Local Game Shows

[Chief-O]

Now that I see public and campus TV shows getting listed, well, here's my entry...

Our local campus TV station, Titan TV, has had a few game shows over the years, but IMO, the best was "Sports Trivia Challenge", which can be thought of simply as a sports version of Jeopardy!. 3 contestants played, whoever got the most points got to take on the host in a WBSM-esque bonus round [only 5 questions, IIRC].

I actually saw 2 tapings of the show, and have some pics of the set---

Main set
Contestant desk
The big board

They've also done "Hollywood Trivia Challenge" [same concept, no bonus round, and just plain boring], and a version of "Match Game" [which used the '7x theme!]

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'Chief-O\' date=\'Mar 23 2005, 02:10 PM\']Contestant desk
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OK, I must know. Who or what is the guy on the right in the photograph shown in this link?

[Chief-O]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Mar 23 2005, 02:49 PM\']OK, I must know. Who or what is the guy on the right in the photograph shown in this link?

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One of the contestants from that episode.

BTW, the aforementioned "Titan TV Match Game", as it was officially called, used the Chain Reaction theme for the contestant plug, and had a [IMO, poor] imitation of Gene Wood as its announcer. Otherwise, those are about the only reasons to watch an ep. of this show [if you can even find ANYONE in Oshkosh who taped it!!]

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Mar 23 2005, 02:06 AM\'][quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Mar 22 2005, 08:47 PM\']

Minor nit: Fortune Hunt did have a car space, usually a Ford Thunderbird. IIRC, you could take the car and leave, or keep playing.

(slaps forehead) Yeah, my bad...in fact, I think a contestant hit the car, then opted to take it and leave on one of the eps that's on the circuit.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

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Ah, yes! The first host of that (I forget his name) at least twice botched that part of the show up. Instead of telling the player who selected that space what his/her options were, he went to the announcer and asked, "Bill Barber, what does this mean for our Fortune Hunter?" and both times Bill said, "Itttttttttt means our contestant has to make a choice". This memory came back to me later while watching Beat The Clock when Sonny Fox asked Bern Bennett to "introduce the next two contestants" who were the same couple who had just competed sixty full seconds ago--good ol' short term memory.
 

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Jeff Coopwood, who was rather incompetent.  Replaced by the much more competent (if bland) Mike Liederman.  Along with Barber, Linda Kollmeyer was the common thread (along with the husband/wife/son producers the Riveras) in all of the Illinois lottery shows (yes, I know MGP/JG were *technically* the producers of "Illinois Instant Riches" and "Illinois' Luckiest," but the Riveras were kept on by Goodson as the in-city showrunners while Goodson, Steve Ryan and Rob Fiedler [?] developed new games in LA).

The best? Hmmmmm. Can't beat the Prize Movie (1975-93; 1994). Here's a mini-clip (the one featuring two kids looking at a tree and saying "Is that the tree?" comes to mind)--identify the movie.

Different "Prize Movie" in Chicago (WLS, 60s and 70s).  Identify the tune of the day and get a chance at the mystery song for the jackpot.  Host Ione Rolnick, who went by her first name alone on the air, in the later years would do exercises to the tune of the day, making her the only game show host I know who wore a leotard on the air.  (Ione, who had a rather--uh--distinctive voice [think a slightly higher-pitched Fran Drescher], did voice-overs in Chicago and the female characters on "Amazon Ace," Dick Orkin's less successful followup to "Chickenman" on WCFL here.)

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Mar 23 2005, 02:06 AM\']Worst of the local shows I've seen on Cleveland TV: The original format to Cash Explosion--up the ladder, down the ladder, up the ladder, down the ladder. Yawn!! The best? Hmmmmm. Can't beat the Prize Movie (1975-93; 1994). Here's a mini-clip (the one featuring two kids looking at a tree and saying "Is that the tree?" comes to mind)--identify the movie.[/quote]
I'd say the best was Academic Challenge in the 1980s, before the PYL-esque board.  Don Webster could run laps around any of the hosts which have followed him.

