Random minor game show questions (feel free to add your own)

[DKW]

On Hollywood Squares, whenever a player went for a block, was it actually requied by the rules to say “for the block”? And if so, did anyone struggle with this…

contestant: I’ll go with Nell Carter.
host: [pause] For the…
contestant: For the space she is currently inhabiting.
host: What do you want the space for?
contestant: Well, let’s see…my opponent has the space immediately above…aaaand the one immediately below. Wow, that’s a real brainteaser, isn’t it?
host: In other words, you want to…
contestant: Keep my opponent from winning the game on the next turn. I mean, if that’s not a problem or anything.
host: [pause] In other words, you wish to block?
contestant: sigh…You nailed it, buddy. Now can we get on with it?
host: You have to say which square.
contestant: Again? Sheesh, attention spans these days…all right. Nell Carter.
host: [pause] For??
contestant: Hello, we’ve determined that!
host: “For the block!” You have to say it! “For the block!”
contestant: Fine, fine! For the block!
host: WHO?
contestant: I TOLD YOU TWICE ALREADY, DAMMIT! :mad:

…or be an all-around wiseguy about it?

contestant: I’ll take Don Knotts for the…for the…uh…ummmmm…
host: Block.
contestant: Uh, what?
host: The word you’re looking for is “block”.
contestant: Oh, right. Okay. Don Knotts for the black.
host: Block!
contestant: Clock?
host: BLOCK!
contestant: All right, all right, no need to yell. All right, Don Knotts for the…BlockbusterVideo!

And is it true that the producers wanted to downplay (or at least not make a big deal of) it being a less drawtastic version of Tic Tac Toe? I’m not trusting The Simpsons as a source, thank you very much.

On The Price is Right:

1. what is the most anyone ever won on “up to $50,000!!” Plinko?
2. how many contestants nailed the double showcase when the requirement was within $50?
3. whenever someone didn’t spin the Showcase Showdown wheel far enough, why did Bob Barker (I’m not familiar with the later hosts, sorry) call for a round of boos or jeers rather than just saying “not enough, do it again”? Did anyone have a problem with this?
4. if someone was not strong enough to get the necessary distance on the wheel no matter how hard he/she tried, then what?
5. why does the announcer say “A new car!” Isn’t it generally a given that the merchandise isn’t preowned? What kind of sleazy game show gives out used cars as prizes, anyway?
6. when did the million-dollar giveaways begin? After Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and now Deal or No Deal, I can see the need to raise the stakes, but this is a CBS institution; I think they can keep it within $500,000 and still be popular.

What is the most anyone won on The Weakest Link? And was the lack of big payouts ever addressed (for one, I think allowing unlimited banking by all players was a bad idea)?

Has there, anytime, anywhere, been any flack over Joker’s Wild use of “The Devil”? (And whose idea was that, anyway? If you take Christian symbolism literally, hitting “The Devil” should actually get you more money. Worldly wealth and all that.)

What would happen if someone won a round of Wheel of Fortune with no money (i.e. hit a Bankrupt, no consonants remaining, solved the puzzle)?

Anyone got websites? I’d love to research some of this on my own.

[DKW]

Oh, one more…given that it’s plainly obvious that every contestant on Deal or No Deal the goes the distance has the option of switching to the one remaining “field” case, why do they invariably act like the world has come to an end when Their Case Had The Million But They Took The Deal Stupid Stuipd Ha Ha Ha Ha? Why doesn’t anyone ever point out that they could’ve switched to that piffling amount on the stage, if only to save some face? (If I were a contestant, one precaution I’d make would to write “SWITCH” in big letters on an index card, stick it in my pocket, then proudly brandish it right in the middle of Howie’s spiel about what a worthelss chicken**** loser I was. Who’s pwned now, punk? )

[RealityChuck]

Why do contestants on Wheel of Fortune clap for themselves? It’s not going to change things, and it seems a bit self-promoting.

[Spurious_George]

@DKW

Oh, one more…given that it’s plainly obvious that every contestant on Deal or No Deal the goes the distance has the option of switching to the one remaining “field” case, why do they invariably act like the world has come to an end when Their Case Had The Million But They Took The Deal Stupid Stuipd Ha Ha Ha Ha? Why doesn’t anyone ever point out that they could’ve switched to that piffling amount on the stage, if only to save some face? (If I were a contestant, one precaution I’d make would to write “SWITCH” in big letters on an index card, stick it in my pocket, then proudly brandish it right in the middle of Howie’s spiel about what a worthelss chicken**** loser I was. Who’s pwned now, punk? )

Can you restate this question, or what your pocket index card is supposed to prove? I honestly can’t understand what you’re suggesting.

You seem to be saying: The contestant took $300K or so, guaranteed, but their case (that they didn’t stick with) had $1 million? And they acted like it was a big loss? The game is over, right? What does your SWITCHeroo accomplish?

