Duel Ratings

[bandit_bobby]

Assuming it's renewed, they should air it in the summer, and should only air during the summer.

[tpirfan28]

How the hell is that going to change things?

(not quoted so it's not visible to those who have the OP on killfile.)

[itiparanoid13]

I got a response from ABC, and all they are saying is "chatter rumors, nothing to confirm."  So it's at least being thought of making the Craigslist call more believable to me.

[lobster]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'178369\' date=\'Feb 20 2008, 02:53 PM\']
(It's still a show to be watched via Tivo, though. You can bang through all of the actual content inside of 20 minutes.)
[/quote]

I managed to make it a good eight minute watch, but that came after a few runs, learning to blow through the contestant pool bios, drawn-out pauses and fountain pen waving =]

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'178371\' date=\'Feb 20 2008, 01:29 PM\']So is this close in concept to the old Joker's Jackpot? [/quote]Until the most recent episode:

Each wrong answer adds £1,000 to a growing jackpot, which starts at £100,000 and grows until claimed. A first duel wins nothing, a second wins the choice of two face down chips: one bearing £10,000, the other 10%. The champ can take the money and run, or continue and try to win the jackpot with two more wins. That was changed to where a two-duel winner got to play one question against the Accelerator for up to £10,000 depending on how many chips were used to cover the answer (£10k, £5k, £2,500) There's no longer the risk factor, but I don't recall a two-time winner opting to punt the money for a shot at the big fella.

One change I like is if you fail to cover the right answer, you're out. No sudden death. The longest-serving player in the waiting pod comes out, and chooses the opposition, and the play is on.

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'178397\' date=\'Feb 20 2008, 09:30 PM\']
[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'178371\' date=\'Feb 20 2008, 01:29 PM\']So is this close in concept to the old Joker's Jackpot? [/quote]Until the most recent episode:

Each wrong answer adds £1,000 to a growing jackpot, which starts at £100,000 and grows until claimed. A first duel wins nothing, a second wins the choice of two face down chips: one bearing £10,000, the other 10%. The champ can take the money and run, or continue and try to win the jackpot with two more wins. That was changed to where a two-duel winner got to play one question against the Accelerator for up to £10,000 depending on how many chips were used to cover the answer (£10k, £5k, £2,500) There's no longer the risk factor, but I don't recall a two-time winner opting to punt the money for a shot at the big fella.

One change I like is if you fail to cover the right answer, you're out. No sudden death. The longest-serving player in the waiting pod comes out, and chooses the opposition, and the play is on.
[/quote]
It is, truly, a fantastic game.... much better than our version. I recommend hunting it out online.

I don't like this one question change though. I like the risk involved, even if too many cautious Brits were jumping off with the safe money.

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'178404\' date=\'Feb 20 2008, 08:12 PM\']I don't like this one question change though. I like the risk involved, even if too many cautious Brits were jumping off with the safe money.[/quote]True enough, but the problem is that no one's taking the risk, so why bother?

I agree about how great the program is. Much like lots of things in the game show realm these days, the Brits have our number here. I'm seeing all sorts of little things that I never noticed before (was it a rule on our version that you had to lock down your answers before Pressing your opponent? One contestant wasted both of hers by getting the button pushes out of order). High marks also to the various musical bits (their stinger for when someone is under the Accelerator timer is a perfect fit), and the question writing is superb.

/And Nick Hancock doesn't insist on ending every segment with "This is Duel...on ITV!"

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'178408\' date=\'Feb 20 2008, 09:33 PM\']
(was it a rule on our version that you had to lock down your answers before Pressing your opponent? One contestant wasted both of hers by getting the button pushes out of order).[/quote]
To penalize someone for doing that is stupid. The Press button simply should not light up (and subsequently work) until a player has locked in answers.

/And Nick Hancock doesn't insist on ending every segment with "This is Duel...on ITV!"

Truth? I kinda like outcues like that. It breeds a sense of familiarity, and to me it made it feel like the show was somehow more closely tied to the network. All horsepucky, of course, but that is the effect it has on me as a viewer, and if it makes the show more enjoyable for me to watch, I don't mind an assful of smoke every now and again.

[Craig Karlberg]

Duel was OK I thought except for 3 things:

The tournament-This left a few players "stranded" in the gallery.  Either make it a single-elimination event or dump it in favor of the British format.

The pacing-It was sooooo slooooow at times it felt like watching paint dry.  Speed it up a bit & maybe we'll have a decent show to watch here.

