This show has always intrigued me. Maybe out of morbid curiosity more than anything. But I thought it was at least a decent enough watch, rather than out-and-out terrible.
Regarding Bauman, he wasn’t good here, but I have a hard time crapping on him too much for that. Goodson just didn’t seem to get what made Squares work, and Bauman was thrown into a situation that I believe even Peter Marshall would have found difficult. The fact that he was without his Bowzer persona, in which he’d made most of his game show appearances, likely didn’t help. I can see where something like Pop N Rocker would have probably been more in his wheelhouse.
As for his Twitter comments, I have to think he’s just spinning, maybe to make this look better to casuals who may be viewing it for the first time. But if he really believes that... 
And yeah, I think BUZZR getting MGHS was about getting some form of Squares into their library as much as anything. In theory, having another title like Hollywood Squares that casuals will recognize will look good to prospective advertisers and programming carriers.
This. Mostly. I mean, we've seen other hosts come down the pike much worse than Bauman. I'll take him over Patrick Wayne, Pat Bullard, Rossi Moreale, Louie Anderson, and if we count pilots, CHARLENE TILTON.
Yeah it's fine to give a rookie host an opportunity, but when you put him in a task such as a revival of an iconic show like Squares...out of nice, cool ground, and straight into the fire. As for Peter fixing everything...to use yet another wrestling comparison, I liken it to the people who still insist that Goldberg, Sting, Flair, Nash, Steiner, etc. would have saved the inVasion angle. Sure it would be more interesting than the midcarders they got, but you know WWF is winning in the end still. (You can also see how most of the big WCW stars were booked when they DID come afterwards, but that's another topic and another message board...) Point is, how good would Peter be in masking that this was a watered down version of "his" show?
As for Goodson not understanding it, I don't think he wanted to put effort into understanding it as it originally was. Wasn't his idea, after all. But just speculation there.
I do like the idea of Tom Kennedy hosting Squares. Hey it's not like he never faced a panel of nine stars contestants had to agree with about answers.
But generally, there's worse shows out there than MG/HS. I wear the nostalgia colored glasses, yes, but I do highly look forward to seeing this. How it works out for Buzzr? Well as I said, they get another, rare form of Match Game hosted by Gene Rayburn. They get HS there at last, and really, the casual viewer isn't going to obsess over it being the Goodsonized version. If Fremantle is on good terms with MGM, it may open the way to one day introduce the "real" Squares series. I also can't help but wonder...is MG/HS a trial to see how hour-long shows fit on the schedule...hint, hint?
