TV Tuesday

TV Tuesday. Because the voices tell me to:

Week 5- Is That Your Final Answer?
Game Shows have kept us playing along for years… From What's My Line? to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, we watch, yell at stupid contestants and generally feel superior, because we could be doing so much better! So let's see, do you have what it takes to play the game, or are you the Weakest Link?

1. Is there a game show (past or present) you think you would do really well on, as a contestant?

Jeopardy. I would kick ass on Jeopardy. Too much useless information rattling around in my head.

Do you know how much of a dork I am about Jeopardy? I keep score. Not much, anymore. But there was a time I did every time I watched.

I make a grid corresponding to the show's game board. I give a check mark for every right answer (or question, in Jeopardy parlance), an "X" for every wrong answer, and a 0 for no guess. I give the appropriate dollar amount for each correct answer, take away for each incorrect answer, and do nothing if I don't guess.

And I rate my scores against the players' combined scores, since there's no way to tell whether I'd have rung in before they did.

Yeah. Jeopardy's a regular Dorktivity when I'm around.

Tried out a couple of times. Passed the test, played the mockup game. Never been on the show, though. Too scary for TV.

Millionaire, too. I think I'd do well, although that one's a little more spotty, because you can always run up against SOMETHING that you've got no idea on, and it'll run you off the road. Most of the time on Jeopardy, you have a chance to redeem yourself.

Price is Right, too. The logic games. The games like Hole in One (or Two) or Plinko might cause me to tear up a set they'd make me so angry. Because they depend on a physical skill (can't putt) or are essentially random chance.

But I would like to spin the Hell out of that big wheel. I've talked about that before.

And Beat the Geeks. Remember Beat the Geeks? Where you'd test your TV knowledge or Movie or Music knowledge against a geek? I think I'd do okay, because the contestant questions were so much easier than the geek questions--the TV and Movie Geek's questions I got between half and most of the time.

I only saw one episode with the Wrestling Geek. I'd have torn the dope a new one.

And I once, when I was eleven or twelve, I made my grandfather so mad he had to leave the house when I would get the Wheel of Fortune puzzles in a couple of letters, and just blurt out the answers. But I wouldn't do well on that game, were I playing. Just a hunch.

2. Is there a game show you think is the stupidest thing you've ever seen?

I always hated Password. The best gameshows are ones where you can play along. But Password derailed that at every turn, but showing you what the contestant was trying to guess.

American Idol. That's technically a game show, isn't it? A karaoke contest? But I won't get off on a rant on that one again....

3. Is there a game show you watch, but don't like to admit to watching? (A guilty pleasure!)

I watch Price is Right sometimes. I don't not like to admit that. I really want to spin the big wheel.

Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I'll watch re-runs of Match Game on Game Show Network. I get a weird kick out of watching B-Grade celebrities from before my birth bicker on a gameshow panel. Gene Rayburn makes me laugh.

~Bonus~ Who is your favorite game show host? Who is your least favorite?

Alex Trebek makes me so mad sometimes.

Let me tell you about meeting Alex Trebek.

I tried out for the Teen Tournament in High School. A bunch of us took a test, and while we waited for the results, surprise guest Alex Trebek comes out to do some Q & A.

I got to ask Alex: What do you write when you're at the Jeopardy lecturn? Are you writing little notes about the contestants when you're writing? About how stupid Contestant #2 is, or how you've got to pick up your dry cleaning?.

I'll say this. I've been talked down to by the best, in Mr. Alex Trebek.

No, he said smugly. I would never do anything like that...and then there was a discussion of respect. Like Alex Trebek respects the contestants. I just nodded, having gotten politely dressed down by the host of TV's Classic Concentration.

(Oh, and he's just keeping track of the gameboard, when he's writing, in case you were wondering).

Meredeith Veira (sp?) does a good job on the syndicated Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

And like I said, Gene Rayburn, from Match Game, makes me laugh.

(This theme suggestion comes to TV Tuesday from the lovely Busy Mom, our self-proclaimed "Child of the 70's". Thanks Busy Mom! If you have any ideas or suggestions, please e-mail me or leave it in the comment box!)

Thanks for playing! Now let's see what's behind curtain #3!