GSN 50 greatest game shows special...

[PYLdude]

[quote name=\'napanickg\' post=\'127754\' date=\'Aug 16 2006, 10:35 PM\']
[quote name=\'--Richard\' post=\'127743\' date=\'Aug 16 2006, 09:22 PM\']
[quote name=\'napanickg\' post=\'127737\' date=\'Aug 16 2006, 10:16 PM\']
i hope we get a davidson TPIR when that show comes up. i really doubt GSN could get the barker version, although that would be cool too.
[/quote]

Newsflash: GSN does have the Barker version of TPiR, they're just not allowed to air it. This is the reason I suspect TPiR may not be #1. As for Davidson, that was bad. Besides, that version is owned by Paramount or Viacom.
[/quote]


and replies like that are exactly why i lurk here instead of post...
[/quote]

Stick to it.

[Scott]

All right, steering the discussion back on track...

Good night tonight.  The Larson Reign of Terror is always a treat to watch.  Another fun night, as GSN seems to be following its pattern by delivering a good week.

[Ian Wallis]

Not really adding anything here, but each time I log on I can't believe how much this thread has grown.  We're already up to 94 pages and there's still 12 more shows to go.

I think we have a record-breaker here folks!!

[sshuffield70]

94??  Man, you should have adjusted the posts per page awhile back.  A good number of us are only on 44.

[Joe Mello]

If you could tell us how, that'd be nice.

You know, if you watch the show on Fast Forward, all the board patterns look the same.

[Ian Wallis]

94?? Man, you should have adjusted the posts per page awhile back. A good number of us are only on 44.

OK - I got it to 44 now.  It's the first time I've really played with any of the board settings - but I haven't really needed to up until now!

Edit:  to answer Joe's question, go to My Controls, Board Settings, and change the number of posts per page to 15.

[Joe Mello]

I was just on my way to rescinding my request.  I figured that a drop-down box like that would have a number and not a phrase ^^;

[chad1m]

I'm currently engaged in a bit of an argument. I'm fairly certain that the Larson episodes of PYL never aired in general, normal rotation on GSN. However, my opponent seems to believe it happened two or three times. Can any of my colleagues help me out?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'127779\' date=\'Aug 16 2006, 09:58 PM\']
I'm currently engaged in a bit of an argument. I'm fairly certain that the Larson episodes of PYL never aired in general, normal rotation on GSN. However, my opponent seems to believe it happened two or three times. Can any of my colleagues help me out?
[/quote]
Yes. You're both wrong. I think it's happened once before (outside of the Big Bucks specials.)

[chad1m]

I remember that this year or late last year GSN was nearing them and many people were excited for it, but they inexplicably skipped over them. But, if it has happened, then I feel stupid right now.

[MrBuddwing]

Darn! Forgot to tape (yes, I'm an old fogy who still uses tape).

I've seen the Larson episodes as part of the GSN documentary, but I was mildly curious how they looked when CBS trimmed them to fit two 30-minute slots.

One thing that still perplexes me, and maybe this isn't the board to bring this up, but here goes: I'm not 100% sure how PYL was *supposed* to work. I never really watched the show, and the Larson episodes are the only real chance I've had to see the gameplay, but one thing seems pretty obvious: The first 20 or so minutes of each episode never really counted. What the producers assumed, and what the contestants certainly expected, was for a "Whammy" to come up after several spins and erase a contestant's gains. (Larson, of course, found a way around that.)

So if, during the first 5 or 10 minutes of the show, a contestant hits the plunger and lands on money or some prize, of course the contestant squeals with delight - but a Whammy will inevitably take that prize away. It's as though all that ultimately counts are the last 10 minutes of the show, and whoever can accumulate just enough money and prizes will become the champion.

It seems to me a game show in which "only the last 10 minutes really count" is a fundamentally flawed concept, but given the popularity and longevity of PYL, what do I know.

Am I mistaken? Could someone enlighten me? (Could someone make a copy of ... all right, I know I'm not supposed to ask that here.)

[The Great EZE]

[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'127782\' date=\'Aug 17 2006, 12:19 AM\']
It seems to me a game show in which "only the last 10 minutes really count" is a fundamentally flawed concept, but given the popularity and longevity of PYL, what do I know.

Am I mistaken? Could someone enlighten me? (Could someone make a copy of ... all right, I know I'm not supposed to ask that here.)
[/quote]

Well you would certainly expect everybody getting at least one Wahmmy over the course of the game but that doesn't always happen.  As a matter of fact, I remember a run of a few episodes that aired on GSN a few weeks ago in which a champion retired with over $50K and I don't think he ever hit a whammy.

As for the argument of "the last 10 minutes really count," one could definitely say that.  But when you think about it, a lot of games have scoring systems in which the results of the early rounds are wholly irrelevant.  Off the top of my head, you've got your Body Language (actually, the entire scoring system for that kinda sucked), Family Feud (you really don't have to turn it on until the double/triple questions), Starface (but who really cites Starface for anything?), and any other show in which point values increase significantly as the game goes on.

And remember: the Whammy isn't just a "Go back to start" mechanism.  If you get 4, you're out of the game.  So getting two or three in the first round will definitely have an effect on the last ten minutes.

[PYLW]

Thumbs up tonight, good to finally see the Larson epsiodes without the documentary. It's looking to be a real good week, so far...

[Craig Karlberg]

All I can say about the Larson episode on Press Your Luck(#13) is WOW!  I always wondered how CBS handled a special case like this one.  Without the Big Bucks documentary to go along with it, it looked like an ordinary game show to me except this was no ORDINARY episode.  Definitely a one-of-a-kind show here.  This shows why Peter Tomarken was a master in his domain.  The way he created excitement & tension to go along with disbelief & illusionment certainly provided those magical moments.  Others may have come before or after it but this episode really showed its true colors not only on quality but charecter too.  I can now truly say I have fully experienced this amazing episode to its fullest without the extras.  GSN, by far, gave me the best episode yet with 12 more shows to go.

[SteveRep]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'127719\' date=\'Aug 16 2006, 09:07 PM\']
You really want TAR, which isn't a game show (though, admittedly, more of one than The $1.98 Beauty Show is) on this list? Seriously?
[/quote]
Of course not. It has no place in the top 40, much less the top 15. I don't want it in the list -- at least not at this point.

The circumstantial evidence presented a case that GSN could worm it in there. That's all.

That being said, I found myself in a state of 'ho-hum' watching the Larsen episodes. After you've seen the documentary, learned the background and how he did it, there's a touch of monotony to watch him run up the total.

Still would have rather seen an epic spin-passing battle.