After watching the first episode of the US "Game Show Marathon," I decided to surf thru the message boards and blogs to see what other people thought, and I couldn't have been more appalled. So, I'm going to use this time and this column to allay concerns about the show, one issue at a time.
Issue #1: Ricki Lake
Granted, Ricki is no Bob Barker. But, honestly, who is? I was hearing complaints of her being "too excited." That, sir, makes no sense. If you had grown up watching these games all of your life, then you finally get a shot to M.C. the show that is so near and dear to your heart, you WOULDN'T be excited?? Personally, I would be giddy! Also, I heard mention of Ricki mentioning Rich "too many times" during the course of the show. Question: how many is too many? Bob either mentions or talks directly to Rich at least 6 times during the course of the show. Ricki may have gone 10 or 11 times. That's fine! There's nothing wrong with that! It shows a personal connection between host and announcer...much like Gene and Johnny or Richard and Gene.
Issue #2: Rich Fields
OK, we all know (if our ears were trained properly) that Rich did a lot of post-production announcing. With the kind of noise level that 400 people give off, combined with a bowl of a studio, it makes sense that some prize plugs had to be redone. I don't fault Rich for that. I believe he did a masterful job, just like every morning on TPiR.
Issue #3: The Celebrities
For a choice of celebrities, I'd say the producers made a mostly good effort...4.5/6.
Issue #3A: Lance Bass
Lance wore a "COLEGE" shirt on the show, as did several people he was seated next to in studio. Ladies and gentlemen, that was not "making fun" of "Price." That was a TRIBUTE to how "Price" truly goes. What day have you watched the show and NOT seen a group of college students in the audience (mainly the UC-Santa Barbara campus)?
Issue #3B: Leslie Nielsen
Personally, I'm a huge Leslie Nielsen fan, and it was good to see him doing this. I wasn't too thrilled about seeing him called last, but I look forward to seeing him in other episodes of the Marathon. On the boards, I heard people say that he looked "out of it" when bidding on the bubble chair. That was probably the 2nd or 3rd hour of a 4-hour taping session. Wouldn't you be out of it, too?
Issue #3C: Tim Meadows
I love the Ladies' Man! Granted, he didn't get a lot of "playing" time, being stuck in the Row, but he'll be around for more games later. I predict big things for Tim and the Chris Farley Foundation.
Issue #3D: Paige Davis
Ah, our Plinko player. I thought she played the game well, and her antics at the top of the board were funny...not guffaw-on-the-floor funny, but chuckle-because-no-one-has-ever-thought-of-doing-the-staircase-gag-behind-the-board funny. I thought it was awesome that they gave a Dell DJ Diddy MP3 player to everyone in the audience when Paige won her chip for that. Dude, I want a Dell (DJ Diddy MP3 Player)! I was sorry to see her spin double nickels (literally) and get knocked out of the Showdown.
Issue #3E: Kathy Najimy
Here's where my half-point comes in. Kathy played The Row well, but when it came to Hole In One, I thought she could have taken it a little more seriously. Also, her slumping over the Showcase podium was a tad dramatic...as was the $81,000 bid.
Issue #3F: Brande Roderick
Where do I start? First off, I feel she was the token hottie of the sextet. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, though. I think she could have been a little smarter about game play, however. Saying that, I've seen daytime contestants play Race Game worse than her, so I can't fault her for that. Also, being "confused" on whether she had to take the boat to Australia...that showed her true self.
Issue #4: The Edits
Any first episode of a new show is going to have a lot of edits. Just look at the first week of "Deal or No Deal." Edit City, right? Right. That's to be expected.
Issue #4A: The Hole In One Debacle
I know that it's supposed to be "...or Two." I know Kathy got the second putt. I know they edited it out. But, she MISSED the 2nd putt. Had she made the 2nd putt and it had been edited out, I would have been livid. However, if you "Price" students out there remember...Hole in One used to be ONLY ONE PUTT! So, editing out the 2nd putt, although a crass mistake in editing and directing, is somewhat justified.
Issue #5: The Games
I fully expected Plinko to come out. However, for the other two, I would have picked less-complex games. I'm going to stop the fanboys now before you say, "Well, those games are in the road show." I know that. However, the road show doesn't take place on the same lot as all the original game props! Had I been in charge of the games, I would have picked Let 'Em Roll, Plinko, and Danger Price. "But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong."
Issue #5A: Race Game
"$6495? They'd never do that in an MDS." This isn't a Million Dollar Spectacular. Stow it.
Issue #5B: Plinko
"$99? Not likely in daytime." This isn't daytime. Stow it.
Issue #5C: Hole in One
(see Issue #4A for this one) Stow it.
Issue #6: The Showcase Showdown "Fiasco"
Unlike many of my constituents out there, I was not confused by the outcome of the Showdown. If you consult the rulebook of the Endless Games 2nd Edition Price is Right home game, you'll notice that the rules for 3-player Showdown are almost IDENTICAL to those they played last night! I saw that on the show and thought, "That's how I wrote it in the home game!" Now, let me elaborate a little further. Kathy had 55¢ and stayed. Paige got a dime total, which couldn't beat Kathy and knocked her out of contention. At that point, for Brande, it was the "one-spin-to-try-to-get-a-dollar" situation. The top two scorers advanced to the Showcase, and with Brande tying 55¢, she didn't have to spin again.
Issue #7: The Showcases
A 1966 Mustang Convertible? Frickin' Random, but I LOVED it!! Overall, the Showcases were good. The "Time Machine" theme was fitting, seeing as how "Marathon" is its own time machine.
Issue #8: The Post-Mortem
As I stated earlier, I was appalled at the reactions I was seeing for this. People, you have to understand that this *WAS NOT* "The Price is Right." This was an HOMAGE to what Barker and his crew do on a daily basis in Studio 33. Do not discredit the entire Marathon because you didn't think that $6495 should have been played in Race Game.
In conclusion, here are my personal thoughts. They're doing Marathon for a reason...to get game shows back into the mainstream. Also, we the fanboys are not the target market for this. What we can do is help the ratings by watching EVERY EPISODE and messaging Fremantle, thanking them for putting the 5 shows in the middle BACK ON THE AIR! If you like these shows, contact Fremantle and let them know! Also, for those of you that don't know, I have built my college major around game shows. I have also founded and presided over a student organization here on campus celebrating game shows. If these shows get back on the air, that would open up an entire career field for me, and others like me.
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