The $1 Million Pyramid...

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'170247\' date=\'Nov 22 2007, 02:01 PM\']

Again, you're giving away a guaranteed $2.3 million per season, not including the main game bonuses like "Super Big Mystery 7-11 minus 1 and sometimes 5", and umm, regular Winner's Circle wins. You put all that together for 200+ episodes, and you're looking at well over $3 million...in one season. Besides, 1) do you really think viewers want to sit through eight weeks of TV just to see someone win $100,000, and 2) putting a time limit on the tournament one of the things that made Donnymid such bad television.

My first point brings up my whole guaranteed money vs. offered money debate. Millionaire, Deal, and Power of 10 may offer $1 million per episode, but the chances of that happening are slim to none. And if it appears they're giving away too much money too soon, they can easily alter things to make it more difficult, because they're not guaranteeing anything.

With your biannual tournaments, you're setting yourself up for a Lesko situation, and I don't mean pretty nipples.
[/quote]



Simple Solution:

Give the Million away in Temptation Dollars!  

aw heck, let's go into overdrive:

One Million Temptation Dollars **AND** a whole lotta love!!

;-P

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'170296\' date=\'Nov 23 2007, 02:12 AM\'][quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'170294\' date=\'Nov 22 2007, 11:13 PM\']And I'm not even sure what you meant here: "Normal tie breaks would simply send the winner to the WC."[/quote]I didn't read through the whole thing (I've already learned my lesson with this particular poster) but that makes perfect sense to me: if the tiebreaker is breaking a 17-17 tie, as opposed to a 21-21 tie, there is no bonus.[/quote]Haw. The one thing out of that entire post that makes sense is the one that my brain couldn't assimilate.

[Mr. Armadillo]

Why do we even need to do Million Dollar Pyramid in the first place?  Has America really become so desensitized that we can't just do The $250,000 Pyramid and otherwise keep the same format we all know and love?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Mr. Armadillo\' post=\'170402\' date=\'Nov 24 2007, 11:47 AM\']
Why do we even need to do Million Dollar Pyramid in the first place?  Has America really become so desensitized that we can't just do The $250,000 Pyramid and otherwise keep the same format we all know and love?
[/quote]
Because ONE MEEEEEELION is a big exciting number that makes people who don't actually have to budget it bounce up and down in their chairs.

[tvwxman]

First off, let me say that I'm not a fan of hypothetical formats, in general. I think it brings out two groups of people : A: The absolutely oblivious to how game shows should be run, and B : The folks who love to ram their dreams down their throats...

That said, I'm hypocrittically going to post my idea:

I may be in the minority, but I never was a fan of tournament play for a prize that was advertised on every show. Sorry, I just didn't like it then, and I certainlly didn't like it with Donny's wacky format.'

My suggestion is based on the ability to be able to play for a Million dollars anytime, any episode, throughout the year.

The Million Dollar Pyramid should be a one hour show, in which three full games are played, padded for celebrity endorsements, home viewer games, and tie-breakers (just in case).

A player comes on, and wins the front game, he goes to the Winner's Circle. The more times he/she gets up the pyramid, the more money he wins, on a ladder system.
1st Time : $50K
2nd Time : $100K
3rd Time : $250K
4th Time : $500K
5th Time : $1 Million

NOTE : This money is not cumulative. Win the next level, that's what you have won.

He misses? He gets a flat $1000/box.

There are two rubs here. One is: Instead of two players per episode, you are on a strike system. 2 front game losses, and you're done (think Classic Concentration).  That way, if you get stuck with lousy celeb partner Jillian Barberie, you play again with Betty White.

But here's the big rub : Every time they scale the pyramid, they have a decision to make. They can quit with the money they've accumulated, or come back and play another front game. If they do NOT win a chance back up to the circle, they lose half their Winner's Circle winnings.  That adds the drama for the audience to root on a player that does well and scales the pyramid multiple times.

There. Classic pyramid meets today $1Mil mo'money syndrome, yet doesn't just give the mil away for nothing. Good players are rewarded for their efforts, and not just in a tournament week. Promotions department can have a field day 12/months a year promoting big winners/riskers.

Have at it.

[BrandonFG]

So I'm guessing it's five-wins retires undefeated? The only reason I ask is because it sets up the opportunity for a contestant to lose their first four Winners Circles, but still play for $1 million on the fifth try. On one hand, it makes for a dramatic game, on the other hand, it sorta rewards futility, even though it worked on so many other shows.

Other than that, I like it. A money tree actually put to effective use.

[dale_grass]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'170414\' date=\'Nov 24 2007, 06:42 PM\']
So I'm guessing it's five-wins retires undefeated? The only reason I ask is because it sets up the opportunity for a contestant to lose their first four Winners Circles, but still play for $1 million on the fifth try.
[/quote] The way I read it, you only go up the ladder if you win; hence, if you get to the top on the fifth day, you get the first rung $50,000.

