Beat the Bridge

[whewfan]

Beat the Bridge debuted on GSN last night. It's GSN's version of BBC's Bridge of Lies.

There are a fair number of differences between the GSN version and the BBC show

Three players instead of four. The players are not in an isolation booth, and there's no waiting area at the other end.

The bridge is laid out differently... There are ten steps to the end of the bridge. In round one there are two possible answers for each step, one right and one wrong. In rounds 2 and 3, there are three possible answers, only one is right.

The rounds are not played against a clock.

Getting a wrong answer doesn't cut the earnings in half, but not making it all the way across the bridge might. The other players have a red button they can press to bank any money earned at that point if they think the person playing is in trouble and isn't likely to get all the way across. Unlike the BBC version, where the button can only be used once, the GSN version has it available for each round. Just like the BBC version, three wrong answers ends the round.

The bonus round is closer to the BBC version, with these differences...

Three answers per step, only one is right. Each step is a different category.

The bonus game IS played against a clock, 90 seconds.

No conferring is allowed between the bridge player and the teammates.

Getting all the way across the bridge adds $5000 to the earnings. The team gets to keep their earlier winnings regardless.

I did initially think the round one board with two answers each was quite easy, and I was worried the whole game might be this easy, but thankfully I was wrong, and the game did become more difficult as it progressed. I guess I like this format, but I do like the BBC version better. The BBC version had an air of suspense... this version takes away the suspense with no time clock.

Host Cameron Mathison is... okay... I think he is a bit "plastic" and gives that "actor trying to be a game show host" vibe, but not in a Patrick Wayne sort of way. Still, I have to credit him for running the game at a decent pace. Ross Kemp, the host of the BBC version, is genial, but also can be a bit intimidating. I think this is the right approach considering the atmosphere. Cameron has a bit too much energy and is a little too upbeat, but then again, I guess GSN just wanted to do their own thing instead of directly copy from the original. I don't think his hosting takes away from the game, I just don't think he was the best choice as host.

[MikeK]

Actually, the team does not keep their accrued money if the final round is won.  The team gets the GSN default $1000.

The TL;DR version is it is Double Time Bridge of Lies Lite with a host who is 10 decibels louder than necessary.

[colonial]

Honestly, I thought the show was skippable.

I knew going in that GSN could not do a faithful recreation of "Bridge of Lies," given the latter runs 45 minutes commercial-free. GSN would need to schedule something that's 90 minutes to do such a show.

That being said, what I like about "Bridge of Lies" is that it's fun with a bit of a dark side to it. The idea of contestants creating their own maze to find right answers is unique and, in the main game, it's a race against the clock to get to the finish line (though the five-minute time limit can be sluggish depending on the contestant).

"Beat the Bridge" got rid of that side-eye of pessimism with "mazes" that were anything but, contestants we knew nothing about unless they said something interesting during game play (let's see -- one plays the piano, the second reads books to her kids and the third never saw a film with Dwayne Johnson in it. Why should I care about these players?), a host that was auditioning to play a game show host on a sitcom and questions that seemed to lean on the easy side.

Kind of odd that the GSN had three-player teams and four rounds in the main game. BBC does four players and four rounds, so it was possible for GSN to do four rounds with a different player each time.

One quirk I didn't care for -- before the first round, the "mystery voice" revealed the two categories for that round. How about the team decide which category to take on first instead of Cameron/the producers/etc.?

There was a way to get closer to the BBC's vision for this show -- perhaps green-light a 60-minute program instead. This was just rushed.


JD

[TLEberle]

\Getting all the way across the bridge adds $5000 to the earnings. The team gets to keep their earlier winnings regardless.

This seems like an easy thing to pick up if the viewer gives even a modicum of attention to the proceedings.

Not for nothing, all the way back in the 90s the Family Feud Challenge would start each game with Ray depositing the base value of the round into each team's bank, then the Bullseye round would add more. In think in 2024 that the show could start with that $5,000 in the pot. I suppose the downside is it is hard to get excited over a couple hundred here and a few hundred in bonus money.

In an alternate universe this could have been a great one-two punch with Chase USA, and a revamped Hellevator that was nearer to Fort Boyard or Crystal Maze and less gross and weird.

