Hollywood Squares coming back...

[Jamey Greek]

Here's another gem. Say it ain't so, Wink!

CELEBRITY GARBAGE
From legendary game show host and producer Wink Martindale comes the filthiest, dirtiest and downright hilarious celebrity game show. Are you astute enough to identify famous people by the garbage they make? Contestants put on the boots, masks and hazmat suits to sift through celebrity "garbage," attempting to identify who the junk belongs to by deciphering clues amongst the trash.

Wink narrates how the game works, here.

my sweet lord, I thought Wink was more talented and more creative than that.

[MikeK]

The only thing about Celebrity Garbage which piqued my interest is the cat used in that video shares the same name as one of my cats.

I could see it on VH1 or E!, but I'm not holding my breath.

/or maybe I should, around celebrity garbage

[TLEberle]

my sweet lord, I thought Wink was more talented and more creative than that.

But Dice Fever needs to have a Fast Forward Pass to get on American TV, doesn't it.

/Prosecution rests.

[chris319]

Celebrity Garbage sounds like an idea I might have posted here not so long ago -- AS A JOKE!!!

BTW this was done as a spot on I've Got A Secret back in the '60s, sans gas masks.

[TLEberle]

The front game gives away way too much money (shocked I tell you, see my point below).

The money may as well have been points for all we know. At least a couple of other shows "gave away" more cash and prizes in the pilot before making it to series. Whatever network or syndicate would pick this up was going to tweak the prize budget to what they needed. Of course, it was going to be just as interesting a game whether the eight hid $200 in M&Ms or a ticket on the now defunct Concorde.

The bonus round blows, mainly because there's no thrill or risk involved. I take a blind stab at $1 million and lose. Boohoo, now I only get to keep the chump change of $125K that I won just a few minutes ago. Since when did 6-figures get treated like a mere $500? On one hand, I can't see the contestants NOT going for the million. On the other hand, it's such a blind shot in the dark, I'd gladly take the $5,000 per die point, even if it's "just" another $10K.

The problem I have is that the decision isn't all that interesting. "I have $125,000? What the hell, let's have a go, eh?" At least Catch 21 manages to make the bonus interesting by increasing each step five-fold.

The thing that grills my cheese about this is that there are two really really good dice games (and by the same guy, even!) that could easily be plopped into a game show format with a little tweaking. But hey, that would require planning and thought and stuff. It isn't enough to vote with your remote. When you hear people talking about game shows that aren't cutting it, do the genre a favor and speak up, otherwise we're gonna get the same old stuff for a while.

[clemon79]

Celebrity Garbage sounds like an idea I might have proposed here not so long ago -- AS A JOKE!!!

Hell, I pretty much did.

[chris319]

Celebrity Garbage sounds like an idea I might have proposed here not so long ago -- AS A JOKE!!!

Hell, I pretty much did.

They owe you a royalty.

[The Ol' Guy]

Maybe Wink was in the Heatter-Quigley office along with Art James back in 1978 when the staffers were talking about the most outrageous ideas ever submitted to them. Art's September 23rd TV Guide article included such gems as Celebrity Skydiving (And here she comes...Farrah Fawcett must land within 56 feet of the bullseye, or else Paul Williams wins the game....), the celebs and recipes game Eat The Clock and, sure enough, Celebrity Garbage! ("Hi, Garbage Lovers!") It took only 33 years for this format to come to light.

Besides, what level of celebrity will we get on this show?
Host: "Okay, players...for $500 and the game, let's empty this trash can and see if you can guess who all this stuff belongs to! (Opens can, dumps contents) Let's see. Here's a 1997 issue of Vibe Magazine and a half-dozen past due rent notices!(Buzzer sfx) Connie, for the game...name the star!"

Connie: "Is it...Coolio?"

Hey...count me in!

[clemon79]

"Here's a 1997 issue of Vibe Magazine and a half-dozen past due rent notices!(Buzzer sfx) Connie, for the game...name the star!"

Connie: "Is it...Coolio?"

See, I was thinking Sinbad.

[The Ol' Guy]

You could be correct. Right after Connie guessed, the host went, "Is it...Coolio?? We'll find out.....right after this!!"

[Joe Mello]

I'm guessing you zoom through one of the B's in the title?

[knagl]

"The intriguing absence of knowledge and skill."

That caught my ear, too.  Wow.

Was the VO on that trailer Rich Fields?

[vexer6]

Wow, I can't believe they're actually promoting the "absence of skill" like it's a good thing, that's just sad.  Celebrity Garbage sounds interesting though.

[Matt Ottinger]

Celebrity Garbage actually doesn't sound like such an outrageous concept to me.  In the first place, they wouldn't actually make people crawl around through somebody's real, unsanitary waste, that's just the "extreme" gimmick.  As Chris mentioned, the idea of trying to figure out who's who by going through their junk was a stunt on I've Got a Secret in the sixties.  Identifying celebrities based on figuring out unusual clues about them was also the premise of such sixties relics as The Object Is and You're Putting Me On.  Not to mention any number of Jay Wolpert bonus games.  As far as Wink game play goes, this doesn't sound like any crazier an idea than Bumper Stumpers or Headline Chasers.

[CJBojangles]

Was the VO on that trailer Rich Fields?

Yes.