The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: chad1m on June 16, 2010, 01:14:42 PM
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As I was hoping would happen, a report has come out (http://\"http://gameshows.about.com/b/2010/06/16/fox-picks-up-uk-game-show-the-million-pound-drop.htm\") that Fox has picked up the rights to Endemol's recent Channel 4 hit The Million Pound Drop (http://\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Million_Pound_Drop\")[/url]. Judging by the title change, it looks as if the top prize may be reduced. The pilot will be produced in August.
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'242563\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 06:14 PM\']As I was hoping would happen, a report has come out (http://\"http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=4&article=56050\") that Fox has picked up the rights to Endemol's recent Channel 4 hit The Million Pound Drop (http://\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Million_Pound_Drop\")[/url]. Judging by the title change, it looks as if the top prize may be reduced. The pilot will be produced in August.[/quote]
To be honest, I expect The Money Drop is just the generic title of the format so I wouldn't go reading too much into it - they might offer more than a million, given how comparatively little was given away in our version.
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I don't know if it was vital or not that MPD was live and this wouldn't be if it goes to series- but I'd make a case for at least same-day taping (do it in NYC, tape at like 10 AM or 11 AM for a 8PM or 9PM airing so you could have questions based on current events..
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[quote name=\'weaklink75\' post=\'242576\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 02:50 PM\']I don't know if it was vital or not that MPD was live and this wouldn't be if it goes to series- but I'd make a case for at least same-day taping (do it in NYC, tape at like 10 AM or 11 AM for a 8PM or 9PM airing so you could have questions based on current events..[/quote]
Or go like Millionaire in its first days and tape the night before...
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If they don't go Pyramid and call it "The $1,000,000 Drop", I will be ashamed.
But I am not ashamed that this got picked up, if they can get the tension right without slowing to a crawl, this could be a winner.
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[quote name=\'Lirodon\' post=\'242700\' date=\'Jun 17 2010, 06:24 PM\']If they don't go Pyramid and call it "The $1,000,000 Drop", I will be ashamed.[/quote] As well you should sir. As well you should.
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Disappointed posters should drop their TVs off a roof instead of throwing them out a window.
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[quote name=\'Fedya\' post=\'242706\' date=\'Jun 17 2010, 11:38 PM\']Disappointed posters should drop their TVs off a roof instead of throwing them out a window.[/quote]
Now that, I would watch.
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[quote name=\'Joe Mello\' post=\'242710\' date=\'Jun 17 2010, 11:20 PM\'][quote name=\'Fedya\' post=\'242706\' date=\'Jun 17 2010, 11:38 PM\']Disappointed posters should drop their TVs off a roof instead of throwing them out a window.[/quote]
Now that, I would watch.
[/quote]
Indeed! (http://\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvfnqr6qOps\")
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The show, titled Million Dollar Money Drop. has been picked up (http://\"http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/fox-orders-game-show-million-42722\") by Fox for four episodes. It premieres December 20th and will air nightly at 8 pm throughout the week, similarly to how U.S. Deal or No Deal came on the scene. Kevin Pollak, who some of you might remember was the host of the scandalous Our Little Genius, is hosting here.
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'250424\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 12:01 AM\']The show, titled Million Dollar Money Drop. has been picked up (http://\"http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/fox-orders-game-show-million-42722\") by Fox for four episodes. It premieres December 20th and will air nightly at 8 pm throughout the week, similarly to how U.S. Deal or No Deal came on the scene. Kevin Pollak, who some of you might remember was the host of the scandalous Our Little Genius, is hosting here.[/quote]
I don't recall OLG ever airing. When was it on?
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"Our Little Genius" never aired. Kevin Pollak claimed a few days after Fox yanked the show that new episodes would be taped but, as far as we know, that never happened. Last anybody heard was that the show was being investigated by the FCC, and who knows what, if anything, will come out of that?
On a scheduling standpoint, the premiere of "Money Drop" will go against the finale of NBC's "Sing-Off" talent show, as well as the penultimate episode of ABC's "Skating with the Stars."
JD
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And that's not all from Endemol. They have also come up with a variation on Press Your Luck, but with piggy banks. Just try to avoid the piggy bank that has the Whammy...er, Black Coin.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ende...tle-piggy-22373 (http://\"http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/endemol-picks-20-little-piggy-22373\")
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[quote name=\'byrd62\' post=\'250435\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 08:09 AM\']And that's not all from Endemol. They have also come up with a variation on Press Your Luck, but with piggy banks. Just try to avoid the piggy bank that has the Whammy...er, Black Coin.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ende...tle-piggy-22373 (http://\"http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/endemol-picks-20-little-piggy-22373\")[/quote]
Unless you know more than is in the article, it doesn't sound any more like Press Your Luck than it does, say, Joker's Wild.
