Wink Martindale's Awesome Non-Price Clips and Episodes: The Ongoing Thread

[pricefan18]

In general, I’m not a fan of Truth or Consequences, but I could tell this was going to be crap 10 seconds in. With the exception of Greed and 5th Grader, among a few others, FOX churns out the worst game shows.

This feels like another version of Fear Factor from the opening (which WTF? yeah let's DROWN people to make them eligible for our game, that's a SUPER great idea, total turnoff as soon as I saw it.......), which given it was made 2003/2004 or at about the height of that show's popularity, that makes sense.

[Alfonzo]

This feels like another version of Fear Factor from the opening (which WTF? yeah let's DROWN people to make them eligible for our game, that's a SUPER great idea, total turnoff as soon as I saw it.......), which given it was made 2003/2004 or at about the height of that show's popularity, that makes sense.

You would have thought that maybe Fox learned it's lesson from The Chamber the year before... or maybe they did, which is why the pilot wasn't green lit.

[bigblue999]

This makes The Chamber look less deadly.

Whoever was in charge of creating game shows at FOX must’ve been sadistic.

[bigblue999]

Wink does it again!

[GRWHAMMY the 2nd]

and now, probably a cleanser after the Truth or Consequences pilot, here's a pilot run of the 1990 Pat Finn version of The Joker's Wild... with an arguably less creepy Joker

[vnisanian2001]

Not only far less creepy, but a far better set, and, in my opinion, a better format.

[bigblue999]

And we have a trailer of ABC’s Deal or No Deal pilot.

[SeaBreeze341]

Not only far less creepy, but a far better set, and, in my opinion, a better format.

Meh on TJW on the 90s when the review includes it and in versions that occurred from 1972-1986.  I probably might consider ranking it over the early 70s version but the one that ran along with TTD is/was too good that I can’t rank the Pat Finn version over Barry (and Cullen).  There were some aspects from Finn that make a great argument for being better than the original.  The set was pretty neat though!  Similar to every other gameshow, I would have to factor in one’s era and the particular decade.


Just my opinion, but while I loved the “original” version, I did enjoy the newer one.  Unlike (1990s) TTD; speaking of which, recently I’ve settled with the analogy of TTD : Jeopardy :: TJW : WOF.  Seemed like there was more care, respect, and strategy with TTD whereas TJW was more luck-based

[imhomerjay]

That cheap awful single sliding lever on Joker’s Wild was really bad. And I found the format even more convoluted than the eventual aired version. Pat was fine with what he had to work with, which wasn’t much.

And the less said about that Deal or No Deal clip the better.

[pricefan18]

That cheap awful single sliding lever on Joker’s Wild was really bad. And I found the format even more convoluted than the eventual aired version. Pat was fine with what he had to work with, which wasn’t much.

I actually liked it. Was a pretty exciting format IMO. I woulda offered some extra game cash for the Joker's Jackpot though vs. punish a contestant for going for it that way (and perhaps added a stake as well, wherein if they missed any of the 5, they lost control of the slots to the 2nd place contestant (or in Round 2, just lost control in general), and also found a way to offer anyone who got passed a spin, the chance to take what was on the board (at a fixed rate time wise), or spin again. Woulda added a little bit of strategy to things there, especially at game's end, with just $10 on the board and the eventual winner only needing $10 to win the game. If he had the option, surely he'd have taken the $10 vs spin again and allow a shot for his opponent to pull closer on a miss, since you couldn't get any lower than that.

Other than those two things though (and the addition of a devil in bonus round just for tension), I thought it was solid.

[imhomerjay]

Honestly that feels even more convoluted. As it was, it was way more complex than it
Needed to be and missed the entire concept of a slot machine: matching things being worth more.

[EaglesWings4500]

If I remember right was there an Jokers Wild where they had the topics on the wheels hosted by Pat Finn?

[pricefan18]

If I remember right was there an Jokers Wild where they had the topics on the wheels hosted by Pat Finn?

Yes there was, in 2nd format. Still using definitions but with categories all the same.

[pannoni1]

As you could tell, the clock during non-Joker rounds was pretty much pointless since nobody successfully completed a category before time expired (although it happened with the Joker in the series with the limit reduced to 15 seconds). I found Opponents Choice a nice compromise to the passed spin windows, although I wouldn't have minded the Devil to have appeared instead on the front game as the "lose a turn" reel, especially for round 2.

That said, I prefer this bonus round to the greenlit version, with a different letter for each word (and no annoying "First definition..."), as well as a $5000 cash prize that beats the lowly $500 one, with a car a great grand prize for getting all three Jokers.

Since TJW '90 was my first version of the franchise growing up, I actually enjoyed this. Thanks again Wink!

[bigblue999]

Here's the Trivial Pursuit pilot from 1993. It's also Randy West's first game show announcing gig.