Author Topic: Double Dare (Read 5846 times)

Neumms · « **on:** October 16, 2007, 05:08:26 PM »

Watching it regularly for the first time, it seems to me that the Spoiler clues are way too easy, where the game becomes more of a Jack Barry/Slay the Dragon luck thing than any skill involved for the civilian. Does anyone agree, or remember that they made them tougher as the show went on? Or if they went to more pop culture answers that would humorously escape the scholars' attention?

Spoiler spoiler (from Sunday night/Monday morning's episode)

[color=\"#FFFFFF\"]I was shocked the third Spoiler didn't get it from the Jung/psychoanalysis clue.[/color]

Mr. Armadillo · « **Reply #1 on:** October 16, 2007, 06:17:20 PM »

No.

There has to be a good spread in difficulty among the clues, otherwise the whole 'give or pass' exercise becomes pointless. As such, you run the situation where you might have to give an 'easier' clue to the Spoilers.

And, as your example proves, not every Spoiler knows everything about everything. Remember, they only had to stump one of them. If the clues were any harder, it would be way too easy to do that.

Steve McClellan · « **Reply #2 on:** October 16, 2007, 07:01:24 PM »

[quote name=\'Mr. Armadillo\' date=\'Oct 16 2007, 03:17 PM\'] No. [/quote]
I disagree. The episodes I've seen, there hasn't been much of a spread - really easy to easy-to-moderate. You can't avoid giving them multiple easy clues. It's basically just a matter of passing on the very easy ones and hoping one of them is ignorant enough of the subject to miss after four easy clues.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #3 on:** October 16, 2007, 07:54:54 PM »

Well...every show has a budget. They probably didn't want a win in every end-game...that's one way of looking at it.

mmb5 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 16, 2007, 10:32:35 PM »

Cut them a little slack, that was episode #6. They're probably still getting a feel for how to write these things. Although if I was the player, I would have given the movie clue.

--Mike

JasonA1 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 16, 2007, 11:11:52 PM »

Yeah, if the finale is any indication, the utterly obvious passes remain, but you'll get a few more clues some place in the middle that the contestant has to decide on. I'm surprised more people with episodes haven't chimed in.

-Jason

Neumms · « **Reply #6 on:** October 17, 2007, 01:27:44 AM »

[quote name=\'Steve McClellan\' post=\'167029\' date=\'Oct 16 2007, 06:01 PM\']
The episodes I've seen, there hasn't been much of a spread - really easy to easy-to-moderate. You can't avoid giving them multiple easy clues. It's basically just a matter of passing on the very easy ones and hoping one of them is ignorant enough of the subject to miss after four easy clues.
[/quote]

I'm glad I'm not the only one--there are harder clues in the front game than ever appear on the Spoilers board. And they're not exactly going for obscure names--Mozart and Freud for example. They could have at least chosen the second most famous psychologist in history rather than the first.

But it's a good point, these are still the first two weeks. (Not that that didn't keep us from savaging Merv's new show.)

clemon79 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 17, 2007, 03:58:45 AM »

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'167080\' date=\'Oct 16 2007, 10:27 PM\']
But it's a good point, these are still the first two weeks. (Not that that didn't keep us from savaging Merv's new show.)
[/quote]
Apples and oranges. Questioning the quality of the material is very different from questioning a format that is just plain broken.

Mr. Armadillo · « **Reply #8 on:** October 17, 2007, 12:06:39 PM »

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'167080\' date=\'Oct 17 2007, 12:27 AM\']
[quote name=\'Steve McClellan\' post=\'167029\' date=\'Oct 16 2007, 06:01 PM\']
The episodes I've seen, there hasn't been much of a spread - really easy to easy-to-moderate. You can't avoid giving them multiple easy clues. It's basically just a matter of passing on the very easy ones and hoping one of them is ignorant enough of the subject to miss after four easy clues.
[/quote]

I'm glad I'm not the only one--there are harder clues in the front game than ever appear on the Spoilers board. And they're not exactly going for obscure names--Mozart and Freud for example. They could have at least chosen the second most famous psychologist in history rather than the first.
[/quote]
Yeah, but how many TV viewers would know who the second most famous psychologist is?

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #9 on:** October 17, 2007, 12:37:03 PM »

Part of the fun, as I recall (I haven't been watching the latest run) was watching the educated men of letters in the "spoiler" booths get tripped up over what would otherwise seem to be staggeringly easy pop culture stuff. And yes, as with any Q&A show, some question sets are going to be easier than others. I don't think it's any great indictment against the show that we've seen a handful of easy ones in the early episodes.

clemon79 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 17, 2007, 01:00:31 PM »

[quote name=\'Mr. Armadillo\' post=\'167110\' date=\'Oct 17 2007, 09:06 AM\']
Yeah, but how many TV viewers would know who the second most famous psychologist is?
[/quote]
You mean, behind Dr. Phil?

Neumms · « **Reply #11 on:** October 17, 2007, 01:22:03 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'167116\' date=\'Oct 17 2007, 12:00 PM\']
[quote name=\'Mr. Armadillo\' post=\'167110\' date=\'Oct 17 2007, 09:06 AM\']
Yeah, but how many TV viewers would know who the second most famous psychologist is?
[/quote]
You mean, behind Dr. Phil?

[/quote]

Back then, Bob Newhart.

I agree with you, Matt--the pop culture ones seem to work better. To find an academic subject that is still known to the general public but isn't too easy for the Spoilers seems a sticking point.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #12 on:** October 17, 2007, 01:31:45 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'167113\' date=\'Oct 17 2007, 12:37 PM\']
Part of the fun, as I recall (I haven't been watching the latest run) was watching the educated men of letters in the "spoiler" booths get tripped up over what would otherwise seem to be staggeringly easy pop culture stuff.
[/quote]
Case in point, one recent ep. (recent in terms of when it aired on GSN) had "LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY" for the subject. As popular as the show was in 1976-77, I'm surprised it actually tripped up some of the spoilers, even the clues that mentioned the brewery the girls worked in.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 17, 2007, 01:42:33 PM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'167121\' date=\'Oct 17 2007, 12:31 PM\']
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'167113\' date=\'Oct 17 2007, 12:37 PM\']
Part of the fun, as I recall (I haven't been watching the latest run) was watching the educated men of letters in the "spoiler" booths get tripped up over what would otherwise seem to be staggeringly easy pop culture stuff.
[/quote]
Case in point, one recent ep. (recent in terms of when it aired on GSN) had "LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY" for the subject. As popular as the show was in 1976-77, I'm surprised it actually tripped up some of the spoilers, even the clues that mentioned the brewery the girls worked in.
[/quote]
What really got me, though, was one clue referred to the show's two title characters, and one spoiler still answered "Sesame Street."

That Don Guy · « **Reply #14 on:** November 15, 2007, 03:52:48 PM »

I've noticed that there tend to be four clues that are pretty much giveaways, and four where you might be able to piece the clues together.

Occasionally, however, there's something in one of the hard clues that pretty much gives the answer away when combined with another hard clue. For example, when the answer was Agatha Christie, one of the hard clues mentioned that the answer was a woman, and pretty much all of the others said she was a mystery writer. Maybe if the "it's a woman" clue came last, one of the spoilers might not think of Christie first, but as it played out, the contestant didn't have much chance.

-- Don