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[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'250424\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 12:01 AM\']The show, titled Million Dollar Money Drop. has been picked up (http://\"http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/fox-orders-game-show-million-42722\") by Fox for four episodes. It premieres December 20th and will air nightly at 8 pm throughout the week, similarly to how U.S. Deal or No Deal came on the scene. Kevin Pollak, who some of you might remember was the host of the scandalous Our Little Genius, is hosting here.[/quote]
Thank heavens there's something to look forward to that week!
I hope Kevin Pollak does well. He was a funny stand up, but he didn't offer much as host of celebrity poker. The beauty of the game is that they can promote $1 million and it is indeed out there--not waiting for some tournament week--but, as on "The Weakest Link," nobody will ever win it. Given how the British series went, they may as well have shot high and made it "The $5 Million Drop."
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'250439\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 07:02 AM\']The beauty of the game is that they can promote $1 million and it is indeed out there--not waiting for some tournament week--but, as on "The Weakest Link," nobody will ever win it.[/quote]
That's a bug, not a feature. Might get 'em a ratings bump for the first couple shows, but people will leave in droves when they realize it is virtually impossible to win the advertised prize.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'250446\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 12:33 PM\']but people will leave in droves when they realize it is virtually impossible to win the advertised prize.[/quote]Hasn't stopped people from blindly cheering for Plinko.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'250478\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 04:26 PM\']Hasn't stopped people from blindly cheering for Plinko.[/quote]
A) Not the same.
B) Please don't use my comments to perpetuate your own pissing matches. Kthxbye.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'250479\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 07:27 PM\'][quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'250478\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 04:26 PM\']Hasn't stopped people from blindly cheering for Plinko.[/quote]
A) Not the same.
B) Please don't use my comments to perpetuate your own pissing matches. Kthxbye.
[/quote]Chris Lemon, ladies and gentlemen.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'250478\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 04:26 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'250446\' date=\'Nov 8 2010, 12:33 PM\']but people will leave in droves when they realize it is virtually impossible to win the advertised prize.[/quote]Hasn't stopped people from blindly cheering for Plinko.[/quote]People cheer the game because it is visually appealing and does offer a decent chance at a bundle of money.
So there's that.
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A teaser commercial is up on the FOX site... (http://\"http://www.fox.com/milliondollarmoneydrop/\")
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Headline in the sidebar: "Entertainment Weekly: It Will Suck You In"
Why would I not be surprised if the headline were "It Will Suck" and the article starts with "You in the back...."
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'251182\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 01:07 PM\']Headline in the sidebar: "Entertainment Weekly: It Will Suck You In"
Why would I not be surprised if the headline were "It Will Suck" and the article starts with "You in the back...."[/quote]
I understand the EW writer's fascination, and there are definitely some high-concept similarities to DoND that might not be immediately apparent. Still, I stand by my earlier remarks. Short of massive retooling for American audiences, I just don't think this format is going to work here.
BTW, why "Million Dollar Money Drop"? If we're saying "Million Dollar", isn't "money" kinda assumed?
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So wait...solo Duel with stacks of cash?
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'251194\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 05:18 PM\']BTW, why "Million Dollar Money Drop"?[/quote]
Mellifluousness, I guess.
I know I'm not particularly thrilled with the idea of watching people lose money for an hour. It'll be nice and shiny, for sure, but that only goes so far.
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BTW, why "Million Dollar Money Drop"? If we're saying "Million Dollar", isn't "money" kinda assumed?
I suppose the grand prize could be a million dollar gumdrop. :-p
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[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'251196\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 05:25 PM\']So wait...solo Duel with stacks of cash?[/quote]
You've got a teammate, but yeah. Key strategic difference (at least in the UK version) is that you must leave one choice vacant on every question. They also reduce the number of choices over the course of the game, so if you get that far, the final question (with two choices) becomes an all-or-nothing affair.
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Maybe I don't understand the format, but if the prize declines in value, how is that not anticlimactic?