[Snooooopy]

@DKW

5. why does the announcer say “A new car!” Isn’t it generally a given that the merchandise isn’t preowned? What kind of sleazy game show gives out used cars as prizes, anyway?

I haven’t watched the show in a long time, but as I replay that in my head, I’m hearing more emphasis on the word “car” than “new.” (I’m also hearing “brand-new car,” specifically, but that’s beside the point.) So I don’t think they were trying to reassure viewers about the newness of the car. I think that they just threw in a modifier because saying that you could win “a car” just isn’t weighty enough of a phrase to sound exciting.

[Dewey_Finn]

@DKW

2. how many contestants nailed the double showcase when the requirement was within $50?

A few months ago, there was a thread here linking to a YouTube video showing a recent episode where someone nailed the price on the Showcase Showdown exactly. There was some discussion about why Drew Carey wasn’t more enthusiastic about this, and someone suggested that the show had stopped taping and the big reveal was some time later, after an investigation.

[K364]

Why do Jeopardy players go for the outright win with the extra dollar bet? (remember a tie means you both get the money and both come back the next day)

I mean, you should bury a dangerous opponent, but quite often the opponents seem average at best. Why send them packing and get an unknown enemy the next day?

And it seems cruel to say “we can each have 20,000, but instead I’m going to take 20,001 and you get nothing”

I’ve asked this many times on the SDMB and get various degrees of dispute thru indifference.

[ZenBeam]

@K364

Why do Jeopardy players go for the outright win with the extra dollar bet? (remember a tie means you both get the money and both come back the next day)

I mean, you should bury a dangerous opponent, but quite often the opponents seem average at best. Why send them packing and get an unknown enemy the next day?

And it seems cruel to say “we can each have 20,000, but instead I’m going to take 20,001 and you get nothing”

I’ve asked this many times on the SDMB and get various degrees of dispute thru indifference.

To add to this, if you happen to be in the opposite rolls the next day, perhaps the person would remember and return the favor. So it’s even in their own self interest.

[Duke]

I have a special kinship to TPIR because allegedly my first words were “Come on down!” So I looked up these (most of the answers are from the TPIR Wikipedia entry, alas):

@DKW

On The Price is Right:

1. what is the most anyone ever won on “up to $50,000!!” Plinko?

$30,100 on the $50K variation ($10K in the middle slot). During one of the Million Dollar Spectaculars somebody got $41,000 on the $100K variation ($20K middle slot).

2. how many contestants nailed the double showcase when the requirement was within $50?

Nobody, but only because the requirement was $100 from 1974 to 1998, $250 thereafter. Honestly I couldn’t find how many people got the double showcase, but in at least two instances (once just last December) there was a perfect bid.

3. whenever someone didn’t spin the Showcase Showdown wheel far enough, why did Bob Barker (I’m not familiar with the later hosts, sorry) call for a round of boos or jeers rather than just saying “not enough, do it again”? Did anyone have a problem with this?
4. if someone was not strong enough to get the necessary distance on the wheel no matter how hard he/she tried, then what?

Contestants always had the option of asking for help in spinning the wheel if they felt they weren’t strong enough to do it themselves. Usually the host (Bob Barker, or now Drew Carey) will either help them, or spin it himself. I saw it happen a few times. People only got booed if they said they could spin it themselves then failed, so I guess that made it OK.

5. why does the announcer say “A new car!” Isn’t it generally a given that the merchandise isn’t preowned? What kind of sleazy game show gives out used cars as prizes, anyway?

I’m sure Let’s Make a Deal probably gave out used cars…but anyway try this yourself: Shout out “A car!” Now shout out “A new car!” Which one rolls off the tongue? Which one sounds more authoritative? “A new car!” it is.

6. when did the million-dollar giveaways begin? After Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and now Deal or No Deal, I can see the need to raise the stakes, but this is a CBS institution; I think they can keep it within $500,000 and still be popular.

The first Million Dollar Spectacular was on February 3, 2003. TPIR had been running prime-time specials for about a year (originally they were designed as salutes to the armed forces), and these were getting a bit stale. Obviously, yes, the Million Dollar Spectaculars were designed as a counter to ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and NBC’s The Weakest Link: CBS didn’t have a show like that and decided it was better to use their flagship game show to hit the big time. Three people ended up winning over a million dollars on the show (to date; don’t know if CBS is going to run it again).

[iamthewalrus_3]

@K364

Why do Jeopardy players go for the outright win with the extra dollar bet? (remember a tie means you both get the money and both come back the next day)

I mean, you should bury a dangerous opponent, but quite often the opponents seem average at best. Why send them packing and get an unknown enemy the next day?

