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Lately there has been an outbreak of game shows on television; some have new concepts while others base theirs on older previous versions. Game shows are relatively cheap to produce and require virtually no location shoots, so why not. With the trend of these new concept game shows, they usually give away bigger cash prizes, but some comes with a price, humiliation. Game shows usually do well when the premise is high concept and edgy. Game shows are family friendly programs, which attract audiences of all ages; viewers at home can sit down as a family and play along with the contestants. Contestants are put through the grueling test of knowledge, fear, stress factor, and probability.
Game shows have came along way since the 50’s quiz scandal, in which certain contestants were more favored, therefore they were coached and given an advantage over the least popular contestants. When news broke out of this scandal, it was viewed as a massive betrayal of public trust, America’s loss of innocent.
When we mention the word game shows, most would probably always identify it with the “Price is Right”, Bob Parker. The game show offers interesting games, nice prizes and a wonderful TV personality Bob Parker. TV networks would love to create the next game show that would carry as much success as the Price is Right. Fox’s new game show, “Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader”, became an instant hit, capitalizing on the notion of humiliation. The show basically speaks for itself, are you smarter than a fifth grader, if not, you turn to the camera and say, “I am not smarter than a fifth grader”, and collect the prize in which you’ve earned. TV programs are normally programmed to the lowest denominator anyways, so maybe Fox released the next Price is right? The show moves pretty slowly and some viewers feel that it is insulting to fifth graders, but the ratings speak for itself. ABC also came out with a game show called, “National Bingo Night”. Usually bingo is associated with older people and when a show attracts an older crowd it is usually a sign that a show is on the bubble, but in this case the network feels differently. CBS’s “Deal or no Deal”, deals on the principles of greed. I was in San Diego over the weekend and the show Deal or no Deal had a casting call in search of a few new women models for their show. The line was about a block long, with beautiful models looking for their big break in Hollywood, for them the weather was hot but the stakes were even hotter. The show is rather easy to comprehend. Contestants are put into situations where they solely rely on intelligent decision making based on pure luck. It’s almost like watching a gambler betting his financial dreams away.
The game shows are aired during primetime hours, so TV networks are placing confidence in these shows. Shows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune have long standings and a faithful fan base. Networks are just looking for the next big thing, lets face it when it comes down to it, no matter what they say, it’s always about the money.
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