The Prize Movie is not far behind.  John Lanigan was a decent host.  My favorite moments from Prize Movie usually involved elderly people getting a kid's show character on the celebrity wheel.  There's something about Gertie from Lakewood not knowing Optimus Prime or Transformers which made me, a pre-teen or young teen at the time, laugh out loud.  I was a little jackass in the 1980s.

The worst show?  The current Cash Explosion since Paul and Sharon were relieved of their duties.  It's one of the few shows which have three thumbs down on my TiVo.  At least the original ladder/pyramid game was tolerable.

[DrBear]

I had almost forgotten in the late 60s, we also had a high school college-bowl type game. It was probably no better or worse than any of the others, but it aired on Channel 5 locally, and had probably the worst name of the bunch:

"5 High"

[ChuckNet]

This memory came back to me later while watching Beat The Clock when Sonny Fox asked Bern Bennett to "introduce the next two contestants" who were the same couple who had just competed sixty full seconds ago--good ol' short term memory.

And people wonder why EPG wasted little time in firing Sonny from the $64K Challenge (an ep where he accidentally gave away an answer was supposedly the final straw)...

ChucK Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[ChuckNet]

I remember watching "The Pennsylvania Game" when I was about 11 and being absolutely horrified at the structure (a la no prizes or bonus round)

Actually, at least later in the run, they began offering a small prize to the winner (ex: a gift basket, an assortment of toys inspired by PBS kids' shows), not to mention giving contestants PA Lottery scratch-offs when all 3 of them chose the same answer. :-)

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Mar 23 2005, 10:34 PM\']

This memory came back to me later while watching Beat The Clock when Sonny Fox asked Bern Bennett to "introduce the next two contestants" who were the same couple who had just competed sixty full seconds ago--good ol' short term memory.

And people wonder why EPG wasted little time in firing Sonny from the $64K Challenge (an ep where he accidentally gave away an answer was supposedly the final straw)...

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Seeing how the answer he gave away was on a $32000 question, I can't say as I blame them.

[TunaHead]

Mike, I must agree with you on Cash Explosion current... Those 2 weiners are just God awful... Paul and Sharn, yeah, they were fake, but not as fake as these two clowns they've got on now. Although, the one chick is kinda hot in her own special way...

And wow, funny you mention the uber old pyramid ladder setup. That was even before Sharon and Paul... That was actually better than this song and dance they've got going now. That was actually fun to watch in many aspects!

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'TunaHead\' date=\'Mar 24 2005, 01:47 AM\']Mike, I must agree with you on Cash Explosion current... Those 2 weiners are just God awful...

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True that. Leilani ("how lowwwwwwwwwwww can my voice goooooooooo") is from hunger and Michelle only serves a purpose in my fantasies with whipped cream and a baggie.

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Mar 23 2005, 04:14 PM\']I was a little jackass in the 1980s.
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Just in the 1980s?  

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'Modor\' date=\'Mar 24 2005, 04:17 AM\'][quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Mar 23 2005, 04:14 PM\']I was a little jackass in the 1980s.
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Just in the 1980s?  [/quote]
OK, OK.  And for the first week of January 1990.

[TonicBH]

The only local game show we have here in Portland is "The High Five Challenge," hosted by former news personality Wayne Faligowski.

It's a simple high school/college bowl, except teams started with 2,000, there were five categories chosen at random, and questions were at 10, 20 and 40 points, respectively.

And there was apparently a "Wild Card" on each team that could steal the opponent's buzzin. The second set of categories was about the same, except one was a mystery category (and in the past few episodes I've seen recently, it's always chosen last.) And I think towards the last three categories, point values doubled.

It's gotten slightly cheaper ever since they relied more on computer monitors. It's a pretty decent quiz show, however.

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'TonicBH\' date=\'Mar 24 2005, 09:45 AM\']The only local game show we have here in Portland is "The High Five Challenge," hosted by former news personality Wayne Faligowski.

It's a simple high school/college bowl, except teams started with 2,000, there were five categories chosen at random, and questions were at 10, 20 and 40 points, respectively.[/quote]
The teams are given 2000 points to start and the highest question in the first round is 40 points?  Sounds like Mo' Points Syndrome.