The Chamber

[vexer6]

So, did anyone besides me actually like this show?  I thought it was really exciting, yeah it might've gone a bit "too far" for some people(though Survivor and Fear Factor are both arguably more dangerous, i'll gladly take being burned or frozen over having to eat bull testicles or sheep's eyes, i'm getting sick just thinking about it!) But it's certainly better then Fox's recent game show offerings(5th Grader just dosen't do it for me, Hole In The Wall should've never been attempted, and MDMD pretty much doomed itself with it's "all or nothing" format) and I wouldn't mind seeing a revival of it.  I just really wish that Fox didn't rush the show to compete with "The Chair"(which wasn't that great anyways) and cancel it before the remaining 3 episodes could air. (I really wanted see the electric, water and insect chambers)

[GrandGame1440]

I read an interview Johnny Carson gave in 2002 (his last) that he actually enjoyed watching this, The Chair, Fear Factor, and Survivor simply because he "delighted in crap."

[Jimmy Owen]

Never saw it.

[vexer6]

I read an interview Johnny Carson gave in 2002 (his last) that he actually enjoyed watching this, The Chair, and Fear Factor simply because he "delighted in crap."

Makes sense, that must be the same reason why DOND lasted for so long.

[Mr. Brown]

I read an interview Johnny Carson gave in 2002 (his last) that he actually enjoyed watching this, The Chair, Fear Factor, and Survivor simply because he "delighted in crap."

This right here is why Johnny Carson was and always will be the king of late night.

[PYLdude]

The Chamber was an offensive and disgusting program that never should have made air. How anyone cannot rank this in its rightful place among the all time worst is beyond me. How can you say the danger factor on Survivor or Fear Factor was worse? The Chamber was human torture!

And The Chair wasn't a whole lot better.

[BrandonFG]

I remember going out to dinner with friends the night it premiered. There was no one in the restaurant, so I was able to change the channel. It was my first and last time watching, because I found it just that insipid.

Didn't mind The Chair, but it was still another gimmicky game show that placed all its emphasis on the chrome. They both deserved the obscurity they received.

[Ian Wallis]

The Chair wasn't bad.  I think I watched part of one episode of The Chamber and never went back.  Why would people audition to be contestants on these types of shows?  I guess everyone must want their 15 minutes of fame.  I do too - but not that bad!

[TLEberle]

MDMD pretty much doomed itself with it's "all or nothing" format)

This phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.

The Chamber was an offensive and disgusting program that never should have made air.

Everyone signed on the dotted line going in. I question the sanity of someone who was willing to endure that for a thousand dollars a question, but I didn't have a problem with the conceit. I had a problem with how uninteresting the game play was.

And The Chair wasn't a whole lot better.

How so? I thought it was light years better, myself.

[vexer6]

Most of the scenarios on "The Chair" were pretty lame, (I.E. John McEnroe serving tennis balls at a contestant, how is that exciting?) and John was pretty weak as a host.

[PYLdude]

I just thought The Chair added way too much drama to what was a bland quizzer. I liked the fact that they tried to play up the stress factor and how it can screw with your heart rate but I felt they went to patently ridiculous levels to do so (alligators, now really).

[TLEberle]

(alligators, now really).

I will yield to my learned colleague on the point of the alligators. Absolutely. I admit I liked the idea of "everyone's excited to be on a game show, what if being excited means you'll lose?" but the problem inherent with that is you end up watching people struggle internally to get their rate low enough to play, and they're pissing away the money and so there's that to contend with, and you watch a guy trying to be chill enough to keep his last couple of bucks and I end up looking for an entry under "recursion." Interesting idea but really unworkable. On the other hand, I think the idea of distracting contestants while they're trying to answer questions was done pitch perfectly on Distraction in England.

[PYLdude]

It's too bad Distraction really didn't catch on here. Keep in mind my exposure to the UK version is kinda limited, but I think your assessment of it is fairly spot on. I did quite enjoy the version here, though.

[clemon79]

Makes sense, that must be the same reason why DOND lasted for so long.

We get it, you can stop banging the drum now.

[Mr. Armadillo]

So, did anyone besides me actually like this show?

I did.  Then again, I was 17 at the time, so I was probably squarely in their target demographic.  My biggest gripes with the show were technical...if the earpieces slipped out of the contestant's ears, they were pretty much screwed through no fault of their own.