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Hey guys. Being that this is the one stop shop, I want to get some serious opinions from a lot of you and see if this is just me, or if the feeling is widely mutual.
Last week, I received a rejection notice from Millionaire. It's the most recent in a long line of rejections from Millionaire and Amazing Race in the last 6 years. And it's getting me a little frustrated. And before you start breaking out the violins on me, hear me out.
I have a literal double Whammy working against me. First, I'm from Jersey, which means Millionaire and the new Ken Jennings show (which I failed the test for) are the only games in town. Anything else, I'd have to pay out of pocket to go to LA with no guarantees (plus a working knowledge that I'm not a strong Jeopardy player). Second, I'm a teacher, non-tenured at that. So, I'm putting myself at risk with every attempt. And just imagine if I get on, especially with the Race...
It gets me so frustrated because anyone that is just getting to know me will always ask why I never go on a game show (read: Jeopardy), and anyone that really knows me keeps telling me I've got my whole life to get on these shows. The thing they all forget is that most TV executives today can't or won't keep shows on forever. I got news for you: Chances are that if I'm lucky enough to have tenure in a couple years, the same shows that are on now WON'T be on in 5 years. And given the way that game shows are deteriorating on TV, I don't like the prospect of the future.
So this brings me to my questions for all of you:
> Am I right in busting my butt for these shows now?
> What exactly do YOU see for the genre in 5, 10 or 15 years?
> Will any current shows still be on in the times I mentioned?
> Will the shows that come on in the future be worth watching?
I don't know, you tell me if I'm going nuts, cuz it's all eating me alive.
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[quote name=\'Sonic Whammy\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 11:36 AM\']I don't know, you tell me if I'm going nuts, cuz it's all eating me alive.
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You're going nuts. There are WAY more important things to be worrying about.
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[quote name=\'Sonic Whammy\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 01:36 PM\']I don't know, you tell me if I'm going nuts, cuz it's all eating me alive.
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Some of us are just not meant to be game or reality show contestants. Take me, for instance. I'm not excitable enough for WoF or TPiR, not smart enough for J! or WWtbaM, not interesting enough for Big Brother, not adventurous enough for Survivor, not business-savvy enough for The Apprentice, too old for Idol, not desparate enough for The Bachelor, and too poor to join the poker circuit. What does that leave? Lemon's right, you have to know your limitations.
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I know there is. And believe me, I'm trying my darndest to make sure they don't become worries.
It's just that it gets tougher and tougher for me to be a fan and stay a fan. I just feel that the longer I'm a fan, the more I have to actually be there for it to be truly justified. I mean, a bunch of you have had that chance to be there in some fashion, and truly have that feel for it all, and I envy you all immensely.
*sigh* Who knows...
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[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 01:57 PM\']What does that leave?
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Deal or no Deal.
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Maybe a little more information than you'd like to know, but it's interesting how life puts things in perspective. Since I wanted to be a host since right around age five, it was a total focus through the years. It also came to a point where fear took over, because I literally felt that if I ever got my own game show gig, it bombed in 13 weeks and I never got another offer, I might as well put a gun to my head, because life would be over. Even though I've been pretty steadily employed and managed to raise 5 kids, I still felt somewhat of a failure, especially around family. The family would often tell me that just by being able to do a lot of what I had done already, I was ahead of a lot of people. As I got older, I found a lot of people with me in the dashed dreams line, yet we all could still be of use to others in some other way. Those kids you teach are a gift. Show off your smarts and talents there..maybe even host a few classroom games...and if you get the chance to go on the tube, the time'll be right. Who knows? Someone might even want a short, stocky balding game show host some day. Joe Garagiola made it....
I hardly watch game shows any more because all I get are the same old shows, but I still love 'em. And life's still good.
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[quote name=\'Sonic Whammy\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 11:59 AM\']It's just that it gets tougher and tougher for me to be a fan and stay a fan. I just feel that the longer I'm a fan, the more I have to actually be there for it to be truly justified.
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Well, that's you, and your decision to make. Nobody is gonna say you're any less of a fan than anyone else, but people do evolve and change over time. I had a phase where I was into rap music. I used to have a similar fixation on Stephen King that other people do with the Harry Potter books. People change.
