I've been watching the last weeks of the syndicated version recently and MG by then was IMO just a tired show that had indeed run its course, generating little of the fun it did in its glory days.
[/quote]
I agree...I used to watch those eps. on GSN, and the chemistry just wasn't there. They tried, and McLean and Bill Daily were suitable replacements, but it was still not the same from the mid-70s era.
[/quote]
While I applaud the syndicated MG for running the show as if it was live to tape, there were several noticeable edits in the syndicated run. In the syndicated run, they tried to fit in 2 bonus games per show, and they also set it up so that the Friday show would NOT straddle into Monday, because they weeks ran out of order. Sometimes that resulted in having time to kill, and Gene would do so by having members of the audience play head to head with any celeb.