Author Topic: WWTBAM doing their own "Million Dollar Mission"... (Read 23922 times)

CarShark · « **Reply #75 on:** September 01, 2009, 04:11:58 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'224648\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 03:57 AM\'][quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224647\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 12:46 AM\']Multiply that by five seasons, and they've probably saved at least a million from that. Hoo-ray.[/quote]
And you're still watching, so they're hoo-raying all the way to the bank. TV is a business.
[/quote]
Actually, I haven't been watching regularly since they skimmed off the top. Signaled the entirely unwelcome oncoming of The Cheap to me. If you use a big money name, you need to play a big money game. The dearth of big winners is pretty much what's driven me away. Yes, I'll give them some time at the beginning of the new season to win me back, but usually by Thanksgiving, I'm not even recording it anymore. I watched it a bit more this year, so I could get used to the clock format, but I'd pretty much lost interest by Christmas. The last win I remember seeing the same day without prompting from a spoiler was when KenJen helped a family pair win $250,000.

As for money trees, I'd advocate something more radical, like:

10 $1 MILLION
9 $250,000
8 $100,000
7 $50,000
6 $25,000
5 $10,000
4 $5000
3 $2500
2 $1000
1 $500

20 seconds on Level One
40 on Two
60 on Three
60+time banked on #10

No awkward half-steps like Question 10 is now. Every question at least doubles your money. Quite like the numbers, as well. Part of me really wanted to make $50K the second milestone, to make answering the Big Fella a little less risky, but decided that forcing a contestant to risk 90% of their money at #7 and only 80% on the final question didn't make much sense, since it'd still be a $200,000 drop, anyways.

I really think that they're missing a trick by not having a "Choose Your Own Category" or "Favorite Category" lifeline. I think that would consistently be a more helpful lifeline than Ask the Expert.

chad1m · « **Reply #76 on:** September 01, 2009, 04:18:41 PM »

[quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224677\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 04:11 PM\']I really think that they're missing a trick by not having a "Choose Your Own Category" or "Favorite Category" lifeline. I think that would be a consistently better lifeline than Ask the Expert.[/quote]That would be lame, both on-screen and behind the scenes. The questions are written to be entertaining and challenging for both the contestant and the viewer. When the contestant exclaims "Meredith, I'd like to use a lifeline for my favorite category, Undergarments of 13th Century Monks," I'm not interested. Plus, the writers have to write extra questions at each level for each individual person, only one of which (if that) will end up being used, instead of just cycling some unused questions throughout stacks like they do now.

CarShark · « **Reply #77 on:** September 01, 2009, 04:28:19 PM »

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'224678\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 04:18 PM\']When the contestant exclaims "Meredith, I'd like to use a lifeline for my favorite category, Undergarments of 13th Century Monks," I'm not interested.[/quote]Heh. I wasn't thinking along the lines of Debt-level specialization. I was thinking more of a couch potato replacing a "Literature" question with a "TV" question.

Jeremy Nelson · « **Reply #78 on:** September 01, 2009, 04:54:16 PM »

I would actually like to see a "Stop the Clock" lifeline, where a contestant can nullify the clock for one question, and not have to worry about a time constraint.

Mr. Armadillo · « **Reply #79 on:** September 01, 2009, 05:08:52 PM »

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'224678\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 03:18 PM\'][quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224677\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 04:11 PM\']I really think that they're missing a trick by not having a "Choose Your Own Category" or "Favorite Category" lifeline. I think that would be a consistently better lifeline than Ask the Expert.[/quote]That would be lame, both on-screen and behind the scenes. The questions are written to be entertaining and challenging for both the contestant and the viewer. When the contestant exclaims "Meredith, I'd like to use a lifeline for my favorite category, Undergarments of 13th Century Monks," I'm not interested. Plus, the writers have to write extra questions at each level for each individual person, only one of which (if that) will end up being used, instead of just cycling some unused questions throughout stacks like they do now.
[/quote]

What if they brought back "Switch the Question", only allowing the contestant to choose their question from one of three or four categories instead of using one predetermined question? Unused questions could still be recycled, and the contestants would get questions that played somewhat better to their strengths without requiring more-specialized-than-usual content.

clemon79 · « **Reply #80 on:** September 01, 2009, 06:00:07 PM »

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'224678\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 01:18 PM\']"Meredith, I'd like to use a lifeline for my favorite category, Undergarments of 13th Century Monks,"[/quote]
Huh. I always figured they went commando.
[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'224681\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 01:54 PM\']I would actually like to see a "Stop the Clock" lifeline, where a contestant can nullify the clock for one question, and not have to worry about a time constraint.[/quote]
And they could have Catherine Rahm on as a contestant, so she could forget to use it.

TLEberle · « **Reply #81 on:** September 01, 2009, 10:55:06 PM »

[quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224677\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 01:11 PM\']As for money trees, I'd advocate something more radical, like:

10 $1 MILLION[/quote]Why? Contestants are already shuttled up to the chair and back off stage as quickly as possible, and this certainly doesn't help things. Why not change the game to "Congratulations for passing the test: pick a letter in "MILLIONAIRE" and see what you've won."