Right there with Ol' Guy in the "dashed dreams" department. I wanted to be a game-show host since I was teeny. Didn't happen. Then I wanted to be a sports broadcaster, but I did it wrong, and it's probably not gonna happen. And I've gotten too old to start over again and do it right. So be it.
Me, I've never been to so much as a taping as an audience member, much less been a contestant, and I'm not the "pretty boy" type they want on their shows these days. So it's probably not gonna happen. But I am what I am, and I've been a game show geek LITERALLY as far back as I can remember, and I can remember a day before we moved to the house I eventually grew up in when I sat on the steps of our apartment building and chewed my VERY OWN pack of Fruit Stripe gum. (We moved when I was 3. I'm 34 now.) Not being on a show isn't gonna change that.
There are lots of other ways to feed the monster. :) I have some friends that I play board games with a couple times a week, and after some time I got up the balls to write up some material and use Todd Robinson's Family Feud software to attempt to host it at our game night. I figured they would merely politely tolerate my little dementia, but it went over HUGE. We're doing it again this Friday, and they keep asking what I'm gonna host next. Is it replacing Barker on the Price gig? No. But I put on a show that made people happy and provided some great memories for people I care about, and that made the work totally worthwhile.
You know those little block tables you played with as a kid? The one where you take the square block and stick it in the square hole, and the round block in it's hole, and the star-shaped one in the star-shaped hole? Life isn't like that, I've found. You don't always need the EXACT shape to fill a hole.
Now, be good to yourselves and each other. We'll see you next time.
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[quote name=\'Sonic Whammy\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 01:59 PM\']It's just that it gets tougher and tougher for me to be a fan and stay a fan. I just feel that the longer I'm a fan, the more I have to actually be there for it to be truly justified. I mean, a bunch of you have had that chance to be there in some fashion, and truly have that feel for it all, and I envy you all immensely.
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I'm in Jason's camp. I know what my limitations are and am just content with being a fan from behind the scenes without having to justify it by trying to become a contestant (sure, there are some shows where I was tempted to try it, but realizing that I wasn't likely to do very well made the decision for me not to go for it relatively easy).
For me, I was satisfied enough taking a trip to Los Angeles, pulling the TPiR all-nighter and getting into Studio 33 for the 9/23/04 episode. The mere fact that I didn't really *want* to be picked is besides the point; I had enough appreciation for the genre to be fascinated enough by seeing how they do the voodoo that they do. And I had a blast.
So in my case, not actually being a contestant isn't the end of the world. I don't feel any less "fulfilled." And a little shrewd planning and perhaps you could give TPiR a shot during summer vacation. :)
Doug
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Ever since I was five, I've always dreamed of being able to host my own game show. My family would always be encouraging me in that dream, and so would some of my friends. As I got older, though, I realized that the last thing I wanted to do was be like thousands of other people and go to California, not get any work in hosting, and just be stuck working behind a bar because I didn't learn any other trade. I still would love to host a game show, of course (!), but I'm perfectly content with what I'm doing now (I start my first teaching job in August!).
And, hey, I currently live in Chicago, where game shows now only film on location, and, next month, I'm moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, where I'm not even close to a studio whatsoever!! My chances of getting on a game show are pretty slim, but it doesn't spoil my liking of the genre.
Think about it: When you try out for a game show, you are doing something that so many people don't have the guts to do, and, in some cases, will never even get the CHANCE to do. You get to play the game with others who are just as enthused as you are, and you get to really enjoy yourself. I didn't really understand this until I tried out for WOF; I was in a room with about 55 others who were just happy to be there and having fun. By the end, I was having such a good time with the people there that getting on the show wasn't really that important anymore. I didn't walk away upset at myself because I may have done something wrong or that someone else did better than me; it was just a great experience, and one that I'll never forget.
My liking of WOF has actually been enhanced by the whole experience; I now have a much deeper appreciation for what the contestants on that show go through and the overall game as a whole. I didn't stop watching "Pyramid" when they pulled out of the Navy Pier tryouts a couple years ago. I didn't stop watching "WinTuition" because I didn't win the "Get Schooled" competition in 2003 (I was out on the first question!!). I just love the genre, and all of these little experiences have been icing on the cake for a game show fanatic like myself.
