I'll toss GSN's 2012 revival of Pyramid into this mix.........the added "oh hey you gave a clue with 4 vowels in the word so you won a blender" style add-ins were all bleh.
The show itself was forgettable but I actually did like the 7-for-7 bonuses being worth $5,000 being added to the Winner's Circle pot, plus $500 for the contestant each time it happened. Made for a nice little consolation if you don't get to play the WC.
Agreed - mediocre show top to bottom but that was a great rule.
I'm in the camp that says the format for 70s Pyr (one lose and done) was bad, but the 80s version wasn't much better.
My idea? Take Classic Concentration's two strike loss format. Lose 2 and leave. Then, money ladder the Winner's Circle. First time, 10K, Second 25K, Third 50K, then 4th (and future until you win it) 100K. There. Now you have a daily $100K Pyramid that rewards good players, and doesn't penalize an off-game (like one with a shitty celebrity partner), without throwing obscene money around.
But hey, that's just my idea.