Author Topic: The Challengers (Read 20779 times)

bandit_bobby · « **Reply #15 on:** September 03, 2007, 10:58:14 PM »

If they hadn't changed it around so much, the show might have lasted a lot longer.

Neumms · « **Reply #16 on:** September 03, 2007, 11:01:00 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'162639\' date=\'Sep 3 2007, 09:23 PM\']
One of the things I always liked about The 3 W's is such a little thing in the grand scheme. The way the show was structured, no one ever had to buzz in to answer a question. It's not that I mind buzzers -- Jeopardy and SOTC are still two faves.
[/quote]

I also liked that it was trivia without buzzing in. Where the 3 W's was unique--in a way, it was Jeopardy with more jeopardy, or at least more wagering--the changes made for The Challengers only seemed to make it more conventional. Adding a bonus round was a promising idea, but they scrapped it early on, didn't they?

It seems simple enough for GSN to resurrect it--as long as the keep the betting action of Who What or Where. Mr. Greenburg, call 'em up, would ya?

leszekp · « **Reply #17 on:** September 03, 2007, 11:55:52 PM »

Great format, but Dick Clark ruined it for me - he kept on making too many mistakes, like giving an answer after a wrong response when the question was still open for responses by the other players.

I'm sure Mr. Fairey is celebrating this anniversary quietly at the Federal Penitentiary in Jesup, GA.

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'162600\' date=\'Sep 3 2007, 12:57 PM\']
How time flies. 17 years ago today, Don Morrow told us that it was Monday September 3rd 1990
and that Doak Fairey was on his way to an Ultimate Challenge worth $55000.
Man, that is a show that I miss.
[/quote]

PYLdude · « **Reply #18 on:** September 04, 2007, 12:11:06 AM »

[quote name=\'leszekp\' post=\'162647\' date=\'Sep 3 2007, 11:55 PM\']
I'm sure Mr. Fairey is celebrating this anniversary quietly at the Federal Penitentiary in Jesup, GA.
[/quote]

Okay...what did I miss?

dzinkin · « **Reply #19 on:** September 04, 2007, 12:20:52 AM »

[quote name=\'PYLdude\' post=\'162648\' date=\'Sep 4 2007, 12:11 AM\']
[quote name=\'leszekp\' post=\'162647\' date=\'Sep 3 2007, 11:55 PM\']
I'm sure Mr. Fairey is celebrating this anniversary quietly at the Federal Penitentiary in Jesup, GA.
[/quote]
Okay...what did I miss?
[/quote]
This and this (second link is a PDF). I didn't know about it either until Leszek mentioned it.

PYLdude · « **Reply #20 on:** September 04, 2007, 12:40:43 AM »

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' post=\'162650\' date=\'Sep 4 2007, 12:20 AM\']
[quote name=\'PYLdude\' post=\'162648\' date=\'Sep 4 2007, 12:11 AM\']
[quote name=\'leszekp\' post=\'162647\' date=\'Sep 3 2007, 11:55 PM\']
I'm sure Mr. Fairey is celebrating this anniversary quietly at the Federal Penitentiary in Jesup, GA.
[/quote]
Okay...what did I miss?
[/quote]
This and this (second link is a PDF). I didn't know about it either until Leszek mentioned it.
[/quote]

I have to shake my head on reading said pieces of information...considering the crap he pulled, I gotta agree with The Perf and say that he got off pretty easy.

MrBuddwing · « **Reply #21 on:** September 04, 2007, 12:53:15 AM »

[quote name=\'leszekp\' post=\'162647\' date=\'Sep 3 2007, 11:55 PM\']
Great format, but Dick Clark ruined it for me - he kept on making too many mistakes, like giving an answer after a wrong response when the question was still open for responses by the other players.
[/quote]

I guess there's an unwritten rule that the truly good game show host knows the game so well, you could swear he was the one who'd invented it.

Yes, I remember Dick Clark stumbled a bit on "The Challengers." That, I assume, is why they brought "The Judge" on camera as a kind of co-host.

And my sincerest regrets about how you were taken in by that con artist.

clemon79 · « **Reply #22 on:** September 04, 2007, 03:15:10 AM »

You gotta love the law enforcement agencies our tax dollars pay for.

/if you're gonna run a scam about a website, pick one that doesn't suck

Dbacksfan12 · « **Reply #23 on:** September 04, 2007, 03:42:37 AM »

[quote name=\'bandit_bobby\' post=\'162640\' date=\'Sep 3 2007, 09:58 PM\']
If they hadn't changed it around so much, the show might have lasted a lot longer.
[/quote]
I doubt this had much to do with it.

