[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Oct 27 2005, 02:47 PM\'][quote name=\'beatlefreak84\' date=\'Oct 27 2005, 10:09 AM\']I would definitely want a show where I have NO idea what is going to happen as the game goes along; that way, it would almost be like I was playing the game along with the contestants.
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Wow, I wouldn't. It's nice for getting genuine reactions, but speaking as someone who has broadcasted live, you have enough damned work trying to be interesting and trying to move the show along as it is without having extra gameplay curveballs thrown at you. Better to have an idea of what might happen and SELL it like it's a surprise to the viewers than to have to process it yourself at the same time, I think.
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This could make for an interesting debate in and of itself (and since I started the thread, I'm entitled to take it off on a tangent). Would you prefer a show where the host knows most of what's going to happen in advance or one where he's often as surprised as the contestants?
It seems likely that people who want to host shows with more rigid formats would tend to prefer more foreknowledge because they like the feeling of order and control. This isn't a bad thing by any means, and it doesn't mean that gameplay itself necessarily must be dull and rigid.
Pyramid is a perfect example of that. (I will say, however, that it was patently obvious that Dick Clark knew where the 7-11 or other bonus was ahead of time because he seldom acted the least bit surprised or even excited to see it. I trust Mr. Lemon could do better and, if not, provide an appropriate smackdown to anyone who commented on his lack of enthusiasm.)
If I were hosting
Pyramid (and I would love doing that even though I chose
TPIR as my top pick), I would probably prefer not knowing where the bonuses are; but, if I did know, I think I could do a good job of making them appear surprising when they showed up. Since they're such a small part of the game anyway, I don't think the host's foreknowledge or lack thereof really makes much difference.
On the other hand, on
TPIR the host has very little foreknowledge. I'm sure Bob has a general idea of the prices of things, especially since so many items show up over and over again, but he isn't told the "answers" in advance. I wouldn't have it any other way if I were the host. It provides spontaneity, and it also makes it far less likely that the host will inadvertently help the contestant.
Another show (yes, I'm breaking the "one show" rule here, but again, it's my thread) I'd love to host is
LMAD. Now there's the ultimate example of a show where the host must know
everything in advance and yet make it appear that things are happening on the spur of the moment. It has to be one of the most difficult shows for an emcee to pull off, which perhaps explains why only one man, the guy who invented it, has been able to do so.
Are there others among us who would like to host both types of shows, or do we tend to be know-everything or know-nothing types exclusively?