CarShark · « **Reply #82 on:** September 02, 2009, 12:01:40 PM »

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'224705\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 10:55 PM\'][quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224677\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 01:11 PM\']As for money trees, I'd advocate something more radical, like:

10 $1 MILLION[/quote]Why? Contestants are already shuttled up to the chair and back off stage as quickly as possible, and this certainly doesn't help things. Why not change the game to "Congratulations for passing the test: pick a letter in "MILLIONAIRE" and see what you've won."
[/quote]
Because as I said in another thread, the first two levels don't really interest me at all. I made this so it takes only 6 questions to get to Level Three, where the fun starts.

clemon79 · « **Reply #83 on:** September 02, 2009, 01:20:08 PM »

[quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224724\' date=\'Sep 2 2009, 09:01 AM\']Because as I said in another thread, the first two levels don't really interest me at all. I made this so it takes only 6 questions to get to Level Three, where the fun starts.[/quote]
So you're not there for the questions / game at all, you're there for the money. Am I right?

CarShark · « **Reply #84 on:** September 02, 2009, 03:35:08 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'224731\' date=\'Sep 2 2009, 01:20 PM\'][quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224724\' date=\'Sep 2 2009, 09:01 AM\']Because as I said in another thread, the first two levels don't really interest me at all. I made this so it takes only 6 questions to get to Level Three, where the fun starts.[/quote]
So you're not there for the questions / game at all, you're there for the money. Am I right?
[/quote]
No. I'm there the questions/game AT the big money level. Not one or the other. BOTH.

clemon79 · « **Reply #85 on:** September 02, 2009, 03:50:06 PM »

[quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224738\' date=\'Sep 2 2009, 12:35 PM\']No. I'm there the questions/game AT the big money level. Not one or the other. BOTH.[/quote]
Then I fail to see what is so uninteresting about the second-tier questions that you feel the need to zip by them so fast.

CarShark · « **Reply #86 on:** September 02, 2009, 07:25:39 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'224740\' date=\'Sep 2 2009, 03:50 PM\'][quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224738\' date=\'Sep 2 2009, 12:35 PM\']No. I'm there the questions/game AT the big money level. Not one or the other. BOTH.[/quote]
Then I fail to see what is so uninteresting about the second-tier questions that you feel the need to zip by them so fast.
[/quote]
I don't find them UNinteresting. I find them much LESS interesting than third-tier questions, and I'm seriously wondering aloud, "Why have such a long exposition before the climax?" Now before someone mindlessly snarks, "So you wanna just start them at $25K? Or will they have to answer one question?" I'm not saying that the first two levels aren't important at all or shouldn't be there, I'm saying that it's not nearly as important or worthwhile as some here are making it out to be. With less time per show, what does this game seriously lose by asking five fewer questions? Not game time, as it just gets displaced further up the chain. Not talk time, as that happens primarily outside the questions now and is rushed or chopped currently. In fact, depending on how interesting they are, Meredith could be chatting MORE per contestant than she would under the current format.

J.R. · « **Reply #87 on:** September 02, 2009, 07:45:18 PM »

[quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224749\' date=\'Sep 2 2009, 06:25 PM\']"Why have such a long exposition before the climax?"[/quote]
That's what she said.

clemon79 · « **Reply #88 on:** September 02, 2009, 08:17:05 PM »

[quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224749\' date=\'Sep 2 2009, 04:25 PM\']"Why have such a long exposition before the climax?"[/quote]
Well, if you don't, you're doing it wrong.

Quote

Now before someone mindlessly snarks

And you wonder why nobody likes having these discussions with you?

Speedy G · « **Reply #89 on:** September 02, 2009, 08:54:40 PM »

[quote name=\'CarShark\' post=\'224749\' date=\'Sep 2 2009, 07:25 PM\']I don't find them UNinteresting. I find them much LESS interesting than third-tier questions, and I'm seriously wondering aloud, "Why have such a long exposition before the climax?" Now before someone mindlessly snarks, "So you wanna just start them at $25K? Or will they have to answer one question?" I'm not saying that the first two levels aren't important at all or shouldn't be there, I'm saying that it's not nearly as important or worthwhile as some here are making it out to be. With less time per show, what does this game seriously lose by asking five fewer questions? Not game time, as it just gets displaced further up the chain. Not talk time, as that happens primarily outside the questions now and is rushed or chopped currently. In fact, depending on how interesting they are, Meredith could be chatting MORE per contestant than she would under the current format.[/quote]
Rather than Wall O'Text in response, I offer the following analogy:

If you eat dessert with every meal, dessert isn't as good anymore.

What you're proposing is eating just dessert, and removing the meal.

I understand that you're disappointed that there's almost never any dessert these days. You could even argue that the... well, Millionaire Menu-setters have explicitly taken dessert off the menu.

But even if there's no dessert, you're still guaranteed a meal with Millionaire.

For an example of what happens when a show gorges on dessert, see Deal or No Deal. Or even the new money tree on the UK version, where they cut the size of the meal, so it's not as filling anymore.