Biggest game/reality show stories of 2015

[johnnya2k3]

We're into the last couple weeks of 2015, so it's time to go over the biggest game/reality show stories of the year. There are several that come to mind:

The debut of Buzzr
Bob Barker's April Fool's appearance on TPIR
Jeopardy's Matt Jackson becoming the anti-Arthur Chu
American Idol announcing that their 16th season will be their last (thanks, "The Voice"!)
Former "Catch 21" host Alfonso Ribiero being named the new host of America's Funniest Home Videos
The passings of Marc Breslow (longtime Goodson-Todman director), Gary Owens, and Jim Perry
Univision's Sabado Gigante ending its 53-year run
Craig Ferguson's first Emmy for Celebrity Name Game

And of course, the biggest...
For the first time in 30 years, Family Feud dethrones Wheel of Fortune as the #1 syndie game show (only for Wheel to get the ratings back in typical fashion)!!!!!

Any others I missed?

[TLEberle]

Yes, you missed one, and of what you've listed I think Sabado Gigante being put out to stud is the only one on the list that belongs on the medal podium, and three elements is as far as the list should go. Millionaire getting a phone call from the governor at 11:55 should also be on there.

[BrandonFG]

We're into the last couple weeks of 2015, so it's time to go over the biggest game/reality show stories of the year. There are several that come to mind:

The debut of Buzzr
Bob Barker's April Fool's appearance on TPIR
Jeopardy's Matt Jackson becoming the anti-Arthur Chu
American Idol announcing that their 16th season will be their last (thanks, "The Voice"!)
Former "Catch 21" host Alfonso Ribiero being named the new host of America's Funniest Home Videos
The passings of Marc Breslow (longtime Goodson-Todman director), Gary Owens, and Jim Perry
Univision's Sabado Gigante ending its 53-year run
Craig Ferguson's first Emmy for Celebrity Name Game

And of course, the biggest...
For the first time in 30 years, Family Feud dethrones Wheel of Fortune as the #1 syndie game show (only for Wheel to get the ratings back in typical fashion)!!!!!

If Feud had continued beating Wheel or finished the season as the #1 game, I'd say it would be a bigger story. It's kind of a big deal, sure, but not the biggest...definitely not worthy of the bold face and multiple exclamation points. It's about as big as the time Jeopardy! overtook Wheel in summer 2004, during KenMania.

Buzzr debuting was a big deal, as is the cancellation of Sabado Gigante. IMO Chris Harrison replacing Terry Crews is more of a story than Alfonzo Ribiero taking over AFHV, even if Chris is the fourth host(ess) in as many years. Oh, and there's the cancellation of Let's Ask America, mainly because a show that never aired in more than 25% of the country stayed on the air for three years.

Bob's returned to TPiR before; Matt Jackson isn't the first or the last longtime Jeopardy! champ, and I don't quite understand the comparison to Arthur Chu, other than they won a lot of games and a lot of money. Idol should've been taken out to pasture years ago, so I'm indifferent there, and to be honest, the show fell off way before The Voice, so again, I don't get the correlation.

[Winkfan]

The passings of Marc Breslow (longtime Goodson-Todman director), Gary Owens, and Jim Perry

Any others I missed?

We also lost Bess Myerson, Jayne Meadows, Anne Meara, and Betsy Palmer.

Cordially,
Tammy

[ChrisLambert!]

Jeopardy's Matt Jackson becoming the anti-Arthur Chu

Meaning?

[PYLdude]

How is Matt the antiChu? Played the same way, won tons of money, and both lost to superior TOC players.

The only "story" here is Craigyferg winning an award that isn't supposed to reward mediocrity.

[BrandonFG]

How is Matt the antiChu? Played the same way, won tons of money, and both lost to superior TOC players.

My only guess is that both were quirky, but Matt used a different strategy than Arthur? But even then, how does not skipping across the board make Matt different than any other "superchamp"? And it's not like the strategy is that original to begin with (word to Chuck Forrest).

[clemon79]

and I don't quite understand the comparison to Arthur Chu, other than they won a lot of games and a lot of money.

He said "anti-," implying contrast, not comparison. My guess of the logic (as much logic as there is with anything that evacuates from Allen's mental bowels) is that a lot of people thought Chu was an asshole for destroying the delicate sense of order in their lives, while Matt was fairly likable and played the game in a fashion that did not make them twitch, twitch.

[PYLdude]

Chu sure was an asshole but not for that. Mannerisms did him in.

[GiraffeBoy]

Any others I missed?

*ahem* (Well, it's pretty big to me, anyway.)

--Charlie

[TLEberle]

*ahem* (Well, it's pretty big to me, anyway.)

Sorry, Charlie.

You may not rate in Jonathan Allen's book, but you're at least number 37 in my book!!!

[clemon79]

You may not rate in Jonathan Allen's book, but you're at least number 37 in my book!!!

(LOL!!)

[TLEberle]

What can I say but that the oeuvre of Kevin Smith has affected me quite deeply.

Leave aside that we're remembering a year that still had three weeks to go. He missed one huge story to the inclusion of a whole lot of cruft. (A long-running reality competition goes off the air because people aren't watching? No foolin'.) And the stuff that he got right-ish (because after all a list like this is 99.5% perceptions and beliefs anyway and 1 part per 200 chocolate nougat) was written up really really badly.