New "Pyramid" Pilot Tape Date Now Set...

[Jimmy Owen]

$25,000 is still pretty big money.  That's a good reward for a daytime show.  Hope it makes it to the fall sked.

[WarioBarker]

[quote name='TeppanYaki' post='242382' date='Jun 12 2010, 11:42 PM']I brought [the thing with Drew's blog] up because while you're "defending" yourself against trolls, what right did it give you to go off on Drew?[/quote]
The matter with Drew was around July/August 2009. The stuff with the trolls began in late September. There's no excuse for what I did in either situation, but the two events were not simultaneous.

Betty White would like to have a word with you.

I never saw Betty as being frail. She might be up there in age, but she doesn't appear to have lost her momentum.

[quote name='TeppanYaki' post='242382' date='Jun 12 2010, 11:42 PM']This "seemingly-minor change" reminds me of 1 vs. 100, DoND, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader and - oh yeah - TPiR, where the host AND contestants (in play) were standing. So tell the class what "definitely" is being done other than "We wanted something different," then.[/quote]
Price has had a few of various kinds (wheelchair-bound; deaf; blind), and I believe Fifth Grader and Deal had one at some point or another. I can't speak for the other two, although I always thought the Mob had seats up there. It seems to me that, by removing a factor that was friendly to disabled people, the show has decided it doesn't want any disabled people (and, again, there are exceptions).

Game shows will accommodate disabled contestants should the need arise, but in this day and age the shows (with rare exception, such as Jeopardy!) seem ready to sacrifice the "Anybody can play!" attitude for a showcase of people who (as I have personally seen on TV):

1) Are young and perfect (Wheel Of Fortune comes to mind)
2) Are female, or a feminine male (98% of Temptation)
3) Fill a stereotype (Duel seemed to be this in Season 1, and The Amazing Race tends to have teams like this)
4) Have a "sob story" to tug at heartstrings (the original Strike It Rich was blasted for doing this)
5) Have a "favorite show/person" that the show can build a gimmick around (the NBC Deal Or No Deal used this as a CRUTCH)
6) Are very dense, so the show can A) have somebody to mock and B) keep its budget (the past 1-2 seasons of Millionaire have been REALLY guilty of this)
7) HAVE NEVER SEEN THE SHOW BEFORE (happened several times on Deal Or No Deal, and more recently on The Price is Right)

This is why game/reality shows "cast" contestants, not "call". Nowadays, it seems that disabled people are seen as a source for #4, if they're seen at all.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'242384\' date=\'Jun 12 2010, 09:38 PM\']It seems to me that, by removing a factor that was friendly to disabled people, the show has decided it doesn't want any disabled people.[/quote]
Eddie Timanus would now like a word with you.

Jesus Christ, the more you speak the more I want you to STOP.

[NickintheATL]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'242384\' date=\'Jun 13 2010, 12:38 AM\']Game shows will accommodate disabled contestants should the need arise, but in this day and age the shows (with rare exception, such as Jeopardy!) seem ready to sacrifice the "Anybody can play!" attitude for a showcase of people who:

2) Are a girl/homosexual male (98% of Temptation, anyone?)[/quote]

Excuse me?  Not this again.  You had a problem last year with same-sex couples on Price is Right, and here you go down this road again.  It is nice of shows to cater to the gay community, especially me, a gay man.  You sure don't have any tact, do you?

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'242385\' date=\'Jun 13 2010, 01:18 AM\']Jesus Christ, the more you speak the more I want you to STOP.[/quote]

I side with Lemon's comment 200%.

[WarioBarker]

[quote name='NicholasM79' post='242387' date='Jun 13 2010, 01:33 AM']Excuse me? Not this again. You had a problem last year with same-sex couples on Price is Right, and here you go down this road again. It is nice of shows to cater to the gay community, especially me, a gay man. You sure don't have any tact, do you?[/quote]
I have nothing against homosexuals of either gender, and it is nice of shows to not discriminate in that manner. I only brought that up because it seemed to be the mission of Temptation to cater to females (and the more feminine members of the male species) that are good-looking but generally dense at the expense of...well, a lot of things (as someone pointed out, the sales pitch concentrated far more on shopping then the actual game).

I do not, nor did not, mean any offense toward anybody (past, present, or future) in any way. Much like what I said to TeppanYaki, I made a mistake over a year ago, and my views toward homosexuals have changed since then. Please don't bring this up again.

Now, before I or anybody else drags this topic further out into left-field... Who will be handling the announcing duties on these pilots? And, for that matter, does anybody know who the announcer was on last year's attempts?

[CarbonCpy]

Bah, we all know Pyramid was ruined when they opted against 10-in-60 for the winners' circle -- Let's make 'em earn the damned money, I say.

[NickS]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'242384\' date=\'Jun 12 2010, 11:38 PM\']Price has had a few of various kinds (wheelchair-bound; deaf; blind), and I believe Fifth Grader and Deal had one at some point or another. I can't speak for the other two, although I always thought the Mob had seats up there. It seems to me that, by removing a factor that was friendly to disabled people, the show has decided it doesn't want any disabled people (and, again, there are exceptions).[/quote]

Can you tell me how many people that are disabled have applied to game shows lately?  I think it's a fair question.

1) Are young and perfect (Wheel Of Fortune comes to mind)

Dating Game.

