California Lottery cancels 'Make Me a Millionaire'

[Kniwt]

The Sacramento Bee reports today that "poor ratings" have led to the demise of the weekly TV show, effective July 3, and that there are no plans to bring back "The Big Spin" or any other format. There was also a production problem in 2009 that damaged the integrity of the program:

After a Feb. 8, 2009, taping, it was discovered that names on contestant forms were transposed. As a result, nine contestants played for more money they were eligible to win and nine played for less.

After Josefina Sineriz, 61, of Bakersfield won $2.8 million in a progressive jackpot, lottery officials realized other contestants should have been eligible for the big prize draw.

The lottery ultimately paid $264,000 in winnings to nine players who were allowed to participate in a future draw.

[WarioBarker]

...Which will make the show's run about 18 months long. I'm surprised, mainly because I expected it to go down in six. I'm about 95% certain this is the longest-lasting game show Mark L. Walberg has hosted.

there are no plans to bring back "The Big Spin"

So that's it, then? They tried to replace the long-running hit with something else and it didn't work...so they're just giving up?

Granted, I've seen this happen before, but it looks like that won't be the case this time.

After a Feb. 8, 2009, taping, it was discovered that names on contestant forms were transposed. As a result, nine contestants played for more money they were eligible to win and nine played for less. After Josefina Sineriz, 61, of Bakersfield won $2.8 million in a progressive jackpot, lottery officials realized other contestants should have been eligible for the big prize draw. The lottery ultimately paid $264,000 in winnings to nine players who were allowed to participate in a future draw.

...Ouch. And it happened so early on.

[chad1m]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'240381\' date=\'May 5 2010, 10:29 AM\']this is the longest-lasting show Mark L. Walberg has done.[/quote]Shop 'til You Drop, Temptation Island and Antiques Roadshow all say "yo."

[Vahan_Nisanian]

Sorry to change the subject here, but I'd like to add my thoughts to this subject:

Speaking for myself, and only for myself, it really doesn't matter if The Big Spin replaces this show. In my not so humble opinion, the show jumped the shark when Geoff Edwards left the show. Since then, it had become more about other games, and less about spinning the wheel, which was what the show was originally all about.

Side note: Does anyone recall when exactly original host Chuck Woolery left the show and Edwards became host? Someone on YouTube said that it on the week of November 18, 1985, but other sources seem to say that it was as early as June 1986. I'm not sure which source is correct. I've also seen snippets of earlier Edwards-hosted shows on YouTube, and as it turned out, the earlier Edwards episodes were shot at the Hollywood Center Studios. The move to Sacramento must have happened as early as the beginning of 1987.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'gameshowlover87\' post=\'240388\' date=\'May 5 2010, 10:03 AM\']Side note: Does anyone recall when exactly original host Chuck Woolery left the show and Edwards became host? Someone on YouTube said that it on the week of November 18, 1985, but other sources seem to say that it was as early as June 1986.[/quote]
I don't know exactly, but I do know with absolutely certainty that Geoff was at the helm prior to 1986, as he was the host when the woman dislodged the ball from the $3,000,000 slot before it had rested for the required five seconds from her jumping up and down, and we have confirmation from multiple sources that the date of that show was 12/30/85.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'240381\' date=\'May 5 2010, 07:29 AM\']First they can The Big Spin then, when poor ratings lead them to can Make Me A Millionaire, they decide not to bring back the show it replaced.[/quote]
That's correct. That's what happens when shows fail, they get canceled. Did you ever entertain the possibility that The Big Spin might have been canned originally for a reason? WAY fewer stations carried the show towards the end of its run. Many markets couldn't see it at all.

MMaM was an entire show of people either pushing buttons to generate random events or selecting random events from a board. It required non-nada-zero skill on the part of the contestants. None. (C***punch to the first person who tries to argue that guessing "higher" or "lower" requires any skill at all.) On stuff like Illinois Instant Riches and Powerball Instant Millionaire there were at least decisions on the part of the player as to whether they wanted to stop or continue. This show didn't even have that. It was flashy and a little glitzy, but there was NO substance.

[WarioBarker]

I do know with absolutely certainty that Geoff was at the helm [...] when the woman dislodged the ball from the $3,000,000 slot before it had rested for the required five seconds from her jumping up and down, and we have confirmation from multiple sources that the date of that show was 12/30/85.

Part of me wants to see that, another part doesn't, and the third part wonders how that happened in the first place.

