2024 USA Today Game Show Articles

[MSTieScott]

The thing I've been trying to figure out over the years is just who loves all the contestant backstories.

My theory:

Producers realize, either consciously or subconsciously, that game shows are more compelling when the viewer has a rooting interest in the contestant. Which is true: I think even the most jaded of us will perk up our ears when we learn that a contestant is from the same hometown or enjoys the same hobby.

Problem is, a basic "where are you from, what do you do" will always only captivate the small fraction of the viewing audience that shares that very specific biographical detail. And there are very few contestants who can win over lots of strangers with naturally likable personalities that will shine through a twenty-second television interview (especially if the host isn't experienced at interviewing people).

So the way to try to entice the audience to sit through the entire episode -- which is important if there isn't much game to play along with -- is to create an emotional rooting interest by sharing the most root-worthy biographical details of a contestant's life. "Everybody loves a person who rescues dogs, so here's a person who rescues dogs! Stay tuned to see if this dog rescuer wins!"

And I think it does work -- in moderation. I was once with a non–game show friend and we were watching American Ninja Warrior -- a show that's especially guilty of this practice -- and after each two-minute package about an athlete who overcame some kind of adversity, he would be more invested in their run... and more excited/devastated when they succeeded/failed.

The problem is that when every contestant on every episode of a show is accompanied by a feel-good package, and when every competition show introduces every competitor with a feel-good package, the impact is diminished and the viewer is annoyed by being overexposed to the manipulation.

[TimK2003]

Regis' WWTBAM still is my favorite primetime show since the resurgence of game shows in the late 90s. More or less, all the contestants were randomly selected amongst those that only had to pass a couple of the phone quizzes.

And though some of the contestants were forgettable, Regis still seemed to pull something out of most players to make them people you wanted to root for, whether it was their hometown, their job, their friends, or something that wasn't just a Queen For A Day heart-tugging backstory, which seems to be more common now.

Also original Millionaire didn't necessarily rely on over-the-top people that could aldo pass as character actors on a sitcom, nor were they required to drink 4 large Red Bulls prior to taping, either.

[Dbacksfan12]

The thing I've been trying to figure out over the years is just who loves all the contestant backstories. There must be someone. I know they have their place on a longer-form competition show. But I can't help but remember all the comments I've read and heard to the contrary -- and not just from "us."

I was watching an episode of one of the newer shows with a friend who enjoys some of the older shows.  It might have been Tune.  One of the contestants was a dance instructor, or some similar nonsense.  The host then invited her to come out on stage and show off her dance moves.  And my friend made a comment to the effect of:  "Who gives a [fig], where's the game?"  The channel was changed shortly thereafter.

This individual is not in our circle, nor would they ever be.  But they found this particular part of modern shows annoying as well.

[BrandonFG]

One of the contestants was a dance instructor, or some similar nonsense.  The host then invited her to come out on stage and show off her dance moves.  And my friend made a comment to the effect of:  "Who gives a [fig], where's the game?"  The channel was changed shortly thereafter.

This individual is not in our circle, nor would they ever be.  But they found this particular part of modern shows annoying as well.

This is by far my biggest pet peeve with modern game shows. I know the producers want good Youtube content, but I also don't think people are rushing to share a clip of someone doing a cheer routine on You Bet Your Life.

I also feel like shows want forced energy from contestants. Obviously you don't want a Ben Stein Clear Eyes type of player, but the energy on so many prime time shows feels a bit contrived.

[TimK2003]

One of the contestants was a dance instructor, or some similar nonsense.  The host then invited her to come out on stage and show off her dance moves.  And my friend made a comment to the effect of:  "Who gives a [fig], where's the game?"  The channel was changed shortly thereafter.

This individual is not in our circle, nor would they ever be.  But they found this particular part of modern shows annoying as well.

This is by far my biggest pet peeve with modern game shows. I know the producers want good Youtube content, but I also don't think people are rushing to share a clip of someone doing a cheer routine on You Bet Your Life.

One of the many reasons why I stopped watching (or streaming) Wayne Brady's LMAD is that it feels like you must to be able to have a Talent Show talent if you want any shot at a regular deal. 

I guess creative costumes are not enough anymore.

[Joe Mello]

The thing I've been trying to figure out over the years is just who loves all the contestant backstories.

It's possible that this is all in reaction to Millionaire usually having at least one bit of bio per segment and the early reality shows going in on backstories. I get the original logic (Anyone can be an employee from a town. What makes them interesting? What makes them human?) and I also get the sports angles (Sports has all three of the traditional basic conflicts, often all happening at the same time) but things spiraled beyond where a good equilibrium point is.

