Tonight's first half was painful to watch. There was a combination of miscommunication from the clue-givers and the clue-receivers, and there were moments where you were shouting what would have been perfect clues at the TV. At least a $100,000 win at the end redeemed this half.
Now, onto the second half, which I saw in person on May 5, 2018.
Seeing the
Pyramid set up close was really neat. It looks a bit smaller than it does on TV, but you really see how intricate it is-especially the trilons in motion. I was seated in the back of the left-hand side of the audience, below the hollowed-out trapezoid that the camera zooms into when coming back from commercial for the second half. The audience warm-up person kept us engaged, and he pointed out the staffers (notably game producer John Ricci, Jr.), and as it turns out, Miley Cyrus was a guest in the audience. I did not recognize her as we were being cattled into the studio, but it was neat to see her in person (my sister was a huge
Hannah Montana fan in the previous decade).
The gameplay was pretty solid from the contestants in the front half, and I was amazed at how quickly 7 words were conveyed in one of the subjects (though, it was pretty easy when they refer to parts of the body, the clue-giver can use his/her body quite effectively in that subject). The Winner's Circle was painful-as soon as they got down to "Things You Scratch," I was hunched down in my chair, fingers crossed, and the entire audience let out a big "Awww" when they couldn't clear that last subject.
Things got more interesting in the second half. After it became apparent that a win for one team was impossible because of how far behind the winners they were, and the Mystery 7 was still up for grabs, Michael turned to the cameras and asked what to do next. This lead to a 20-minute stopdown, in which the producers and staffers went to the contestants and celebrities to discuss what to do. All the while, the audience warm-up asked us if this happened before. I raised my hand and said it did happen back in 1987 on
The $25,000 Pyramid, referring to this moment below:
In this moment, the losing contestant is given the chance to find the Mystery 7. Thankfully, she does and wins the prize, but how awkward would it have been if she didn't find it? Before I could describe what happened, the audience warm-up stopped me mid-sentence as he did not want my commentary to affect the outcome of this game. In his words, "The rules may have changed." What was eventually decided was that the winning team would play for the Mystery 7, as a bonus. Thankfully, they won the trip.
As I was exiting the studio, I was next to the producers who were discussing this matter. One of them thought the rule was that if the Mystery 7 was still in play, the losing team would still have a chance to play for it (as shown in the clip above). However, they decided it would be better television to give the winning team the chance to win the Mystery 7 as a bonus for their better gameplay. I agree with their approach because of the awkward scenario that might happen if the losing team doesn't find the Mystery 7-they already lost the game, and it would add insult to injury if they could not find the Mystery 7, let alone win it.
I don't know when the first half of my taping session will air. But overall, it was a fun experience. I was the resident superfan in the audience, and I got to play a mock game with the audience warm-up in guessing Winner's Circle subjects. One I couldn't guess was "Things at
The $100,000 Pyramid," as I couldn't think on a high level or where I was right at the time. I did leave with a book as a prize for my participation,
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara.
I hope the show gets renewed for a fourth season, and I want to try out for myself.
