H2 Changes, for its last season

[Ian Wallis]

In Jeopardy, the time's-up signal is more logically a part of the game -- and it still bothers me a bit when they leave unplayed material behind.

That always bothers me too, especially since they're usually the most valuable answers on the board.  During most of the '90s, they got through just about every question on the board, but lately they're leaving a bunch again.  Is it because of things like \"Clue Crew\", which are taking up more time revealing the answers?  I wonder if those additions are really necessary.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'HSquares2003\' date=\'Aug 8 2003, 08:26 AM\'] If it does get the ax, It'll be back within 3 years for sure [/quote]
 Considering it took them 10 years between the Davidson version and this one, I'm not sure where you get that idea.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Aug 8 2003, 08:30 AM\'] That always bothers me too, especially since they're usually the most valuable answers on the board. [/quote]
 Don't blame the game for that, blame the players. That's why Alex gives the one-minute warning - he's telling the players that if they need to see those big-ticket clues, now's the time.

[PeterMarshallFan]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 8 2003, 11:49 AM\'] [quote name=\'HSquares2003\' date=\'Aug 8 2003, 08:26 AM\'] If it does get the ax, It'll be back within 3 years for sure [/quote]
Considering it took them 10 years between the Davidson version and this one, I'm not sure where you get that idea. [/quote]
 Do remember that they wanted it back in '93 or so.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 8 2003, 10:49 AM\'] [quote name=\'HSquares2003\' date=\'Aug 8 2003, 08:26 AM\'] If it does get the ax, It'll be back within 3 years for sure [/quote]
Considering it took them 10 years between the Davidson version and this one, I'm not sure where you get that idea. [/quote]
 I do predict it will be back, complete with another annoying time's up buzzer. I assume the buzzer will stay on this current season, since they'll probably play a bit of game after the last commercial break, as all game shows save for WOF have something game-related after the last commercial break.

[J.R.]

I wonder if they'll bring back \"The Tacky Buzzer\" ? I love the reactions from the celebs whenever that obnoxious sound blasted suddenly out of nowhere !

Davdison's had the worst \"Times-Up\" signal, just some carhorn.

-Joe R.

[pyrfan]

I'm not sure that anyone else has brought up the point that I would like to make about how to improve H2 once and for all: Quit scripting so much of it! Yes, the old HS had jokes given to the stars, but the questions and answers were not provided to them (most of the time, anyway). \"The Simpsons\" hit it right on the nose with their take on the new HS when Homer asked Kent Brockman if he was supposed to answer from the \"jokes\" list or the \"answers\" list. I've seen productions of \"Riverdance\" that aren't choreographed as tightly as HS.

I love celebrity game shows, but the whole point of watching the show (for me) is to see some of my favorite stars as themselves. Half the time, I don't care if they get the right answer on HS. I just want to see them try to dupe it out and watch their minds at work. On this HS, they are performers reading lines. Nothing more. That was the feeling I had when I saw Gordon Clapp from \"NYPD Blue\" on early in the run of the new HS. I was looking forward to seeing him on the show, but afterwards, I got the feeling that I was just watching him give another performance and that I knew nothing more about Gordon Clapp the person than I did before the show started.

What's more, this scripted element of the show takes away one of the key reasons to watch a game show: the play-at-home factor. On other versions of HS, the home viewer usually had time to take in the question and formulate their own response before the celebrity answered. On this version, after Tom finishes reading what is often a long, hard-to-follow question, the celebrity often immediately spits out their written answer, robbing the home viewer of the chance to play at home. Granted, the viewer can still play along with the agree-or-disagree part of the game, but even the contestant's response seems to come too fast. Maybe there's a lot of tight editing done to get as much game in as possible, but I still think that viewers aren't getting to play along as much as they used to.

This all said, I think Tom Bergeron does an excellent hosting job, and I do think this version is an improvement over other revivals. It certainly seems to be attracting some big names to the game show world, which is always good. I just wish I could see those big names as themselves and not looking down at their desks for their joke and their bluff immediately after the question is read.


Brendan

[ChuckNet]

Here's an issue with \"Whew\" I can only guess came up a few times on ATGS: does anybody find it unfair they penalized a player for winning two straight rounds? A player who got to a third indeed got more money and more seconds in the Gauntlet then somebody who won it in two.

Indeed...former ATGSer Steve Leblang won the game in just 2 rounds, yet picked up a mere $25,480 (I think), while our dearly departed old friend Randy needed to play 3 rounds, but went away w/$26,190.

