7:15pm UK time, Pro 7 or naughty internet streaming
It’s Schlag den Raab this evening! But first a bit of housekeeping:
Fantasy X Factor managers should get their orders and predictions in in time for the live performance show this evening which is 7:45pm.
A review of the Only Connect iThing app will happen sometime tomorrow.
Right, that’s out of the way. Tonight Stefan Raab defends €500,000 LIVE! in a series of wacky games and challenges. Join us here for exciting discussion.
Edit: And this is a fun story, it sounds like Darren McMullen will be the next host of The Magicians, and is likely to involve a live element.
Down to the last question!
Stefan celebrating early, Elton milking it hilariously.
Klaus 41:37 Raab
It’s a 15 game contest but it’s just a best of three now.
Klaus has pulled it back, deciding question.
Game 13: Eisenbahn. Looks like a timing game using a set of balls and a tube.
Wow, this game looks amazing. Looks like you have to roll balls down a chute onto a moving model train with trailers worth different points value, 1 for the front car, 5 for the rear.
“Railroad” – who can drop the most balls into the (moving) train?
3 games left, first person to win two games will win.
Right, a train will go round a track, players must time the realease of the ball so when it goes off the tube it lands in one of the carriages.
Ball much slower than Klaus anticipated, I think. Contestants get 60 seconds to release the ball.
I think the contestants must get a ball in each carriage to win.
We could be here a while, although in theory the timing should get better with each attempt.
Yep, looks like it. We might be here for a while. I like the noise the train makes.
Wow, Raab manages to get one in between carriage 1 and 2. Harsh.
I’m liking the camera work here.
I agree completely!
Although the camera man appears to be tired now!
Based on the graphic I think it might be first to get a ball in all 5 cars? Just a guess though.
Klaus has sussed this game. Raab is catching up but it feels too late.
Klaus requires car 1, Raab needs 4 and 5. It’s Klaus for the game…
Ooh, falls into 2.
Raab now trying to win using force of will. Hasn’t worked.
And Klaus wins! It’s MATCHBALL!
Game 14 – “Distances”
Game 14: Enterfernungen. Sounds like estimating distance.
First to five, guess the distances between the centre of two places in km. This is using the main roads.
It’s ten to one in Germany.
Klaus currently 3-1 up in this game. Raab tending to overestimate, Klaus tending to go under.
Klaus one question away from the money! How much between Bayreuth and Kaufheuren? For 500,000 Euro?
Stefan looks beaten.
But he’s not beaten. 4-3.
Karlsruhe-Dortmund.
This is tense! AND THEY GO FOR A BLOODY BREAK
Ooh! It’s to the wire! 4-4! Oh they’re going for a break!
They had this Grand C-Max on UK television about 12 months ago. We were thinking about buying one. Number of them I’ve seen on the road: zero. Are they a con or something?
They’re just EXCLUSIVE.
I’ve just joined it now, I hope I haven’t missed the end yet!
No! They’ve gone to a break on the last question of Game 14 with Klaus on a Matchball. TENSE.
You’re okay for now, it could be decided with the next question though.
ProSieben Teletext! How delightfully 1992.
For €500,000, what’s the distance by road between Magdeburg and Marburg?
Klaus says 165
Stefan says 465
Quite a difference.
Answer 301, Klaus is the winner!
Klaus did it! Well played that man!
A pretty brilliant contest, although it’s a shame there weren’t all that many surprising or ambitious games this time round.
Still baffles me that the floor management of this show is all over the place. The camera’s over this way!
Next on Pro Sieben: Zombie Strippers, so stick around.
Next one December 17th.
And that, ITV/Gallowgate, is how you should’ve done it.
In fairness, Schlag den Raab has sold to a tonne of countries but Germany is the only place where I think it’s actually been properly successful.
But buying a format then immediately taking out virtually all the USPs was not a smart move, IMHO.
Granted, but I think the UK vershs did more things right than wrong.
Don’t forget the Germans liked the UK version (first country to adapt the show as Beat the Star) so much they adapted Beat the Star for three mini series. I also seem to recall after the UK version was aired they borrowed some of the UK invented games for SdR.
The first series was spot on as it was filmed on the original set in Cologne but the second series had too many limitations, was too expensive to make and I was tired to seeing Broken Ladder for the millionth time.
I always wondered how the first series did cost ITV as they were using the German set, props and crew.