I thought it was fun to play along with, the the bonus round is a bit of a non sequitur. That said I would prefer more new formats than seeing reruns of the same stuff over and over.

Also, does this put a nail in the coffin for Master Minds?

[whewfan]

\Getting all the way across the bridge adds $5000 to the earnings. The team gets to keep their earlier winnings regardless.

This seems like an easy thing to pick up if the viewer gives even a modicum of attention to the proceedings.

Not for nothing, all the way back in the 90s the Family Feud Challenge would start each game with Ray depositing the base value of the round into each team's bank, then the Bullseye round would add more. In think in 2024 that the show could start with that $5,000 in the pot. I suppose the downside is it is hard to get excited over a couple hundred here and a few hundred in bonus money.

In an alternate universe this could have been a great one-two punch with Chase USA, and a revamped Hellevator that was nearer to Fort Boyard or Crystal Maze and less gross and weird.

I thought it was fun to play along with, the the bonus round is a bit of a non sequitur. That said I would prefer more new formats than seeing reruns of the same stuff over and over.

Also, does this put a nail in the coffin for Master Minds?

BTW, I was totally wrong about the players keeping their winnings regardless of how they do in the bonus round. I guess I could say it was a "brain fart." Here is an episode GSN posted earlier, a different episode from what aired last night. I will just say that this episode featured very idealistic gameplay, and also, IMO, Cameron is better here than he was on the episode that aired yesterday... he's still in "actor being a game show host" mode but I think he showed a little more personality this time. Another consideration, Google search says the largest amount ever won on Bridge of Lies is 8400 pounds which according to another Google search is $10,684 US money, which is less than the GSN version offers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_25ECvF1rfA&t=1s&pp=ygUPQmVhdCB0aGUgQnJpZGdl

[BrandonFG]

I skimmed through the preview episode and while it doesn’t have as many of the generic GSN tropes, it still feels like a generic GSN game show if that makes sense.

Cameron is trying too hard and could tone it down a lot. He also seems to be over enunciating his words to make this more dramatic than it needs to be. Reminds me a bit of Dylan in the most recent Chain Reaction reboot.

GSN’s last few shows (Hey Yahoo!, Blank Slate, this) have all been a little half-baked and could use a little more time in the oven. As much as I defend the “they make the same show” narrative, it wouldn’t hurt to deviate from the paint-by-numbers template. I know it’s economical but it’s almost like they’re scared to color outside the lines.

That said, I believe it was Jeremy who said that GSN has created a stable of shows that can play in the background at the doctors office, kinda like HGTV. And for some reason that’s the vibe I got from this show.

[TLEberle]

That said, I believe it was Jeremy who said that GSN has created a stable of shows that can play in the background at the doctors office, kinda like HGTV. And for some reason that’s the vibe I got from this show.

Almost every show has text displayed on screen so a viewer can follow the action on mute, though would not know what wrong answers were given.

[BillCullen1]

GSN’s last few shows (Hey Yahoo!, Blank Slate, this) have all been a little half-baked and could use a little more time in the oven. As much as I defend the “they make the same show” narrative, it wouldn’t hurt to deviate from the paint-by-numbers template. I know it’s economical but it’s almost like they’re scared to color outside the lines.

That said, I believe it was Jeremy who said that GSN has created a stable of shows that can play in the background at the doctors office, kinda like HGTV. And for some reason that’s the vibe I got from this show.

This pretty much sums up my feelings. What stands out to me about Beat the Bridge is there is no audience reaction. No applause, laughs, gasps and murmurs. I'll tune in from time to time.

[Matt Ottinger]

It's like Reg Grundy flew to England, watched Bridge of Lies, made notes, flew home, lost the notes, and had to reconstruct it from memory.

[Clay Zambo]

I will say this for it (having seen only the episode GSN released on YouTube): it moves at a much brighter pace than the UK version.

[rwalker]

Two things I noticed

The questions are too easy. Clearly a Gen Z targeted demo
And the setup is a rewotk of The Money List in 2009. Oh and listen to the theme. Sure sounds like the theme from the aforementioned

[Joe Mello]

The questions are too easy. Clearly a Gen Z targeted demo

I don't understand the connection.