Classic Concentration coming to BUZZR.

[Dbacksfan12]

Question...were there no "TAKE" cards at this point?

Not at first.  IIRC, they had two at one point, then later they had the two red ones and the two green ones.

They also tried different colored TAKE's before deciding on green and red permanently.

I couldn't pinpoint when this occurred,  but I recall a contestant matching in joy when they selected a red take and a green take, believing they matched.  When informed otherwise,  the contestant stated they were color blind.

Perhaps the orange/lavender cards were tried to provide greater contrast?

[Bob Zager]

How long did they have the contestants potentially win up to five cars--that is they continued to play up to five matches, rather than retire immediately if a car was won earlier.

I am curious to see if they will air episodes featuring contestant Michael Barr, who won two cars, and later was a newsman on WJR radio here in my hometown of Detroit.  I believe in the summer of 2001, Barr left WJR, and joined ABC's radio news network, and stayed there until around 2014.

[splinkynip]

How long did they have the contestants potentially win up to five cars--that is they continued to play up to five matches, rather than retire immediately if a car was won earlier.

End of 1987 or early 1988 they changed the rule to win a car and retire as champion.

[That Don Guy]

Perhaps the orange/lavender cards were tried to provide greater contrast?

Orange and lavender, you say?  When did this happen?  If it was near the end of the run, it wouldn't be the first time; two other "last-minute" changes I remember are Celebrity Sweepstakes getting rid of having to write down answers in the main portion of the game, and Monty Hall Beat the Clock having both couples perform every stunt in its final two weeks.

How long did they have the contestants potentially win up to five cars--that is they continued to play up to five matches, rather than retire immediately if a car was won earlier.

End of 1987 or early 1988 they changed the rule to win a car and retire as champion.

Somebody refresh my memory, which isn't crystal clear when it comes to this show (I thought that, originally, the contestant won the "unmatched" car rather than the "last matched" car): when they switched to "two losses and out," didn't winning a car just count as a loss, or did the car winners still retire immediately?

[splinkynip]

Perhaps the orange/lavender cards were tried to provide greater contrast?

Orange and lavender, you say?  When did this happen?  If it was near the end of the run, it wouldn't be the first time;
Somebody refresh my memory, which isn't crystal clear when it comes to this show (I thought that, originally, the contestant won the "unmatched" car rather than the "last matched" car): when they switched to "two losses and out," didn't winning a car just count as a loss, or did the car winners still retire immediately?

Nope, when switched two two strikes, winning a car still retired a champion right away, no matter how many losses they had.

Also, when second take was added, it was lavender for a few weeks, then changed to red.

[Mike Tennant]

Anyone have any insight into why CC's rules were changed so frequently? It seems out of character for Mark Goodson to constantly tinker with a show's format once it was on the air. Usually his shows were so thoroughly tested beforehand that on-air rule/format changes were rare. I can't think of any other G(-T) show that was changed as often as CC.

[gamed121683]

Anyone have any insight into why CC's rules were changed so frequently? It seems out of character for Mark Goodson to constantly tinker with a show's format once it was on the air. Usually his shows were so thoroughly tested beforehand that on-air rule/format changes were rare. I can't think of any other G(-T) show that was changed as often as CC.

Even Trivia Trap?

[splinkynip]

Anyone have any insight into why CC's rules were changed so frequently? It seems out of character for Mark Goodson to constantly tinker with a show's format once it was on the air. Usually his shows were so thoroughly tested beforehand that on-air rule/format changes were rare. I can't think of any other G(-T) show that was changed as often as CC.

Maybe they decided it was unfair for players in first game to have to leave if they lost, yet players in the second game got to come back if they lost if there was an interrupted game?

As for switching to one bonus round a day... budget saver, less cars won?

[jjman920]

Anyone have any insight into why CC's rules were changed so frequently? It seems out of character for Mark Goodson to constantly tinker with a show's format once it was on the air. Usually his shows were so thoroughly tested beforehand that on-air rule/format changes were rare. I can't think of any other G(-T) show that was changed as often as CC.

Perhaps because NBC also had their hand in it as well as rights owners?

[JasonA1]

If it was near the end of the run, it wouldn't be the first time; two other "last-minute" changes I remember are Celebrity Sweepstakes getting rid of having to write down answers in the main portion of the game, and Monty Hall Beat the Clock having both couples perform every stunt in its final two weeks.

That's the first I've heard about Beat the Clock - thanks!

As to CC, once they switched to the 2-out-of-3 match, the main format was rather steady for two years. I don't think it's quite out of step with other Goodson shows. As mentioned, Trivia Trap had tweaks...by week two, to speed things up, they were already doubling the Trivia Race questions to $200 after 10 were asked.

I think the fact Concentration's format lends itself to so many different things in and around the game - just like the original NBC version - is why they bothered tweaking at all. To put different things on the board isn't near the trouble as introducing new rounds, changing camera blocking, etc. It has to be the same reason Price was tinkering so much in the first few years, daytime & nighttime. They weren't married to games being in one place on the set, just for one example, so why not try new locations?

-Jason

[SRIV94]

Anyone have any insight into why CC's rules were changed so frequently? It seems out of character for Mark Goodson to constantly tinker with a show's format once it was on the air. Usually his shows were so thoroughly tested beforehand that on-air rule/format changes were rare. I can't think of any other G(-T) show that was changed as often as CC.

Oh, I think by the late 1970s/early 1980s Goodson was more than willing to make tweaks as the shows progressed.  Perry CS added changing the card on each base line, the push rule in the Money Cards, and $500 bonuses for running the board in the front game and nailing the answer to a survey question.  P+ added the escalating jackpot in Alphabetics and the crossover in the front game (plus two huge changes--one talked about in not allowing opposites, the other that slipped by unnoticed where the team that gets the password keeps the option instead of relinquishing it if they don't solve the puzzle).  FF changed its scoring system and changed the fifth question (rarely used until the scoring system changed) from Double to Triple.  BB made Gold Rush/Run one bonus game instead of two (not to mention changing the name).  Hell, even TATTLETALES changed to all-quickies.  Plus the aforementioned TRAP.

[rjaguar3]

On this week's episodes, one contestant kept trying to pick two numbers at a time in the car game (picking the second number before the first was revealed), leading to the producers yelling at her to pick one number at a time. I seem to remember that later in the run that players regularly selected two numbers at a time in the car game without comment. When did the one-number-at-a-time rule get dropped?

[BillCullen1]

Today's shows (10/31) featured the first appearance of Marjorie Goodson. Alex explained that the former model married and went to Australia.

[Sodboy13]

Need to trim a little on the budget? Have 4 or 5 of your cars' model names all begin with "S."

[HYHYBT]

One-number-at-a-time would explain what’s been puzzling me about the second episode yesterday; he clearly called both numbers before the buzzer, but there was no suggestion even of checking the tape; it was treated as an obvious loss.