Shows that taped despite technical problems...

[whewfan]

Here's something you'll never see on game shows today... games that tape anyway despite technical problems. Can you think of any game show that had some technical problem and taped anyway? (Besides TPIR)

Scrabble 93- The stopper stop signs did not work in the first few episodes of Scrabble, so there was no way for the audience to keep track of how many stoppers were picked. On another funny ep., the board did not open.

Jeopardy!- I seem to remember that the new podiums had lights that didn't light up, and that was eventually fixed.

Super Password- On one occasion, the scoreboards didn't work, and they kept score via cue cards.

Family Feud Dawson- The fast money board broke, and it was played on a cue card.

Pictionary- The scoreboard was clever, but sometimes the beads would get caught, and Brian Robbins joked that you can never rely on the scoreboard.

Match Game- The lights went completely out on at least two occasions (once on MG 77, and once on Richard's final MG PM)

Family Feud Combs- As discussed, the strike indicators broke, and strike paddles were used.

This wouldn't count as a technical PROBLEM, but on one occasion on Davidson HS, when they dismantled the set to go to Florida (which made no sense, since they obviously had a different set in Florida) they kept it dismantled, and the celebs stood on risers and had X and O cards (which they did use if the lights stopped working)

[davemackey]

[quote name=\'whewfan\' date=\'Mar 2 2006, 05:52 AM\']This wouldn't count as a technical PROBLEM, but on one occasion on Davidson HS, when they dismantled the set to go to Florida (which made no sense, since they obviously had a different set in Florida) they kept it dismantled, and the celebs stood on risers and had X and O cards (which they did use if the lights stopped working)

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The strong natural lighting precluded the use of the regular lighting apparatus, and the oranges-water skis cards were a nice tropical touch.

At various points in the 70's, NABET technicians staged walkouts at all three networks and a number of episodes of their game shows were taped with management personnel manning the cameras. Not really technical problems, but those shows were just barely broadcastable, because the managers weren't as skilled as the regular crews.

[dzinkin]

MG/HS Hour - During one show's HS portion, one celebrity's "X" started flashing.  Jon Bauman joked that "we don't allow flashers on our show" and went to a commercial.  When the show resumed, ALL of the symbols were off and the celebrities crossed their arms in front of themselves for an "X" or joined their hands over their heads for an "O."

Davidson HS - I recall at least one regular show (not final-week or pre-Florida trip) in which all of the celebrities used the X/O cards because none of the symbols would light up.  JD said that it was due to a technical problem.

[BrandonFG]

Don't know how "techincal" it is, but Bob's kicked some of the TPiR games. I think he kicked Squeeze Play twice when it didn't wanna reveal. :-)

[aaron sica]

I can remember some lights on the Showcase podiums (podia?) on TPiR having problems occasionally.

And although not really a technical problem, I seem to remember an episode of Liar's Club on USA where the contestant maxed out the display and they had to tape a "1" on the left end. Too few solari's, I suppose.

[dmota104]

[quote name=\'whewfan\' date=\'Mar 2 2006, 05:52 AM\']Family Feud Dawson- The fast money board broke, and it was played on a cue card.

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I recall toward the end of a main game of the syndie version with Richard, the whole scoring system froze.  

In other words, when a contestant would match an answer in the survey, the answer would flip with the accompanying "clang" -- but its money value wouldn't be added to the bank.  Further, when a round ended, the "giving lights" (from the bank to a family's score) would work -- but the appropriate addition couldn't be made on the scoreboard.

I think all was fixed by Fast Money.


Also, on MTV's Remote Control, technical difficulties to a player's scoreboard readout would occur every now and then.  Ken Ober would make some remark something to the effect of "we're keeping score in Japanese".

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Mar 2 2006, 07:32 AM\']

And although not really a technical problem, I seem to remember an episode of Liar's Club on USA where the contestant maxed out the display and they had to tape a "1" on the left end. Too few solari's, I suppose.

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Pat had to write in a 1 and display it on the left of the players two and three day total readouts on a couple on occasions on Syndie WOF when a player cracked $100K before their third bonus round.

I suspect that was the incident that caused the rules to change to a $100 maximum bet per round, assuming the player had more than $100.

The 1988-89 version of LC had a similar rule, but despite the score possibly going over 1000, they only had three digits on the contestant readouts.

[GSFan]

If I am not mistaken, Mike Gargiulo won an Emmy for directing an early 1976 episode of The $20,000 Pyramid in which the lights were out on the big board for the entire show.

[Ian Wallis]

More from Davidson "Squares":  one episode Joan Rivers square just wouldn't light up - the other 8 were fine.  They did the show anyway and no mention was made.  By the next show everything was back to normal.

[zachhoran]

No one has yet mentioned the out-of-sync lights, etc. from Face the Music, but they pressed on despite those.

[sshuffield70]

This probably doesn't count....but I recall a Combs Feud where power had gone out just before a faceoff and the families returned (and taping resumed) on the next tape day.  The show did make air.

[Clay Zambo]

[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Mar 2 2006, 07:32 AM\']I can remember some lights on the Showcase podiums (podia?)

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Neither.  They're lecturns.  A podium is something you stand ON.  A lecturn is something you stand AT or BEHIND.

EDIT:  Or not. dictionary.com lists "a lecturn" as a second definition for "podium."  So I stand self-corrected, but no longer on my grammatical soapbox.  Or podium.  Sorry.

[Adam Nedeff]

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Mar 2 2006, 06:24 AM\']MG/HS Hour - During one show's HS portion, one celebrity's "X" started flashing.  Jon Bauman joked that "we don't allow flashers on our show" and went to a commercial.  When the show resumed, ALL of the symbols were off and the celebrities crossed their arms in front of themselves for an "X" or joined their hands over their heads for an "O."

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Showing that MG/HS wasn't entirely familiar with Ocham's Razor. If only the celebrities all had something like large index cards and magic markers that could create an X and O that would easily be visible from the short distance where the contestants were seated...

[GS Warehouse]

I recall one Double Dare Obstacle Course in 1987 where on the on-stage clock wasn't working.  I don't know where the clock we saw on-screen was from another display or was added in post-production, but the team did complete the course in :53.  And there was more than one Physical Challenge where Marc called to stop the clock because a contestant's headgear was falling off.

[Brandon Brooks]

[quote name=\'whewfan\' date=\'Mar 2 2006, 05:52 AM\']Here's something you'll never see on game shows today... games that tape anyway despite technical problems. Can you think of any game show that had some technical problem and taped anyway? (Besides TPIR)

Jeopardy!- I seem to remember that the new podiums had lights that didn't light up, and that was eventually fixed.

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I remember this happening twice--when they rolled in the sushi set and when they rolled in the current set.

Brandon Brooks