Game Show Pilot Question

[scully24]

Alex was very professional.  Of course by then, hosting the "Lucky Rollers" pilot was a no-brainer for him.  But I remember being the "big winner" on the pilot, and his role as the host was just to ride herd on all that energy.  I mean as contestants we were giving out mega-watts of energy, and the whole audience fed off that so that the studio felt like you were at the super bowl.  It was really a lot of fun.

I remember playing in an earlier run-through with Alex back at the office when they were still prepping the pilot, and he just glided in and did it with little apparent preparation.  He was a lot more loose and smart-mouthed at the office.  He entertained himself and others there by saying things in the rehearsal that he couldn't get away with on the air.  Like when a contestant chose to stretch her luck by trying one more roll after she'd already won a lot, he replied straight-faced: "Karen, you selfish b****," just to get a laugh...

[Don Howard]

One thing to note, a pilot is always created to best showcase the play of the game. To that end, the outcome of a pilot is often manipulated--perhaps the contestants are supplied with answers to assure a big win

Do you mean to tell me that the pilot to 21 was rigged? Was that game ever played honestly?

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Nov 30 2003, 10:59 PM\']

One thing to note, a pilot is always created to best showcase the play of the game. To that end, the outcome of a pilot is often manipulated--perhaps the contestants are supplied with answers to assure a big win

Do you mean to tell me that the pilot to 21 was rigged? Was that game ever played honestly? [/quote]
 Yeah, the 2000 version was played honestly. The 1982 21 pilot was no more rigged than your average game show pilot, rigged in some spots in order to show all elements of the game, a bonus win, etc.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Nov 30 2003, 11:05 PM\'] [quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Nov 30 2003, 10:59 PM\']

One thing to note, a pilot is always created to best showcase the play of the game. To that end, the outcome of a pilot is often manipulated--perhaps the contestants are supplied with answers to assure a big win

Do you mean to tell me that the pilot to 21 was rigged? Was that game ever played honestly? [/quote]
Yeah, the 2000 version was played honestly. The 1982 21 pilot was no more rigged than your average game show pilot, rigged in some spots in order to show all elements of the game, a bonus win, etc. [/quote]
 (Card Sharks 2001 "WHOOOOSH!")

You hear that? That's the sound of a joke going over your head.

[chris319]

Yeah, the 2000 version was played honestly.

That's why it came and went so quickly.

[whewfan]

Here's how Lucky Numbers was played. (Tell me if Lucky Rollers was played in the same manner) It was basically a variation of High Rollers. On the opposite side of the stage from the players were numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. If a player rolled any of those numbers, they won a prize that went with that number. If 2,3,11,or 12 were rolled, then the player won money. The ONLY bad roll was a 7. If a seven was rolled, then the players were in the "danger zone" and if either player rolled a 7 again, the player lost the round. One of the 6 numbers on the stage was "wild" and automatically won that player the round.
The bonus round was pretty much like the original High Rollers. There was a wild number assigned there too, but rolling it meant they could eliminate any unlit number, but they couldn't remove the last number from a "wild" roll.

The game had potential, but the Vegas atmosphere didn't help, and hostess/former Miss America Debbie Maffett was no Ruta Lee. The camera kept cutting to her rooting on players and SHOUTING ADVICE, worse, these shots seem to be put in post production.

[scully24]

That game description sounds pretty similar to the "Lucky Rollers" pilot I remember shooting.  One thing I should mention is that there was no manipulation of the outcome that I was aware of on this pilot.  They didn't "load the dice" or cut in predetermined rolls.  They just went with the honest rolls of the dice.  I think in that case they just shot multiple shows with the intention of using the best show as the primary pilot.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'scully24\' date=\'Nov 28 2003, 01:39 AM\']I also did a presentation for a show from Dick Clark Productions called "Family Tree" that was very memorable because you had to lie convincingly to a celebrity panel (a la "To Tell The Truth") and I remember there was a lot of pressure not to blow it.[/quote]
Dick finally got to produce that show as a series in 1995 for fX, under the title "No Relation."

