[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'123047\' date=\'Jul 1 2006, 08:05 PM\']
It all depends on the show.
Wheel, Jep, Feud : A weeks worth in one day.
My ep of Weakest Link : 4.5 Hours.
Chain Reax should be done A LOT quicker than 3 hours. Short of a massive computer meltdown, there should be no excuse for this. Everything else : finding contestants with the right amount of pep ; host with least amount of mumbling ; audience with energy...should be taken care of before you press record.
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You basically hit the nail on the head. I can tell you what the issue was. The computer broke constantly. They didn't write enough bonus round words (Only 13, which was kind of dumb if you ask me). The male team of contestants talked over the host constantly. They had to redo simple cues constantly. We redid the opening at least 4 times. The most redos, about 6 or 7, was for Dylan saying "Congratulations ______ (for spoiler sake), you solved that chain. You get to play the first speedchain". The winning team didn't quite understand the mechanics of the bonus game as they messed up a lot. Tons of parts had to be refilmed.
The audience was also an issue. I was around a great group of TV workers and people who have been to many TV tapings. We understand how you're suppose to act. It took effort to get the rest of the audience to applaud or moan. When the stage manager has to tell the audience to moan if a team doesn't win the bonus round, that's a bad sign. I appreciate their efforts for perfection, but there needs to be a certain level of spontaneity.
I don't know if I mentioned this in the original post either, but on this version of the show, they WILL give you the last letter. I never saw the old version, but I believe that they wouldn't give it to you. Also, I figured that with Davies, the bonus round buzzer would have had some giant neon light pulsating through the center of the podium when you ring it. It's a simple bell you'd find on a hotel lobby desk. Just amazed me. Latest word is that Dylan is doing fine, so let's see how he does. I'm sure he would improve with time, but I'd rather see one of GSN's old hosts like Kennedy, Walberg, or Newton; someone with more experience; take this.