Countdown Round observation

[gamed121683]

Spinning off the "What game shows have you been revisiting" query, I've been getting into "Split Second" again, namely the Tom Kennedy version (thanks YouTube). While (IMO) Hatos-Hall created one of the best quizzers of all time, my biggest gripe of the game had to be the Countdown Round because it made the first two rounds sort of irrelevant.

What's your take on it: Clever catch-up mechanic or something that made you go, "Does it really matter where I placed at the end of Round 2"?

[beatlefreak84]

The Kennedy version's Countdown Round gave the leader 3 questions to answer, while second and third place had to answer 4 and 5, respectively.  So, this version made it especially important to finish first since, then, you could potentially win the game in one round, while the others needed at least two.  I thought it was, as you put it, a clever way to play catch-up since it wasn't impossible to win being in third place, but it did give a fairly significant advantage to the leader.

Hall's version essentially made the other two rounds irrelevant, IMO, since the leader had to answer 4, second 5, and third 6.  Thus, everyone would take at least two rounds to win, so I didn't see a significant advantage in finishing first.

One other gripe about Hall's version:  I totally understand why they changed the rule that they had to wait until the question was finished being read to buzz in (encourage more play-along and not be annoyed with dings along the way), but I felt that took an interesting rule out of Kennedy's.  Namely, do you buzz in early thinking you know what the question will be, or wait to hear the whole question, assuring you'll get something, but you might not be first to ring in?

Anthony

[Clay Zambo]

One full round or one full-and-one-partial round, either way, there's still an advantage to being in first place. I think 3-to-win is a little more exciting, but only a little. Either way, LOVED that game. And loved the set, though I was always disappointed by the car round.

[BrandonFG]

IMO, during the first two rounds, with the show being called Split Second, you want to be the first to buzz in, esp. since you could buzz in as soon as the clues were revealed. The reward from that is you get your first pick of the three clues (one of which was usually much simpler), and hope your opponents draw a blank, esp. if you "stole" their intended choice.

I think the Countdown Round rewards the highest score as well as fast buzzer skills. The number of questions required never really bothered me.

I see the car round the way I see the bonus round of The Big Showdown: a lighthearted bonus game after a grueling trivia battle.

[TimK2003]

One other gripe about Hall's version:  I totally understand why they changed the rule that they had to wait until the question was finished being read to buzz in (encourage more play-along and not be annoyed with dings along the way), but I felt that took an interesting rule out of Kennedy's.  Namely, do you buzz in early thinking you know what the question will be, or wait to hear the whole question, assuring you'll get something, but you might not be first to ring in?

I liked the fact that you could buzz in as soon as the 3 lines/words on the board thinking the question might go one direction, only to draw a blank or a wild guess when it goes in a different direction.  Very similar to how Fleming's Jeporady went (buzzing in as soon as the answers are revealed), although with J!, you at least had an idea (for most categories) what topic the question/answer would cover.

[carlisle96]

I thought the Countdown Round and the rising tension in Kennedy's voice when he said "Correct......continue" was among the most dramatic moment in any game show, past and present.

[Strikerz04]

I thought the Countdown Round and the rising tension in Kennedy's voice when he said "Correct......continue" was among the most dramatic moment in any game show, past and present.

I agree. Hall's didn't have the tension-building momentum, rather it just continued forward.