And it seems cruel to say “we can each have 20,000, but instead I’m going to take 20,001 and you get nothing”

I’ve asked this many times on the SDMB and get various degrees of dispute thru indifference.

I seem to recall hearing that there’s something of a learning curve to buzzing in on Jeopardy!. When Ken Jennings was making his incredible run, I heard that he had a big advantage in being able to accurately predict when the buzzer would start responding. If true, playing against new opponents when you’ve had a whole game’s practice could be a substantial advantage.

[K364]

@iamthewalrus_3

I seem to recall hearing that there’s something of a learning curve to buzzing in on Jeopardy!. When Ken Jennings was making his incredible run, I heard that he had a big advantage in being able to accurately predict when the buzzer would start responding. If true, playing against new opponents when you’ve had a whole game’s practice could be a substantial advantage.

Yes, I’ve heard that argument before and there is some merit in it. But I’ve seen newbies come roaring out of the gate too… they get practice rounds don’t they? It’s not as if they’ve never held the buzzer before.

[DKW]

Spurious George - Okay, two things you gotta understand.

1. If the contestant goes the distance, he/she may switch “Your Case!” with the last unopened case onstage. This is true no matter what the remaining values are.

2. Going for the million is arguably the the single craziest risk in any game show ever. First off, the contestant must not open the case. Chances are very likely that during the game the 750K and 500K will have gone down as well as at least two other six-figure values (if not all four). That means that knocking out the mil at any time spells total, irreversible disaster. Near the end, as the deals get closer to true value, that surviving million makes them awfully tempting. Once it’s down to two, we’re talking an offer around half a million dollars and a 1-in-2 chance at getting completely busted. It’s the lady or the tiger, one shot, full speed, no x-ray goggles or clairvoyance or bribery. You can imagine how often someone comes along who’ll go for it.

The hands-down most disgusting thing about this show is that “what case WOOOOULD you have picked?” crap they do whenever a contestant accepts a deal. (The contestant has no choice, BTW…there’s a story on here somewhere about how someone tried to refuse and was denied.) Typically, the hypothetical cases have small values, and Howie Mandell cheerfully, almost sadistically, runs down the super blockbuster deals the contestant could have have. It ends when he opens Your Case. If this value is higher than the deal, the contestant made a Bad Deal and is a stupid pathetic chicken schmuck etc. etc.

All right, never mind that the objective is making the poor contestant feel like absolute crap for no logical reason. Never mind that Howie and company have two chances at this, either any of the hypothetical never-happened deals being better than the deal taken or the amount in Your Case being higher. Never mind that they have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, universally recognized to at best to be absolutely worthless and at worst to be worth a savage beating. Never mind that this whole exercise is utterly stupid to begin with since the game is over and with the pressure off, there’s absolutely no way to know for sure which case the contestant “would” have chosen next. Never mind, even, that the contestant always, always, always has the option of switching (see #1 above!), meaning that the amount in Your Case has no relevance to anything whatsoever .

Even if you ignore all that, the fact remains that it was still a good deal. $480,000? $360,000? $200,000? A lot less than a million, sure; still a helluva lot of cash. And it’s a lot more sensible to accept an amount than to risk it all for a million and get clobbered (see #2 above!). There is no reason the contestant should feel bad about such an amount, and there’s no reason for the show to attempt to make him or her feel bad about it.

Hence, my “SWITCH” card. To remind everyone that I’m not some ignorant, easily-manipulated schlub who’s forgotten what the rules are. To let everyone know that My Winnings could’ve just as easily been $1 or $10 or $200 as $1,000,000. To let everyone know that I will not under any circumstances feel miserable about settling for a paltry 350 grand.

A meaningless, grandiose gesture, perhaps…but that’s pretty much what DonD is all about, isn’t it?

[RickJay]

@K364

Why do Jeopardy players go for the outright win with the extra dollar bet? (remember a tie means you both get the money and both come back the next day)

I mean, you should bury a dangerous opponent, but quite often the opponents seem average at best. Why send them packing and get an unknown enemy the next day?

And it seems cruel to say “we can each have 20,000, but instead I’m going to take 20,001 and you get nothing”

I’ve asked this many times on the SDMB and get various degrees of dispute thru indifference.

Jeopardy! contestants are often very good at knowing trivia and utterly appalling at betting. It’s common to see idiotic Final bets where a contestant gets the question right and loses unnecessarily, or late-game Daily Double bets that do absolutely nothing to enhance the contestant’s chances.

However, in the case of the one-dollar-over bet, if you’re in the lead it does make sense if for no other reason that you are likelier to beat an inexperienced player than an experienced one. If another contestant wins with you then you’ll be facing off against someone who’s got the same advantage of experience as you do.

Of course, if you’re in the position of having exactly twice the money of the second place player then betting 0 is the only logical bet, as in fact happened with the game where three guys tied.