Showing our shows to friends/significant others who aren't fans....

[aaron sica]

....what was their take on them? This can be any show but particularly ones that they might not have heard of before you showed it to them.

Spinning this off from the 5 episode list thread.

[Dbacksfan12]

I have a good friend, who secretly enjoys game shows.  I had great success with USA’s block of originals from the 80s—Jackpot, Bumper Stumpers, and Chain Reaction.  Discussing this with other forum members; the conclusion was there’s plenty of engagement and play-along.

OTOH, she made it through about 90 seconds of Whew! before requesting another show.

[aaron sica]

OTOH, she made it through about 90 seconds of Whew! before requesting another show.

What didn't she like about it? Unlike Child's Play, which I had mentioned moves slow, Whew! is pretty fast moving.

[Dbacksfan12]

This was a couple of years ago, but IIRC it was a bit too quirky and esoteric.  I don’t think the animated opening helped much.

[TLEberle]

This was a couple of years ago, but IIRC it was a bit too quirky and esoteric.  I don’t think the animated opening helped much.

It's certainly a deep cut and also not for everyone.

[PYLdude]

I’m pretty sure I’ve told these stories before, but just in case. 

One day my brother and his then girlfriend were over in the afternoon and at the time, GSN had the original Card Sharks and the Eubanks CS back to back. She got into the much more subdued nature of the 1970s series, but wasn’t impressed with the look in the 1980s.

With my other brother, once we finally got GSN, the daily airing of the syndicated CS was as close to appointment TV for us as we could get. So much so that when they dropped it and brought back the CBS episodes, the first question he asked was “where are the prize cards?” I had to explain that it was a gimmick just for the other show.

[Ian Wallis]

My wife isn't as fanatical as I am but she enjoys watching them.  We spent many a day watching my VCR tapes of the USA game show block after work back in the early '90s.  I was most excited about seeing the 1986 episodes of Press Your Luck which weren't carried in my area and she got into it for a while too.  She wasn't that familiar with the show before we started watching it at that time.

When there's nothing else on she enjoys watching some of the older shows.  I watch Match Game every day on GSN.  She's OK with it and gives some good answers to some of the questions, but also won't get too upset if she misses it.

[BrandonFG]

I told the story about Treasure Hunt in the other thread but my fiancée and I love Shut the Box, which of course became High Rollers. Showed her a 70s episode and I think she was more intrigued by Alex’s fro and pornstache.

[nowhammies10]

I remember the first time I showed some mutual friends an episode of Russian Roulette. I told them nothing of the format, just let the show play. When the first contestant dropped through the trapdoor, it sparked the longest fit of the giggles I've ever seen, lasting through the first commercial break and into round 2.

[BrandonFG]

I remember the first time I showed some mutual friends an episode of Russian Roulette. I told them nothing of the format, just let the show play. When the first contestant dropped through the trapdoor, it sparked the longest fit of the giggles I've ever seen, lasting through the first commercial break and into round 2.

You just reminded me of another memory. When I was in college, a good friend and I were watching the show one night. He was surprised that someone would greenlight a show with that title, and I never told him the rules. When someone fell through the door, his eyes bulged to about the size of a dinner plate.