Timings today (with "official timings" in parentheses, thanks gr):
Lucky $even (4.5) - 4:32
Punch-a-bunch (5.5) - 6:07
Double Prices (3) - 3:03
Bullseye (5) - 4:08 (that's what an exacta win will do)
That's Too Much! (4.5) - 4:42 (over a full min longer than last week's playing)
2 For The Price Of 1 (4.5) - 4:01
Total time: 26:33 (27) (over a full minute longer than any of the other 3 lineups I've timed so far. Could that be due to shorter than usual showcases today?)
Also, Nick, to answer your question about the bumpers, there were less of them than usual today. Or rather, instead of audience shots, we had shots of the contestant celebrating after the win - we had lots of good wins today! Makes me wonder if they only show the audience after a loss because we don't want to see depressed Drew. We spent 8 seconds with the audience after the Lucky $even loss, but spent a good 10 seconds each with the contestant and Drew after the Bullseye and TTM wins, and overall probably just under a minute of bumper time. Then again, we seemed to have lots of extra time to kill today - we got some extra interaction and jokes toward the end and even a full showcase rules explanation! I'll monitor more in the future, but I estimate the bumpers take up about a minute of mine.
Some additional comments:
Solid lineup today! It flowed well, and was SO nice to see 241 pop up sixth - I was definitely expecting the umpteenth playing of One Right Price when they walked to the doors. Surprised they'd use Double Prices on this lineup though, when it times to half a minute short so they could have done Most Expensive or One Wrong Price instead. It was, however, nice to see Dubbs pop up in the first half for a change of pace - rob's right; it feels less annoying there. And we DID seem to have LOTS of extra time. We've been seeing some solid lineups recently - one thing that worries me a little is that these lineups were written before the meh Christmas week lineups were written, but hopefully we continue along this lineup track instead of that one.
You know, it's saying something when I can say that was the friendliest Lucky $even setup in a while. It still wasn't overly friendly though. And it was still lost, because every once in a while you gotta expect there to be a contestant who doesn't know there aren't 0's in the price.
I found it funny when Drew pointed out the irony of a contestant whose shirt read "I want to play Plinko or Cliffhangers" getting stuck with Double Prices. Also, that may have been the earliest reveal of Double Prices in the game's history - certainly the earliest host reveal! Still, Drew is good at pointing out ironic moments like that.
Drew was also VERY on the ball in That's Too Much with the contestant and making his neutered cat joke. When contestants want to talk like she did, he is getting better at interacting with them and also better at making appropriate jokes when it applies. Drew is really beginning to shine in the contestant interaction department most of the time, or at least make great strides, and it is good to see. I hope it continues.
Speaking of That's Too Much!, anyone who still hates the game after THAT playing of it is crazy. THAT's what it's all about, folks. The fast pace, the tension, the excitement, all broken with the contestant scream of "THAT'S TOO MUCH!" (which Drew still has to work a little better at hammering home, but he's getting better). That was an excellent contestant scream today. It's also one of the best true pricing tests on the show. Also, for the record, folks, That's Too Much! is now on a winning streak. That's right, it does happen sometimes. We should play THIS every week instead of Money Game.
You know, the second half today was full of exciting wins. Between the Bullseye exacta, the exciting TTM win, that Race Game playing yesterday...we've been seeing some great contestants this week.
There weren't really Drewcases in the traditional sense of the term today (though please stop personalizing the first showcase), but there were interesting prizes to be sure. I like the idea of new prizes on the show, but come on, a game room showcase could really potentially be awkward if they get the wrong pair of contestants up there. I really thought that had the potential to be 12k or something like that, even though that never happens nowadays, and I just didn't know so I decided to be conservative with my bid. On the other hand, that Las Vegas showcase looked AMAZING. I mean luxury hotel, private jet, butlers, $5,000 to spend in VEGAS - just an AMAZING package. Too bad he way overbid it - he forgot one critical thing: just a trip alone cannot even be close to $35,000, especially one that's only from CA to Vegas. Still wow, randomness. It's certainly making for some unpredictable CSSes lately, which makes things more fun.
Above average show today - due to some exciting wins, but also mostly due to Drew, who has REALLY been on the ball these past couple shows - keep up the good work! Remember, your comedic strength lies in things like the "neutered cat" joke today.
