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

[TLEberle]

How is it not a glaring S&P violation to interfere with game play like that?

 I recall he won a pile of money for Alzheimer's research on Millionaire when Cedric was hosting, so it's curious that he's so poor here. I get that the network wants to push him, but this was the wrong vehicle.

[Neumms]

There was enough clowning and down time that they could have done a Tiebreaker sprint: one team plays four words as fast as they can, measured to the tenth of a second. The other team then tries to beat that time. Done deal.

This. Give both the same letter for "words beginning with __" to cut out a couple of seconds choosing.

My other choice would be announce the game is tied, go to commercial, come back with winners in the winners' circle and say that they won a tie-breaker during the commercial. They could stick the tie-breaker online, but even if you don't bother to watch, it's no less satisfying than how they did it and it's way more fair. They could make it as many words as they wanted.

[TLEberle]

Just spitballing here, but they could take a page from the 70s nighttime version and if they just can't do a tiebreaker they could let the two contestants play the winner's circle and split the proceeds. Given that the players are giving the clues I bet they'd be OK with this as a choice.

If they're not going to do that, at least be more transparent about how they get to the results. "Wow, you had nine seconds left over, so we'll give you $100 per second saved and put $900 in your bank," and update that every time a team goes 7 for 7.

[Neumms]

That, and the static he gave the female player when she made the decision to give clues. Unprofessional as it gets, yo.

Aw, it was funny. Strahan gave him proper grief and took her side, after all.

I go easier on Anderson's interference, too. No harm was done, and now that it's happened once, it'll never happen again. Especially if Strahan had gone over and beaten the hell out of him. (Frankly I keep hoping the panel on a football pre-game will start throwing punches, too. Heck, Brent Musburger and Jimmy the Greek got into it, and they weren't even 'roided up ex-pros.)

[TLEberle]

I go easier on Anderson's interference, too. No harm was done,

That you know of.

[Neumms]

That you know of.

He didn't shake the chair THAT hard.

[Casey]

That you know of.

Did she lose the game due to it?  It was at the time the score was tied and she was giving the final clue to win the game.  Should he have done it?  No, but I'm not sure it needs to be the federal case that is being made...

[Thunder]

I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition over this.

[Matt Ottinger]

I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition over this.

No one does.

[Flerbert419]

There's plenty of celebrity briefing and practice OFFERED. If you're a big-deal sitcom star, you might blow it off.

One of the celebrities during my taping was taking advantage of the practice session as I was walking in. There was a stand in host and partner to help them play both the main game and Winner's Circle.

There was a noticeable improvement made between the beginning of the practice session and the actual show. It was almost like the person's stunt double came out to play.

[Unrealtor]

My gut feeling is that he was trying to cover his nerves by turning the comedy up to 11, and it only got worse when he wasn't doing well. It's not the worst instinct for a comedian to have, but this was a situation that called for more restraint.

If I were the producer, I wouldn't have him banned from the studio, but I'd probably think twice before inviting him back.

[SRIV94]

I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition over this.

What a show. . .

/Happy 90th, Mel.

[clemon79]

There was a noticeable improvement made between the beginning of the practice session and the actual show. It was almost like the person's stunt double came out to play.

"I'm available!"

[KrisW73]

I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition over this.

No one does.

Bravo!! 

EDIT - I think a mountain is being made of a molehill - if he had interfered and cost the civilian the point it's a different story.

[clemon79]

EDIT - I think a mountain is being made of a molehill - if he had interfered and cost the civilian the point it's a different story.

Why does it make him less of a dick if his effort to distract worked as opposed to not?

In sports, everyone has a shiatfit if two athletes commit the exact same infraction, but one is punished more than another based on the level to which the offended party was affected. What's the difference?

(To those of you saying "what's the big deal?": obviously, in the grand scheme of things, it's not. This is a discussion of intent and etiquette.)