TPiR Recap - 12/26/2011

[Cartboy]

Wow, a 5 out of 6-er - best show I've seen in quite a while.   Too bad Katherine had to ruin the perfect show, but she lost on the Big Wheel, so I'm happy.

[MrPlinko]

Gotta see this episode!!!!  Shirley sounds like a shoe-in for one of the most memorable contestants EVER!!!! LOL!

Joe

[Kev347]

Wow, an instant classic, and a clear front runner for best show of the season. And yes, today was 5/6 but today would have been really good if it were even 3/6 or 4/6 with some random first half games lost. We had some great contestants today all around, especially Shirley. Not every contestant should be as caffeinated as she was, but she made for great TV and I'm glad we spent some extra time in Balance Game having fun with her. Then you throw in something that I don't think has ever happened before on the show: a Pass The Buck win with just the free pick! Granted, we shouldn't be reducing people to just the free pick with the setup, but I thought that was absolutely incredible - can anyone tell me whether that's happened before or not?

Then, unfortunately, the dramatic Switch? playing. Now I know some people will get on Drew for never mentioning the chance of a perfect show on the air, and he does deserve that criticism. He clearly did mention it during a commercial break though as I could tell that the Switch? contestant was feeling the heat the whole time she was up there about "blowing the no hitter", and was really sad when she did turn out to blow it. Granted, that was by no means an easy setup, so she shouldn't be too ashamed, but it was a bit disappointing. It was great to even have the show come down to that drama though - felt like ages since the last time!

Overall, Mike, shows like today are the reasons we tune in. Not even just the wins, but also the great contestants like Shirley and Margaret, the un-forced comedy in Shirley's segment, the historic dramatic moments like Pass The Buck, even the dramatic heartbreak of Switch?. This show should not need guest stars or gimmicks to prop it up. It's clear CBS thought that way too when they chose to move the episode up a couple weeks, possibly to put it on a day when they knew a lot of people would be home. It's certainly an interesting strategy - I just wonder if we've used up our good episodes for January at this point.

Timings:
Spelling Bee (6) - 5:08
Side By Side (3.5) - 2:32
Race Game (5) - 3:52
Balance Game (4) - 5:33
Pass The Buck (5.5) - 4:34
Switch? (3.5) - 3:30
Total (27.5): 25:09

[Bobby McBride]

A PtB win w/ only just the free pick earned had happened twice before (once each w/ Bob & Drew) prior to today.

[PaladinTornado]

Most wins of the season to-date (at least by airdate).  Last time we had a 5/6 show was the Season 39 "final episode" on August 31, in which a Spelling Bee bailout prevented the perfect show.

I had wondered why they chose this episode for the day after Christmas.

[tpirfan28]

I had wondered why they chose this episode for the day after Christmas.

Virtually all schools are on break and many workers have the day off.  Lots of eyeballs available for the program.

..which, in some bizarre way, make no sense why Celebrity Week wasn't this week.  Several people that I know in manufacturing jobs have this week off completely as a holiday shutdown.

(Kitch: Amber was on the bag in Balance, along with her hideous rapping skills.)

[silverice878]

Just as it looked like Mike Richards finally got a heart, that woman had to blow it.............

[Guint]

..which, in some bizarre way, make no sense why Celebrity Week wasn't this week.  Several people that I know in manufacturing jobs have this week off completely as a holiday shutdown.

I could think of a reason or two.

[JerseyBob]

I agree with all the positive comments regarding all the wins in this episode.  I don't, however, agree with all the praise showered on Shirley.  I thought she was extremely annoying.   

[whinbaby]

The 7,573rd episode (81st for Season 40)

Showcase #1
- Trip to San Jose, California Costa Rica:  $5,352
- Trip to Halmstad:  $11,735
- Trip to Beijing:  $11,463

My bid:  $34,000 (D'oh!)

Showcase #2
- Power Tools:  $2,289
- Plasma TV:  $1,399
- Washer & Dryer:  $2,998
- Chevrolet Colorado:  $18,205

My bid:  $26,528 (D'oh!)

