Shows Where The Host "Partially Controls" The Games

[chris319]

What is the justification for Alex operating the time's up sound effect? How is the time limit tracked? Is this the time limit to answer each question or the end of a round?

[Kevin Prather]

What is the justification for Alex operating the time's up sound effect? How is the time limit tracked? Is this the time limit to answer each question or the end of a round?

I'm assuming the time limit is standardized, but if the players indicate to the host they have no intention of ringing in, "Chris? Not gonna ring in?", the host can move things along.

[knagl]

Is this the time limit to answer each question or the end of a round?

It's the three tone "do-do-do" indicating that nobody else may ring in for that question.

[nowhammies10]

Is this the time limit to answer each question or the end of a round?

It's the three tone "do-do-do" indicating that nobody else may ring in for that question.

Nathan W. Pyle, creator of the Strange Planet webcomics, coined the term Ignorance Tone in one of his comics. I propose we use that term for the "time's up" signal going forward.

ObThread: there is no standard time limit, it's an informal count in the host's mind. I think now it is tied in to the lockout mechanism, though I don't believe it always was. You'd have the tone sound as a contestant's lectern lit up and Alex would say "sorry, (contestant), not quickly enough". I also read somewhere recently that Mayim was getting the "ignorance tone" button confused with the "emergency stop" button on the lectern, which the host can press if there's an issue with pronunciation, a ruling, etc. Apparently, now she only has the "e-stop" button and the "ignorance tone" is controlled offstage by TPTB.

/Alien!Johnny: "Behold... PERIL!"

[Unrealtor]

The only times when the time's up signal was obviously being controlled by a human rather than a timer were when someone would give a wrong answer and Alex would essentially ask the remaining contestant(s) if they wanted to take a shot and the buzzer came almost immediately after they didn't make any move to go for it. Once in a while it would seem to come quickly after a clue where nobody went for it, but again if it didn't look like anyone was going to take a swing.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Seacrest had control of the mouse during the Speed Round on Click.

I assume that Jim Perry had the authority to cut the price on Instant Bargains down to some minimum specified in advance and on when to make the cuts and when to say "no sale."

This actually crossed my mind while watching not too long ago. It made me wonder when Jim had the authority to sweeten the deal with a few hundred bucks, as opposed to a Sale Surprise.

I always thought they needed to increase the offers for champs who were going for the lot by a considerable margin. If you’re going for the lot, why would you buy an Instant Bargain with Jim adding $500? I know it’s not my budget, but the late game bargains needed to come with $3-5k in cash to make them moderately interesting.

[chris319]

On Jeopardy! I suppose given three players with lockouts there is no risk of giving an advantage or disadvantage to a contestant by making the time limit arbitrary. IOW each player has an equal shot at ringing in before the time limit expires no matter how long or short the time limit may be.

On our show there were no lockouts so an arbitrary time limit could help or hinder a contestant, so it was kept as uniform as possible. If Bobby were quick on the buzzer with one player and slow with the other, there would be an obvious inequity and I'm sure Compliance and Practices would question it. Gawd forbid Allen Ludden would control the "time's up" effect.

[weaklink75]

Well one of the most obvious is of course Win Ben Stein's Money- from the 2nd round on Ben actually played the game itself (and began round 2 with control of the board)..

[TimK2003]

Union rules govern who may operate sound effects and stage electronics.

On Family Feud, taped at ABC, NABET local 57 granted a waiver to allow producer Howard Felsher to directly operate the "duplicate answer" buzzer in Fast Money due to the time element involved.

On Password Plus, taped at NBC, NABET local 53 refused to grant such a waiver for Alphabetics. Sound effects were cued by an array of three colored light bulbs operated by producer Bobby Sherman. The light bulbs were positioned in front of sound-effects engineer Geoff Cooper who operated the sound effect. The bell and buzzer were the actual devices; the "illegal clue" effect and the Alphabetics countdown came from MacKenzie carts.

The exception is if by necessity a performer must operate a device. I'm thinking of Switcheroo where a model operates the game board. I'm skeptical of any claims that an emcee operates a sound effect or a clock. It is more likely that an offstage operator does that.

Speaking of Password and ABC, ISTR an ep of Password or Password All Stars -- the Red, White & Blue set -- where Allen Ludden hit a randomizer button (which controlled a visible left/right arrow on his podium) to determine which team went first. 

I don't know if it was used only during the Tournament of Champions tournament for charity or if that was used for normal All-Stars games or regular celeb/civilian play around that time as well.

[Kniwt]

Speaking of Password and ABC, ISTR an ep of Password or Password All Stars -- the Red, White & Blue set -- where Allen Ludden hit a randomizer button (which controlled a visible left/right arrow on his podium) to determine which team went first. 

I don't know if it was used only during the Tournament of Champions tournament for charity or if that was used for normal All-Stars games or regular celeb/civilian play around that time as well.

My quick survey of the very few YT episodes suggests that the randomizer was only in the tournament. (Or maybe it was added a little before the tournament, perhaps.)

But if one wanted to be dickis-- er, pedantic -- about it, one could argue that hitting a button to start a randomizer doesn't really "control" the game, since the randomizer is going to do its random thing no matter who presses it or when.

Here's the randomizer in action (at 3:08):

[nowhammies10]

But if one wanted to be dickis-- er, pedantic -- about it, one could argue that hitting a button to start a randomizer doesn't really "control" the game, since the randomizer is going to do its random thing no matter who presses it or when.

To that end, Chuckie Baby activating the Terminator on Greed.

[Neumms]

This one barely qualifies, but in the early episodes of Classic Concentration, Trebek would call out the numbers at his own pace to reveal the speed-up puzzle pieces one at a time.

An aside: It seems more exciting to me to open the doors at random. Opening them in order just looks like they’re giving it away. Has this struck anyone else?

[clemon79]

An aside: It seems more exciting to me to open the doors at random. Opening them in order just looks like they’re giving it away. Has this struck anyone else?

The reason they are opening the doors is because they are out of time and need someone to solve the damn puzzle already. The best way to accomplish that is to reveal it from top to bottom, left to right.

[Neumms]

Gawd forbid Allen Ludden would control the "time's up" effect.

Why? Would he press it early so he could beat traffic?

Here's a prime example except it was an unsuccessful pilot:


Any game where the host reads questions to time--say, Whew!, Weakest Link and the Blockbusters Gold Run--plays a big part of the outcome.

[Bryce L.]

Here's a prime example except it was an unsuccessful pilot:

Only unsuccessful thing I'm seeing here is Tiller's frame for the video.