Oprah's Big Give

[lobster]

Will this be up for discussion as a game show?
http://abc.go.com/primetime/oprahsbiggive/index?pn=index
-- and does anyone feel this will be an interesting watch?

that clip does imply it will have a game show feel to it..

and then a question for the purists: does this allow Oprah to join Ms. White and the handful of others to be considered a game show hostess?

[clemon79]

The very fact that it's Oprah is certainly enough reason for me not to watch.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'lobster\' post=\'179507\' date=\'Mar 1 2008, 05:59 PM\']and then a question for the purists: does this allow Oprah to join Ms. White and the handful of others to be considered a game show hostess?[/quote]
Well, the specific answer to that question is no.  Oprah does not serve as host for this little exercise.

The game show/not a game show debate will never be over because no definition will ever be universally accepted.  Having said that, I believe this one falls much more obviously into the "reality" class than most.  If in your belief system, shows like Survivor and The Apprentice are game shows, then good for you, add one here.

[lobster]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'179517\' date=\'Mar 1 2008, 05:57 PM\']
The game show/not a game show debate will never be over because no definition will ever be universally accepted.  Having said that, I believe this one falls much more obviously into the "reality" class than most.  If in your belief system, shows like Survivor and The Apprentice are game shows, then good for you, add one here.
[/quote]

Righto -- and I have noticed on the forum here that there isn't really much discussion at all about the Reali-docu-gameo-dramaties (or whatever Perfesser calls 'em), so my guess is that the general consensus here on the forum is that they are not game shows as well (that, or no one cares to discuss 'em)

Studio 7 is the one show I can think of from all of those multi-week "saga" productions that really was much more game show than reality, so that's the only one of those I would consider .. but that's just me =o

[chris319]

It's fair fodder here. It is a competition of some kind, yet the exact criteria for winning are not clear to me. All I saw were Oprah and her guest and a bunch of attractive under-50 wannabe actor types (read: waiters). The spin-off will be what, Dr. Phil gets contestants to go out and cure a bunch of nutjobs?

The very fact that it's Oprah is certainly enough reason for me not to watch.

Amen, brother Herbert.

[Craig Karlberg]

To me, a game ahow needs to have at least 1 of these things:

Contestants playing against each other/the house.
Cash & prizes offered as rewards.
Rules that are easy enough to understand, but not too difficult to play.

There's also a "playalong" factor, but that's merely an option depending on the format.  I would consider AG as a game show because it fits most of my criteria.(it doesn't need a playalong factor at all in order for it to suceed, wich it has),

As for the Big Give, I'm not a big Oprah fan.  But since her syndicated show is on most ABC O&Os, it stands to reason it'll draw in those viewers anyway.  I can remember donating a can of peas for disaster relief when I was at college back in the early '90s.  I''l give a pass to the Big Give.

[Dbacksfan12]

Will this "Big Give" be in the same vein as her so called Pontiac giveaway a few years back?

[Clay Zambo]

[quote name=\'lobster\' post=\'179507\' date=\'Mar 1 2008, 05:59 PM\']
Will this be up for discussion as a game show?
http://abc.go.com/primetime/oprahsbiggive/index?pn=index
-- and does anyone feel this will be an interesting watch?
[/quote]

Somewhat peripherally to the question of OBG's game-ness, I just finished Reality: the Novel, a satire containing a bunch of fictional reality shows, one of which was almost precisely this format.

Whether this is a game or not, it's a nice bit of balance to Moment of Ugliness.  And if they'd get rid of the "twist" prize at the end, it'd be even better.

[lobster]

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' post=\'179562\' date=\'Mar 2 2008, 02:37 AM\']
To me, a game ahow needs to have at least 1 of these things:

Contestants playing against each other/the house.
Cash & prizes offered as rewards.
Rules that are easy enough to understand, but not too difficult to play.
[/quote]

Televised Wimbledon matches feature all three of those, but that's not a game show

[tpirfan28]

[quote name=\'lobster\' post=\'179577\' date=\'Mar 2 2008, 11:36 AM\']
[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' post=\'179562\' date=\'Mar 2 2008, 02:37 AM\']
To me, a game ahow needs to have at least 1 of these things:

Contestants playing against each other/the house.
Cash & prizes offered as rewards.
Rules that are easy enough to understand, but not too difficult to play.
[/quote]

Televised Wimbledon matches feature all three of those, but that's not a game show
[/quote]
Thread winnar right there, folks!

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'179579\' date=\'Mar 2 2008, 11:38 AM\']
Thread winnar right there, folks![/quote]
Yep, as we've found many, many times here, the more specific your definition, the easier it becomes to find obvious and absurd problems with it.  The only standard that does any good is the one that starts "if it quacks like a duck", and the problem there is that your duck may not quack the same as mine does.

[chris319]

How about this? Oprah buys a small third-world country and the series follows her as she transforms the lives of its citizens. First she changes the name of the country to "Oprahland". Then she gives a makeover to the wife of the deposed-but-now-very-wealthy leader, Chief Ubuntu (who now owns a Hummer and a stretch limo and has his own driver). Then she has some designer queen come in and redesign the royal palace. Next she takes an ordinary (female) citizen with her to Chicago and helps her buy 800 pair of shoes. Finally, Oprah builds a giant auditorium/TV studio so she can tape her show there. She names it "The Grand Ol' Oprah".

I think it could work.

[tpirfan28]

Not a game, but I'll bet a nickel that she's already done it.

[Jimmy Owen]

If the producer/network is ashamed to call it a game show, it's not a game show.

[chris319]

Any definition of "game show" would have to exclude established sports. Something like Bowling for Dollars would not be considered an established sport.