More cynically, I think that the same "We're trying to make Art," mindset that resulted in hours in edit bays and hours of reshoots is playing a part, but that could be related to the above.

Even more cynically, someone clued in that the more we focus on the contestant's life, the less we play the game, and for many shows it's a whole lot cheaper long-term to play as little game as possible.

[Clay Zambo]

Although Oswalt is funny, the format is pretty dull, with overly complicated questions that aren't fun to play along with at home...

I have several friends who have never gotten in to game shows in the past who would disagree. They are absolutely loving playing along with this game.

Exactly. I introduced my wife and her parents to a Patton episode, and they all really enjoyed it.
BTW, some time ago I'd showed my wife an early UK episode, where the host's role was much more snark and the contestants less ready to dish it back...and she took a hard pass. Glad to see they've made the non-game parts of the show a little friendlier.

[steveleb]

I have friends who work on Tune so I admit I’m kinder on it than most.  It gets points for being faithful to the OG to an extent, especially the Golden Medley.  They also draw praise for the unique film look that their foreign production makes easier.  It doesn’t hurt that the network president is a personal fan of it.  Jane and Randy look great and they are earnest.  I do wish they had been given leeway to incorporate some element of bid a note, which I always thought was a strong suit.  My understanding was Fox wanted a purer, simpler iteration without the “complications”. It falls short of PYL and Password to be sure but it is a better reboot than many others.

[JasonA1]

I do wish they had been given leeway to incorporate some element of bid a note, which I always thought was a strong suit.

Is this a typo? Because Bid-a-Note is on every episode.

-Jason

[Otm Shank]

It is missing the Melody Roulette round which was almost as signature to the brand as the Bid-a-Note round.

Too often the Bid-a-Note solution is too obvious from the wordplay of the clue. It means extra work for the writers, but the trivia element is what really sets the bidding concept in motion. If the clue has something like "this #1 tune from Prince ...." or "Rogers and Hammerstein wrote this...." and you don't have it off the clue, you bid based on your knowledge of Prince or showtunes. I will say the rebound opportunity with all the notes on a failed guess was interesting, but it did break that best-of-5 dynamic.

Unfortunately, I had to ride the fast forward button to get through an episode, and I didn't feel like binge watching, even though I really liked the 1970s and (to a lesser extent) the 1980s versions.

[steveleb]

It is a typo.  I’m off my game.  Apologies. 

[BillCullen1]

It is missing the Melody Roulette round which was almost as signature to the brand as the Bid-a-Note round. 

I agree. I think they should have put Melody Roulette and Bid a Note as the main games but I get that the producers maybe wanted to try something new. 

[JasonA1]

This is by far my biggest pet peeve with modern game shows. I know the producers want good Youtube content, but I also don't think people are rushing to share a clip of someone doing a cheer routine on You Bet Your Life.

To be perfectly fair, I was amused when a group in the audience on Price is Right would stand up and perform coming out of break, or something like that. There's countless examples like that on several classic shows. But on the flip side, many of those examples (most?) were genuinely impromptu. These things can be additive when done well. But they can also feel forced, and I think the audience is hip to it when it's overproduced.

-Jason

[Dbacksfan12]

This is by far my biggest pet peeve with modern game shows. I know the producers want good Youtube content, but I also don't think people are rushing to share a clip of someone doing a cheer routine on You Bet Your Life.

To be perfectly fair, I was amused when a group in the audience on Price is Right would stand up and perform coming out of break, or something like that. There's countless examples like that on several classic shows. But on the flip side, many of those examples (most?) were genuinely impromptu. These things can be additive when done well. But they can also feel forced, and I think the audience is hip to it when it's overproduced.

I agree with you that they were more impromptu.  How many of them were selected as a contestant?  With that said, it seemed those folks were just happy getting their 30 seconds of fame.  Now, not being able to dance is one of many blocks to being a contestant.

[Neumms]

They also draw praise for the unique film look that their foreign production makes easier.

There are places for that look. The Bachelor, for example, takes place over time and the romance might benefit from looking cinematic. Name That Tune loses so much energy, though. It’s as if they’re not even bothering to pretend it’s spontaneous.

Watching Kennedy’s version as a wee lad, I thought it was all old songs only nerds could name. With the current run, though, I can name lots of tunes. This does not make me feel youthful and vibrant.