As much as I've been a Press Your Luck fan over the years, I'll admit that the "bonus round" on the current version drags on way too long and isn't all that interesting. It's been discussed about these hour-long shows that are really two half-hours stitched together. I think the current PYL could benefit from that - just have two games within the hour as the other shows do. It would be a lot more interesting.
Can I replace my "Cash Cab is overrated" hot take and replace it with "The Press Your Luck bonus round is actually awesome and one of the few instances in the past 25 years where a change made to a legacy show actually made it better"?
I love everything about the PYL bonus round. The escalating values (and risks) of each subsequent round. The personalized prizes adding depth of character by giving the contestant a chance to win prizes that actually had sentimental value beyond just the typical cars and trips. And a million-dollar prize that was difficult but not impossible to win, with a goal that was so tantalizingly close and yet so far, enticing people to take their shot. (Sure that one guy went for it and hit a Whammy on his penultimate spin, but what are exciting wins without a couple of heartbreaking moments for contrast?)
Also, who's to say there's enough show time to play two full games of PYL in one hour without having to massively edit one or both games for time? Part of the reason the bonus round is useful is because it could allow an especially long main game to play out naturally without having to hack it to pieces, just to get it to 22 minutes.
The PYL bonus round was actually a chance to get to know the winner beyond just the interview they gave at the top of the show, and the personalized prizes were a brilliant way to add character depth to a show that would otherwise feel like an assembly line of people screaming BBNWS.