The host-Greenburg wasn't my idea for a host.  He was good at times, but his "screen-up/screen-down" bits were annoying.  A better host would help.

Other than that, keep it like it was & maybe I'll change my tune.  For now, Duel's nothing to write home about.

[Brig Bother]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'178414\' date=\'Feb 21 2008, 07:34 AM\']
[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'178408\' date=\'Feb 20 2008, 09:33 PM\']
(was it a rule on our version that you had to lock down your answers before Pressing your opponent? One contestant wasted both of hers by getting the button pushes out of order).[/quote]
To penalize someone for doing that is stupid. The Press button simply should not light up (and subsequently work) until a player has locked in answers.
[/quote]

Light up? We'll have none of your American vulgarity over here, we have two columns of steel for contestants to pummel into the desk when they want to play an accelerator.

To be honest I don't think anyone really thought the original prize thing through. What you have is an escalating jackpot with similarly escalating walk-out prize. Right now the jackpot is £300k+, that means after two duels you would have got a shot of either £10k or over £30k, which is a lot of money. Maybe people will risk £10k for something thirty times that, it's the other prize that's the problem, that's just going to get bigger and bigger. £50k for half hour's work? Thank you very much! This also leads to potential prize budget problems, if the jackpot got to £1m they'd potentially be giving away £100k per game. Who is going to risk going on when a third win could mean turning down £100k and picking the wrong chip and leaving with "just" £20k?

No, I accept that a change was necessary, whether the current "Player vs The Accelerator" was the correct change is a decision I'll put off for a couple of weeks. But certainly if you build around a game mechanic that involves risk and nobody bothers risking then there's something wrong.

Duel UK is tanking in the ratings, it should be noted.

[Clay Zambo]

[quote name=\'itiparanoid13\' post=\'178366\' date=\'Feb 20 2008, 03:47 PM\']
We'll obviously have to wait for official ABC confirmation, but a recent Craigslist post is suggesting that Duel is coming back for a second season.  [/quote]

Recent = the day I *leave* Southern California.  

Bites.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Brig Bother\' post=\'178421\' date=\'Feb 21 2008, 05:15 AM\']
Light up? We'll have none of your American vulgarity over here, we have two columns of steel for contestants to pummel into the desk when they want to play an accelerator.[/quote]
Fine, and we won't be boiling meat anytime soon, either. In the meantime, our Duel contestants know when they've locked in and/or fired a Press and yours can keep hammering on columns ineffectively.

/you had to come up with a gimmick for getting rid of the chips and you're talking to ME about vulgarity?

[Sodboy13]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'178438\' date=\'Feb 21 2008, 12:45 PM\']
/you had to come up with a gimmick for getting rid of the chips and you're talking to ME about vulgarity?
[/quote]

Personal opinion, naturally, but the chips effortlessly dropping down into the jackpot beats superfluous eye candy fumbling them off the table seven ways to Sunday.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Sodboy13\' post=\'178440\' date=\'Feb 21 2008, 11:05 AM\']
Personal opinion, naturally, but the chips effortlessly dropping down into the jackpot beats superfluous eye candy fumbling them off the table seven ways to Sunday.
[/quote]
And one that you're entitled to, and I'm giving Bother the benefit of the doubt and assuming that tongue was planted in cheek, but suggesting something that actually serves a useful game function is "vulgar" when they actually gimmicked their table MORE is a bit silly.

[TravisP]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'178397\' date=\'Feb 20 2008, 09:30 PM\']
There's no longer the risk factor, but I don't recall a two-time winner opting to punt the money for a shot at the big fella.[/quote]

Nobody in the original Cash or Chips format played on for a third duel. We had two people walk away with £10,000 and one person walking with 10% (£17,000). Two weeks ago actually had no winners since we had duels with both players answering incorrectly. This problem was the same when we had Greed here, unlike the US version where nearly all the teams went on to play the four answer questions and face the terminator. Everybody was walking after the fourth question at the halfway stage (£50,000).

As Brig Bother stated, the ratings have tanked here. Last Saturday's edition performed the same as My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad. Six million watched Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway but 50% from that audience continued to watch Duel. This time last year, PokerFace was performing double the ratings Duel is getting now, it's worth noting that PokerFace is a "tournament". ITV is set to continue airing the series and is unlikely they will pull it from the schedule. However, it's almost likely the show won't return to primetime for a second series but I won't be surprised if they slash the jackpot and the chip value and run it in daytime and have it rotating with Golden Balls at 5pm.