Millionaire Changes

[Hastin]

So Alex posted the full scoop about the new Millionaire over at his blog.

First, I'm looking forward to seeing this. I think that the format change is interesting. It's totally new, and it sounds like an interesting change up. I do like how there is still a little classic Millionaire for the top tier questions, but it's quite a change. Personally, this sounds like the most interesting season yet. I'm also glad the clock is gone in this new format. However, I don't quite get losing the Hot Seat.

However, while I'm looking forward to the change, I'm sad that the Millionaire that I've grown to love over the last 11 years is now (effectively) gone. While I know that I must accept change - it saddens me that the old milestones and format is totally changed. Oh well, at least there's still PLENTY of reruns so that I can enjoy my childhood again.

We'll see how this goes. I hope the public reaction is okay to it. Millionaire was still solid in the ratings last season, and hopefully these changes keep it on the air.

[bandit_bobby]

I don't like the Hot Seat removal, either. But the accumulating money on the first 10 questions sounds very interesting.

One question, though- what happens if they lose during the first 10 Q's?

[clemon79]

Smells like...desperation.

[Steve Gavazzi]

As you all know, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a game of definitions.

[tvwxman]

Sounds like a neat idea for a game show....

...but it's not millionaire anymore.

[J.R.]

Thank goodness the newest season of UK "Millionaire" is available over at TheBox...

[chad1m]

They've now put out a full press release.

As I usually do, I’ll take a sit-back-and-watch approach for how I feel in judging the show. Hopefully it will be able to appear straightforward and ironed out on the actual program. I find it most interesting that the difficulty level and dollar values will now be independent.

The biggest change I’m not looking forward to is actually the lack of a hot seat!

[Neumms]

I would think there are ways to freshen a set without scrapping the one iconic element of it. Couldn't they have tried, say, chaser lights? Or neon? Or video walls of swirling ominous clouds? Or Roman columns for kind of a Caesar's Palace look?

Or they could go the recent "Family Feud" route and sack the host every couple of years. Works for them.

I can imagine the show could use a face lift, but this looks like a Kenny Rogers plastic surgery to me.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'245992\' date=\'Aug 16 2010, 02:29 PM\']I would think there are ways to freshen a set without scrapping the one iconic element of it. Couldn't they have tried, say, chaser lights? Or neon? Or video walls of swirling ominous clouds? Or Roman columns for kind of a Caesar's Palace look?

I can imagine the show could use a face lift, but this looks like a Kenny Rogers plastic surgery to me.[/quote]
Outside of Alex's description, have you seen it yet?

[BrandonFG]

Honestly, I don't think Joe and Jane Sixpack will notice the changes as much as we do here. The chain has been altered so many times now, but in the end, the show still offers multiple-choice questions and lifelines of some sort. I don't like the risking half your bank to walk, though.

If you really think about it, the show has been trying to keep the format fresh for a while now, and is still successful after the clock and that forced million dollar tourney from a few years ago. And honestly, the show's made plenty of radical changes over the years, i.e. removing the Fastest Finger round.

It's a bit of an odd change, but more like refreshing a format that's honestly a bit pedestrian to begin with (15 multiple-choice questions that range from $100-1 million). It's not like they're giving two contestants one row of playing cards.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'245992\' date=\'Aug 16 2010, 03:29 PM\']I would think there are ways to freshen a set without scrapping the one iconic element of it. Couldn't they have tried, say, chaser lights? Or neon? Or video walls of swirling ominous clouds? Or Roman columns for kind of a Caesar's Palace look?[/quote]

Is the Wonderwall still in cold storage (or in Bob Boden's Garage)?  

[MSTieScott]

The one question I have that I don't see answered -- what happens if a contestant answers incorrectly during round one?

I suspect that we won't like it when "What tool is used to hammer a nail?" winds up being worth $25,000, but the general audience will enjoy it. Conversely, it won't be great TV when a contestant struggles to identify the fate of Henry VIII's third wife, only to find out that they've earned a mere $100 for the effort.

[tpirfan28]

I watch syndie Millionaire very rarely anymore (namely the season premiere).  I found the clock to take too much away from the spirit of original Millionaire that it turned me off (I understand the reasons for the clock, though).

I picked up GSN a couple months back for the first time.  I recorded an old Regis episode and loved it - the drama, built-in tension, solid lifelines, and Regis was good, of course.  This new show doesn't even feel like the old show.  The drama is gone for me.  I don't know about the new rules for this season - when part of your show is labeled in a press release as "classic", you've lost it for me.  I'll give it a shot, but it's probably not going to drag me back anymore.

[mxc0427]

Here we go again. People judging the game already based on day 1 of the release. Let's just see how it is executed. I'm looking more forward to the new set than anything else. The new rules are very interesting, and is going to make games more exciting. I, for one, am excited about this. It's WAY better than Hot Seat, that's for sure.

[Jeremy Nelson]

[quote name=\'MSTieScott\' post=\'246008\' date=\'Aug 16 2010, 06:37 PM\']I suspect that we won't like it when "What tool is used to hammer a nail?" winds up being worth $25,000, but the general audience will enjoy it. Conversely, it won't be great TV when a contestant struggles to identify the fate of Henry VIII's third wife, only to find out that they've earned a mere $100 for the effort.[/quote]
That's the thing; I think the questions still pay out by level of difficulty, it's just that they're all jumbled on the money tree.

My biggest problem is that it alienates the one element of the game that really gets the contestant into "playing mode"- the first tier. Those questions are easy enough to get the player comfortable with the atmosphere. Now, they can end up with a super simple question or be frazzled from the get go- the latter of which does not set well to me...it seems kinda bush league (or as they'll call it, budget friendly). It seems like the new money tree and rules are designed to do the exact opposite of last year's. Whereas last year's encouraged players to walk away, this year's seems to encourage players to go on.

I don't mind the new lifeline- when I saw the new rules, I wasn't surprised. I like the fact that there's incentive to carry it into the top tier so you can jump questions. But why are there two of them? Couldn't they just give you one and bring back 50/50 or something- possibly giving you a second "jump" after question 5?

I'm eager to see how all of these changes play out, though- so is Millionaire going to look more like Power of 10 now? Cause that was the first image that popped in my mind when I heard "new set, no hot seat".