OK, before we begin some new feature content, here’s a big old feature describing as best possible an episode of Dasshutsu Game DERO! Do have a read, especially if you’re a TV type as I think it’s a show with some potential, and my thanks go to @omarcus on Twitter who has a blog detailing bizarre shows from around the world on YouTube.
Right, on to this week’s board. Which looks a bit like last week’s Board:
- The Amazing Race Australia (Seven Network, Monday)
- Fort Boyard 2010 (8:01pm, Monday, TV5)
- 101 Ways To Leave a Gameshow – enjoyed the opener despite the repetition. (Tuesday, ABC)
- The Challenge: The Rivals – first episode of the new series featured a punch-up and an ambulance, which is quite exciting although it’s a pity the tasks weren’t much cop. (Wednesday, MTV US)
- Expedition Impossible – I’m menitoning this, but I wasn’t totally taken with the first episode so if I had to drop a show, this would be it if it doesn’t become better.
- Penn and Teller: Fool Us (8pm, Saturday, ITV1)
- Fort Boyard 2011 – I’M SO EXCITED! I still don’t have any idea if it will be viewable online or not. Here’s the trailer, it features lots of Miss Frances screaming: (7:35pm UK time, Saturday, France 2)
Finally next sunday night, who’d like a ride on my HORSE-y?
Just watched both Penn and Teller: Fool Uses. One of the tricks had me laughing harder than any magic trick I can recall in recent memory – and it wasn’t intended to be funny, and it worked to perfection. It’s that sort of top-class trick that will turn the show from being “a pleasant diversion” to being memorable.
I would say “to being a contender for the end of the year”, but we’re half-way through the year already and, erm, so far not so good…
Go on, I’ll bite… which one?
I though show 2 was a bit fairer on the magicians but it blew the gaff on several techniques I use on my own tricks. And I still think P&T’s trick dragged so much that a 5th contestant could have been squeezed in, or a bit more time given to the card mechanic guy. I mean – the whole Las Vegas VT? Again?
What do you mean by “contender for the end of the year”? And if it’s a bad year, surely that makes them more likely?
I’ll defer my answer to “Which one?” for a few days for the benefit of those who similarly have the show recorded to view.
Penn and Teller’s act has always incorporated revealing some of the secrets behind the tricks, though quite frequently not the one that they had used in a particular instance.
As for the quality of 2011’s new formats: tell me that we’re all basically really just spoiled in this day and age because, to a reasonable approximation, we can more or less get to see every significant new game show from everywhere in the world these days. Yep, “Fool Us” is s contender for the end of the year awards, but it’s not been a good year so far.
OK. The trick I loved, loved, loved (to the point where I saved it for my wife and sister-in-law to watch, and they laughed as much as me) was the card trick performed by the French magician, who spells out the name of the selected card with black writing on an otherwise apparently blank set of cards.
My theory? Watch the back hand. You can’t see it. I reckon it drops behind the desk and makes the magic happen. At a guess, he might be arranging some magnets beneath the desk (seems plausible that he has a set of thirteen magnets with the ranks and a set of four magnets with “of clubs”, “of hearts” and so on) and then the magnetism through the desk might rearrange some metal (filings? tape?) into the desired shape.
Don’t know, don’t that much care; it was by far and away the best trick of the first three shows.
I can vaguely remember a gameshow from when I was very little which used to feature some playing cards and an animated joker at the bottom of the screen, I think it may have featured some famous faces of the time as well.
I think it was on BBC 2 in the early 1990’s at around about 5 O’Clock. It must have run for more than one series as I seem to remember it having some kind of set change.
Anyone know what this show is? I was born at the start of 1989 so can’t remember anymore than this.
The only things that I can find that are vaguely possible are two Paul Coia shows:
http://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Spellbound_(1)
http://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Catchword
…but Spellbound was on Sky, and Catchword’s joker wasn’t animated.
Going by that it was definitely Catchword, it wasn’t Spellbound as my family didn’t have Sky.
In the last couple of series it was, it turned its head to look at the two empty spaces in turn to ‘see’ what letters it was being paired with. I remember the animation being sped up dramatically in the last series for pacing reasons, giving the poor so and so whiplash.
It’s strange what you recall, isn’t it…
Thanks for the quick reply by the way.