A solution was provided towards the end of the run, however, when they went to a self-contained format: to keep games from straddling, a team that won the first 2 rounds of a match got to play an additional round w/a board of pre-placed blocks.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious \"Chuckie Baby\")

[bricon]

I'm not sure that anyone else has brought up the point that I would like to make about how to improve H2 once and for all: Quit scripting so much of it! Yes, the old HS had jokes given to the stars, but the questions and answers were not provided to them (most of the time, anyway

The celebrities on H2 do not receive the questions, they are given a joke and a bluff, plus are told the general area  of the question (example: question about George Washington and marriage).  They are free to make up their own bluff if they wish.  And, if they think they know the answer upon hearing Tom reading the question, they can certainly give the answer too.

[Ian Wallis]

A solution was provided towards the end of the run, however, when they went to a self-contained format: to keep games from straddling, a team that won the first 2 rounds of a match got to play an additional round w/a board of pre-placed blocks.

Does anybody know the approximate date that started?  I'm sure it was within the last three or four weeks of the run.

My guess is they received their cancellation notice and had to come up with a way to make sure the game ended with a guantlet run, rather than having two contestants never decide the last championship.

[pyrfan]

[quote name=\'bricon\' date=\'Aug 10 2003, 10:24 AM\'] The celebrities on H2 do not receive the questions, they are given a joke and a bluff, plus are told the general area  of the question (example: question about George Washington and marriage).  They are free to make up their own bluff if they wish.  And, if they think they know the answer upon hearing Tom reading the question, they can certainly give the answer too. [/quote]
 Wasn't there a disclaimer, though, that said that some celebrities may be exposed to ALL game material? Or was that just when Whoopi and Bruce were involved with the show?

[Brandon Brooks]

[quote name=\'pyrfan\' date=\'Aug 10 2003, 05:18 PM\'] Wasn't there a disclaimer, though, that said that some celebrities may be exposed to ALL game material? Or was that just when Whoopi and Bruce were involved with the show? [/quote]
 Bottom line:  Celebrities don't receive questions and answers.   They didn't in Marshall's version (I know there was a disclaimer), they didn't when Whoopi was on (I remember being told this when I was on), and they don't now.  And even if they did, it doesn't matter, since it is the contestants decision to agree with them or not.

Branodn Brooks

[pyrfan]

[quote name=\'Brandon Brooks\' date=\'Aug 10 2003, 05:35 PM\']Bottom line:  Celebrities don't receive questions and answers. (edit) And even if they did, it doesn't matter, since it is the contestants decision to agree with them or not.[/quote]
As far as integrity of gameplay, it might not matter, but relating to my original point of why I personally don't find the show interesting, it does matter.

On the Marshall version, the bluff was a safety net in case the celeb couldn't think of the right answer or think of their own bluff. It was fun to watch the celeb's brain wheels turning, trying to think of either the corect answer or something that seemed plausible enough, especially when their own \"bluff\" turned out to be right.

On H2, though, it seems that most of the celebs go straight for the written bluff and don't even try to dupe it out on their own. Couple that with them giving a joke answer that was also written for them, and you have a performer on a game show -- supposedly so the public can see them as themselves -- essentially reciting lines. If I wanted to watch Gordon Clapp recite lines, I'd just break out my \"NYPD Blue\" Season 1 set.

This scripted feel is why I don't watch the new HS regularly. And maybe other TV viewers feel the same way and that's why they don't watch either.


Brendan

[Matt Ottinger]

Wasn't there a disclaimer, though, that said that some celebrities may be exposed to ALL game material? Or was that just when Whoopi and Bruce were involved with the show?

I'm sure other members know the details more fully, but sure, Bruce was head writer, so naturally he had access to all the questions and answers.  As Executive Producer, there was probably little keeping Whoopi from seeing them if she wanted to, but I doubt she bothered.

As to the bigger issue of \"scriptedness\", I don't find the modern version dramatically different than the original in that respect. Or at least not \"worse\".  Gordon Clapp is a fine dramatic actor but not a comic.  NBC foisted a lot of those types on Marshall and they weren't any better, nor did we get the impression that we were peering into their personal sides.  The NBC show had some clever and/or interesting personalities that did the show very well, and so does the modern version.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Aug 11 2003, 02:10 AM\']As to the bigger issue of \"scriptedness\", I don't find the modern version dramatically different than the original in that respect. Or at least not \"worse\".  Gordon Clapp is a fine dramatic actor but not a comic.  NBC foisted a lot of those types on Marshall and they weren't any better, nor did we get the impression that we were peering into their personal sides.  The NBC show had some clever and/or interesting personalities that did the show very well, and so does the modern version.[/quote]
Agreed, but on the other hand, would the current version allow Robert Fuller to be as great and convincing a natural bluffer as he was?  He didn't need scripted material--his bluffing was reason enough for him to be there.

But of course I'm sure Brian would point out that if the panelists don't feel comfortable with the scripted material, they don't have a gun pointing at their heads demanding that they do it, as I sometimes felt was going on in the 80s version (not for real, of course, but figuratively).