don't forget Stump the Schwab

[adamjk]

Don't forget guys. It airs at 7:30, which is about 40 minutes from now as it is 6:50 here where I am.

[ChrisLambert!]

Wow, I don't remember a game show quite this boring in years...

[itiparanoid13]

That is quite possibly the worst game show I have seen in a long time.  Its very boring.  Nothing new or exciting about it at all.  Its amazing how they can come from the (IMO) pinnacle of sports game shows, 2 Minute Drill, and come to this.  I will be sure not to watch this again.  Save yourself the time and just watch Fake Out on CourtTV tonight instead.  One more thing irked me about this show, and its something very stupid and shouldnt matter, but the inconsistancy of it all.  The theme is upbeat, and yet they all of a sudden switch to dramatic 2 Minute Drill type music and basically blackout the set except for the spotlights.  The set was bad.  The host was bad.  The game is bad.

[melman1]

It ran several minutes too long, and was followed by a poker show.  This at 8 PM Eastern- prime time.  Last time I noticed what was on ESPN (regular ESPN, not "Classic"), they were showing the movie "The Natural" during prime time one night last week.

Doesn't ESPN show _any_ sports any more?

[jalman]

"Schwab" felt a little like "Win Ben Stein's Money" or even "Beat the Geeks"....

....only much, much blander.

I saw one inconsistency in the format:  where it seems like the contestants should have amazing abilities in knowing sports minutiae, everyone was just spouting off list items (#1 lottery picks, nicknames, etc.)

Stuart Scott came off as insincere.  The Schwab himself wasn't Mr. Charisma, but he tried.  Shouldn't there be a wrong-answer buzzer somewhere?  Why are the taping at some ESPN newsroom? A five-week event?  This whole thing felt sparse and unexciting and I didn't even watch the last round.   Isn't it a little creepy having no applause for most of the show, but then when the finalist was going head-to-head with the Schwab, near-suddenly we heard the canned applause?

[jalman]

[quote name=\'melman1\' date=\'Jul 16 2004, 07:27 PM\'] It ran several minutes too long, and was followed by a poker show.  This at 8 PM Eastern- prime time.  Last time I noticed what was on ESPN (regular ESPN, not "Classic"), they were showing the movie "The Natural" during prime time one night last week.

Doesn't ESPN show _any_ sports any more? [/quote]
 Well, the show was scheduled tonight for 7:30-8:05 based on the "coming up" promos before the start of Sportscenter segments.

Does Radio Shack still sell radios?

[Vgmastr]

My thoughts:

Host: Could they have gotten a more annoying ESPN personality to host than Stuart Scott?  Where's Kenny Mayne?  He does have ESPN game show experience.

The Schwab: He does know his stuff, but he's really wooden with no personality.  The reason Beat the Geeks was fun was because the Geeks were fun, the Schwab isn't.

The Gameplay:

There are three contestants as well as the Schwab.

Round 1 is called Leading Off.  There are three questions with 20 answers each.  Each contestant as well as the Schwab gives an answer one at a time.  Each right answer is worth 1 point.  When someone gives a wrong answer, they're eliminated from the question.  Play continues until all 20 answers have been given or everyone has been eliminated.  After three questions, the player with the lowest score is eliminated.  Fun round, it's been done before, but I love list questions.

Round 2 is called AKA.  Contestants are given a nickname and they have to name the athlete.  If right, they get a point, if wrong, they're opponent can steal.  The Schwab doesn't play.  Boring.

Round 3 is called Over/Under.  Contestants are given a stat with a numerical answer.  If they guess correctly, they get two points.  If wrong, their opponent can steal one point if they correctly say if the answer is over or under their answer.  If right, the opponent can steal the other point by giving the right answer.  The Schwab doesn't play.  The contestant with the most points wins the games, a spot in the championship, and a trip to the bonus round.  Again, boring.