As far as where the genre is heading, it'll never go away. Shows like J! and WOF and TPIR will be around at least as long as their respective hosts stay around, and possibly even longer than that. We may not have network TV populated with game shows in either daytime or primetime like in the '80s ever again, but, as I've found over the last few years, game shows are always around; they're sometimes just in the places you'd least suspect (History IQ, for example!). Most everyone I know has affection for at least one game show just like everyone has their favorite sitcom.
Anyway, that was a long-winded response, but I hope it gets the point across: Don't be soured by the fact that a few rejections from game show auditions came your way, and have faith that game shows will never go away.
Anthony
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TV moves in cycles. Game shows died out in the early-80s, then boomed back c. 1983, and stayed strong for about 7 or 8 years. Fizzled in the early-90s, then appeared to be on life support by 1995, then in 96, we had a nice little surge that lasted up till about this year or last year. Hell, 2002 or 03 showed some of the best numbers since the early-80s or so. Now, the genre is in another down period (still not as bad as 1995, don't think it'll ever get that low), but give it time. I guarantee game shows will be back by the end of the decade. No need to feel depressed or as if you won't make it.
I'm in a similar situation, I'm in Virginia, so if I want to try out for Millionaire, I have to save up money to get to NYC. I wanted to do the movie week, but there's no tryouts anywhere near Norfolk. Oh well, what the hell. Add to that I'm ineligible for Wheel and J! b/c I work for a station that airs both. Am I depressed? No...there's always tomorrow.
Cheer up, get you an ice cream pony, and take your ass to Bed Bath and Beyond. Tell them Brandon sent you. ;-)
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[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 02:57 PM\'][quote name=\'Sonic Whammy\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 01:36 PM\']I don't know, you tell me if I'm going nuts, cuz it's all eating me alive.
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Some of us are just not meant to be game or reality show contestants. Take me, for instance. I'm not excitable enough for WoF or TPiR, not smart enough for J! or WWtbaM, not interesting enough for Big Brother, not adventurous enough for Survivor, not business-savvy enough for The Apprentice, too old for Idol, not desparate enough for The Bachelor, and too poor to join the poker circuit. What does that leave? Lemon's right, you have to know your limitations.
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Well, are you gay enough for I've Got a Secret? ;-)
(Disclaimer: I am a die-hard liberal.)
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[quote name=\'Steve Gavazzi\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 04:50 PM\']Well, are you gay enough for I've Got a Secret? ;-)
(Disclaimer: I am a die-hard liberal.)
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No, we're not homosexual, but we are willing to learn!
(Disclaimer: I am a diehard fan of Stripes. ;-)
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[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 02:51 PM\']No, we're not homosexual, but we are willing to learn!
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Will they send you someplace special?
/also a fan
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[quote name=\'Sonic Whammy\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 11:36 AM\']I don't know, you tell me if I'm going nuts, cuz it's all eating me alive.[/quote]
Nuts, sure. But aren't we all? After all, we *are* on the internet disussing game shows. :)
I'm going to take this in a somewhat different direction. When I was 19, I took a thousand bucks I didn't have, and flew out to L.A., just to try out for whatever was auditioning at the time. Made it to a TPIR taping (where I wasn't really interested in being a contestant, anyway) and a Hollywood Squares audition. Passed the written test; played the mock game (and, for those of you who've mentioned going to an audition and just having a great time, this mock game took the cake for that. By a longshot.) One of the highlights of my game show "career".
But I didn't get on. And I could have said, "That's it; I'm a failure, I'm not good enough for game shows." But I didn't. In fact, the trip had an interesting side effect. It stirred my passions in a number of ways. For one, it was the beginning of March, and I had no desire to leave SoCal and go back to Pennsylvania. I wanted to leave so little, that I went back, worked my tail off over the summer, saved up some money, and moved to the California coast later that year. I've been here for almost two years now, and I'm loving it. Were it not for that Hollywood Squares trip, this never would have happened.