[dzinkin]

Here's a question I'm not sure has been asked: while Sony was trying to get stations to sign on to Donny's Pyramid, Broadcasting & Cable ran a story that mentioned plans for a prime-time $1,000,000 Pyramid — if memory serves, on NBC — and an effort to get Steve Harvey to host.  There was even a logo shown with the article.  Do we know anything more about that?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'170414\' date=\'Nov 24 2007, 02:42 PM\']
So I'm guessing it's five-wins retires undefeated? The only reason I ask is because it sets up the opportunity for a contestant to lose their first four Winners Circles, but still play for $1 million on the fifth try.
[/quote]
But that's not what he said. I'm guessing he's going for play-'til-you-drop-or-win-the-million, and I read that as the ladder is climbed only upon a SUCCESSFUL trip to the WC.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'170428\' date=\'Nov 24 2007, 06:58 PM\']
[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'170414\' date=\'Nov 24 2007, 02:42 PM\']
So I'm guessing it's five-wins retires undefeated? The only reason I ask is because it sets up the opportunity for a contestant to lose their first four Winners Circles, but still play for $1 million on the fifth try.
[/quote]
But that's not what he said. I'm guessing he's going for play-'til-you-drop-or-win-the-million, and I read that as the ladder is climbed only upon a SUCCESSFUL trip to the WC.
[/quote]
Got it. Thanks for the clarification (same to Dale), and sorry for the misunderstanding.

Carry on. :-)

[Jeremy Nelson]

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'170413\' date=\'Nov 24 2007, 04:35 PM\']
A player comes on, and wins the front game, he goes to the Winner's Circle. The more times he/she gets up the pyramid, the more money he wins, on a ladder system.
1st Time : $50K
2nd Time : $100K
3rd Time : $250K
4th Time : $500K
5th Time : $1 Million
[/quote]
Did you base this system off the 2001 PC game? I only ask because your amounts are just ten-fold of the ones on the game.

Not that I'm knocking it- on the contrary, I like it. I always wondered how well that system would work on Pyramid.

[PalCatIN]

[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'170291\' date=\'Nov 22 2007, 11:39 PM\']
I have to admit, I have a soft spot for the one part of that that I've thought of before--the progressive jackpot that requires you to clear each "rung" before it increases. Even if you make the top prize semi-insane, if you get the Pyramid format halfway right, at least you'll be awarding it to only the very best players.

But yeah, there's way too much "let's stop and explain" stuff going on in that idea overall.
[/quote]

Much of the rule explanation would be off screen.  There were always bonuses during the front rounds, which had to be explained, so really not much more explanation than has ever been required "on-air".

About the cars, there were often cars given away on "Mystery 7"s.  Granted, they were "cheaper" cars, but they were cars none the less.  If you can give away a car for 7 words in 30 seconds, surely you can give away $25,000 for 2 perfect games in the same day.  I'm not saying the cars would have to be on Fridays, but it was just part of the idea I came up with.  I'm also not saying it would have to be $25,000, but I thought that would be a nice way to reward better players, who might otherwise leave with very little if they didn't win their WC.  It could just as easily be $10,000 each time.  It was $5,000 each time back then, and if you're upping the money, might as well do it across the board.

As to the WC "money tree", each time you win a WC, you advance.  Thus, an excellent player could reach the top of their tree in 2 shows by making both trips and winning both WCs on both days. (Day 1 win the $10,000 and $25,000; Day 2 win the $50,000 and the $100,000.)  If they won the $1,000,000, that would retire them as an undefeated champion.  That could happen as early as the first trip back on Day 3.  However, they would be limited to 5 shows total, as usual.

I honestly don't think there's that much complication in the rules.  The $20,000 Pyramid had a progressive jackpot scenario also.  Sure, there's two extra steps, but it's not all that different.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'PalCatIN\' post=\'170449\' date=\'Nov 24 2007, 07:58 PM\']
If you can give away a car for 7 words in 30 seconds, surely you can give away $25,000 for 2 perfect games in the same day.[/quote]
Cars are free, they are given to the production in return for the plug.

$25,000 costs, well, $25,000.

Meet my friend Mr. Lesko:

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/3211/matmonbag2ec0.gif

I honestly don't think there's that much complication in the rules.  The $20,000 Pyramid had a progressive jackpot scenario also.  Sure, there's two extra steps, but it's not all that different.

You are wrong.

[PalCatIN]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'170450\' date=\'Nov 24 2007, 11:03 PM\']
You are wrong.
[/quote]

Well, if I'm wrong, explain how.  It was $10,000 on the first trip, $15,000 on the second trip, and $20,000 on the third and any subsequent trips, was it not?  Granted you didn't have to win to increase, because you left if you won, but it's a very similar concept, no?

[clemon79]

Let me re-edit that:

I honestly don't think there's that much complication in the rules.

You are wrong.