Author Topic: Minute To Win It (Read 7205 times)

Jeremy Nelson · « **on:** May 23, 2010, 09:47:08 PM »

I was just thinking about this earlier tonight: by the time The Cube gets underway, Minute To Win It will already have a season under its belt, and some sort of recognizability. Because if this, viewers may see The Cube as an overly serious knockoff of Minute to Win It, although MTWI is the knockoff.

Right now, Minute's got a few things going for it- the show's pacing has improved, Guy has become a better host, the contestants are likable, and (maybe most importantly) people can play the games at home themselves. NBC is trying to push the latter point by inserting an on-screen graphic before certain games, telling viewers what materials they need to play that game at home.

This sorta reminds me of the "music game show" situation a few years back. IIRC, and please correct me if I'm wrong, when The Singing Bee was announced, FOX rushed Don't Forget The Lyrics to air. Although the general consensus was that The Singing Bee was the better show, it folded way before Lyrics was cancelled (although both have been resurrected).

Since NBC has announced it will air new episodes of MTWI throughout the summer, The Cube will have to compete against the show that it partly spawned. So, I pose this question to you- is The Cube in trouble from the second it premieres? If so, what does CBS do to combat it?

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #1 on:** May 23, 2010, 10:55:41 PM »

I doubt the show will make it to air.

TLEberle · « **Reply #2 on:** May 23, 2010, 11:40:27 PM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'241310\' date=\'May 23 2010, 07:55 PM\']I doubt the show will make it to air.[/quote]Whyfor?

(Not that I'm criticizing your opinion, because you're welcome to it, I'm just curious as to your insight.)

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #3 on:** May 24, 2010, 03:02:17 AM »

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'241314\' date=\'May 23 2010, 11:40 PM\'][quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'241310\' date=\'May 23 2010, 07:55 PM\']I doubt the show will make it to air.[/quote]Whyfor?

(Not that I'm criticizing your opinion, because you're welcome to it, I'm just curious as to your insight.)
[/quote]
I haven't heard much about it since the initial buzz. The fall schedules are pretty much set.

Craig Karlberg · « **Reply #4 on:** May 24, 2010, 04:11:15 AM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'241319\' date=\'May 24 2010, 03:02 AM\'][quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'241314\' date=\'May 23 2010, 11:40 PM\'][quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'241310\' date=\'May 23 2010, 07:55 PM\']I doubt the show will make it to air.[/quote]Whyfor?

(Not that I'm criticizing your opinion, because you're welcome to it, I'm just curious as to your insight.)
[/quote]
I haven't heard much about it since the initial buzz. The fall schedules are pretty much set.
[/quote]

Maybe CBS is looking for sonething to fill a hole in the schedule come midseason. And to that, I commend them for that. You don't need to "rush" something like this. Sure NBC beat CBS to the punch in that regard, but still they're using the "play at home" vehicle to its advantage on M2WI. If CBS can iron out some issues with The Cube before it's greenlit, then we might see something interesting.

SteveR · « **Reply #5 on:** May 24, 2010, 09:35:10 AM »

One question about M2WI. They're shooting episodes now that won't be aired until early 2011?

Jeremy Nelson · « **Reply #6 on:** May 24, 2010, 10:57:42 AM »

[quote name=\'SteveR\' post=\'241326\' date=\'May 24 2010, 08:35 AM\']One question about M2WI. They're shooting episodes now that won't be aired until early 2011?[/quote]
I didn't know that....I'm pretty sure they're airing new eps til September, and then coming back after Sunday Night Football is over.

clemon79 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 24, 2010, 12:01:28 PM »

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'241329\' date=\'May 24 2010, 07:57 AM\']and then coming back after Sunday Night Football is over.[/quote]
Which would be...in 2011.

Mr. Armadillo · « **Reply #8 on:** May 24, 2010, 12:11:20 PM »

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'241305\' date=\'May 23 2010, 08:47 PM\']NBC is trying to push the latter point by inserting an on-screen graphic before certain games, telling viewers what materials they need to play that game at home.[/quote]

As far as I can tell, this is the most asinine thing I've seen in quite some time. If the contestant(s - this was the LMS ep) are attempting to bounce a ping pong ball onto a slice of peanut-buttered bread, do I really need an on-screen graphic telling me that, in order to do this stunt at home, I need bread, peanut butter, and ping pong balls?

clemon79 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 24, 2010, 12:39:52 PM »

[quote name=\'Mr. Armadillo\' post=\'241334\' date=\'May 24 2010, 09:11 AM\']do I really need an on-screen graphic telling me that, in order to do this stunt at home, I need bread, peanut butter, and ping pong balls?[/quote]
Do you *need* one? Probably not. Does it drive home the play-along factor? You betcha.

Jeremy Nelson · « **Reply #10 on:** May 24, 2010, 01:01:51 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'241332\' date=\'May 24 2010, 11:01 AM\'][quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'241329\' date=\'May 24 2010, 07:57 AM\']and then coming back after Sunday Night Football is over.[/quote]
Which would be...in 2011.
[/quote]
I know they're coming back in 2011, but I wasn't sure if they were actually taping episodes that far ahead already.

weaklink75 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 24, 2010, 05:26:54 PM »

Well they either must be taping, or will be taping soon- Buzzerblog tweeted that they've added 2 milestones to the game- one at $1,000 (Game 1) and $250,000 (Game

- I guess to try and get more people to go for the six-figure games...

Jeremy Nelson · « **Reply #12 on:** May 24, 2010, 06:36:50 PM »

[quote name=\'weaklink75\' post=\'241356\' date=\'May 24 2010, 04:26 PM\']Well they either must be taping, or will be taping soon- Buzzerblog tweeted that they've added 2 milestones to the game- one at $1,000 (Game 1) and $250,000 (Game

- I guess to try and get more people to go for the six-figure games...[/quote]
Good. It sucked to see players beat the first four games, have some trouble with the $50K game, and leave with nothing. At least they get $1K.

The Level 8 milestone is a good place- it secures you a nice chunk of change, while still making you risk money to play the Million Dollar Game.

clemon79 · « **Reply #13 on:** May 24, 2010, 07:09:35 PM »

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'241365\' date=\'May 24 2010, 03:36 PM\']The Level 8 milestone is a good place- it secures you a nice chunk of change, while still making you risk money to play the Million Dollar Game.[/quote]
Yeah, I think this is pretty brilliant, too. The $50K level is a free shot. Risking $25K to win $50K at the level after that, I could even see. But risking $75K to win $125K was a pretty blatant "are you farking insane?" point, and nobody in their right MIND was going to risk $200K to win $250K. Making Level 8 a safe zone is a sweet spot that really fixes two problems.

Kniwt · « **Reply #14 on:** May 24, 2010, 10:56:08 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'241366\' date=\'May 24 2010, 04:09 PM\']Making Level 8 a safe zone is a sweet spot that really fixes two problems.[/quote]

Funny how Messrs. Goodman and Todman usually (but, granted, not always) were able to identify and resolve such matters in testing, not production.