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'251224\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 10:46 PM\']Maybe I don't understand the format, but if the prize declines in value, how is that not anticlimactic?[/quote]Because they're getting closer to winning something, and any wrong answer ends the game completely.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'251225\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 10:52 PM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'251224\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 10:46 PM\']Maybe I don't understand the format, but if the prize declines in value, how is that not anticlimactic?[/quote]Because they're getting closer to winning something, and any wrong answer ends the game completely.[/quote]
Uh, OK. You must see something in it I don't.
BTW, with ascending prize values (WWTBAM) any wrong answer likewise ends the game completely.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'251226\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 11:00 PM\'][quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'251225\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 10:52 PM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'251224\' date=\'Nov 18 2010, 10:46 PM\']Maybe I don't understand the format, but if the prize declines in value, how is that not anticlimactic?[/quote]Because they're getting closer to winning something, and any wrong answer ends the game completely.[/quote]
Uh, OK. You must see something in it I don't.[/quote]Not really. With each correct answer you move closer to the finish line. If you hedge, your grand prize is smaller. What would be anticlimactic is if someone hedged 90-5-5 and it turned out that one of the "backup" answers was correct after all and the team is now playing for $50,000 instead of $900,000.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'251227\' date=\'Nov 19 2010, 02:07 AM\']Not really. With each correct answer you move closer to the finish line.[/quote]
But as Chris said, this is true in any ladder game. The difference in this one is that after every question, what you're playing for is at best the same amount of money, but usually will be less.
When the game begins, you're playing for A MILLION DOLLARS! Using your example above, you get the first question correct and hey, congratulations! Now you're only playing for $900,000! Woo hoo! You got the question right, and you lost $100,000!!!!!
Call it anticlimactic, call it counterintuitive, call it whatever cool adjective you want, but it violates a cardinal rule of game structure, at least as far as what American audiences have come to expect. Shows certainly have gotten on the air with a few of those cardinal rules broken in the past. Some have even been successful, though not many and never for very long.
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For me, one of the fascinations with Million Pound Drop was that it was live -- and things happened. F-words got dropped (it's OK on late-night British TV, so no problem there), camera shots were rough and sometimes misfocused, and there was the hilarious blooper on the final episode of Series 2: In Question 8, the answers were Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, and the question that came up on the screen was "Which of these was created first?" Davina recovered quickly and went to her cards for backup to get the actual question.
As so many have pointed out, the game itself is rather pedestrian. Knowing that an episode has been post-produced to ratchet up the emotion, tension, and all the other elements of a modern prime-time U.S. game show, the weakness of the game itself is likely to stand out even more.
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Two things that I liked about the UK version of the show was that...
1) It was live
2) Contestants were recruited via social media sites
Those two aspects gave the show a bit of an early WWTBAM vibe to it -- aspect #2 due to the fact that it was essentially a show where anyone and everyone could audition for the show; You didn't have to be a "native of Los Angeles" to qualify.
That's nowhere to be found here. Fox could have done this on 10-second delay or same-day tape, but chose it to do it the way most modern game shows are produced -- heavily edited with tons of post-production.
I'll give the show a chance -- always watch at least one episode of every new game show that comes on the market -- and I hope it does well, but I have my doubts.
JD
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'251233\' date=\'Nov 19 2010, 09:22 AM\']Call it anticlimactic, call it counterintuitive, call it whatever cool adjective you want, but it violates a cardinal rule of game structure, at least as far as what American audiences have come to expect. Shows certainly have gotten on the air with a few of those cardinal rules broken in the past. Some have even been successful, though not many and never for very long.[/quote]
Heaven knows you're right, but. . . there's the story that when it first came out, Monopoly violated 10 or 20 or 50 rules of board structure. Rules are made to be broken, as long as you do it consciously. Then again, it's not like Fox to put a lot of care into anything. This comes off like every other game show since "Millionaire," which then exposes the flaws.
You have to imagine that the first questions will be gimmies, so the stakes don't decrease too fast.
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[quote name=\'Kniwt\' post=\'251238\' date=\'Nov 19 2010, 10:45 AM\']For me, one of the fascinations with Million Pound Drop was that it was live -- and things happened. F-words got dropped (it's OK on late-night British TV, so no problem there), camera shots were rough and sometimes misfocused, and there was the hilarious blooper on the final episode of Series 2: In Question 8, the answers were Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, and the question that came up on the screen was "Which of these was created first?" Davina recovered quickly and went to her cards for backup to get the actual question.[/quote]
Unless they're twins, the question does have a valid answer. ;-)
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'251233\' date=\'Nov 19 2010, 02:22 PM\']Call it anticlimactic, call it counterintuitive, call it whatever cool adjective you want, but it violates a cardinal rule of game structure, at least as far as what American audiences have come to expect. Shows certainly have gotten on the air with a few of those cardinal rules broken in the past. Some have even been successful, though not many and never for very long.[/quote]
Yes, I said exactly this when the UK version began, but that hasn't stopped it being a relative success.