The bonus round is pseudo card game with the winner vs. the Schwab.  There are four categories with three cards each, one worth 1 chip, one worth 3 chips, and one worth 5 chips.  Each player must take turns choosing a category their opponent must answer.  If they miss, they get a strike, three strikes and they're out.  They're each allowed one pass.  Way too complicated.  If you have the chips, why have the strikes at all?  Also, unlike Beat the Geeks, the contestant is given no type of advantage, so the win vs. the Schwab seems darn near impossible.

Overall:

Why call a show Stump the Schwab when the Schwab only plays two rounds?  Stuart Scott sucks, the Schwab is boring, and most the game is boring.

[Fedya]

[quote name=\'Vgmastr\' date=\'Jul 16 2004, 07:37 PM\'] My thoughts:

Host: Could they have gotten a more annoying ESPN personality to host than Stuart Scott? [/quote]
 How about Chris "I've got a stupid nickname for myself" Berman?

Or Pat McEnroe, screaming the word "dropper" every time, shilling for Shot Spot even when the ball leaves a mark on clay that can prove Shot Spot got it wrong, and getting practically orgasmic over the US Davis Cup players?  

[BrandonFG]

I only caught round 1 before I went to work. I wanted to call it a "Hot Potato" rip-off, but I noticed they added a tweak by asking contestants to identify the first names of the athletes. Perfesser would be proud. :-)

[JayC]

I watched it on my flight coming home from Orlando, and here are my thoughts...

The show is pretty good.  Stuart Scott is my favorite Sportscenter personality next to Kenny Mayne, so I have no problem with him.  The Schwab, IMO, does actually have some personality.  He can be humorous, he just doesn't have enough chances to be humorous because he is a part of so little of the game.  Although the set is pretty plain, it is still unlike any other.  A flashy set isn't everything, after all.  Leading off is a great round, AKA is a good idea, but I hope they choose a different round each game or at least occasionally.  Over/Under is also a great round.  The only thing I really don't like about the show is the bonus round.  It's a little too confusing.  It's a nice idea, but it was a little hard for me to follow and the Schwab has a little too much of an advantage.  Overall, it's an interesting game, but could be a little better.

[adamjk]

This show was okay. I would make some changes though.

1. Have Kenny Mayne host. Stuart Scott had no personality. Very dry and boring.

2. Have the Schwab have a bit more personality.  He tried, but was for the most part very stiff personality wise.

3. Have the Schwab be involved in every round. All other rules will apply. But at the end of every round, the person with the lowest score is gone. This way, there's that chance, that the Schwab could be eliminated before the end.

4. Get rid of the strikes for the bonus game. Also, I would make the bonus game more like Russian Roulette when they were down to two people. By that I mean, the person that chooses the category hears the question, and can either take it or pass to his/her opponent. If they take it, and get it wrong, their opponent gets the points. If they pass it, and their opponent gets it wrong, they get the points. First person to 10 points wins. If the Schwab is still around at this point, then the last remaining contestant is spotted 2 points to start.


6.  Get rid of this 5 week tourney thing. Instead have the prizes go like this. The big winner, gets a sports prize package. If it comes down to a contestant and the Schwab, and the contestant beats the Schwab, not only do they get the prize package, but they also get to work with Schwab for a week. If the Schwab beats them, they get $1,000. Also, each contestant should get something just for coming on the show. First contestant eliminated, gets $100. 2nd contestant knocked out gets $500, and the last contestant knocked out, gets $1,000.

[JayC]

[quote name=\'adamjk\' date=\'Jul 17 2004, 12:11 PM\'] 1. Have Kenny Mayne host. Stuart Scott had no personality. Very dry and boring.

 [/quote]
 If Stuart had more chances to be humorous and stuff like he does on Sportscenter, he'd be better. In Friday's episode, most of the focus was put on the contestants, and not on the Schwab or the host.  With a couple of exceptions, the contestants should have the majority of the focus.  After all, without contestants, there would be no show at all.