Now that I've seen Chain Reaction and Starface in full

[whewfan]

The format: It's the same game, folks! I like how the final chain is a betting format, because the game really could go anywhere, and there's decent money at stake. I also feel the bonus game worked very well. A perfect score on Chain Reaction would be $96,600. Triple that amount and we're talking under $300,000. (Not that THAT's gonna happen!) The speed chains are a nice addition. Really it's just the Missing Link game with an extra word between.

Dylan Lane: Ok, he's not Mr. Excitement, and nobody could expect him to be the next Bill Cullen or Geoff Edwards. I think he does an ADEQUATE job... not great, but he really isn't that bad either. Let's give Dylan a few more shows to see if he gets more comfy.

I give Chain Reaction a C+. If Dylan could loosen up more, it would be better.

Starface:

The format: It's pop culture Q&A with tabloid-esque photos of celebs and questions that poke fun at them. The final round, the players put on a mask with a celeb's face on it and try to answer as the celeb. It's kind of silly, but it works.
The bonus game is the standard answer 10 in 60 seconds, using a variation of the "Dis or Dat" format from You Don't Know Jack.

Danny: Danny's voice may be a bit raspy for some, but I felt Danny was really good. He's funny, he's having fun with the show, and very loose with the contestants.

Overall I give Starface a solid A.

[clemon79]

You have a right to your opinion, but man, I couldn't agree with it less.

[Robert Hutchinson]

[quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'125957\' date=\'Aug 1 2006, 10:12 PM\']A perfect score on Chain Reaction would be $96,600. Triple that amount and we're talking under $300,000.[/quote]
How do you get that number? I get a perfect score of $3,600 after the first three rounds. It was mentioned elsewhere, I thought, that there is a $500 cap on each bet in the fourth round. That's $2,500 more, for a total of $6,100, which triples to $18,300. (I'm posting all these specific numbers so that someone will specifically refute them if they're wrong.)

And a question from the non-GSN-getting gallery: just how does the betting work? Every system I imagine seems to either limit the game weirdly (given the ability to move from one end of the chain to the other mid-word) or provide the potential for some extremely low scores ("I'm gonna bet $500 again, Chuck! MASQUITOS!"). Again, clarifications and corrections are adored.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'125972\' date=\'Aug 1 2006, 08:47 PM\']
And a question from the non-GSN-getting gallery: just how does the betting work? Every system I imagine seems to either limit the game weirdly (given the ability to move from one end of the chain to the other mid-word) or provide the potential for some extremely low scores ("I'm gonna bet $500 again, Chuck! MASQUITOS!"). Again, clarifications and corrections are adored.
[/quote]
Here's how it works: Same as the regular game, but when you ask for your letter, you must wager between $100 and $500 that you will give the correct answer.

You must ALWAYS wager.

It must at least be $100.

Even if you don't have the slightest intention of guessing. No answer = wrong answer, and you lose your bet.

If you get to the final word, and you're down by, say, a grand, and your opponents aren't total morons, you have already lost.

Yes, it's just as idiotic as you're thinking.

[Robert Hutchinson]

Wow. I've watched enough Chain Reaction to know that, the vast majority of the time, you are either really confident about a word or really unsure. This leads me to believe (giving the benefit of the doubt to the contestants) that the betting goes $100, $100, $100, (aha!) $500, $100, $100, (aha!) $500, etc. Were contestants actually betting $300 or $400 with no letters showing?

I'm trying not to even think about all of the money lost when you put CHAIN SMOKE/[R|ING] into the betting chain. Yeeeesh.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'125978\' date=\'Aug 1 2006, 09:15 PM\']
This leads me to believe (giving the benefit of the doubt to the contestants) that the betting goes $100, $100, $100, (aha!) $500, $100, $100, (aha!) $500, etc. Were contestants actually betting $300 or $400 with no letters showing?
[/quote]
Never. Played out exactly as you said. Except at the end when the guys were already way way out of it and they threw $500 out there on a lark, thinking that it would magically puff up into what they needed to catch up.

[mystery7]

As for Chain:

- Depending on the situation, Dylan Lane is either an android ("I need an answer") or a terrible ad-libber: "Frankly, the girls slaughtered you, but thanks for playing anyway."

- That's a set?

- Some things in a chain are more self-explanatory than others, but I'd still like to get the full briefing from the host at the end. And some viewers probably are that clueless. To say nothing of the contestants.

- I can take or leave the speed chains and the betting.

- Not having a second guess for "form of the word" really slows the game.

-And add me to the list of those not happy with the new "last letter" rule.

As much as I like the original Chain Reactions and was rooting for this one to be good, my money's on Starface being the hit of the hour.

[johnnyd1788]

I was personally expecting more from the two, and I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy them at least a little bit. I constantly felt like I was in a staring contest with Dylan during Chain.

I didn't understand how they could make the set of Chain Reaction make it so the contestant guessing the words in the bonus round had to wear an effing blindfold. And that cheap bell... ick. How would Go! work if they attempted at that? *shudder*

Just my opinion.