2) Are female

Just Men; the majority of Treasure Hunt.

3) Fill a stereotype (Duel seemed to be this in Season 1, and The Amazing Race tends to have teams like this)

Hot Potato, Three's a Crowd.

4) Have a "sob story" to tug at heartstrings (the original Strike It Rich was blasted for doing this)

Queen for a Day.

6) Are very dense, so the show can A) have somebody to mock and B) keep its budget (the past 1-2 seasons of Millionaire have been REALLY guilty of this)

That's part of what game shows are about - so that the viewer at home can yell answers out and feel that they're smarter than the contestants up there.

This is why game/reality shows "cast" contestants, not "call".

Really?  Didn't know it was in the U.S. Constitution that game shows had to accept the first people they see on the streets as contestants.

Stop.  Please.

[J.R.]

[quote name=\'TeppanYaki\' post=\'242390\' date=\'Jun 13 2010, 12:57 AM\']Really?  Didn't know it was in the U.S. Constitution that game shows had to accept the first people they see on the streets as contestants.[/quote]
But failure to do so *is* a human rights violation.

[BrandonFG]

I'll be really honest. I wouldn't give two brown nuggets if the show used Donnymid's set (I know no one's saying they will, just work with me here). I don't give two brown nuggets about contestants sitting or standing*.

I care about a competently-produced game show. Going from 7-in-30 to 6-in-20 was a big change that really wasn't necessary for time constraints. Maybe if the producers weren't so gung-ho on giving the D-list stars face time, you could've used the extra two minutes for game play. This could've been remedied by having the two D-listers on ALL WEEK to spread out the camera time unnecessarily given to them. The positioning of the contestants ranks on my "Give Two Brown Nuggets" list, right above the font chryoned on the desk during the main game**.

I don't care if the contestants sit hang upside down from a bungee cord. As long as they convey 7 words with a celebrity in 30 seconds, and go to the Winner's Circle, it's all good. Just produce closer to what aired in 1984 (or 1974) and not 2004, and no one gets hurt. Keep the static shot and ditch that MTV directing from Donnymid. Oh, and none of that bulljive they tried to pull in 1996 and 1997.

*Hollywood Squares broke a 36-year-old tradition by having the contestants stand, and it caused a bit of uproar at our former message board. Who the f$#k cares? Are they still playing tic-tac-toe with nine celebrities? Is there still a Secret Square? Yes and yes, and the show was just as enjoyable as it was in its first three seasons.

**No Arial. So help me if I find out they're using Arial...

[Mr. Game Show]

[quote name=\'Dan88\' post=\'242388\' date=\'Jun 13 2010, 01:55 AM\']Who will be handling the announcing duties on these pilots? And, for that matter, does anybody know who the announcer was on last year's attempts?[/quote]
 
Someone who attended one of the NYC Pilots said the host made references to "Alan", which some speclulated was Alan Kalter, but that was unconfirmed.

I'm very curious to see who will announce the LA Pilot. I'm wondering if Rich Fields might get the job.

[chad1m]

Please, Daniel, as a recently "casted" contestant, I'd love to hear which of your seven insightful and not at all insulting categories I fall into.

[NickS]

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'242397\' date=\'Jun 13 2010, 03:02 AM\']Please, Daniel, as a recently "casted" contestant, I'd love to hear which of your seven insightful and not at all insulting categories I fall into.[/quote]

4 and 7; 7 because you never SAW MDP before (derp) and 4 because, well, you're a Red Wings fan, right?

/had to
//could have been worse - Chad could be a Cubs fan
///and for Daniel: a consolation prize

[Fedya]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'242395\' date=\'Jun 13 2010, 03:15 AM\']The positioning of the contestants ranks on my "Give Two Brown Nuggets" list, right above the font chryoned on the desk during the main game**.[/quote]
I have a minor quibble with this, which is that the producers of the Osmond Pyrmaid supposedly moved the contestants to have the celebrities face each other in order that the celebrities would interact more with each other.  It's part of your point that the producers seemed more interested in giving the celebs their face time than in producing a good game.

You don't know how many times I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle Mario Cantone....

**No Arial. So help me if I find out they're using Arial...

How about Bank Gothic instead?  ;-)

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'Fedya\' post=\'242402\' date=\'Jun 13 2010, 09:32 AM\']How about Bank Gothic instead?  ;-)[/quote]
I wondered what that font was called.  Thanks for sharing.

/Shouldn't admit to this but I use Arial on every assignment and test I give my students.
//Hi Brandon, ol' buddy, ol' pal.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'Fedya\' post=\'242402\' date=\'Jun 13 2010, 09:32 AM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'242395\' date=\'Jun 13 2010, 03:15 AM\']The positioning of the contestants ranks on my "Give Two Brown Nuggets" list, right above the font chryoned on the desk during the main game**.[/quote]
I have a minor quibble with this, which is that the producers of the Osmond Pyrmaid supposedly moved the contestants to have the celebrities face each other in order that the celebrities would interact more with each other.  It's part of your point that the producers seemed more interested in giving the celebs their face time than in producing a good game.

You don't know how many times I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle Mario Cantone....
[/quote]
I never even noticed that, and that just made Donnymid even more annoying to me. By "positioning of the contestants", I meant that whether they stand or sit means nothing to me.

How about Bank Gothic instead?  ;-)

I can live with that. :-)