To put this in perspective, the show over here gets about 2m viewers for Channel 4. That's actually not all that much (it means 58m aren't watching it, for example), but they're good numbers *for Channel 4* in the timeslot, and it does especially well in the target young demographic. And it's cheap.
The US show seems to be throwing money at the format and making it less edgy and removing the exciting live aspect. Whether this is going to appeal to anyone remains to be seen, but I suspect it will do well enough (if unspectacularly so) that it will get another run when Fox have a gap that needs filling. I'm certainly not going round calling it *the* hot new format with those sorts of numbers, but it is selling in the way that Endemol formats often do.
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'251243\' date=\'Nov 19 2010, 02:10 PM\']You have to imagine that the first questions will be gimmies, so the stakes don't decrease too fast.[/quote]
Nope, it doesn't work like that (at least the UK version doesn't), because the point of the show is watching the players discuss and debate the question, plus you've got the "dramatic" reveal of the correct answer, all of which is out the window on a gimme question. In fact, of the UK games I've seen, I can only remember one that was even a standard trivia question (of four tyrannical leaders, which one was fictional?). All the others were, for lack of a better term, Greed-like, based on surveys or chronologies that virtually no one is going to know for sure, but about which you could make some logical guesses. The sample that FOX is using in its publicity -- What's the most popular side dish for Thanksgiving? -- is pretty typical.
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Personally - just the fact that it's not going to be live takes a lot of the appeal away for me. The live aspect of the UK version is what drew me to it, so I think I'll just be sticking with that.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'251248\' date=\'Nov 19 2010, 02:25 PM\'][quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'251243\' date=\'Nov 19 2010, 02:10 PM\']You have to imagine that the first questions will be gimmies, so the stakes don't decrease too fast.[/quote]
Nope, it doesn't work like that (at least the UK version doesn't), because the point of the show is watching the players discuss and debate the question, plus you've got the "dramatic" reveal of the correct answer, all of which is out the window on a gimme question. [/quote]
In other words, you've just described exactly why there will be gimme questions.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'251248\' date=\'Nov 19 2010, 03:25 PM\']In fact, of the UK games I've seen, I can only remember one that was even a standard trivia question (of four tyrannical leaders, which one was fictional?). All the others were, for lack of a better term, Greed-like, based on surveys or chronologies that virtually no one is going to know for sure, but about which you could make some logical guesses. The sample that FOX is using in its publicity -- What's the most popular side dish for Thanksgiving? -- is pretty typical.[/quote]
Ewww! Crud!
One canny element of this formula, then, is that players are forced into staking money on "guess" questions. They avoid Greed's pitfall that to get to the top of their ladder, they had to keep finding kooks. It's fun and exciting to see the goofball once in a while--like Dan Avila or the guy who gave up $5000 on TPIR's Grand Game--but it gives you an icky feeling. DoND and WWTBAM both have ways to make the colossal wager a smart (albeit gutsy) bet.
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Apparently Fox has already decided they like it:
So much so that they're double running it... (http://\"http://www.hitfix.com/articles/fox-midseason-shifts-american-idol-nights-moves-fringe-to-friday\")
Ryan.
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[quote name=\'vtown7\' post=\'251295\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 03:40 PM\']Apparently Fox has already decided they like it:
So much so that they're double running it... (http://\"http://www.hitfix.com/articles/fox-midseason-shifts-american-idol-nights-moves-fringe-to-friday\")
Ryan.[/quote]
Liking it or burning it off? If I'm reading the article right, the show will follow previously aired episodes of "Glee." Musicals historically don't repeat well.
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just to clarify-- you must wager all your money on eveery question right?
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[quote name=\'toetyper\' post=\'251303\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 04:31 PM\']just to clarify-- you must wager all your money on every question right?[/quote]
Yes, it all has to be wagered on every question. You can spread it among as many answers as you want any way you want, except that one choice (the one you think is least likely to be correct) must be left vacant. You only keep the money you place on the correct answer, of course. Everything else goes bye-bye.
