Well here we are in the middle of Summer and traditionally it’s the time when there’s not much on telly. But is there?
- Fantasy X Factor – the competition that’s easy to run even if I don’t bother watching the show IS BACK! With £150 in prizes! The page is here, the forms for you to pick teams will go up soon after the judge’s houses reveal this evening at about 9:30pm. Places in the competition will be limited, so don’t hang around too long.
- The Amazing Race – But for how long will this get a billing? (Sunday, CBS)
- Only Connect – Rock ‘n’ Roller’s vs Trade Unionists. What a different place the Eighties would have been etc. It’s the last first-round match. (8:30pm, Monday, BBC4)
- Coral Late Night Poker – The FA Cup of poker shows IS BACK! Victoria Coren runs to a different studio after Only Connect to commentate on this alongside James Akenhead. Games are two parters, structually quite similar to the very first series where the heat winners take bigger stacks to the final table and the runner-ups also qualify. (00:35, Monday night, C4)
- Minute to Win It – Our promotional box came through on Friday, we’ll write about it on Tuesday. My 6 year old nephew is RUBBISH at Triple Pong Plop. (8pm, Tuesday, ITV4)
- Impossible? – Celebrity Big Brother special featuring Brian Dowling and Josie Gibson. This was made recently so it will be interesting to see if it’s any different to the two shows that went out earlier in the year. (11pm, Wednesday, Five)
- Die Grosse TV Total Stock Car Crash Challenge – Das Qualifying – No Schlagging of any stars by Stefan Raab week. The Qualifying is on Friday, the main event Saturday. (9:20pm Friday, 7:15pm Saturday, ProSieben)
- Don’t Scare the Hare – Do you remmeber when they used to show Grandstand on Saturday afternoons? This is exactly like it, but without Steve Ryder. (2:45pm, Saturday, BBC1)
For those of you would are curious, I was an audience companion on US Millionaire this past week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEayWxkkay0
A wonderful, wonderful experience.
Very cool indeed!
Out of curiosity, were you the audience companion on the left or the right?
I have no idea how to embed the video. Brig?
That’s interesting, it should just work. Let me have a go.
Yep! That’s it. Thanks! Happy to answer any behind the scenes questions if anyone has any. Enjoy!
Chad’s game was awesome, I do love the Millionaire Shuffle format, wish there were more full games on youtube.
It’s also the last first-round match on Uni Chal this week: the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine v Nottingham.
As one might gather, LSHTM is making its UC debut, despite having been founded all the way back in 1899 and taking its current name in 1924.
Nottingham, on the other hand, are making their ninth appearance in the Paxman Era. They reached the semi-finals in their first, in 1997/8, famously thrashing New Hall Cambridge 335-35 along the way.
Of course, there’s one last place in the repechage to be decided, and it’s currently held by last week’s losers St Anne’s Oxford. If they’re still holding it come 8:30 tomorrow night, it’ll be the first time since 2005/6 that 140 is a good enough score…
There’s no new episode of Ton of Cash this Wednesday night, VH1 US is showing an episode of the revival of Pop-Up Video (not a game show). The next episode of Ton of Cash will be on October 13th at 2AM Eastern time thanks to the low ratings it’s been given so far.
Interesting…
http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/the-gurin-company-tries-to-sell-uk-bullseye-in-america/comment-page-1/#comment-292356
Up on my Board o’Excitement this week is the oft-forgotten return of “Impossible?” (Channel 5, 11pm Wednesday), in which Brian Dowling and Josie Gibson are given silly things to do. Having completely missed it when it was on earlier in the year, I should probably catch an episode while it lasts.
The map of the UK says that “High Stakes” won’t be going out everywhere when it debuts on 11 October. Viewers to STV will be seeing a primetime version of their teatime chattershow “The Hour”; and those watching UTV get “Lesser Spotted Ulster”, which is the closest anyone gets these days to the testcard and some music. Are any Bar patrons able to watch these shows and tell what happens? I’d love to make the Week’s review an intercut between “High Stakes” and the other shows.
And there’s a shrivelled-up thing that used to be a blueberry, reminding me to make this week’s Week about “The Beat Goes On”. There’s an hour of my life I’ll not get back.
I saw both episodes of Impossible? that have been shown so far on Demand 5, so you should still find them there if you want to see them. I actually didn’t think it was that bad, truth be told.
I KNEW there was something I had forgotten. Thanks.
Very nasty red herring group on the first OC wall tonight…I went down that same route the team did.
So far so good, as far as I’m concerned, with this series of TAR (or, I suppose, TAR: US) in terms of non-relationship content. It’s not The Mole and it doesn’t try to be, but easily good enough for me. The result of the episode was the worst possible as far as I was concerned, but it’ll still be a good series.
An interesting interview with Ethan and Jenna regarding THAT challenge. I sympathise with them a lot, to be honest:
http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/the_amazing_race_19/2011_Oct_04_ethan-jenna-interviews
Yeah, didn’t like the uncertainty and randomness it introduced really. A shame about who got eliminated.
Late Night Poker doesn’t appear to be available on 4oD for reasons at which I cannot speculate, but it doesn’t matter.
The director (the same as OC) has said they’re trying to get it on there.