Cram question

[Twentington]

I've been trying to find information about that long-forgotten original Cram, and have not had much luck. It seems that show was never a hot topic in this forum.

Specifically, about how long were its two seasons? When did the celebrity format begin and end? And when did they implement all the changes such as Dr. Damnearkilter and the changes to the round lengths? Were those synchronous with the start of season 2?

(Also, am I the only person who thought that Graham Elwood's voice was like nails on a chalkboard?)

[Unrealtor]

[quote name=\'Twentington\' post=\'241997\' date=\'Jun 6 2010, 02:31 PM\'](Also, am I the only person who thought that Graham Elwood's voice was like nails on a chalkboard?)[/quote]

No. The only thing that I could remember about the host until you mentioned his name was that he vaguely reminded me of Adam Corolla but had a much more unpleasant voice.

[Allstar87]

Here's a handy, near-complete episode guide that should answer a few of your questions.

http://www.gameshowfavorites.com/shows/Cram/epguide1.php

I don't recall how many episodes Damnearkilter lasted though.

[DrBear]

I remember two things.
1. The giant hamster wheel.
2. Icey.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'DrBear\' post=\'242010\' date=\'Jun 6 2010, 08:08 PM\']I remember two things.
1. The giant hamster wheel.
2. Icey.[/quote]
That's three things.

[Chelsea Thrasher]

Easily my favorite episode of the series' run is the episode Marc Summers hosted.  

The thing about that little April Fools' host swap stunt that always fascinated me was how, depending on your mileage, anywhere from two to all five of the five participating originals were improved by a host change.  Marc on Cram and Mark Walberg on Friend or Foe dramatically improved the quality of each, IMO. Todd Newton on Russian Roulette was a push, Kennedy on WinTuition made the show markedly less dull, and even Graham on Whammy wasn't horrible.

[WarioBarker]

[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' post=\'242016\' date=\'Jun 6 2010, 10:36 PM\']The thing about that little April Fools' host swap stunt that always fascinated me was how, depending on your mileage, anywhere from two to all five of the five participating originals were improved by a host change. Marc on Cram and Mark Walberg on Friend or Foe dramatically improved the quality of each, IMO. Todd Newton on Russian Roulette was a push, Kennedy on WinTuition made the show markedly less dull, and even Graham on Whammy wasn't horrible.[/quote]
It was nice, but it also turned out to be the end for three of those shows -- WinTuition, Russian Roulette, and Friend Or Foe? all aired their last first-run episode that day, with the other two following them by the end of the year.

Gotta say, though, that WinTuition definitely went out with a bang -- a $50,000 win, plus a cameo by Bob Boden as the Answer Kid.

[Adam Nedeff]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'242021\' date=\'Jun 7 2010, 12:46 AM\']It was nice, but that silly day turned out to be the end for three of those shows -- WinTuition, Russian Roulette, and Friend Or Foe? all aired their last first-run episode that day, with the other two following them by the end of the year.[/quote]
...which is why that stunt should never be done again.

[Kniwt]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'242014\' date=\'Jun 6 2010, 07:16 PM\']That's three things.[/quote]

Well played, sir.

[davemackey]

Where's Icey now? Did someone leave her out in the sun and she became Melty?

[Ian Wallis]

Don't worry...she'll come back next winter.

[Neumms]

Graham wasn't bad on this and was pretty good on Strip Poker. Trouble with Cram is that it was basically a "Truth or Consequences" stunt that was sort of interesting once, but not everyday for a week, let alone several weeks.