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

[BillCullen1]

Just out of curiosity, did it look anything like the GSN Pyramid set?

Thanks for the reports, guys. Sounds like it'll be pretty decent.

Set looks somewhat similar, but to paraphrase Yogi Berra, some of the similarities are different. The set has glass pyramids in the background. The set and desks can change colors. At the beginning of each show, there's fog and darkness, then the set lights up. Strahan's podium is similar to Mike Richards' and categories are read off a computer screen he has - no more cards. A couple of times, the categories did no pop up right away or the WRONG category showed up, causing retakes.

Categories on the subject board appear magically on the screen just as Strahan is about to read them. There are little pyramids floating in each subject box. When one is picked, that box is flipped showing a pyramid, just like the old days. The WC board is MANUALLY operated and each box is a different value from $1,000 to $5,000 dollars. The board is able to display champagne-like bubbles of different colors if someone wins big. A horizontal video screen above displays the $50,000 or $100,000 the contestant is going for.

The desks now actually show the words the players are trying to guess . No more super-imposing - impressive.

Rules and format are pretty much the same.  Get seven answers in 30 seconds. Team trailing gets to choose from the final two categories. Contestants have the option of giving or receiving for the final category and the WC. Contestants switch celebs after the first game. Mystery 7 is for a trip. "Brad" is the announcer.

Shows are being done at the ABC Studios on West 66 Street & West End Avenue. Dr. Oz is also done there.  They are taping for this next week.

[BillCullen1]

A couple of other things:

Contestants winning both games get to keep the total won for both games, so yes, there is a possibility of someone going home with $150K if they have two perfect rounds in the WC.

Sounds effects are familiar with the bell, buzzer and "cuckoo" still alive and kicking.

[chad1m]

From Ice-T's Twitter, a partial look at the set:

[mmm111]

I was also at this afternoon's taping.  The set is sort of a blend of the GSN set and the 80's version.  I was impressed that they actually used trilons, as opposed to just TV screens.  The show ran very smoothly, in my opinion - very few mistakes or technical errors.  The show was live to tape (minus a few very minor retakes), which was refreshing.  The one concern I have is the ability of the celebrities to play the game.  The contestants were great, though.

[chad1m]

I was impressed that they actually used trilons, as opposed to just TV screens.

So those are actually trilons on the pyramid in the above image? They really look like part of one big screen like on The Pyramid.

[tvwxman]

Oh.  And for you music addicts, the theme music we heard is the modern version of the recognizable Bob Cobert classic, but no tambourine.  It's ALMOST like the GSN Pyramid theme, but its electronic bass and drum rhythm tracks has a light hip-hop flair to it.  In fact, I felt the subwoofer rattle under our seat risers as the theme's "bridge" goes back to the "chorus".   

because i can't remember:

Bob Cobert did the 70s or the 80s version ?

[DYosua]

because i can't remember:

Bob Cobert did the 70s or the 80s version ?

He did the 80s version.

[mmm111]

I was impressed that they actually used trilons, as opposed to just TV screens.

So those are actually trilons on the pyramid in the above image? They really look like part of one big screen like on The Pyramid.

They are TV trilons.  There are 3 sides - all TVs.  Apparently there is only one computer, because the category board has the WC clues in the back during that round.  They actually cover up the back of the category board during the WC round, so that the answers can't be seen by the contestant.  The only reason I know the clues are there is because they took the cover off before they reset the board.

[aaron sica]

because i can't remember:

Bob Cobert did the 70s or the 80s version ?

He did the 80s version.

Yep. He pulled a Victor Borge and flipped the '70s sheet music upside down and worked from there. Ok, not really, but in some spots the 80s theme does sound like an opposite of the '70s one.

[BrandonFG]

Yep. He pulled a Victor Borge and flipped the '70s sheet music upside down and worked from there. Ok, not really, but in some spots the 80s theme does sound like an opposite of the '70s one.

I've noticed this as well. It's like Bob maintained some familiar elements of Tuning Up, but gave a unique flair to the other parts. But over time, I've grown to love the original more, as it has a lot more groovier parts (the guitar "tuning" intro for example) that Cobert left out.

/Okay, so he left out a good two minutes

[golden-road]

The WC board is MANUALLY operated and each box is a different value from $1,000 to $5,000.

Surprised at the larger WC values. What was the sequence, if you can recall?

[BillCullen1]

The WC board is MANUALLY operated and each box is a different value from $1,000 to $5,000.

Surprised at the larger WC values. What was the sequence, if you can recall?

Amounts are $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000 and $5,000, going from bottom to top.

[tvwxman]

Yep. He pulled a Victor Borge and flipped the '70s sheet music upside down and worked from there. Ok, not really, but in some spots the 80s theme does sound like an opposite of the '70s one.

I've noticed this as well. It's like Bob maintained some familiar elements of Tuning Up, but gave a unique flair to the other parts. But over time, I've grown to love the original more, as it has a lot more groovier parts (the guitar "tuning" intro for example) that Cobert left out.

/Okay, so he left out a good two minutes

Agreed. I absolutely love the original - and don't care for the 80s version - yet that's not going to stop me from watching!

[aaron sica]

Amounts are $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000 and $5,000, going from bottom to top.

Wow. The top box is as much as the top prize was for the first successful try at the WC on $50K Pyramid.

[clemon79]

Wow. The top box is as much as the top prize was for the first successful try at the WC on $50K Pyramid.

Even I will allow that there's gonna be SOME inflation over 36 years, but yeah, the potential for walking away with $15,500 for losing (most of the time gonna be closer to $11,500, but stay with me here) seems a little high.

That said, if you look at it as a percentage, it's a little more interesting to play with the numbers. Consider on Password Plus they were playing for $5,000, and when they failed I'd say (conservatively) they got 7 right for $700. Ditto the daytime Dawson Family Feud: about $800-$850 vs. a $5,000 prize. So 14-17% of the top prize. $11,500 on a $50K payday is 23%.

Pyramid, Chain Reaction, and Go were all roughly the same...somewhere between $600-800 for a failed attempt at $10,000 (usually - keeping the situations basic here just because the chosen data is so cherrypicked in the first place because I don't really care to do the extensive study), so 6-8%.

So maybe Bob Stewart was just a cheap fark and this production is righting itself?