When I first saw commercials for AS I thought that it would be a direct ripoff of Family Feud. Similar set layout, two teams trying to find the top answers to survey questions, etc. However upon seeing a few episodes I think it is an ingenious combination of Feud, Talk About, and Match Game. John Michael Higgins brings a good "rhythm" to the game, and it is easy to play along with at home with the clues given in both initials and blank length.
My beef with the game is that it is yet another GSN original with a paltry payout; only the winners get any money, and just like in the latest version of Chain Reaction, falling even one question shy in the bonus round means no additional money. Zilch, zip, nada. I wonder if this is why most of their originals fail after one or two seasons... in my opinion it isn't enjoyable watching people play a game and get nothing for their efforts. Is their budget hurting that bad or does GSN just not like giving away money? I'm fine with the $15,000 grand prize, but at the very least, the team could get $100 for each blank guessed in the bonus round if they don't win (makes perfect sense since the team has to fill in a total of 10 blanks to win).
I think a much better scoring system for the upfront game would be as follows:
Round 1: $25 per blank, $250 bonus for getting all seven.
Round 2: $50 per blank, $500 bonus for getting all seven.
Round 3: $75 per blank, $750 bonus for getting all seven.
This would make a perfectly played game worth $2,550 plus any money collected from the other team's missed answers.
Both teams get to keep their money, with the winning team going on to play the bonus round.
What saith the jury?
