Scrabble

[golden-road]

I don't know if I'm allowed to do this, but I have a new version of Scrabble and I would like opinions.

Logo: The logo from the board game.

Host: Chuck Woolery

Announcer: Burton Richardson

Producer: FremantleMedia North America

Game: Like the tail-end of the 80's version, with some elements of both the early version (with the pot) and the 1993 version (but not the theme, the 84-90 theme would be used).

Rules: Two players play two games, the champ plays in the second game. Standard TV Scrabble Rules apply, with the pot starting at $500, and $100 is added for a gray square (non-colored), $150 for a blue, and $250 for a pink. Solving the word earns a point; three wins.

Bonuses: $1000 for a blue, $1500 for a pink; these are not added to the score.

Gold Square: This is a new wrinkle, played in either game. If a letter lands on the square (location of which is already revealed) and the word is guessed right there, the pot is doubled AND that doubled amount is added to the Bonus Sprint.

Another change is that the games are back to back, with the Scrabble Sprint happening afterwards, with the higher score (or coin toss if there is a tie) going first. The word lengths are 6,7,8, and 9, with a 10 second penalty and another word of that same length for a wrong guess. The winner earns an additional $2500.

Bonus Sprint: Five words in 30 seconds, with 5 seconds removed for a penalty or wrong guess. $500 a word, all five wins the jackpot, starting at $10,000 and increasing by $2500 AND the money from the Gold Square if need be (pot starts at $10K. If the GS was worth $3800, the next's day BS would be worth $16,300).

Champs can remain for five days, and on their fifth sprint, if they win, they get the jackpot. They also (regardless) return for the ToC.

ToC: Sixteen of the biggest winners from the season compete on the last week of the season. No pot, no Bonus Sprint, just the Pink/Blue bonuses. $5000 for the winner, $2500 for the runners up. On the final day, $10K for the two losers, $15K for the second place finisher, and $100K for the champion.

[clemon79]

Yeah, okay, you changed the payouts, and the bonus game a teeny bit. They canned the old Scrabble in an era more receptive to it, what makes you think this one will be more successful?

(Not that I have an issue with Scrabble in and of itself, although the components you brought back are mostly the ones I disliked, I just don't see what's special about this.)

[Kevin Prather]

[quote name=\'golden-road\' date=\'Dec 5 2004, 07:36 PM\']Producer: FremantleMedia North America
[/quote]

I don't like it. ;-)

Seriously, give it some more thought. A remake has got to be better than the original in order to be a success. This is basically the original with a few minor tweaks. I think Chris hit it just right. Our era is less receptive to it. You've got to make it really special for it to work.

[tommycharles]

[quote name=\'whoserman\' date=\'Dec 6 2004, 12:33 AM\'] A remake has got to be better than the original in order to be a success. This is basically the original with a few minor tweaks.

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[/quote]

How would you explain Feud 88 being successful, then? I don't think you could it necessarily better or anything more than the original with a few minor tweaks.

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'golden-road\' date=\'Dec 5 2004, 10:36 PM\'][/quote]
Sounds quite watered down, IMO.

[Strikerz04]

Good concept in the main game. The bonuses seemed to have a more confusing look. Better to just slap the color tile bonuses to the sprint jackpot. The gold square add-on seems a bit too much, and doesn't need much. Sprints are fine, jackpots are okay (I would've gone for $5000/loss).

I'm done.

[DrJWJustice]

If it ain't broke, then why fix it?  

'Sides, I have to agree with Chris L. -- A game like that just won't make it on TV these days, except maybe GSN.  Chris will argue the 'mo money syndrome' deal, but if a new show doesn't pay at least six figures at some point, it won't grab that much attention.

[Chelsea Thrasher]

[quote name=\'golden-road\' date=\'Dec 5 2004, 09:36 PM\']

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[/quote]

I've seen worse ideas posted before, but that says nothing.   Personally, I too subscribe to the If it ain't broke... belief.

Honestly, I think the nail was already hit on the head that networks simply have NO interest in programming anything along these lines on their schedules, barring it be a syndicated offering at 2:35 AM.  For any other slot, or, gasp, as a network offering, it'd have to give away a large enough amount of money to get the chuckleheads (Read: The *AVERAGE* 18-34) to tune away from Trading Hookers/The Eat Random Testicles Show/Other Random Reality Show...And that's if you want to try to air it in primetime.  For daytime, you'd essentially either have to :

1)Get a network to cancel a soap (No way in hell), or
2)Get affiliates to sell slots back to the network (That's got about as much probability as a chimp being elected President...)

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' date=\'Dec 6 2004, 04:56 AM\']2)Get affiliates to sell slots back to the network (That's got about as much probability as a chimp being elected President...)
[/quote]
So what do you call Bill Clinton? He seemed to enjoy using his "king kong" in office whenever possible.

[Chelsea Thrasher]

[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Dec 6 2004, 04:25 AM\']So what do you call Bill Clinton? He seemed to enjoy using his "king kong" in office whenever possible.
[/quote]

Chimp, not Gorilla :p

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' date=\'Dec 6 2004, 05:30 AM\'][quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Dec 6 2004, 04:25 AM\']So what do you call Bill Clinton? He seemed to enjoy using his "king kong" in office whenever possible.[/quote]Chimp, not Gorilla :p

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There's a Dubya joke to be made here (everybody knows that when al Qaida bombs you, you don't attack Iraq), but I'll save it for another day.  Instead, I'll just say this forum has gone bananas.  [rim shot]  Thank you, I'll be here all week.  Hmm, I've actually been here all year, with this being my 1,000th post and all (and about 850 have looked like this).

To golden-road: I'm sorry you didn't win, but we have a copy of Free 4 All: The Complete Series on DVD for you and our thanks for playing The $1,000,000 Game Show Idea Bank.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Dec 6 2004, 01:56 PM\']here (everybody knows that when al Qaida bombs you, you don't attack Iraq), but I'll save it for another day.  Instead, I'll just say this forum has gone bananas.  [rim shot] 

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[/quote]

Are you through monkeying around?

[golden-road]

I'm sorry if it doesn't have the 7-figure totals network shows have, but I envisioned this for Syndication, with Tribune Entertainment as the distributor.

[wheelloon]

Being a big Scrabble fan myself, I say this: DON'T HAVE FREMANTLE SCREW UP ANOTHER GAME SHOW CLASSIC!!!

Personally, myself, I like the format from 86, where the first contestant to get 3 words goes on to Scrabble sprint, and that Scrabble Sprint had 3 words instead of 4. This way, 2 games could usually be fit into a show, and more money can be potentially given away.

I think it would be great if blue squares were worth 1000 and pinks were worth 2500. I like the gold square idea, maybe being a jackpot that if something gets, well u know...

I'm also one to believe the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy. Just up the values so audiences will be more interested these days in watching Scrabble than watching guys eat slugs on Fear Factor...

[Jimmy Owen]

How bout making it like one of those card tournaments and just film people playing regulation "Scrabble" at a casino for obscenely high stakes.  You could have Stuart Scott or Matt V. to do commentary.