# What's with Prime Time TV Game Show contestants today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960 "2006-12-20T20:06:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/21 "2006-12-21T00:45:38Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] What kind of a numbskull actually buys into that stuff and thinks it’s real? [/QUOTE] Well, if they’re not real then neither is professional wrestling, so you know they’ve gotta be legit!!! 😉 Oh how I loathe these “game” shows. Give me the goofballs on _The Price is Right_ any day; at least they are more genuine than these producer-engineered contestants. On TPIR there’s always somebody to cheer for…the little old lady spinning the wheel, the college kid, the people wearing the “I \ Bob Barker” shirts. None of the mutant contestants nowadays are very sympathetic; you really don’t root for them to win, you root for them to lose. Hmm, maybe that’s the attraction…? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/22 "2006-12-21T00:46:52Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] As long as I’m at it. You know what I hate most about Deal or No Deal? That whole charade with the “banker.” They concoct this totally fictional “banker” character who is supposed to care about how much money people win (why? it’s not _his_ money) and the audience is supposed to boo and hiss him like he’s a villain. Why would he be a villain? Do the idiots who act put out by the "banker’ offers (which are automatically calculated at predetermined intervals and having nothing to do with any banker) think it would be better if there _were_ no bail out offers? Would they rather have the game consist only of the contestant picking one suitcase and being stuck with whatever’s inside it? I don’t understand why we’re supposed to boo a fictional character for honoring the agreed upon rules of the game. That whole device is so stupid it’s insulting and yet, the contestants and the audience actually seem to think it’s a real person. In one episode they even hit a silhouetted figure in the “banker’s” booth with a pie and the audience was cheering. What kind of a numbskull actually buys into that stuff and thinks it’s real? [/QUOTE] I never watch _Deal or No Deal_. It’s on opposite wrestling. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/23 "2006-12-21T05:01:20Z")
I miss _Let’s Make A Deal_. ☹ They all got to dress up in costumes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/24 "2006-12-21T09:43:50Z")
This thread has made me insanely grateful that I’ve never watched any of these new shows. I think I’ll stick with Food Network and DVRd eps of Family Guy. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/25 "2006-12-21T10:06:54Z")
[QUOTE=Stinkpalm] I truly don’t know where they are finding all of these people because if the world was as full of them as the shows lead me to believe then I don’t want to live here any more. [/QUOTE] I suspect that we have our answer… ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/26 "2006-12-21T17:29:12Z")
I like Deal or No Deal. Lindsey, case 26, is worth watching the show just to get a glimpse of her. Sometimes the contestants are a bit over the top, but they make us root for them or against them. If they were dull we wouldn’t care either way. You might think they’re overreacting, but most of these people are folks that the money could make a real difference in their lives. If I got in a position where I got an offer that would pay off my house or risk it for even more, I might get dramatic too. 1 v 100 is a dog. The show is too, too slow. You don’t need all the dramatic pause to see if the answer is right or wrong, just get on with it. It’s Wheel of Fortune that has the worst contestants. They have a rule that EVERY female contestant has to go “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” every time they get a letter right. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/27 "2006-12-21T17:30:38Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] It just seems kooky to me that in one way game shows aren’t allowed to cheat, but in another way they are. [/QUOTE] I don’t know why you consider selecting contestants “cheating”. The number of people who pass the _Jeopardy!_ contestant written test is four times greater than they can put on the air every year. By having such a large contestant pool, they can choose a good mix of gender, geography, age, and occupation. They can also choose people who will show more personality during the game than a boring trivia machine. Personality, in fact, is the single most important thing that will separate a person who gets to be a contestant _Jeopardy!_ from the rest of the pack who pass the contestant exam and then never hear anything further. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/28 "2006-12-21T17:43:44Z")
There is one big difference between the US and UK ‘Deal or no deal?’ - the US have hot women 😃 holding the amounts, while we use future contestants. So we get a mixture of retired people, students and housewives. However the producers pay for all the contestants to stay in a hotel while they tape the shows. This means that they become friendly and so there is a cheerful atmosphere unlike almost all other gameshows. The show appeals to people stuck at home, because of the friendly banter. P.S. If you want skill, watch ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ or ‘Countdown’. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/29 "2006-12-21T18:43:05Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] 1 v 100 is a dog. The show is too, too slow. You don’t need all the dramatic pause to see if the answer is right or wrong, just get on with it. [/QUOTE] Agreed. And if you think this is slow, you will want to avoid the new Identity…Penn Jillette: “Is that…your…IDENTITY??” …pause…wait…hold on…here it comes… “Yes”. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/30 "2006-12-21T19:00:43Z")
[QUOTE=jsc1953] Agreed. And if you think this is slow, you will want to avoid the new Identity…Penn Jillette: “Is that…your…IDENTITY??” …pause…wait…hold on…here it comes… “Yes”. [/QUOTE] Or the old gag, “Is that…your…IDENTITY??” …pause…wait…hold on…here it comes… … right after this commercial break!" ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/31 "2006-12-21T19:09:26Z")
