Identity: Too Easy?

[Ian Wallis]

When the show first debuted I never thought I'd be asking this, but do you think Identity is too easy?  We've only had about 9 or 10 episodes, and we've already had three people win the $500,000 top prize.  If memory serves, I believe there was someone else who left with $250,000.  Even a couple of the people who have stopped have still named all the remaining ones correctly after the pressure's been off.

I'm all for the top prize being won occasionally, but I think it's happening too often on this show.

Anyone agree or disagree?

[JIANORAN]

i hope we will have 25 strangers instead of 12, so the top prize will be lifted to $1,000,000.

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'JIANORAN\' post=\'150183\' date=\'Apr 14 2007, 12:32 PM\']
i hope we will have 25 strangers instead of 12, so the top prize will be lifted to $1,000,000.
[/quote]
I hope that you and Bandit Bobby have a long and happy life together.

[tpirfan28]

Maybe you and Matthew Lesko would be better off together.

[davemackey]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'150182\' date=\'Apr 14 2007, 12:06 PM\']
When the show first debuted I never thought I'd be asking this, but do you think Identity is too easy?  We've only had about 9 or 10 episodes, and we've already had three people win the $500,000 top prize.  If memory serves, I believe there was someone else who left with $250,000.  Even a couple of the people who have stopped have still named all the remaining ones correctly after the pressure's been off.

I'm all for the top prize being won occasionally, but I think it's happening too often on this show.

Anyone agree or disagree?
[/quote]
My problem is that the friends and family of the contestant are offering help. I don't think it should be that way. If your family members know John Moschitta Jr. (citing a recent example) and you don't, then you should take the tumble for it. They're not the ones playing the game.

[chris319]

You have 12 men and women dressed in business attire and ask which is the lawyer, which is the stockbroker and which is the accountant, and the game will be unplayable. The game becomes playable when you dress the cowboy as a cowboy, the fireman as a fireman, and the rodeo clown as a rodeo clown. Therein lies the dilemma that makes the game too easy.

[Robert Hutchinson]

When I originally heard that the top prize was $500,000, I had the completely unsupportable thought that it was due to the producers knowing that the game was going to be relatively easy. As ridiculous as that sounds, I can't think of any reason other than the budget not to have the obligatory $1 million top prize. (That's from the "big money game shows are on fire!" mindset, mind you, and not any sane thought process.)

[chris319]

I can't think of any reason other than the budget not to have the obligatory $1 million top prize. (That's from the "big money game shows are on fire!" mindset, mind you, and not any sane thought process.)

You forget the "G.E. wants cheap reality programming" mindset.

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'150182\' date=\'Apr 14 2007, 09:06 AM\']I'm all for the top prize being won occasionally, but I think it's happening too often on this show.[/quote]A big win isn't special if it happens every week. That's something that these producers aren't getting.

Either the game is too easy, or the players that are being cast are really good at it. I don't know how you can be "really good" at matching twelve people with twelve facts about them, but the results speak for themselves.


[quote name=\'JIANORAN\' post=\'150183\' date=\'Apr 14 2007, 09:32 AM\']i hope we will have 25 strangers instead of 12, so the top prize will be lifted to $1,000,000.[/quote]"You've just won $500,000, and you have 13 strangers to go! You can either take home that $500,000, or risk it for $501,000 by playing Identity!"

Translation: Are you kidding me?

[PYLdude]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'150221\' date=\'Apr 14 2007, 11:02 PM\']
[quote name=\'JIANORAN\' post=\'150183\' date=\'Apr 14 2007, 09:32 AM\']i hope we will have 25 strangers instead of 12, so the top prize will be lifted to $1,000,000.[/quote]

"You've just won $500,000, and you have 13 strangers to go! You can either take home that $500,000, or risk it for $501,000 by playing Identity!"

Translation: Are you kidding me?
[/quote]

Travis...you do realize you're talking to the same guy who proposed that Wheel champions should be on the Jeopardy! ToC and the Game Show Triple Crown idea, right?

In other words...in one ear, out the other.

[TLEberle]

After watching some of the episodes that are available through nbc.com, I came to two conclusions.

1) The game is as easy as the producers want to make it. Front-loading of winners notwithstanding, whenever there was a big win, the Gallery of Strangers had either several easy-to-spot celebrities or people who could easily be tied to one of the identities. Add to that the fourth lifeline of Ask Your Friends, and it's not hard to win. When there were smaller prizes won, there were fewer gimmes. One of the recent games that ended early was the "record breakers and champions" consisting of several interchangeable strapping young men and nubile ladies.

2) The show pays people to reinforce stereotypes. When I heard someone on the Supporter's Circle say "Look at the guy with the afro! He's your Harlem Globetrotter!" This was confirmed. Whether or not those pairings are correct, saying that the cute young thing couldn't possibly be a prison guard or a pie eating champion does nothing but reinforce the stereotypes. Like I said.