Now that’s entertainment! Just wish ITV were too hasty to axe Beat the Star or just gone for a different host who could have been able to do the games week in week out with a move for the show to be done over here.
It’s not just that they have to be available, they’ve got to be competitive, versatile and they have to not mind being seen to deny members of the public large amounts of cash. I’m not entirely certain who our equivilent of Stefan Raab would be in this instance.
Vernon Kay?
Not actually a bad shout, although I think he’s too nice.
Given he is fit he hasn’t got that cruel streak within. He liked going head to head with the Marine in the first series but had that look of shock and disappointment when he beat him on Hangbar.
The thing with Stefan Raab that he is German’s alterative version to Bruce Forsyth. Meaning he can do EVERYTHING! A proper “light entertainer” who is very popular in their homeland but there is nobody in the UK I can think of, who is in their 30/40s can do the stuff that Raab does now.
i’ve wondered if the answer lies in ant and dec, either alternating the competitor (one hosting, one competing) or making games in which it is 2vs2 could work?
I think the Swedish format has two Raabs. No idea how it’s done though.
They take it in turns to play the games.
That could well work. Random data point: the Australian version of Win Ben Stein’s Money had the two hosts, comedy duo “Roy and H.G.” (of Channel 4 Daily fame, amongst others), apparently alternating at defending the loot.
Random thought for a UK Raab: if David Haye really has retired from boxing then perhaps he is after something to do. He’s no stranger to game shows, he’s famous without necessarily being completely popular, and – ahem – I fancy his chances at the mental games rather more than I would the chances of Amir Khan.
Funny that as I was thinking about David Haye this morning but didn’t post it on here. If you look at Beat the Star then the boxers tend to be the best and competitve people. They’ve had three in both series and they all beat the challenger. It would need someone that is not easy to beat but not impossible to knock down.
Also the show “Beat the Haye” has a nice ring to it. You can still get Vernon Kay to host it.
“Beat the Haye with Vernon Kay”…
TravisAPenery, I read your very interesting blog about High Stakes on another website today. I take an issue to one thing you said towards the end- you said that The Marriage Ref was the lowest rated gameshow ever in ITV broadcasting history. I’m afraid this is not true, because the Marriage Ref is not a game show, it was a comedy panel show. High Stakes takes the honour of lowest ever rating. 🙂
Yeah it is, whether you like it or not. Some people have an argument and then a winner is decided. In the US show someone wins $25k. Unlucky!
No, Marriage Ref is not a game show! No one won any cash prize in the UK version. It’s a panel show, whether you like it or not. Please don’t pretend it’s a game show when it’s not. High Stakes is the worst ever!!!
Of course it’s a gameshow, whether there is a prize or not is irrelevant (although there is some sort of forfeit element). Stop being a twat!
It is on UKGameshows.com, therefore it is a game show.
http://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/The_Marriage_Ref
Are Have I Got News For You and QI game shows? I thought not. Marriage Ref is a panel show.
This is made very clear by Endemol’s website: http://www.endemol.com/programme/the-marriage-ref
The genre written on Endemol’s website for it is: “Genre:
Entertainment, Comedy”
If it was a Gameshow, they’d have written Gameshow, just like ‘101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow’ and other gameshows.
Considering they do things and then a winner occurs, then fundamentally yes, it IS a gameshow.
Can’t help but think you’re also a bit desperate for it to avoid the Hall Of Shame this year, aren’t you?
Yes, they are gameshows. I don’t care what Endemol call it, and I certainly don’t care what YOU call it. Panel shows are a subset. Looking forward to how it does in the end of year poll!
Dont Scare The Hare will get into the Hall of Shame. I’ll make sure of that lol!
Also you can mention Buzzerblog, we’re all friends!
Google Translate’s attempt at an English version of Stefan’s biography, from the BtR website:
“Stefan Raab on 20 Born October 1966 in Cologne, began to study law and received his masters in the butchery of his parents.”
Wow, two hundred and fifty comments!! 😯
I know that it’s usual for SdR posts to get loads of comments – but this must be a record…
Probably a record since the days of the Miljoenenjacht live commentaries and the DoND UK live commentaries in 2005/2006/2007.
Finally getting caught up to what I missed now thanks to a friend. Quite a close ending, and it was a well-deserved win!
By the way, no one asked, but I can do the backwards alphabet thing in about ten seconds. Enough people have asked me to do it that I’ve practiced it enough times to rattle it off really quickly.