Anyhow...
The Challengers is how I learned about syndication. In our market, I seem to recall it airing on WOI at 4:30. On a family trip to Colorado that year, we got to the hotel (in Fort Morgan) late, and turned on the TV. There was the Challengers on TV at about 11:00 PM.

Great show...IIRC, it aired against Jeopardy! in our home market--I would always watch The Challengers over J!

Neumms · « **Reply #24 on:** September 04, 2007, 10:51:37 AM »

[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'162652\' date=\'Sep 3 2007, 11:53 PM\']
Yes, I remember Dick Clark stumbled a bit on "The Challengers." That, I assume, is why they brought "The Judge" on camera as a kind of co-host.
[/quote]

Dick didn't do much to bring out the contestants, either. He seemed better on "Winning Lines," having just watched that again the other day. I wonder if there was a ton of editing on that. Dick's still at his best with Vicki Lawrence, Dick Cavett or a bunch of dancing teenagers around.

DoorNumberFour · « **Reply #25 on:** September 04, 2007, 11:32:34 AM »

[quote name=\'TheInquisitiveOne\' post=\'162624\' date=\'Sep 3 2007, 06:52 PM\']
in the Chicagoland area, The Challengers actually complemented Jeopardy...that is, it served as the 3:00 PM lead-in to Jeopardy, so you had two quizzers back to back.
[/quote]

IIRC, Jeopardy and The 3 W's also aired back-to-back on NBC in the 60s and 70s.

tvmitch · « **Reply #26 on:** September 04, 2007, 11:59:46 AM »

For the longest time, I thought that The Challengers was an NBC daytime show because our local NBC affiliate, WGAL, aired the show. (Although I don't recall at what time...could have been 12:30?)

I'm not sure why I thought this, because WTXF in Philly (Fox affiliate) aired the show.

I loved the show as well, as much of it as I was able to see as I was around 10 at the time. I learned a lot about current events from watching the show, and it was very well done.

EDIT: WGAL aired the show at 10:30am, right before TTTT at 11am. Other interesting shows on air at the time from the Feb 91 ratings book:

TJW 90, WLYH, 9:30am
Feud, WLYH (then CBS), 10:30am, and WHP, 12 noon (both half hours)
TTD 90, WHP 5pm (I don't remember this whatsoever, and WHP followed it with Hard Copy of all shows.)
$100K Pyramid, WLYH 7pm (against Wheel on WHP)
Feud, 7:30pm WHTM (nighttime run against J! on WHP, WHTM ran Feud here for a number of years)

This would have been around the time that WHTM was shuffling Trump Card and MG90 in and out of their noon slot as well, but this ratings book shows them running Wapner at noon.

aaron sica · « **Reply #27 on:** September 04, 2007, 12:12:41 PM »

[quote name=\'mitchgroff\' post=\'162671\' date=\'Sep 4 2007, 11:59 AM\']
This would have been around the time that WHTM was shuffling Trump Card and MG90 in and out of their noon slot as well, but this ratings book shows them running Wapner at noon.
[/quote]

And that would be right....WHTM aired MG90 from its premiere up until Trump Card premiered, whenever that might have been (I'm thinking September 10 or 17). When TC tanked at midseason, the logical thing to do would have been to put MG90 back, but instead, People's Court aired instead. It aired up until mid-June, when they showed the ABC noon offering until it was discontinued (which was MG90 for another month or so, then "Home" when it expanded to 90 minutes).

clanky06 · « **Reply #28 on:** September 04, 2007, 12:50:07 PM »

Didn't I read that Ed Toutant was a Challengers contestant?

Here in LA I think it was on Channel 9 at noon.

I was fascinated by "The Judge." On the last show he revealed his name.

Laura Chambers, like so many "in the biz," is a Type-A personality, and developed painful muscle tensions and happened to go to my wife, a massage therapist at the time. Through Laura I was invited to participate in a Nova 25th Anniversary Special development effort. When I entered the room—there was "The Judge"! "Oh," I said to him, "you were the judge on The Challengers. Uh—Gary Nelson?" (Trying to remember his brief mention of his name on the show.) "Gary Johnson," he corrected.

There are so many other directions I could go on to at this point, but I'll save them for other threads!

tvrandywest · « **Reply #29 on:** September 04, 2007, 01:44:19 PM »

[quote name=\'clanky06\' post=\'162673\' date=\'Sep 4 2007, 09:50 AM\']
... "Oh," I said to him, "you were the judge on The Challengers. Uh—Gary Nelson?" (Trying to remember his brief mention of his name on the show.) "Gary Johnson," he corrected.
[/quote]
Gary is THE BEST writer/editor in the biz, and has earned his Producer Emmys at Jeopardy! After Challengers he and I worked together again at Trivial Pursuit. His lovely wife is in the biz as well.

Randy
tvrandywest.com