A second effect of the trip was that it made me redouble my efforts to actually get on a game show. That same summer, I lost 100 pounds. The day before I moved out of Pennsylvania, I made the six-hour drive to NYC to audition for Millionaire. During the interview, I told them all about what I'd done. Then, when I arrived on the left coast, I got a call from my parents telling me that there was a postcard there from Millionaire. They liked me, they really liked me! A couple of months later, I was flying back to New York and winning $16,000. Now, I'm just waiting for the call from my second game show, and already training for my third.
The bottom line is, if you want to get on a game show badly enough, you can do it. You've just got to give the contestant coordinators what they want. Depending on the show, this may be a story of life experience, a particular brand of excitement, some good one-liners, or a specific style of play. Depending on where you're starting, it may take creating a new life experience, emphasizing a particular portion of your personality, or even a personality overhaul. And it may require learning a lot of stuff.
But it can be done. The question is only whether you're willing to make the sacrifices necessary. Bringing your current situation to the table, you may find that that's not the right thing to do. If that's the case, it's up to you to decide whether or not you want to change your situation to make it the right thing to do. Either way, it's entirely in your control. The process may not be fast, but it's doable. Shows like Wheel and J! aren't going anywhere. Other shows will come and go. If your priority is getting on and having fun, rather than making money, you'll have more options. But even if you're in it for the Benjamins, there are still opportunities out there, and while they may change, it doesn't look like the genre is going anywhere anytime soon.
But the first step is to eliminate any semblance of whininess and/or obsession. That's not what people at home want to see; any trace of it to a CC, and you're done. Just realize that it's all in your control. Give it enough effort and enough chances, and I'm confident you won't be disappointed. I won't lie to you; it can be a lot of work. But if you choose to go for it, you'll end up with memories that'll last a lifetime, maybe some extra spending cash, and who knows what else along the way. It's in no one's hands but your own. Take it or leave it. To quote Dick Clark: the challenge is yours.
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Now, the genre is in another down period (still not as bad as 1995, don't think it'll ever get that low), but give it time. I guarantee game shows will be back by the end of the decade.
I doubt it. A point I keep making here again and again is that over the past decade and a half, the networks have gotten out of daytime programming in a big way, giving back to affiliates large chunks of the daytime schedule formerly occupied by game shows. Game shows are considered undesirable by the networks because of their generally older demographics. The infrastructure that used to support daytime game show development at the networks is gone and there is no reason to reconstruct it. The entrepreneurs who used to package shows and sell them to the networks are (with the possible exception of Monty Hall) retired and their companies folded or sold, while they count their millions from their Beverly Hills mansions. The point is, in the U.S., the game show business is a mere shadow of its 1980s-era self.
Nowadays producers would just as soon hire a hack comedian or actor to emcee a game show, making discoveries such as Tom Bergeron much more the exception than the rule. Consider also that for every Tom Bergeron or Richard Karn who emcees a legacy show, there is a Peter Marshall or Richard Dawson who is being displaced. Look at it this way: I'm thinking of a very well-known, seasoned veteran emcee. He is one of the best in the field, but he hasn't emceed a game show in decades. On the day he taped the final episode of the last game show he did, he had no idea there would be no further work coming his way. Imagine waking up one day two, three or five years down the line while someone else is doing the show you used to do and thinking to yourself, "Gee, I guess I'm retired".
No one should aspire specifically to be a game show emcee. If you have the itch to be an on-air performer, consider some genre other than game shows such as news or radio. If a game show comes your way, whether it be a national gig or a local cable deal, consider yourself lucky.
Now here's Randy West to tell you how hard that end of the business is ...
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[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 05:15 PM\']
Now, the genre is in another down period (still not as bad as 1995, don't think it'll ever get that low), but give it time. I guarantee game shows will be back by the end of the decade.
I doubt it. A point I keep making here again and again is that over the past decade and a half, the networks have gotten out of daytime programming in a big way, giving back to affiliates large chunks of the daytime schedule formerly occupied by game shows. Game shows are considered undesirable by the networks because of their generally older demographics. The infrastructure that used to support daytime game show development at the networks is gone and there is no reason to reconstruct it. The entrepreneurs who used to package shows and sell them to the networks are (with the possible exception of Monty Hall) retired and their companies folded or sold, while they count their millions from their Beverly Hills mansions. The point is, in the U.S., the game show business is a mere shadow of its 1980s-era self.