Again, this is how the UK version works. There are some rumors that the US version has been retooled in ways we don't know yet.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'251233\' date=\'Nov 19 2010, 06:22 AM\']Call it anticlimactic, call it counterintuitive, call it whatever cool adjective you want, but it violates a cardinal rule of game structure, at least as far as what American audiences have come to expect. Shows certainly have gotten on the air with a few of those cardinal rules broken in the past. Some have even been successful, though not many and never for very long.[/quote]I'm not saying that I like or dislike it, I'm just reporting that's what it is for those who don't know. The most telling bit is that no one managed to keep even 10% of their original stake through the gauntlet of guessing.
I would say that the whole "losing" angle fits into Fox's programming nicely: Greed had lots of losers and few winners, plus the whole Terminator angle, which guaranteed a loser at that point, and The Chamber had the "lose half your money" rule when it could have just as easily been "You didn't make it to seven minutes so you don't earn anything more," but they went with halfsies anyway. (Notwithstanding all the OTHER reasons to loathe The Chamber, but they had this too.)
[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'251286\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 09:58 AM\']One canny element of this formula, then, is that players are forced into staking money on "guess" questions. They avoid Greed's pitfall that to get to the top of their ladder, they had to keep finding kooks.[/quote]Perhaps a sign that those in charge finally realized that people weren't going to risk their wad on a blind stab, and allowed teams that reached the sixth level to keep a portion of their money. That didn't negate the entire second half of the game relying on Those Questions of Theirs, but it was something.
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"so steve, on the first question you're betting ONE MILLION DOLLARS on the fact you think kermit the frog is green"
/exciting or lame?
//i report; you decide
///unlike fox news
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[quote name=\'toetyper\' post=\'251330\' date=\'Nov 21 2010, 08:48 AM\']"so steve, on the first question you're betting ONE MILLION DOLLARS on the fact you think kermit the frog is green"[/quote]
lulz
[quote name=\'toetyper\' post=\'251330\' date=\'Nov 21 2010, 08:48 AM\']/exciting or lame?
//i report; you decide
///unlike fox news[/quote]Yey, politics.
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They just showed a commercial during the game. I'm guessing it'll be pretty heavily promoted as we get closer to the premiere date.
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[quote name=\'toetyper\' post=\'251330\' date=\'Nov 21 2010, 06:48 AM\']"so steve, on the first question you're betting ONE MILLION DOLLARS on the fact you think kermit the frog is green"[/quote]One of the things that MPD was able to do because they aired live was respond to feedback. There was much complaining over how tedious it was to have one wrong answer drop out, so on the second episode and later, there started to be faster decisions, which moved the game along.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'251339\' date=\'Nov 21 2010, 01:35 PM\']They just showed a commercial during the game. I'm guessing it'll be pretty heavily promoted as we get closer to the premiere date.[/quote]
The Rich List says hi.
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Don't know if this was mentioned elsewhere, but Kevin Pollak said last night during the Never Not Funny Pardcastathon that the show will premiere with 4 straight nights of shows. I believe he said it starts 12/20.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'251299\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 01:00 PM\'][quote name=\'vtown7\' post=\'251295\' date=\'Nov 20 2010, 03:40 PM\']Apparently Fox has already decided they like it:
So much so that they're double running it... (http://\"http://www.hitfix.com/articles/fox-midseason-shifts-american-idol-nights-moves-fringe-to-friday\")
Ryan.[/quote]
Liking it or burning it off? If I'm reading the article right, the show will follow previously aired episodes of "Glee." Musicals historically don't repeat well.
[/quote]
Neither, probably. Fox probably just thinks that they don't have anything to fill the other 30 minutes in that hour. (What was their last half-hour show that was anything resembling a game show and wasn't run back-to-back, anyway - Unan1mous? 30 Seconds to Fame? Fox has even decided against reducing the American Idol results shows from an hour to 30 minutes.)
Wasn't Hole in the Wall always run as two half-hour episodes back-to-back? I don't remember anyone ever saying that that show was being burned off right from the start.
As for musicals not repeating well, that's probably true in most cases, but remember that Glee is pretty much a series of musical numbers with the occasional plot to link them; I think repeats will do reasonably well. Besides, how much of a crossover audience do you think exists between Glee and MDMD (or is it MD2)?
EDIT: I just saw a Fox press release that said they will be airing 2 hours of MDMD on Monday 12/20 and Thursday 12/23 (along with one hour on 12/21 and 12/22). Still, having a 2-hour premiere didn't hurt Greed any, now did it?
-- Don