"$100,000 Pyramid" primetime this summer on ABC

[PYLdude]

In the $100,000 winner's circle, for the subject "underwater" do you zap "a scuba diver" as including the answer or not?

At first I thought no, because it did fit the category and didn't seem like it'd be dangerous. Then I remembered what the U in "scuba"- remember, it's not just a word but also an acronym- stood for. Obvious buzz for saying the word, even though it would be unintentional.

[dale_grass]

I buzz for "under", I buzz for "water", I buzz for "underwater".  I don't buzz for a word whose etymology has the "u" coming from "underwater".  That's being excessively anal, even by 80s standards.

[Matt Ottinger]

I buzz for "under", I buzz for "water", I buzz for "underwater".  I don't buzz for a word whose etymology has the "u" coming from "underwater".  That's being excessively anal, even by 80s standards.

I agree with this, even if I can't see it.

(Seriously, is there a way of moving this thread to the Show Summaries?  If we're going to talk about episodes -- and I think that we want to -- I'd rather it all didn't look like a redacted spy document.)

[calliaume]

Now I'll have to go back and watch the second show in its entirety.  I came in during the second Winner's Circle, which my wife told me about.

My reaction to the first game (other than "Holy crap, Anna Camp's beautiful") was, considering you had two celebs who had no experience playing the game, it went really well.  Did someone here say that was the first show taped?

[BillCullen1]

My reaction to the first game (other than "Holy crap, Anna Camp's beautiful") was, considering you had two celebs who had no experience playing the game, it went really well.  Did someone here say that was the first show taped? 

Yes, I said that. I was in the audience for this show and the show with Dr. Ken.

[Matt Ottinger]

My reaction to the first game (other than "Holy crap, Anna Camp's beautiful")

You too, huh? I was not familiar with her.

[calliaume]

You too, huh? I was not familiar with her.

Probably best known for being in both of the Pitch Perfect movies at this point (look up the ending of the first one on YouTube to get the idea), but she's recurring on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and has done some other series and movie work.

[Otm Shank]

Remember the overarching cuckoo rule is "conveying the essence of the answer" and the credo "we deal in sounds." When you have words like laser and radar that are no longer functionally acronyms, the /l/ sound in laser conveys the L that stands for light. The ubiquitous example from Clark was "FBI for investigation," where you enunciate a letter that abbreviates the clue. Using the letter conveys an abbreviated word, just as you can't say "it begins with an I." This is also why "the superhero with an S on his chest" conveys the answer for Superman.

In the above-redacted example, the essence of the answer was not conveyed, so it was acceptable. I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a note on the game sheet indicating it was an acceptable clue.

[Fedya]

Well, the "super" in "superhero" also conveys "Superman".  :-p  I do recall somebody on the 80s version getting the cuckoo for just the S. though.

[Chuck Sutton]

Also "with an S" would also be the dredded prepositional phase that is always too descriptive.

[Nick]

Second WC of tonight's second episode is brutal on a number of levels.

Nobody's yet mentioned the first subject, and I cry foul on that one.  The essence of the answer is "popular," and aside from listing websites with the most hits, how you convey popular with such a noun is brutal for a first subject.  It's akin to "famous losers."

It's not impossible, just too dang difficult for the first box.  It should have swapped places with the fourth one, if for no other reason, because "what [subject] might say" should always be on the bottom row.

Also, how the heck do you get credit for "Parts of the American flag" without saying "American"

[TLEberle]

That's why they accepted "websites" and not "popular websites." I agree with the semantic point, but that was absolutely placed properly in the $50-spot because it's one that you should knock out in two seconds to build momentum. I think that's also why they gave credit for a partial-answer--that it would be foul TV waiting for Anna to come up with the word that was missing because the clue giver wasn't going to say "the colonial thirteen stripes" or "the baseball and apple pie fifty stars."

Compound answers are a bad scene in the end game.

[Nick]

That's why they accepted "websites" and not "popular websites."

Did they?  I thought they passed on that one and never got credit.  Either way, I agree with your point that if you're going to accept "websites," it's fine as a $50, though if that's what you're going to accept, then just put "websites" in the box.

I think that's also why they gave credit for a partial-answer--that it would be foul TV waiting for Anna to come up with the word that was missing because the clue giver wasn't going to say "the colonial thirteen stripes" or "the baseball and apple pie fifty stars."

True, but a little repetition with emphasis ("the thirteen stripes, the fifty stars"), making it very clear you're talking about a specific flag should be enough of a trigger for the guesser to utter "American."

[BrandonFG]

That's why they accepted "websites" and not "popular websites."

Did they?  I thought they passed on that one and never got credit.  Either way, I agree with your point that if you're going to accept "websites," it's fine as a $50, though if that's what you're going to accept, then just put "websites" in the box.

They only got the second box for $1,500.

/Sorry, Matt

[TLEberle]

One thing about the compound subject is that it can narrow the clues that the giver can say (If it's about the American flag, you wouldn't say a maple leaf or the union jack) without constricting the answer space.