Nowadays producers would just as soon hire a hack comedian or actor to emcee a game show, making discoveries such as Tom Bergeron much more the exception than the rule. Consider also that for every Tom Bergeron or Richard Karn who emcees a legacy show, there is a Peter Marshall or Richard Dawson who is being displaced. Look at it this way: I'm thinking of a very well-known, seasoned veteran emcee. He is one of the best in the field, but he hasn't emceed a game show in decades. On the day he taped the final episode of the last game show he did, he had no idea there would be no further work coming his way. Imagine waking up one day two, three or five years down the line while someone else is doing the show you used to do and thinking to yourself, "Gee, I guess I'm retired".
No one should aspire specifically to be a game show emcee. If you have the itch to be an on-air performer, consider some genre other than game shows such as news or radio. If a game show comes your way, whether it be a national gig or a local cable deal, consider yourself lucky.
Now here's Randy West to tell you how hard that end of the business is ...
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But before one of the guys I look up to as an aspiring broadcaster, Mr. West, does offer his words of wisdom...just wanna point out you're dead on, Chris. I mean how many of the game show emcees you see on classic game shows grew up saying, "You know what, I think I wanna be a game show host!"...few if any. I mean if you look down the lines they were actors, comedians, newscasters, and weathermen and a game show happened to fall in their lap. On the Yahoo group I use to run I made it a point to include clips of game show personalities before they were stars like Rod Roddy on the radio in 1960 and a pre-Match Game Gene Rayburn on Monitor. And, while I think I have a decent format for a game show (note the website in the sig), I fully realize it probably will never go network let alone syndicated. And as much as I wanna take the reins of Price when the dreaded day of Bob's departure be it retirement or untimely death comes (which I hope doesn't happen for years of course, since I love Bob's work), I realize the chances are better of winning as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. And, the same goes for being a contestant. Some people put on a great act to get to become a contestant, and if you're a good actor than you can exude what is needed to impress Stan Blits and Fingers Greco and the other contestant coordinator types at Studio 33 in Hollywood. If you have the brains, more power to you. If not, don't shoot yourself or commit suicide. Life isn't all about game shows. Just like how life isn't all about sports (unless you're a Philly sports fan, lol). Make the best of where life takes you. I'm trying to, and I know we all can.
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[quote name=\'Sonic Whammy\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 01:36 PM\']I don't know, you tell me if I'm going nuts, cuz it's all eating me alive.
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It's just me, but I have several more pressing issues to think about rather than gameshows right now.
Opinions may vary. Views expressed are not necessairly those of the Invision Game Show Forum or its moderators.
I'm thinking of a very well-known, seasoned veteran emcee. He is one of the best in the field, but he hasn't emceed a game show in decades.
Jack Narz?
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Jack Narz?
RIGHT YOU ARE!!!
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[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 05:15 PM\']
Now, the genre is in another down period (still not as bad as 1995, don't think it'll ever get that low), but give it time. I guarantee game shows will be back by the end of the decade.
I doubt it. A point I keep making here again and again is that over the past decade and a half, the networks have gotten out of daytime programming in a big way, giving back to affiliates large chunks of the daytime schedule formerly occupied by game shows.
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I meant that syndicated shows would make a comeback, in a few years. Until 2008, we do at least have four shows remaining in syndication, with Feud and Millionaire being renewed thru 08, and I think Wheel and J! even longer. I think sooner or later, we'll start seeing 2002-03 numbers (8 syndie shows that season), hopefully if Deal or No Deal and Win KenJen's Money* take off. But hell, I'm just the eternal optimist. ;-) I do agree with you on the whole daytime thing. If it were meant to be, daytime shows would've been back way before 11 years passed.
*Don't know the real title.
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[quote name=\'Steve McClellan\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 05:12 PM\']
The bottom line is, if you want to get on a game show badly enough, you can do it. You've just got to give the contestant coordinators what they want.
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Or you can hope either syndie or a return of primetime WWTBAM goes back to using the phone game to find contestants.
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[quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 03:49 PM\']I realize the chances are better of winning as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.
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Incidentally, if anyone should come across an ass-kicking contest, please let me know, as I would like to enter. :)
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I got rejected from Millionaire too last week, but I found out I was invited for KJ run through on Tuesday. I have been rejected many times too, but something eventually has to give...