[joe_capitano]

CHAIN: I'm willing to give Dylan a pass (not that it's any help) - but not the rest of the game. I'd rather have wagering on the speed chains than the final round. Better yet, how about a "race to three" format. Once again, a classic game overtinkered with. Oh, the theme: file next to the commercial for that "Head On" stuff. Yuck.

STARFACE: Is it just me, or does Bonaduce look somewhat like Mitch Miller? Man, he's getting crusty - and he's not much older than I am. But, back to the game. OUTSTANDING! Love the set, the game pace is great, the "mask" round was a hoot, Bonaduce's brilliant here. Give me more.

[whewfan]

I didn't realize that the maximum bet in the betting round is $500... well my calculations were WAY off then.

I'm willing to give Chain Reaction at least one more chance. It's possible the show we saw was the first one taped, and we all know how that show went. From what Moe said, it seems the shows were better once he was on as a contestant.

I'm also glad that the episode with Dave on Starface was not aired as the premiere, but we'll see him eventually. For those that haven't seen the preview, Dave is DEFINITELY WAY OVER THE TOP, I don't think The Price is Right would even want him as a contestant. I have a feeling Dave was one of those players that somehow passed auditions, and then suddenly decided to belt out inane phrases once the show was taping.

[catnap1972]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'125974\' date=\'Aug 1 2006, 11:51 PM\']

If you get to the final word, and you're down by, say, a grand, and your opponents aren't total morons, you have already lost.

Yes, it's just as idiotic as you're thinking.
[/quote]

I'm also assuming that if one team loses all their money, the game is automatically over (or does the other team play against the house?)

[FlashStash]

[quote name=\'catnap1972\' post=\'126003\' date=\'Aug 2 2006, 07:32 AM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'125974\' date=\'Aug 1 2006, 11:51 PM\']

If you get to the final word, and you're down by, say, a grand, and your opponents aren't total morons, you have already lost.

Yes, it's just as idiotic as you're thinking.
[/quote]

I'm also assuming that if one team loses all their money, the game is automatically over (or does the other team play against the house?)
[/quote]

Your assumption is correct, the game is over.


FS

[tvmitch]

My fiancee, who has never seen any of the originals, watched the new CR with me last night. She is a solid "Gen-Y"-er who grew up on MTV, etc. And I said, you watch this and tell me what you think, because I've seen the originals and I really never liked them all that much. Except for Cullen.

She said she liked the show. And when I watched it from the perspective with her, I think it became a little more acceptable.

First and foremost, before any discussion of the show, I think it was the wrong show to put in a nighttime slot, especially for a show that targets the younger demos. I can think of 3 or 4 older word game formats that I think would have been better, and a couple that could have more compelling interactive elements.

We liked the first three rounds. The betting round was confusing. We both thought that the limits for betting should somehow increase by the end of the word, and that would create more tension. We also didn't like the speed chains. The idea is okay, but it should be 10 seconds, and they should have to fill in the words before time is up. And the chains should be worth double the money from that round or something.

But other than that, we had fun watching the show for that half hour. Dylan is somewhat useless at this point, but he'll get better. My fiancee thought that she might watch it now and again. (FWIW, she and I both love the new Secret.)

[FlashStash]

[quote name=\'mitchgroff\' post=\'126007\' date=\'Aug 2 2006, 08:16 AM\']
My fiancee, who has never seen any of the originals, watched the new CR with me last night. She is a solid "Gen-Y"-er who grew up on MTV, etc. And I said, you watch this and tell me what you think, because I've seen the originals and I really never liked them all that much. Except for Cullen.

She said she liked the show. And when I watched it from the perspective with her, I think it became a little more acceptable.

First and foremost, before any discussion of the show, I think it was the wrong show to put in a nighttime slot, especially for a show that targets the younger demos. I can think of 3 or 4 older word game formats that I think would have been better, and a couple that could have more compelling interactive elements.

We liked the first three rounds. The betting round was confusing. We both thought that the limits for betting should somehow increase by the end of the word, and that would create more tension. We also didn't like the speed chains. The idea is okay, but it should be 10 seconds, and they should have to fill in the words before time is up. And the chains should be worth double the money from that round or something.

But other than that, we had fun watching the show for that half hour. Dylan is somewhat useless at this point, but he'll get better. My fiancee thought that she might watch it now and again. (FWIW, she and I both love the new Secret.)
[/quote]

Finally, someone who gets that those who obsess over every little detail of the show is NOT the audience for this show.

This is not Shakespeare, it's a game show.

As for my opinions after seeing the final product, I do agree that the last letter should not be given...it's a "gimme", but I'll wait to see how often it happens (it didn't happen at all in our episode).  The betting is not all $100 or $500...and this was the first episode taped, and Dylan did seem to loosen up in later tapings, so I'll wait to judge his abilities until I see a few more episodes.

But if you want to make a predicition as to the "success" of this show, step back from the "game show geek" role and think about how the average Joe will view it.  They are the audience, not us.

FS

[bandit_bobby]

IMO, I think Chain Reaction is better, but only slightly. It has far more play-aliong value than Starface because I'm not totally an entertainment geek like some are. But that betting format on the final chain is kinda screwed up. I would have let the teams bet as much as they wanted on each word, with a $100 minimum. Danny Bonaducce is the better of the hosts, but he could tone it down a bit.