Modeling Totals:  January 17, 2012's episode
Rachel Reynolds
Total:  10/$40,836 (6/$30,727, 4/$10,109)
Cars:  1/$21,035 (1/$21,035, 0/$0)
Trips:  1/$1,680 (1/$1,680, 0/$0)
Cash Prizes:  0/$0 (0/$0, 0/$0)

Manuela Arbeláez
Total:  8/$34,787 (6/$14,083, 2/$20,704)
Cars:  1 /$18,205 (0/$0, 1/$18,205)
Trips:  0/$0 (0/$0, 0/$0)
Cash Prizes:  0/$0 (0/$0, 0/$0)

Amber Lancaster
Total:  8/$64,735 (8/$64,735, 0/$0)
Cars:  1/$20,305 (1/$20,305, 0/$0)
Trips:  3/$28,550 (3/$28,550, 0/$0)
Cash Prizes:  0/$0 (0/$0, 0/$0)

All Prizes
Total:  28/$136,392 (21/$105,539, 7/$30,853)
Cars:  3/$59,545 (2/$41,340, 1/$18,205)
Trips:  4/$30,230 (4/$30,230, 0/$0)
Cash Prizes:  0/$0 (0/$0, 0/$0)

Season to date
Rachel Reynolds (60 shows)
Total:  563/$3,008,165 (326/$1,271,394, 237/$1,736,771)
Cars:  64/$1,358,937 (22/$442,006, 42/$916,931)
Trips:  58/$498,685 (31/$255,825, 27/$242,860)
Cash Prizes:  8/$113,000 (2/$35,500, 6/$77,500)

Manuela Arbeláez (51 shows)
Total:  478/$2,696,964 (289/$1,053,707, 189/$1,643,257)
Cars:  60/$1,357,026 (16/$367,320, 44/$989,706)
Trips:  56/$507,777 (28/$247,622, 28/$260,155)
Cash Prizes:  6/$49,833 (3/$25,500, 3/$24,333)

Amber Lancaster (48 shows)
Total:  369/$2,341,890 (219/$919,591, 150/$1,422,299)
Cars:  44/$963,190 (13/$285,059, 31/$678,131)
Trips:  48/$376,978 (20/$173,353, 28/$203,625)
Cash Prizes:  15/$203,277 (4/$26,627, 11/$176,650)

All Prizes (68 shows)
Total:  1,785/$10,862,077 (1,045/$4,395,683, 740/$6,466,394)
Cars:  209/$4,524,320 (73/$1,546,946, 136/$2,977,374)
Trips:  217/$1,799,069 (113/$942,166, 104/$856,903)
Cash Prizes:  52/$1,276,059 (12/$157,248, 40/$1,118,811)

[heelsrule1988]

This was one of those times where I really missed Bob... Drew made no reference whatsoever to the near-perfect show. Shockingly, though... Katherine did. Good for her for paying attention and showing an interest in that!

Nonetheless, this was the best show of the season thus far. Shirley (and her $1K win), the improbable wins, being one win away from perfection (and we all know that hardly ever happens nowadays)... this was one very, very enjoyable show.

BEST CONTESTANT OF THE DAY: Shirley (definitely the best contestant so far this season)
SHOW GRADE: 4

[SteveGavazzi]

Shirley annoyed the piss out of me.  There was pretty much nothing she did the whole day that wasn't...well, annoying.

Even moreso than most episodes, this show really needed Bob.  He would have played up all the wins and the possibility of a perfect show, he would have done a much better job of building up Pass the Buck, and he would have done his level best to keep Shirley under freakin' control!

[htmlcc92]

I don't, however, agree with all the praise showered on Shirley.  I thought she was extremely annoying.   

I know. I thought she was very annoying, and I actually thought she would not win her game, because she just seemed so out there and all over the place.

[MDupont]

Great show today. Just out of curiosity, when the last time we had 5 out of 6 won where the first 5 games were won but the last game wasn't?