Brian, you were accepted to play against Jason Block on the radio IIRC, that is something. I realize my limitations as well and accept them.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 09:40 PM\'][quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 03:49 PM\']I realize the chances are better of winning as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.
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Incidentally, if anyone should come across an ass-kicking contest, please let me know, as I would like to enter. :)
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I thought you disqualified yourself from most ass-kicking contests when you turned pro. :-)
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[quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 05:49 PM\']how many of the game show emcees you see on classic game shows grew up saying, "You know what, I think I wanna be a game show host!"...few if any.
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Just two cross my mind. Marc Summers and Bob Goen.
Interesting thing (to me). Forever, I wanted to be an emcee so I got into radio to work on my live working without a net audience participation skills. I love radio so much I don't care if an emcee job (at no matter what level) comes my way. I'm perfectly happy to be out of the central spotlight and serve as announcer for various regional productions and the upcoming GSC-4 during Travis' Price Is Right opening night presentation.
Even if a show did come back, most likely it would be picked apart and spat out like George Bush, Sr.'s broccoli. Had this group been around in 1984, it is wondered how Jeopardy! and Alex Trebek might have been shredded.
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 09:35 PM\'][quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 05:49 PM\']how many of the game show emcees you see on classic game shows grew up saying, "You know what, I think I wanna be a game show host!"...few if any.
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Just two cross my mind. Marc Summers and Bob Goen.
Interesting thing (to me). Forever, I wanted to be an emcee so I got into radio to work on my live working without a net audience participation skills. I love radio so much I don't care if an emcee job (at no matter what level) comes my way. I'm perfectly happy to be out of the central spotlight and serve as announcer for various regional productions and the upcoming GSC-4 during Travis' Price Is Right opening night presentation.
Even if a show did come back, most likely it would be picked apart and spat out like George Bush, Sr.'s broccoli. Had this group been around in 1984, it is wondered how Jeopardy! and Alex Trebek might have been shredded.
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Not sure why, but your wit seems to remind me of Bill Rafferty or Pat Sajak. I guess it's a dry wit. Just don't mention dual implications.
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how many of the game show emcees you see on classic game shows grew up saying, "You know what, I think I wanna be a game show host!"...few if any.
Just two cross my mind. Marc Summers and Bob Goen.
What about Rob Weller?
Anyway, I'd really like to get on a game show and have tried to get on a couple that taped near where I live. Unfortunatly I didn't make it. I figure my best shot now would be "Price is Right", but since I live in the Northeast planning a trip out to LA at a time when they're taping requires a lot of work. I've got to get vacation time, my wife has to get the same time, we've got to plan for a flight, book a hotel room, etc. ...and it's expensive travelling by air.
I always thought I'd be great for "Rock N Roll Jeopardy", but that's not taping any more. Plus, if I really had tried to get on it, I'd have to probably make at least two trips to LA (one for the audition, the other for the taping) with no guarantees.
We're planning a trip to San Francisco this summer, since "Price" isn't taping when we have our vacation time; but in another year or so I'm going to try to make it to studio 33 - and hopefully get called to "come on down!" Even if I don't, it will still be good going to a taping and seeing my second major game show in person!
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Well that still sort of proves my point. There are always exceptions to the rule. Marc and Bob may well be exceptions to the rule, and they were solid game show hosts. But, again most of them got their start as a radio personality or a comedian and such and they were given an opportunity to host a game show.
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[quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Jul 19 2005, 10:23 AM\']Well that still sort of proves my point. There are always exceptions to the rule. Marc and Bob may well be exceptions to the rule, and they were solid game show hosts. But, again most of them got their start as a radio personality or a comedian and such and they were given an opportunity to host a game show.
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Marc and Bob also did other things before game shows. Marc was a magician and warmed up sitcom audiences (as I saw him do in 1979 before "Alice"). Bob did news anchoring. All of the best hosts were all-around broadcasters or good comedians or entertainers, not just game show hosts.
And everyone's right. The cycle will come around again, perhaps not like it was in the old days and perhaps not with the panache of the old shows, but game shows will have a boom period again eventually. Nothing goes away completely.
