"15 Ridiculously Dumb Game Shows"

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Twentington\' post=\'229045\' date=\'Oct 22 2009, 07:28 PM\']Why? It's sucked since 1998, it's just that almost nobody wants to admit it.[/quote]
Well, for one thing, it keeps you from looking silly when you fail to pick up on a pop-culture reference and then complain about it.

(And the other punchline: I looked it up because I was mildly curious. The airdate of the episode "Mountain of Madness", where the original quote comes from: February 2, 1997.)

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'229023\' date=\'Oct 22 2009, 12:39 PM\']If all we're going to do is slam these lists and talk about how bad they are, why even bother to post them?[/quote]Because that is a jumping off point to a larger point, I think.

While the "best game shows" list probably has a fair bit of far-reaching overlap, I think the "worst" doesn't, and worst is different for everyone. And while we're here, is it worse to be morally reprehensible (Moment of Truth, Three's a Crowd) or completely un-engaging? (Amnesia). Is it worse to be a the progeny of a beloved game show (Temptation) or to be bad with no progenitor? Is it worse to have the game hinge on the last answer (Crosswords) or decided before the second commercial break (Monopoly)?

Is it worse to be a melange of previous formats (Peer Pressure) than one single uninteresting one? (100%)?

Is 1 vs. 100 deserving because 100 people were chosen to be cannon fodder, and the One chosen possibly because he's more interesting or expressive? What about Deal or No Deal? The game was worn out after the second series of episodes, but it coasted on theme episodes and cases of Red Bull.

/My-KAL TIL-ler must be thrilled that his clip of The Chair was used, so everyone will watch the clip and dash right over to his website.

[GrandMasterGalvatron]

I admit, I enjoyed Moment of Truth.  I know most people didn't but there was something about people being willing to utterly ruin their lives on TV for some bucks was so captivating.  A shame no one ever won too, I would have loved to have seen what a 500K question would be like.

Also I loved Legends.  I have no idea what this guy is smoking.

[Sodboy13]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'229160\' date=\'Oct 23 2009, 11:09 PM\']Is it worse to be a the progeny of a beloved game show (Temptation) or to be bad with no progenitor?[/quote]

Throwing in my opinion on this one, I find it less horrid to see a bad original idea than to see an idea which you know can be good, and have seen done well in the past, only to watch it be put in the wrong hands and have it summarily be given the R. Kelly treatment.  It took all of a week here for Temptation to make the transition from hope and positive expectation to scorn and ridicule, and justifiably so.

[Craig Karlberg]

[quote name=\'GrandMasterGalvatron\' post=\'229161\' date=\'Oct 24 2009, 01:15 AM\']I admit, I enjoyed Moment of Truth.  I know most people didn't but there was something about people being willing to utterly ruin their lives on TV for some bucks was so captivating.  A shame no one ever won too, I would have loved to have seen what a 500K question would be like.[/quote]

"Have you ever betrayed your spouse to the point where your family may disown you & you'd be scarred for life?"

Good thing I didn't see ANY $500K question on that show.  That would cause such an uproar, not even the player can wiggle his/her way out of that one.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'Sodboy13\' post=\'229164\' date=\'Oct 24 2009, 01:41 AM\'][quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'229160\' date=\'Oct 23 2009, 11:09 PM\']Is it worse to be a the progeny of a beloved game show (Temptation) or to be bad with no progenitor?[/quote]

Throwing in my opinion on this one, I find it less horrid to see a bad original idea than to see an idea which you know can be good, and have seen done well in the past, only to watch it be put in the wrong hands and have it summarily be given the R. Kelly treatment.  It took all of a week here for Temptation to make the transition from hope and positive expectation to scorn and ridicule, and justifiably so.
[/quote]
Agreed. With a bad original concept, you can say that it was a little half-baked or just executed wrong, and in the next life, go nowhere but up. But I have more of a problem with a show that was done right in the past (Card Sharks, Pyramid, Temptation) screwed up because some n00b decided to make it more extreme for a 2000s audience because the 1970s or '80s way is too pedestrian for their tastes. In the end, they completely miss the point of what made the show truly work, if they even watched an episode.

[Sodboy13]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'229173\' date=\'Oct 24 2009, 08:33 AM\']But I have more of a problem with a show that was done right in the past (Card Sharks, Pyramid, Temptation) screwed up because some n00b decided to make it more extreme for a 2000s audience because the 1970s or '80s way is too pedestrian for their tastes. In the end, they completely miss the point of what made the show truly work, if they even watched an episode.[/quote]

This, to me, makes Temptation even more egregious. because it already had been updated for the '00s, and done so masterfully.  But someone decided, "Whoa whoa whoa, this is waaaaay too smart for American audiences," and the next thing you knew, 30 seconds were on the clock for a nail-biting-round of Meat or Cheese.