[gsnstooge]

[quote name=\'scully24\' date=\'Nov 28 2003, 02:14 AM\'] That's cool!  I've never seen the Lucky Rollers tape, although I do have tape of my "Go!" appearances.

The thing I remember about doing "Lucky Rollers" was the incredible energy on the set.  They basically wanted contestants who could scream and yell and act excited for long periods at a time.  I mean the only other skill was throwing a pair of dice.  I always thought it was funny that Alex Trebek was associated with two shows that were so far apart in style.  You have "Jeopardy," which is so cerebral, and he acts like a college professor, and then there was "High Rollers" where he was like a tuxedo-ed croupier.  But it was very fun to do that pilot.  The audiences that attended the taping got into it just as much as if we were playing for real money; I think most of them thought we were.  Nowadays they usually have to get paid extras to sit in the audience for tapings, so the live energy is not as intense.

When I was on Go! the celebrties were Audrey Landers and Jay___?, the ventriloquist who appeared on "Soap."  Our team was partnered with Audrey on the first show, and we won and got to play the bonus round twice and didn't win either of them.  (That bonus round was hard to win!)  Then we came back and played with Jay and got beat on our second day.  I remember we won $2100, and my share was $525, which I used to buy my first VCR! [/quote]
 On "Go!" what did you think of host Kevin O'Connell?

[ChuckNet]

The 1982 21 pilot was no more rigged than your average game show pilot, rigged in some spots in order to show all elements of the game, a bonus win, etc.

Indeed...let's not forget the disclaimer GSN used to run whenever they showed a pilot:

"The following game was taped as a 'pilot', or demonstration show. Real prizes may not have been awarded, and contestants may have been paid actors and supplied answers in advance."

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[familyfeudfan]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Nov 30 2003, 11:05 PM\'] [quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Nov 30 2003, 10:59 PM\']

One thing to note, a pilot is always created to best showcase the play of the game. To that end, the outcome of a pilot is often manipulated--perhaps the contestants are supplied with answers to assure a big win

Do you mean to tell me that the pilot to 21 was rigged? Was that game ever played honestly? [/quote]
Yeah, the 2000 version was played honestly. The 1982 21 pilot was no more rigged than your average game show pilot, rigged in some spots in order to show all elements of the game, a bonus win, etc. [/quote]
 Is their a clip of this version on the Net?

[gameshowguy2000]

You don't get to keep any of your winnings from game show pilots? That's bizarre.

[Brandon Brooks]

[quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'Feb 8 2004, 11:36 PM\'] You don't get to keep any of your winnings from game show pilots? That's bizarre. [/quote]
 It's not a real game show.  It's not bizarre at all.

Brandon Brooks

[scully24]

On "Go!" what did you think of host Kevin O'Connell?

(Sorry for the slow reply; I checked out for few days...)

KO was very friendly--pretty much the same off camera as on.  Kind of a cheerleader personality with no edge whatsoever.  I think he was excited about the opportunity to host a network game show.  There was a period in the early 80's when anybody who was an LA weatherman (particularly for channel 4) was considered the next network game show host to be discovered.  Pat Sajak had gradualted from weatherman to WOF two years before, and so all these weathermen were getting hosting opportunities.  This was how Kevin got his chance.

My impression is people liked him, but didn't respect him that much.  Of the many different sign-offs that he tried, the one that made us snicker was:  "This is K-O for G-O, bye-bye" (complete with Dick Clark-style salute and walk-off).

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'scully24\' date=\'Feb 9 2004, 10:18 AM\'] "This is K-O for G-O, bye-bye" (complete with Dick Clark-style salute and walk-off). [/quote]
 That's a shame, because that for my money is one of THE great outcues in the business.

I don't remember him walking off after it, though. Maybe you folks who've seen Go more recently than I (which would mean anytime on GSN...last time I saw it was when it was on what is now ABC Family) can refresh me...did he always do a walkoff? I thought the shows ended with both teams doing a millaround, and KO was out there for it.

(GOD I loved Go. One of THE quinticential 80's game shows, for my money.)