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I'm not as optimistic. TPIR is to daytime game shows what "Gunsmoke" was to TV westerns and Carol Burnett was to variety shows. Once TPIR is gone, there will never be another daytime network game. The new games that are launched in prime, syndication or cable will have to be filled with irony to attract a fickle audience or be spoofs to even make it on the air.
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In regards to the death knell of game shows, things are indeed cyclical, but by the same token the apt analysis of Gunsmoke is par for the course. Unless you wanna count Walker, Texas Ranger (which is a stretch), we haven't seen a successful western in decades. Some genres die, others matriculate while being on life support. Game shows are the latter. With GSN there will seemingly always be an avenue for the format (whether you want to believe it or not with the current primetime offerings). Game shows will probably never be killed off completely, but when Bob retires or makes that one overbid that is inevitable, Price will be the last show of its niche, the daytime network offering.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 09:40 PM\']Not sure why, but your wit seems to remind me of Bill Rafferty or Pat Sajak. I guess it's a dry wit.
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It's probably dry because I've been on the wagon for 292 days. My last night out was Sept 30th of last year. I got wasted on Sept. 30th because that was the anniversary of the cancellations of It's Anybody's Guess and Shoot For The Stars. Nice of the bw-3 crowd to join me in tribute to those classics. Of course, that could be because I was buying.
Yep, I think daytime network games are done. That troika of Scrabble, Scattergories and Family Secrets during the spring of 1993 was a fluke. I'm happily incredulous that The Price Is Right has lasted this long. As soon as Bob Barker leaves us (no speculation, please, as to his successor), I can see CBS putting their publicly unspoken plan in motion to expand The Bold And The Beautiful to an hour.
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I'm not as optimistic. TPIR is to daytime game shows what "Gunsmoke" was to TV westerns and Carol Burnett was to variety shows.
Interesting note about "Gunsmoke" that some of you may have heard before: the show was originally slated to be cancelled after the 1966-67 season, but the CBS programming chief's wife really liked the show and wanted it to stay on. Result: they cancelled the planned fourth season "Gilligan's Island" instead, and "Gunsmoke" lasted another 8 years.
ObGame Show: Bob Denver was a guest on "Celebrity Sweepstakes".
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The cycle will come around again, perhaps not like it was in the old days and perhaps not with the panache of the old shows, but game shows will have a boom period again eventually. Nothing goes away completely.
Yeah, maybe Family Feud will turn into another Jeopardy! or Wheel in syndication. Maybe they'll bring back Hollywood Squares again. But it seems to me that every time Fremental trots out a Match Game or Card Sharks and runs it into the ground, it's another nail in the coffin for those shows specifically and the genre in general. Maybe a successful import will come along again a la Millionaire, but I don't see anything coming from this country. I think "boom period" is going way too far.
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 19 2005, 02:22 PM\']I can see CBS putting their publicly unspoken plan in motion to expand The Bold And The Beautiful to an hour.
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OK, Don, I'd like your opinion on this one.......What would that do to the CBS schedule? As some of us may know, since March 1987, the 12:30-4pm window has remained UNTOUCHED. Y&R's been airing 12:30-1:30 pm (ET) since June 1981, and I doubt CBS would want to mess up a good thing considering it's been #1 in daytime for a long time.
I can see them putting B&B on at 11am (ET) in the TPiR slot once it exits, giving 12:30 back to its affiliates (ABC and NBC don't program anything at 12:30), and pushing Y&R from 1-2.
And as for the comments made about TPiR being the last network game show, I agree with that too. Once it's gone, network game shows are gone.
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I won't copy the quote since everybody can just look up and/or they've just read it. That's exactly what I believe The Eye Network will do. The move to 1pm ET won't hurt Y&R one bit. That show's fan base is legion and would follow it to 3am to get their Victor and Nikki fix. The two P&G shows (As The World Turns and Guiding Light) have been on for 49 and 68 years respectively. They're staying put even though their ratings are not topping the scales.
NOTE FOR MEDIA HISTORIANS: I'm including GL's robust run on radio in the 68-year figure listed above.
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WHOA!
