FULL RECAP - TPiR 10/23/2008

[PIR85]

I don't recall a whole lot of people being very happy about Hi Lo.

There's a difference between being unhappy about a change versus creating endless threads about the horrors in studio 33.

[whinbaby]

Game #24 (#6,945)

Showcase #1
Broyhill Living Room - $3,329
Play Set - $2,900
Trip to Hong Kong - $11,180

Showcase #2
Range - $999
Home Gym - $2,599
Mini Cooper - $24,350

Total show prize value:  $151,810 (26 prizes)

Your Modeling Scorecard for October 23, 2008
Daily Records
High:  $83,856 (Claudia Jordan, 2002)
Low:  $8,458 (Gabrielle Tuite, 2006)

Rachel Reynolds
October 23
Total:  $35,147
($4,849 won, $30,298 lost)
Total prizes:  8 (4-4)
Cars, Trips: 1, 0

After 22 shows
Total dollars:  $1,287,275
($604,101 won, $683,174 lost)
Total prizes:  192 (121-71)
Cars, Trips: 24, 18 (8-16, 12-6)

Brandi Sherwood
October 23
Total dollars:  $13,614
($8,246 won, $5,368 lost)
Total prizes:  8 (4-4)
Cars, Trips: 0, 0

After 16 shows
Total dollars:  $704,816
($326,416 won, $378,400 lost)
Total prizes:  122 (76-46)
Cars, Trips: 14, 12 (7-7, 4-8)

Lanisha Cole
October 23
Total dollars:  $25,260
($4,007 won, $21,253 lost)
Total prizes:  11 (6-5)
Cars, Trips: 1, 0

After 13 shows
Total dollars:  $592,740
($266,845 won, $325,895 lost)
Total prizes:  107 (67-40)
Cars, Trips: 10, 8 (2-8, 4-4)

Annilie Hastey
Total dollars:  $33,417
($13,793 won, $19,624 lost)
Total prizes:  4 (3-1)
Cars, Trips: 1, 1

Model Search:  After 4 shows
Total dollars:  $86,555
($55,224 won, $31,331 lost)
Total prizes:  15 (11-4)
Cars, Trips: 2, 3 (1-1, 2-1)

$33,417 is the score to beat for tomorrow, on the finale of Fried Chicken & Model Search Week.  Also tomorrow, I will post comparison in a form of charts from Excel.

[rob79]

There's a difference between being unhappy about a change versus creating endless threads about the horrors in studio 33.

You're confusing apples for oranges. People's unhappiness with Hi-Lo's change isssssssssss wayyyyy different than what is transpiring now. Hi-Lo's change was just from being rolled out (which gave it its charm) to being placed behind the giant price tag (takes away the charm but everything else is the same). This change is something we can live with.

HOWEVER, what we don't tolerate is this non-sensical meanderings and ramblings on the prize copy (see Magic # yesterday for example) and these non-sensical, horrible showcases that are driving the show into the ground. Why change these things? Yes, Hi-Lo was changed while Roger was around but yet it was still the same old show. Without Roger directing the ship chaos is the rule. The powers that be have changed things that should never have been changed-yet it may not look like much to some, but to others this is a big deal. The showcases are a big deal because they are coming off as unprofessional, clumsy, and childish. Drew's antics are childish (see esp. his describing Bonkers and Race Game as "Running Around like an Idiot", making fun of prizes, etc..) The change from focus on contestants to focus placed on Drew is killing the show. It seems to me Drew cares more about being funny, letting the comic come out in him, rather than hosting the show (i.e. being interested in the contestants and the gameplay. It's a travesty what is taking place. Again, you may disagree but this is how many of us see things.

[ClockGameJohn]

Even I must admit that some of the interaction between Drew and Rich is incredibly forced, scripted, and out of place.  (And I like them both!)

Not sure what's going on there.

[PIR85]

Again, you may disagree but this is how many of us see things.

Don't get me wrong -- I am not happy with the way things are happening.  In fact, before this whole thing blew up around these parts, I was one of the first to really criticize Drew's performance this season.  What I am trying to say in my original reply was that not ALL changes are as bad as they seem to be perceived around here.  Of course, that is only opinion, and we have the right to hold our own opinions.  For instance, I hate the light border's elimination, I hate the fried chicken jokes, and I hate the lame IUFB intros.  But, some of the things this season aren't so bad, including the commercial bumpers and Rich's camera time (when appropriate, like today's 4th onebid, IMO).  Again, just opinion.

[Mallory16]

Notes about showcase 2:  Remember in the last several years of the Barker regime, we almost always ended up seeing the "Things that have to do with (fill in the blank)" or "Home Improvements" showcases, which have almost always have been boring.

