My thoughts on this....
I'm usually on the side of Golden Road. I'm not to fond of all the specials here and there, but I can't find myself getting outraged over this. Unlike some specials which target a specific audience, Plinko is almost universal (that's the first thing they got right). Unlike most specials, the money is coming out of someone else's pocket (that's the second thing they got right). Unlike other progressive jackpot game shows where the jackpot is reset if someone merely wins the bonus round, they make it difficult to reset the jackpot. It just doesn't reset if you hit 10K with your 2nd of 5 chips. That increases the odds of the payout reaching its max by Friday (that's the third thing they got right).
Yes, the word overkill comes to mind, but for me something seems different about this week.
Now just because I think the show got a few things right, I don't think it will succeed to their expectations. Yes it is Plinko, but trying to keep people's attention for five days is tough. Also, some people not hip to press releases or who don't hear an explanation for why they see Plinko everyday might indeed get tired of it. People do notice when a bucket of water is overflowing.
But in a nutshell, I look at it this way; this is what it would be like if Plinko was around in 1972.