"Anticlimactic" game show moments...

[Jimmy Owen]

Pretty much every show of "The Chase."  You know Mark's gonna win it most of the time.

[Mr. Armadillo]

Wheel of Fortune, if the player in the lead is up by a very large margin, and the final spin is NOT for $6,000/letter...

I disagree with this one, since they're still playing for a reasonable amount of cash.  It may not determine the winner, but the subcockles of my heart are warmed at least a little if the poor guy who spun Bankrupt three times gets to take home $4,350 thanks to the speed-up round.

[clemon79]

Pretty much every show of "The Chase."  You know Mark's gonna win it most of the time.

8/10. You'll get some bites.

[aaron sica]

I disagree with this one, since they're still playing for a reasonable amount of cash.  It may not determine the winner, but the subcockles of my heart are warmed at least a little if the poor guy who spun Bankrupt three times gets to take home $4,350 thanks to the speed-up round.

I see your point here.....There are still second and third place winners to get to take home their cash and that IS a good thing.....But like I said, as far as being the overall winner....If the first-place person has a nice lead built, and the final spin amounts to be on the average of about $1700, no way they're going to the bonus round...

[TLEberle]

Wheel of Fortune's final spin of the day brings up a question: is it meant to be the climactic and exciting moment where anything can happen or is it a means to an end that the main game wraps up at roughly the same time every day? And was the percentage of "up in the air" games greater in the old days?

[J.R.]

It may not determine the winner, but the subcockles of my heart are warmed at least a little if the poor guy who spun Bankrupt three times gets to take home $4,350 thanks to the speed-up round.

That's one of the reasons why I like the Toss-Ups. Spreads the money around.

[Jay Temple]

I disagree with this one, since they're still playing for a reasonable amount of cash.  It may not determine the winner, but the subcockles of my heart are warmed at least a little if the poor guy who spun Bankrupt three times gets to take home $4,350 thanks to the speed-up round.

I see your point here.....There are still second and third place winners to get to take home their cash and that IS a good thing.....But like I said, as far as being the overall winner....If the first-place person has a nice lead built, and the final spin amounts to be on the average of about $1700, no way they're going to the bonus round...

Caesar's Challenge was worse, at least in the one episode I saw. Only the winner got the cash, which meant there came a point where the player already in the lead was the only one for whom it made any difference. (In the 20 years that I was a daily J! viewer, I did see one game where a player rang in on a clue even though it was mathematically impossible for him to get out of the hole.)

[TLEberle]

I still don't understand why that's a problem: the final word takes a few seconds, tote up the scores, let's go shopping. Done deal.

[Flerbert419]

Wheel of Fortune's final spin of the day brings up a question: is it meant to be the climactic and exciting moment where anything can happen or is it a means to an end that the main game wraps up at roughly the same time every day? And was the percentage of "up in the air" games greater in the old days?

I think the show wants viewers to see it as an exciting moment - they have introduced meta-puzzles this season into Round 4 such as "THE TABLES ARE TURNING", "WINNING A NARROW VICTORY", and "THAT'S THE WAY TO PLAY".

The addition of $1,000 to the Final Spin amount would make me think that final standings are more subject to change today then in the old days.

[GameShowGuru]

The game show Monopoly itself:

Pretty much the game was decided after the first round when the color groups were won: The person who won the most color groups (and thus, the most cash) got to buy the most houses/hotels which were redeemable for cash when Round 2 ended.  I don't recall seeing too many moments when the second place contestant overtook the first absent a railroad hostile takeover.  And the contestant trailing was all but shut out entirely.

It is because of Monopoly's broken "system" that I find the game interesting in concept but not fun to watch because its execution is on the whole, anticlimactic.

[trustno1]

Pretty much every show of "The Chase."  You know Mark's gonna win it most of the time.

That's why I prefer the British version.

[PYLdude]

Pretty much every show of "The Chase."  You know Mark's gonna win it most of the time.

That's why I prefer the British version.

You got trolled.

[Unrealtor]

For me, it was the "Find The Car Card" game after the Money Cards on Card Sharks.

The odds were set for the player to lose well over 75% of the time so "You just won $14,000 at the Money Cards, but you lose that car!" made it feel wah-wah to me.

The way the Wheel bonus puzzles have been written the last few years with that one letter that you need to find to have any chance at winning, it's got all of the issues the Card Sharks car game had (an unlikely win which feels like it has very little at stake when the contestant just finished winning as much or more) plus a lack of suspense. As soon as the contestant's letters come up on the board, it's usually pretty obvious whether (s)he wins or loses.

[BrandonFG]

For me, it was the "Find The Car Card" game after the Money Cards on Card Sharks.

The odds were set for the player to lose well over 75% of the time so "You just won $14,000 at the Money Cards, but you lose that car!" made it feel wah-wah to me.

The way the Wheel bonus puzzles have been written the last few years with that one letter that you need to find to have any chance at winning, it's got all of the issues the Card Sharks car game had (an unlikely win which feels like it has very little at stake when the contestant just finished winning as much or more) plus a lack of suspense. As soon as the contestant's letters come up on the board, it's usually pretty obvious whether (s)he wins or loses.

Reminds me of a discussion brought up a couple of years ago, on how the bonus round itself has become anticlimactic, even if the contestant wins. Pat opens the envelope, and the reaction is often very lowkey. Someone speculated that some of it is because you already know you've won at least $25,000...you're just waiting for the big reveal.

[TLEberle]

Reminds me of a discussion brought up a couple of years ago, on how the bonus round itself has become anticlimactic, even if the contestant wins. Pat opens the envelope, and the reaction is often very lowkey. Someone speculated that some of it is because you already know you've won at least $25,000...you're just waiting for the big reveal.

Last night a gal scooped the main game car, prize puzzle, ten grand in round three and various other things to finish the main game a dollar under $42,000. When she won a further forty grand in the bonus puzzle her family went nutzo. I don't necessarily find it awful if the bonus winner does a little fist pump after winning the money--they should do whatever comes naturally instead of manufacturing an emotion.