Author Topic: Let's go to the Bonus Round... (Read 11603 times)

TLEberle · « **on:** December 08, 2003, 07:13:49 PM »

Comparing recent game shows to those from the earlier days of the media, it appears that nearly every new show has some sort of bonus round (among shows where two or more players compete), whereas shows from earlier, like Concentration or Twenty-one did just fine without one? Hollywood Squares and Wheel of Fortune have a bonus round, but is it really necessary? I realize that a game like Pyramid would fall flat without the Winner's Circle, but not every program falls in that category. Do we take it for granted that the champion should get to play for even more cash and prizes against the house before playing another game?

Travis

zachhoran · « **Reply #1 on:** December 08, 2003, 07:32:54 PM »

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Dec 8 2003, 07:13 PM\'] whereas shows from earlier, like Concentration or Twenty-one did just fine without one? Hollywood Squares and Wheel of Fortune have a bonus round, but is it really necessary [/quote]
Jeopardy! survives without a bonus round(and a format including a solo player bonus round instead of Final J! crashed and burned 25 years ago). Millionaire also survives without a bonus round, and in the Syndicated run, contestants don't even compete against each other. Whammy! doesn't have a bonus round(though when Second Chance was conceived, the creators considered the spin rounds to be the bonus round). Wheel survived most of the WOolery era without a bonus round, and old-school Squares did for 10 years(even when Marshall HS had a bonus round, it was pick a star, win the prize)

Steve McClellan · « **Reply #2 on:** December 08, 2003, 08:01:59 PM »

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Dec 8 2003, 04:32 PM\']Millionaire also survives without a bonus round[/quote]
For all intents and purposes, Millionaire *is* a bonus round.

DrBear · « **Reply #3 on:** December 08, 2003, 08:36:20 PM »

Street Smarts doesn't have a bonus round either; it's like J! in its bet-it-all ending. (The Wager of Death may be the best name for a game round on any show since 2 Minute Drill's Question of Great Significance.)

BrandonFG · « **Reply #4 on:** December 08, 2003, 08:48:28 PM »

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Dec 8 2003, 08:41 PM\'] [quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Dec 8 2003, 08:36 PM\'] Street Smarts doesn't have a bonus round either; it's like J! in its bet-it-all ending. (The Wager of Death may be the best name for a game round on any show since 2 Minute Drill's Question of Great Significance.) [/quote]
Street Smarts and 2 Minute Drill may have great titles for their final rounds, but 2 MInute Drill came a year after Street Smarts debuted. [/quote]
Ummm...2 Minute Drill debuted in Sept. 2000, Street Smarts in October.

zachhoran · « **Reply #5 on:** December 08, 2003, 09:00:16 PM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Dec 8 2003, 08:48 PM\']
Street Smarts and 2 Minute Drill may have great titles for their final rounds, but 2 MInute Drill came a year after Street Smarts debuted. [/QUOTE]
Ummm...2 Minute Drill debuted in Sept. 2000, Street Smarts in October. [/quote]
My last post has now been deleted

That Don Guy · « **Reply #6 on:** December 08, 2003, 09:44:00 PM »

Hollywood Squares and Wheel of Fortune have a bonus round, but is it really necessary?

Seeing as how both of those shows ran for quite a few years on daytime TV without a bonus round (if you don't count HS's Secret Square), I would say "no". (Then again, Wheel nearly got cancelled without it.)

Also, the Cullen-era The Price is Right didn't have a bonus round, although it did have a number of bonus prizes...

-- Don

gameshowguy2000 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 09, 2003, 12:27:59 AM »

Winning Lines couldn't survive without the CATCHIEST bonus round ever: The Wonderwall!

That's what made it so successful, even if it lasted only 2 months. People watching at home could play along and shout out the answers, hoping that the finalist would win the million.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #8 on:** December 09, 2003, 12:53:11 AM »

[quote name=\'gameshowguy2000\' date=\'Dec 9 2003, 12:27 AM\'] Winning Lines couldn't survive without the CATCHIEST bonus round ever: The Wonderwall!

That's what made it so successful, even if it lasted only 2 months. People watching at home could play along and shout out the answers, hoping that the finalist would win the million. [/quote]
I'll always remember coming home on work break to see the first episode of Winning Lines, and actually watching the female contestant, Catherine, make her way to the very last answer, but ended up with $500K instead.

This was the night before Millionaire became a regular series, so it was still a big deal for someone to win $1 million.

Did CBS really expect this show to make Millionaire-type ratings on a Friday or Saturday night?

clemon79 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 09, 2003, 01:05:49 AM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Dec 8 2003, 10:53 PM\'] I'll always remember coming home on work break to see the first episode of Winning Lines, and actually watching the female contestant, Catherine, make her way to the very last answer, but ended up with $500K instead.
[/quote]
And she HAD A PITSTOP LEFT. SHE HAD A FREAKIN' PITSTOP LEFT. {crying}

Best. Endgame. Ever.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #10 on:** December 09, 2003, 09:02:11 AM »

Quote

Hollywood Squares and Wheel of Fortune have a bonus round, but is it really necessary?

I think both shows were fine when they didn't have bonus rounds. In fact, when Marshall's "Squares" went to a bonus round in the late '70s, it felt a little out of place in the beginning. I guess it's because we were so used to seeing it withough a bonus round.

Another show that comes to mind that didn't have a bonus round: the ABC run of "Break the Bank". I've heard people say that the bonus round on the syndie version didn't really fit.

zachhoran · « **Reply #11 on:** December 09, 2003, 09:42:03 AM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Dec 9 2003, 01:05 AM\'] [quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Dec 8 2003, 10:53 PM\'] I'll always remember coming home on work break to see the first episode of Winning Lines, and actually watching the female contestant, Catherine, make her way to the very last answer, but ended up with $500K instead.
[/quote]
And she HAD A PITSTOP LEFT. SHE HAD A FREAKIN' PITSTOP LEFT. {crying}

Best. Endgame. Ever. [/quote]
Were they allowed to use the pitstop with less than 15 seconds on the clock, which was the case with Catherine? There was a bit of a debate about that on Usenet when her episode aired.

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #12 on:** December 09, 2003, 10:23:20 AM »

How about Wonderwall becoming a show of its own. Maybe have three players compete with the Wall getting larger with every round, till you get to the set filling Wonderwall bonus round.

zachhoran · « **Reply #13 on:** December 09, 2003, 11:00:57 AM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Dec 9 2003, 10:23 AM\'] How about Wonderwall becoming a show of its own. Maybe have three players compete with the Wall getting larger with every round, till you get to the set filling Wonderwall bonus round. [/quote]
Perhaps this might work. Recall too that the WOnderwall resembled the bonus round of Stone-Stanley's QUicksilver on USA in 1994, but Wonderwall was much more elaborate than the Silver Streak round. Winning Lines(US version) was co-produced by Stone-Stanley.

clemon79 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 09, 2003, 11:40:46 AM »

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Dec 9 2003, 07:42 AM\'] Were they allowed to use the pitstop with less than 15 seconds on the clock, which was the case with Catherine? There was a bit of a debate about that on Usenet when her episode aired. [/quote]
I honestly don't remember a single rule that implied that she could not, and since using a Pitstop froze the clock completely and not just the ten seconds a player had to answer a question, I don't see where it would have created a problem.

I just remember yelling "YOU STILL HAD A PITSTOP! MY DOG COULD HAVE FOUND "GHIRADELLI" UP THERE GIVEN 15 SECONDS!"