Overall, I liked Studio 7 a good bit.
Host: Great choice. He looks young, but he has authority. He did an excellent job, I thought, reading the questions in the rapid-fire round. Some other posters suggested that he either become meaner or much more jocular, but I find the balance he struck on the first episode perfect: It's a high-tension quiz show, after all. His position evokes the authority of a principal or dean, and he's as cordial as anyone in that position should be. His relative detachment allows the contestants to congratulate or console each other and have those actions mean more in the vaccuum.
The Pool: It seems like a cheap, worthless gimmick on first look. Its effects on the contestants in the memorization round are hard for the viewer to grasp (I'm reciting a huge list, on TV, in front of an audience, for a lot of money WHILE standing over a pool of water I could fall into!), and gave me the unpleasant suspicion that they were going to dump a contestant in once they gave a wrong item.
But, as a device for taking the rings out of play, it's EXCELLENT. Handing the ring to an assistant? No. Putting it in a slot? No. When you toss your ring into the pool, you're taking your ONE AND ONLY "LIFELINE" and throwing it away for a shot at help. Very powerful visual implications there, evoking a wishing well as well as the irrevocability of the decision.
The Memorization Round: >I< don't like this part of the show because it gets me thinking, "Man, I don't think I could do this, and if I had to, it would be the biggest pain in the ass ever." But, it's pretty impressive to see contestants do well here.
I've got to wrap this post up, but the last couple of pros and cons on my mind:
- I think the good use of interviews and house shots from the first episode shows that the concept was worth exploring: it gave a deeper story to the game and made for a stronger emotional connection (for or against) with the contestants.
- I like the balance between merit and politics. The last 2 rounds have no politics at all, and the single-elimination round can provide great moments if someone doesn't know the answer and still has their ring: help me or I'm gone... possibly at risk to you, and if you don't have your ring, I can't even help you back anymore.
- The final timed round is the only round where there can be a blowout and a little bit of an anti-climax. I'm not sure if a tweak or a move to a Weakest-Link style shootout is called for.
- The editing really needed to be tighter in some points, and it might have been nice to stage the walks to isolation with a little more ceremony, but perhaps the show needs to pick up pace at that point.
Gotta go!