That's not entirely fair.  Admittedly, Season 31 was the low point of the Barker era, showcase-wise, and it had been gradually getting less interesting in the years before... but then in Season 32, they started making some of the showcases a little more interesting again--I think "Miss My Way" started it--and slowly started sprinkling better stuff in there, and the great showcases were in full force by Season 33, and it remained that way all the way through Season 36.  The showcases of Season 36 were in absolutely no need to be reinvigorated.

[temptation1979ga]

I would be willing to bet that if some of the same changes occurred while Roger was still producing, people wouldn't complain.

If Roger was still producing, I have a feeling we wouldn't be discussing many of these changes because he'd have never let them happen in the first place.

[ClockGameJohn]

I thought the kids were a cute addition. If you're going to give away kids toys or playground equipment on the show, who better to have it modeled by? Drew did acknowledge them by name -- do we really need to know if they're some stagehand's kid, child actors, or the demon spawn of Cecile Frot-Coutaz?

Actually, I'd agree that it is nice to know who they are.   Viewers like to know these things.  It was somewhat awkward when they appeared for the Showcase reveal (which I thought was cute) but we had no clue who they were.  When people get to meet the family of the staff, it gives the show a "family feel."  A simple comment like "Hey thanks guys!  That was Matthew and Jeremy, the sons of one of our Producers here."

For the record, I believe they were Matthew and Jeremy Sandler.

Admittedly, Season 31 was the low point of the Barker era, showcase-wise, and it had been gradually getting less interesting in the years before... but then in Season 32, they started making some of the showcases a little more interesting again--I think "Miss My Way" started it--and slowly started sprinkling better stuff in there, and the great showcases were in full force by Season 33, and it remained that way all the way through Season 36.  The showcases of Season 36 were in absolutely no need to be reinvigorated.

Take note the chain of progression here:

Season 31 = Bad Showcases.
Season 32 = Producer / Showcase Editor Phil Rossi is dismissed.
Season 32 = Producer Roger Dobkowitz assumes Showcase Editing.
Season 33 Onward = Stan Blits / Adam Sandler / Roger Dobkowitz write Showcases.
Season 33-36 = Good Showcases.

Deduce.

[GoldenBulldog]

Looking at John's chain of Showcase progression, it seems to me like there's a cycle going on; every five years, we have to deal with bad Showcases.  So, if the Showcases DID improve throughout Season 32, I can only assume--but I might be wrong--that we've hit the beginning of the cycle, and are now dealing with these types of "sillier" showcases.  To be honest--and from the perspective of a guy who enjoys bidding along with the players on stage--I have gone over quite a few times because of these "sillier" showcases; again, I think we're in a rapid cycle, and it's because of this rapid cycle that I caught a good break this week. 

The only real gripe I had about today was the Plinko debacle; I really am not sure that a contestant is supposed to actually HIT the game prop in order to make the chip go down the board.  It's like cheating at pinball by shaking the machine around; you'll get a "TILT" for doing that and automatically lose a silver ball, and if you're out of silver balls--you're outta luck.  Now I don't know if the contestant did in fact HIT the prop, but that's what I think should happen if it did happen--the contestant would get an automatic zero for that chip.  As for Emily's playing of Race Game...yeah, epic failure indeed!


OVERALL SHOW GRADE:  B-

[ClockGameJohn]

I wasn't implying that there was any sort of "cycle" at all.  Try again.

[GoldenBulldog]

Whoops...I figured it would seem that way, but now...I just think that the Showcase execution is rapidly declining this year--just like the Dow Jones average on Wall Street!

(I give up...) 

[SteveGavazzi]

Whoops...I figured it would seem that way, but now...I just think that the Showcase execution is rapidly declining this year--just like the Dow Jones average on Wall Street!

Except Wall Street apparently has a bailout plan in the works.  They didn't fire the one person who had enough of a clue to fix the damn thing.

[GoldenBulldog]

Here's the way I see it: this crap all started with two words--"fried chicken."  It just makes me wanna go to my local KFC and order some fried chicken, but I digress.  I just hope and pray that somebody upstairs is doing his/her homework right now and realizing that these "silly" Showcases just don't work; it's too frigging distracting to those on stage and to those watching and playing along in front of their TVs. 

[KingOfTheHill]

I think what John was trying to say was that the mind responsible for bad Showcases was gotten rid of, and once that happened, they got good writers on it and we had good showcases again.

Question from me - and I didn't see this particular show - but did they do the "Drew's reaction shot" after any of the prizes today?  I've been reading about that but I haven't caught it yet.

And some of these other changes just aren't making sense to me.  I'm still trying to figure out what the deal is with the new bumpers; everyone keeps talking about the show's increasing time crunch, so I'm trying to figure out who said there was a need for more audience shots?  And the big question, since they've done those after the 4th game several times, I'm wondering if anyone's floated the idea of bringing back the "Stay tuned..." plug?  John, do you know if that's a possibility?

[saturn93]

Thanks for correcting me on some of the showcases from 32-36.  They were better than 31.  I just overlooked them.