To go back to the original topic: here's the thing. I don't care about the show. The stunts are sorta fun to watch, but what happens when you can't get a stereotype contestant like Baron von Manpurse to play? I admit that it would look very like Beat the Brooding Clock, but I would like to see an episode start with four players. Some stunts are races which payoff to varying degrees based on placement, some that reward everyone that finishes the task in time, and so on. Cut the low-scorer at :30, and again just before the Final Challenge where the two finalists play one stunt to see who wins their prize fund. For an actual bonus game, allow the winner to double, triple or quintuple his take on a final stunt based on whatever level of difficulty he's comfortable with. Bring out the giant check, everyone is happy, and I stick around for whatever comes next.
I yearn for the days when there was an entry process to get to the main game and a bonus game that wasn't nine-tenths of the whole proceedings. I want contestants that are like my neighbors, or at least they could be my neighbors, and not from Central Casting Incorporated. I don't mind huge jackpots if they're difficult to win but I want there to be some level of excitement. I don't want "Aw, your game is over but you win $50,000!" to become commonplace.