Seriously, you guys. I have to say a couple things here. First of all, I would have never expected all of you to spill your guts like this. So NOT what I was asking for, but I thank you guys a lot for the hands in friendship. This has got to be the most personal conversation I've ever been involved in. And look at all that's happened since yesterday!
This is reminding me of another thing. A bunch of you have also gotten the chance to meet each other face to face. I never got to do that. And since time and money are still an issue with me, I encourage immediate flights to Newark airport followed by cab rides to Saddle Brook so I can hug you all!
I know that it doesn't say a lot of me when I have to vent like I did, but it needed to be done. It's how I get back to the calm, charming fellow I once was. I'm sure it's gonna happen for me one day, and I'm not gonna give up. It's just that we're in a sucky time for game shows. Heck, Steve Beverly just semi-echoed my rant in his new All In The Game column. So at least I know I'm not alone in certain ways.
But if nothing else, while I'm waiting for my chance, I do know that life is still going on, and I got a reminder of that today. Last night, my sister Tracy (who was going to be my Race partner for AR9) was a passenger in a sizable accident. Friend's car was totalled, her knee's hurtin' bad (getting an MRI on it to make sure nothing's wrong), swollen nose and fractured sternum (both from the seat belt and airbag). Gonna put her on the sidelines for singing, Racing, and a few other things for a while. I'm just glad she's OK and all, and I think if there was any chip still on my shoulder, that just knocked it off. Funny how these kind of things do that, right?
I'd tell you where to e-mail, but she'd probably kill me (hates when I pile the game show stuff on her, woulda made for great TV). So if you want to send ME good wishes to pass on to her, no sweat. Do it on my message board on my site, though.
OK, that's it. Back to the fun and games of NetPYL. (See? Now if I only made money doing it... ;-P )
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I'd send some wishes but there's no topic for that on your forum yet. And do we have to be so public? Surely there's another way to do this.
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[quote name=\'mystery7\' date=\'Jul 19 2005, 11:52 PM\']I'd send some wishes but there's no topic for that on your forum yet. And do we have to be so public? Surely there's another way to do this.
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Of course there is...and don't call me surely.
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[quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Jul 20 2005, 10:13 AM\'][quote name=\'mystery7\' date=\'Jul 19 2005, 11:52 PM\']I'd send some wishes but there's no topic for that on your forum yet. And do we have to be so public? Surely there's another way to do this.
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Of course there is...and don't call me surely.
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But since it was brought up, I submit the following. If the roles were reversed, I'd be significantly more distressed over my sister's sizeable accident than the future a television genre.
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[quote name=\'Sonic Whammy\' date=\'Jul 19 2005, 11:09 PM\']This is reminding me of another thing. A bunch of you have also gotten the chance to meet each other face to face. I never got to do that. And since time and money are still an issue with me, I encourage immediate flights to Newark airport followed by cab rides to Saddle Brook so I can hug you all!
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Wow.
Thoughts and prayers for your sister, though.
Doug
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[quote name=\'FOXSportsFan\' date=\'Jul 20 2005, 10:13 AM\'][quote name=\'mystery7\' date=\'Jul 19 2005, 11:52 PM\']... Surely there's another way to do this.
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[throws airplanes at FSF]
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 09:35 PM\']Interesting thing (to me). Forever, I wanted to be an emcee so I got into radio to work on my live working without a net audience participation skills. I love radio so much I don't care if an emcee job (at no matter what level) comes my way. I'm perfectly happy to be out of the central spotlight and serve as announcer for various regional productions and the upcoming GSC-4 during Travis' Price Is Right opening night presentation.
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Hey Don,
Don't know if you heard, but they're currently auditioning people to be the next Cleveland Cavaliers P.A. announcer. Maybe a trip down to the Gund may be worth your while, or anyone else who would like to be paid to have a season-long courtside seat to watch LeBron James!!!
P.S. Curiosity is lurking in this fellow Clevelander, drop me a private e-mail, as I have some questions to ask of you.
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[quote name=\'Sonic Whammy\' date=\'Jul 18 2005, 01:36 PM\']First, I'm from Jersey, which means Millionaire and the new Ken Jennings show (which I failed the test for) are the only games in town. [/quote]
I live in Iowa.
There's nothing close to me. At least you have those two going for ya.