Nitpick alert: [QUOTE=Duke of Rat] [spoiler]Paula Abdul, It could have been Lou Alcindor\* for all I know. \*Famous Laker, later known as Kareem Abdul Jabar. Paula Abdul was a Laker Girl. There. [/spoiler] [/QUOTE] **Lew** Alcindor ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/32 "2006-12-21T19:46:57Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] I don’t know why you consider selecting contestants “cheating”. [/QUOTE] I understand that they want to get a mix of interesting people to make the show more exciting. That’s how they sell soap, after all. But I also see the potential for abuse, whether it actually happens or not. They could pick a guy that has an unusually vast knowledge of American History because “he wears interesting sweaters”, for instance. And people who don’t fit the look don’t stand a chance to even get past the screening process. Not cheating, per se, but hardly fair. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/33 "2006-12-21T20:16:17Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] It’s Wheel of Fortune that has the worst contestants. They have a rule that EVERY female contestant has to go “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” every time they get a letter right. Sheesh. [/QUOTE] True, but that has got to be one of the easiest shows to win money on. You don’t have to win the game to take home cash, just a round. I would go on that show in a second, it’s so easy, and I would say “wooooo” as much as they told me to to get some easy cash! 🙂 Compare that show to Jeopardy, which is a more impressive show to tell your friends you were on, but I would choose Wheel over it any day as my chances of coming home with a prize are much greater. You have to be a really good contestant to come home with $30,000 after one Jeopardy show, at Wheel, you just have to get a few good spins and win a round, or make it to the final puzzle. Even if you lose, you will get to keep a few grand most likely if you win even one round, unlike the second and third place contestants on Jeopardy. So, Jeopardy is the better show to watch, Wheel is the better show to be on, IMO. Then again, Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Deal or No Deal are probably even better shows to be on, if you go in with the right mindset you are pretty much guaranteed to leave with at least $30,000. Jeopardy is beginning to look downright cheap compared to the cash given away at these other shows. I would act pretty excited too if someone paid me that much for 20 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2006, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/34 "2006-12-21T21:15:26Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] They could pick a guy that has an unusually vast knowledge of American History because “he wears interesting sweaters”, for instance. [/QUOTE] They could deliberately and openly choose him because he had a vast knowledge of American history. As long as he did not have access to the questions or answers, or to the people who wrote them. To ensure that questions aren’t written to a particular contestant, there is a random draw among the contestants backstage on who will appear on a particular show (a week’s worth of _Jeopardy!_ shows are taped on one day). ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/35 "2006-12-22T02:30:49Z")
Swallow your bile and watch “The Price is Right” sometime if you want to see an interesting example of how appealling contestants are not only chosen, but allowed to win larger prizes. Contestants with a high “Q” Factor (Essentially audience appeal) are generally directed towards games/challenges that, if one calculates the odds are easier to beat/win. The cute blonde with a tight t-shirt and huge “assets”, will be directed to a a game that involves 8 guesses to get two digits, especially if she has a tendancy to jump, squeal and scream when she wins. A contestant who wins the opening price guess round, but who has a lesser “Q” Factor, will be required to partiipate in games which have a much higher level of difficulty/steeper chances of winning. I have no “cites” for this as it is just a personal observation, from the few times I have seen “The price is Right”, but feel it fits the general format of the forum. Regards FML ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/36 "2006-12-22T02:46:08Z")
I’ve never been to a taping of _The Price is Right_ but that assessment has got to be inaccurate. The contestants get on stage by guessing a price and unless Bob Barker is cheating be deliberately choosing a price that allows your “high Q” contestant to get on stage (and I can’t imagine why he’d risk it), they languish in “contestant’s row”. As for being steered toward the easier games, I don’t see it. The gaming equipment is usually pretty elaborate and not something I’d expect a stage manager to change on a moment’s notice. So, basically, I’m calling you wrong on _Right_. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/37 "2006-12-22T03:12:34Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] And people who don’t fit the look don’t stand a chance to even get past the screening process. Not cheating, per se, but hardly fair. [/QUOTE] No, it’s not fair, but it’s no more unusual than picking models for an advertisement or extras for a TV show. I’m not getting where the problem is. If you want to work in TV, you don’t need to be beautiful, but you’ve got to be presentable (basic hygiene and neatness), have a personality that’s compatible with a visual medium, and not be a pain in the nuts to work with. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960/38 "2006-12-22T03:24:01Z")
[QUOTE=Max Torque] Really, would you watch a game show if every contestant was some drab Calvin Q. Calculus with all the emotional range of a dead elk? [/QUOTE] :sniff: Hey, we get excited too! (if only on the inside)\* ☹ \*Reason why you’ll never see me on a game show; I can’t even fake that shit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-prime-time-tv-game-show-contestants-today/384960.md?page=1)