Does In It To Win It have a studio audience? There is speculation that one of the contestants in the last episode was cheating by allegedly making eye contact with a studio member to get the correct answer. Evidence: http://youtu.be/ElOUuDkZLDs
This is a very serious matter if it’s correct.
Which it isn’t.
I’ll quote someone on DS
“I don’t think she was cheating, she just covered her eyes to think and she had an other peak at the question at the last minute.
I don’t think there is any audience other than those family members above, who she wouldn’t have been able to see in that position.”
Out of interest did she win any money in the end, if she didn’t it doesn’t really matter and if she did I think someone would have noticed if there was anything going on.
Well there definitely used to be an audience (fun fact, people who couldn’t get in to I’m Alan Partridge were offered this instead) but I don’t know if it has one now.
It says in the video description that she ended up winning £9,000. I don’t really know either way whether there’s a studio audience or not, but the way she covers her face looks a little suspicious to me.
If you look at her face, she’s covering her eyes as if she’s thinking and then it seems clear she looks down at probably a monitor and has one last glance at the question.
I know they have monitors with the questions on Eggheads, so one would assume this is the same case here, well it’s pretty obvious as Dale seems to get the answer at the same time as us and the contestant.
Yes, like Eggheads, they use a number of monitors. They have one situated at the start area to display the colour of their ball (which is why you NEVER see them turning left to see the ball machine). There is another monitor in the red area and a couple in Winners Row.
The show still uses a studio audience. When the show was recorded at BBC TVC, they used to advertise via Applause Store and BBC Tickets. Now the show has been moved to Scotland they have been advertising via local Scottish advertising sites.
Evidence!
http://www.citylocal.co.uk/cities/Glasgow/freeadvert_Audience_Required__National_Lottery_In_It_To_Win_It_with_Dale_Winton_71532.html
They recorded two series inside six days, sixteen episodes in total.
In other news Laura Hamilton’s co-presenter on Fort Boyard is an American male.
Sadly i wasn’t asked
You and me both. Who is it?
Let’s be logical about this. As the series was recorded in September, if there was an accusations on cheating we would’ve heard it by now.
Two things that need to be pointed out.
– I replayed the show on Sky+ late on Saturday night (after what was mentioned on Digital Spy) and Monica always looked in one direction and that was directly at the monitor displaying the question. As some who know me, I have been following the show since the debut in 2002 and everytime someone answers a red area question, they always look in the same direction. Looking to the left from where the contestant is sitting.
– If there was accusations at the recording then you got a whole studio audiene noticing something plus you got ten people above Monica who can see in her field of vision.
On another note. Some on Digital Spy said “they let the klaxon off at the time when all five were in Winners Row”. Not true, the main part of the show has 20 questions. Depending on the number of people being in Winners Row, they can be a question or two short/over to sound the klaxon. The flag question was the 19th question. As there were five in Winners Row, they had to no choice but to sound off the klaxon since they had to ask a minimum of five questions.
In a nutsheel, it’s a non-story. End of!
Probably a bit off-topic, but I’ve only just realised how fantastic the original US Mole’s soundtrack was. It’s amazingly done, I would say possibly the most fitting soundtrack to any show ever.
The sense of mystery “Who is the mole?” induces is perfect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRsZ-rh0fXA
And the execution music is unrivaled at setting the tone:
The main theme was all wrong, though – sounded more like a 1971 US murder mystery series than a modern spy caper.
That’s basically the only flaw, although it did grow on me. I still slightly prefer Australia Series 5’s theme tune:
Alex – the season one soundtrack (used for s1-4) and the season five soundtrack are available on cd and worth the purchase.
Apropos of nothing, every Treasure Hunt episode on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Whoopij1
Also, the rashad1428 channel is shutting down due to two strikes, but keep an eye on http://www.youtube.com/user/Rashad8821 which is his usual backup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSVfp4OtXJw
Some of you here will like this, I think.
Spoiler Alert for tonight’s 101WTLAGS: One annoying countdown is used. It’s somehow way more tolerable here, but I rolled my eyes as soon as I heard it.
At the end of 101WTLAGS, my mom walked into the room to see the final question. As the show ended, my mom and dad had a discussion about how the show was so “mean-spirited,” “sadistic,” and how “soon they’ll have shows where you see people die.”
They are currently watching Combat Hospital with great interest. (*shrug)