The 50:50 lifeline

[MSTieScott]

What are your opinions on WWTBAM's 50:50 being predetermined (Regis version) versus random (Meredith version)? If I was a contestant, I'd obviously want the 50:50 to be random, but as a viewer, I find it more interesting when the remaining wrong answer has been determined in advance. Maybe it's the perverse sense of pleasure of seeing the contestant's reaction when the two answers they've been debating over are the two remaining. Maybe it's yelling at the TV when what I feel to be the most obviously incorrect answer is the one left on the screen. Or maybe it's trying to predict which answer will be left. It makes things a lot harder on the contestant, but I liked it better when the 50:50 wasn't random. Your thoughts?

--
Scott Robinson

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'MSTieScott\' date=\'Nov 8 2003, 03:40 PM\'] It makes things a lot harder on the contestant, but I liked it better when the 50:50 wasn't random. Your thoughts?

--
Scott Robinson [/quote]
 I think suggesting that it is in fact a 50:50 lifeline when it's predetermined to take away the two obviously stupid answers is a steaming crock.

[reason1024]

Well, that's assuming that it's an easier question, or that the contestant is as smart as you are.  The 50:50 lifeline turns ANY question into -- at worst, as advertised -- a coin flip.

Would a random lifeline properly be a 66:33?

Mike / reason

You might say that, in an ideal world, there would be no llamas.  But then, there'd be no Llamatron.  Come to think of it, that wouldn't be so bad.

[beatlefreak84]

I personally like the 50:50 better as a random thing.  When I watched the show originally, when the contestants talked about their thoughts on a specific question, they always seemed to mention two answers that they thought it couldn't be.  Then, when they asked for the 50:50, what two would get eliminated?  I can't recall any time where this didn't happen from my watching it.

If the whole definition of a "Lifeline" is to help you, then wouldn't it make much more sense to have it randomized?  If the outcome is predetermined, then it probably won't make that much difference unless you have absolutely no clue what to say.  Also, there is still a risk in taking the randomized 50:50 that you eliminate the two answers you had already ruled out (a 1/3 chance), but at least contestants don't sit there contemplating taking a blind stab at a question just to save the 50:50 when they have no clue under the predetermined sense.  The risk is still there, but it's slightly modified to give the contestant a better advantage, something that a "Lifeline" should do in the first place, right?

There's my two cents for the day.  Don't spend them all in one place!  

Anthony

[Ian Wallis]

When I watched the show originally, when the contestants talked about their thoughts on a specific question, they always seemed to mention two answers that they thought it couldn't be. Then, when they asked for the 50:50, what two would get eliminated? I can't recall any time where this didn't happen from my watching it.

That has happened a lot, but I've noticed on the Merideth version, quite often when it's between two answers the 50:50 will eliminate one of those answers making it a more obvious choice.

I don't think that ever happened on Regis' version.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 07:02 AM\'] That has happened a lot, but I've noticed on the Merideth version, quite often when it's between two answers the 50:50 will eliminate one of those answers making it a more obvious choice.

I don't think that ever happened on Regis' version. [/quote]
 Which is, in fact, the entire point of this thread.

[Jay Temple]

I think that it would be better to do a random select for each question beforehand, where the Standards & Practices people would know in advance.

[Brakus]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 01:01 PM\'] [quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 07:02 AM\'] That has happened a lot, but I've noticed on the Merideth version, quite often when it's between two answers the 50:50 will eliminate one of those answers making it a more obvious choice.

I don't think that ever happened on Regis' version. [/quote]
Which is, in fact, the entire point of this thread. [/quote]
 Au contraire, remember Rob Gelbman's $32K question from the initial August '99 run?

His final LifeLine was 50/50.

Beginning in January, what sign of the zodiac comes first?
Cancer - Aquarius - Capricorn - Sagitarrius

Rob Gelbman thinks out loud: "I think it's Aquarius." (audience member gasps) "Can I use my 50/50?"

The 50/50 leaves Capricorn and Aquarius.

He sticks with Aquarius and loses $15,000.

[Robert Hutchinson]

Um . . . how is that to the contrary of what either Ian or Chris said?

[NickintheATL]

Beginning in January, what sign of the zodiac comes first?
Cancer - Aquarius - Capricorn - Sagitarrius

Actually the question called for which one came last.

He got it wrong, sued, and either he lost or it got tossed out (can't remember which, and no ZH, I don't care which it is).

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'NicholasM79\' date=\'Nov 11 2003, 04:07 AM\']

Beginning in January, what sign of the zodiac comes first?
Cancer - Aquarius - Capricorn - Sagitarrius

Actually the question called for which one came last.

He got it wrong, sued, and either he lost or it got tossed out (can't remember which, and no ZH, I don't care which it is). [/quote]
 It was an ambiguously worded question to be sure, but he did try to sue(and fight me in IM at the time to make me understand his case), and of course was not successful.

[HSquares2003]

Norm McDonald "called them" on their stuff on the Celebrity rerun last night(11/15). I swear Regis knew what answers were gonna remain.


If your point that you are trying to make is if the 50/50 is fixed, forget it. I think game shows remember the "21" fiasco and that is enough to keep them from pulling any crap like that.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'HSquares2003\' date=\'Nov 16 2003, 06:51 PM\'] If your point that you are trying to make is if the 50/50 is fixed, forget it. I think game shows remember the "21" fiasco and that is enough to keep them from pulling any crap like that. [/quote]
 I'm not sure whose "point" you're referring to, but on the Regis version, the 50:50 lifeline was indeed "fixed" to the degree that the two answers that would be removed were predetermined.  

They didn't listen to the player's deliberations and then choose to remove the two that didn't help, if that's what you're saying.  It just seemed that way because usually, a good player wasn't considering the two least likely answers anyway.