Well, as others have said, the current staff really does know how to do a holiday-themed show. The presentation really made the show for me today to the point where I didn't care as much about some of the ridiculously stupid gameplay we saw today (though that will be noted below). I think they knew we responded well to the April Fools' show, so they attempted to do something similar with Halloween and it really worked. I enjoyed the flickering lighting and randomly inserted spiders and sound effects, but even through all that it still felt like an episode of The Price Is Right, just a very screwed up one. There were some elements that were mildly over the top (the intro was a little overwhelming, though Rich's spooky voice was really cool, we really don't ever need scripted Drew/Rich interaction before a one-bid like we had before OB2 today, though that wasn't too bad; and Rich reading the entirety of prize copy through a voice distortion machine), overall it really worked. I enjoyed the subtle theme of prank grocery items in Grocery Game - I was expecting the more obvious theme of Halloween candy, but that really worked too. And having the models/Drew all dressed as pricing games, and then having them actually play all those pricing games with the corresponding model, and then having Rich come out during the SCSD to represent the Big Wheel - just a really really cool theme and a great way to tie Halloween into the show. Lineup even if clearly much more predictable than usual today was strong - it was a good day to throw convention out the window and have two SP games, especially since the show clearly had a vast assortment of Halloween themed small prizes to spread out over two games. The only thing that was a bit of a letdown was the showcases. I really enjoyed the Halloween skits from last year, so I was disappointed we did away with them this year, although the presentation of the car as a hearse was cool. (Also, clearly they continue to read these boards - turning the new showcase podiums into actual coffins was a brilliant touch!). The staff seems to currently be shying away from skit showcases, and I can't really blame them after all the criticism we gave them last year. Still, a cute Halloween skit would have been a nice touch - I do hope we see skit showcases pop back up again eventually.
Good thing the presentation was so good, because the gameplay totally stunk today. Although two of the games have to be put on Greco - today would have been a good day for easy wins. But instead we get an impossibly high Range Game (randomly played for the 2nd time this week, but it worked with the costumes), and an evil Plinko (all 4 SPs use the 0/5 rule, but the first two follow it and then the second two don't? That's pretty impossible). Still, pretty much every game except Grocery Game and Cliffy was played pretty badly today (and Cliffy should not have had that $17 guess). And then we end the show with a spectacular failure with the worst Stage Player bids of all time.
And as a result of that, I hate to be the one to bring this up but I have to ask a question: I love the theme show presentations as much as anybody, but does anyone else think that maybe they distract the contestants a little too much? If you recall, last year's April Fools' show was 1/6 with poor showcase bids too, and it just begs the question whether the theme shows are just a little too much for some contestants in an already distracting environment. I'd hate to see the themes have to be toned down, but it's definitely a question worth asking.
Oh, and almost lost in all this: Yay! Triple Play! And what a way to return with the special smoke reveals. That was a really exciting way to kick today off. Too bad it was lost.
Timings:
Triple Play (6) - 4:05
Range Game (4) - 3:37
Grocery Game (4.5) - 4:29
Double Prices (3) - 2:31
Cliff Hangers (4.5) - 4:19
Plinko (5.5) - 4:40
Total time (27.5): 23:41
