stories: Match Game and Chuck Barris. Both were met with raves.
Jason: And the documentaries will continue in January :-)
Chico: And it will be good.
Jason: And high ratings too.
Travis: I'm sure we'll be looking forward to it.
Jason: I may have something to promote in the next week or two :P
Chico: Then comes Stack the Deck on TPIR and Celebrity Jeopardy!... both had their moments of greatness and mediocrity. One more so than the other.
Travis: Stack the Deck is probably one of the better games that has come down the pike in a great long while. Granted it bumped Hole in One out of the lineup for a few weeks, but still.
Chico: Oh yeah. It's perfect. You get the product plug game and the car game out of the way at once.
Gordon: Not only that,but there's enough strategy that you could win the car even if you screw up
Chico: I think Stack the Deck is a keeper.
Travis: 25 point bonus for the crowd... Who knows the creative mind beind StD?
Chico: Mandel Ilagan?
Travis: Nope.
Chico: Jay Lewis?
Jason: The Dob?
Travis: Hint will drop the value to 20.
Gordon: Travis Schario?
Chico: It was Rachel's idea wasn't it?
Travis: Someone currently involved with the day to day production of the show.
Chico: I figured she was the smartest one of them :-)
Travis: And not Roger. Not Rachel either.
Chico: Phillip?
Travis: And I was not permitted to submit game ideas. Phil quit three years ago.
Chico: Oh.. durrr.
Gordon: Barker??
Travis: No, but his game will debut next month! Final guesses anyone?
Chico: I... got nothing
Travis: "Price" director Bart Eskander.
Chico: AH!.
Jason: Oh wow!
Chico: Makes sense now. I don't know how, it just does. :-) We end the year with five Identity's, and two more J! giants. Christian Haines and Steve Unite were both unstoppable during their runs.
Travis: ...until they were stopped.
Chico: ... yeah.  I can envision a final next May with Steve, Christian and a 3-timer to be named later. It will be a dead heat. And good times will be had by all. Both of these guys have a lot in common.
Gordon: And that...ends 2006, unless there's anything else we neglected to mention.
Chico: And if there is, well, you can always mail us later. Right now, we have a break, though.
Jason: We have more?
Gordon: When we come back, we get the news of the present and the shows of the future.
Chico: This is the WLTI 2006 Rewind... Beyond game shows. Beyond technology... Beyond belief.

IN LOVING MEMORY...

JUNE ALLYSON
Actress, was a What's My Line Mystery Guest four times

JAMES BROWN
"The Godfather of Soul", was a What's My Line Mystery Guest

FRANKLIN COVER
"The Jeffersons" actor, was on "Tattletales" with TV wife Roxie Roker

MIKE DOUGLAS
Talk show host, sang on "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge"

MIKE EVANS
"The Jeffersons" actor, panelist on "Match Game"

PRESIDENT GERALD FORD
38th President of the United States, was a What's My Line Mystery Guest

PHYLLIS KIRK
Actress, panelist on "Missing Links"

DARREN McGAVIN
Actor, "Password" semi-reg

JAN MURRAY
Comedian, hosted "Treasure Hunt"

CARRIE NYE
Actress, panelist on "We Interrupt This Week"

TOMMY OLIVER
Bandleader for "Face the Music" and "Name That Tune"

BUCK OWENS
Country legend, "Match Game" panelist

BOB PAPPENBROOK
Voice actor, contestant on "Greed"

JACK SAMETH
Producer of "Down You Go"

DR. FRANK STANTON
Former President of CBS, defended medium in the wake of quiz show scandals

RALPH STORY
Broadcaster, host of "The $64,000 Challenge"

PETER TOMARKEN
Host of "Press Your Luck", "Wipeout", and "Paranoia"

CHARLIE WILLIAMS
Comedian, Host of "The Golden Shot"

SHELLEY WINTERS
Actress, "Match Game" panelist

JANE WYATT
Actress, was a What's My Line Mystery Guest