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'240392\' date=\'May 5 2010, 01:37 PM\']WAY fewer stations carried [The Big Spin] towards the end of its run. Many markets couldn't see it at all.

WAY fewer stations carried the show towards the end of its run. Many markets couldn't see it at all.

I...didn't know that.

MMaM was an entire show of people either pushing buttons to generate random events or selecting random events from a board. It required non-nada-zero skill on the part of the contestants. None. [...] It was flashy and a little glitzy, but there was NO substance.

Exactly. As I said in my original post, I'm surprised it ran for six months, let alone 18.

Shop 'til You Drop, Temptation Island and Antiques Roadshow all say "yo."

Should've clarified what I meant, there.

[Loogaroo]

[quote name=\'gameshowlover87\' post=\'240388\' date=\'May 5 2010, 01:03 PM\']Speaking for myself, and only for myself, it really doesn't matter if The Big Spin replaces this show. In my not so humble opinion, the show jumped the shark when Geoff Edwards left the show. Since then, it had become more about other games, and less about spinning the wheel, which was what the show was originally all about.[/quote]

Actually, if you think about it, the true JtS moment comes down to four nominees:

1993, Edwards' last year. The rules were changed to incorporate some asinine "scratcher" game that everyone had to play, where you had to match two wheels on the board just to have a chance to spin the wheel. Indeed, a number of episodes ended up having the iconic part of the show go unused and everyone winning a flat $25K.

1994, Edwards leaves, plus the introduction of Fantasy 5. As time progressed, the game essentially got played just as, if not more often, than the wheel itself. Much lower maximum payout than the wheel ($150K) and much lower odds to win said maximum payout (essentially 26 to 1, and that's assuming the player didn't stop midway) made the game much less exciting, despite being given practically equal billing.

1996, Jack Gallagher becomes host. Far and away the worst host the show had for the entire run.

2004, the final era. Aces High replaces California Gold, all of the side games (other than Fantasy 5) are retired, and the set becomes dark and uninviting. Truly the beginning of the end.

I'd personally vote for 2004 myself, because I still found the show fairly enjoyable up to that point.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'240410\' date=\'May 5 2010, 03:45 PM\']Part of me wants to see that, another part doesn't, and the third part wonders how that happened in the first place.[/quote]
See below. Woman thinks she won, starts jumping, dislodges ball, loses, gets litigious. Wins, following tons of footage entered into evidence of Edwards throwing up his hands and declaring a contestant won $X before the five seconds were up.

I...didn't know that.

Yet you had no compunctions suggesting it should be automatically brought back. Classic. In every way.

Should have clarified what I meant -- the longest-lasting game show Mark L. Walberg has hosted.

While wearing green shoes, and driving to the studio for tapings in a rented Lumina.

[Kniwt]

From the L.A. Times of Dec. 30, 1985, the story about the botched big spin.

In what lottery show host Geoff Edwards called the worst moment of his life, bad luck snatched away $3 million from Doris Burnett, a 52-year-old Los Angeles obstetrics nurse.

In the rest of the story, she's referred to, however, as "Barnett," which is the correct name if you want to get all Googly about this.

On edit: Lo and behold, the link to (of all things) the Weekly World News in those Google results has a photo from the show in question.

[chris319]

How does the California lottery get air time in the first place? Is it barter syndication? Is it a time buy? Does the TV show pay for itself? Could someone explain to me why a TV show is needed in the first place?

[chris319]

Just read the story about Doris Barnett. Now you know why contestants sign the releases they do. When was the last time a contestant sued TPIR claiming they won the Dodge Charger and are entitled to an additional $400,000 in damages for emotional distress?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'240419\' date=\'May 5 2010, 04:33 PM\']Could someone explain to me why a TV show is needed in the first place?[/quote]
Well, to sell more lottery tickets, right?

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'240421\' date=\'May 5 2010, 04:42 PM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'240419\' date=\'May 5 2010, 04:33 PM\']Could someone explain to me why a TV show is needed in the first place?[/quote]
Well, to sell more lottery tickets, right?
[/quote]
Right

Randy
tvrandywest.com

[tpirfan28]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'240421\' date=\'May 5 2010, 07:42 PM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'240419\' date=\'May 5 2010, 04:33 PM\']Could someone explain to me why a TV show is needed in the first place?[/quote]
Well, to sell more lottery tickets, right?
[/quote]
Yep, and they aren't the cheapies, either.  IIRC the Hoosier Lottery's game had $5 scratchers for its game.