The Weakest Link (2020) - General Discussion

[saber5055]

4 hours ago, gsnrocks92 said:

Really dislike the (likely producer encouraged) trash talking between the contestants.

Agree 100 percent. There is so much negativity and hatefulness IRL, then I turn on the tv and there's more nasty talk just for the sake of being snotty. Is this what the American public wants? Does it increase ratings? What happened to good sportsmanship, like wishing the remaining players good luck when you are voted off.

[lynxfx]

10 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Agree 100 percent. There is so much negativity and hatefulness IRL, then I turn on the tv and there's more nasty talk just for the sake of being snotty.

They seemed to really rag on the guy that drove for Lyft the most even though he was a pretty strong player overall. 

[853fisher]

I found that tougher to watch than last week's.  Once again I don't think they got above the fourth rung on the chain at any time.  I love this format but it's not working with these casts.  Groan.

In the wide world of things to complain about, this is minor, but Anoelle's "yes?" every other time Jane called on her drove me mad.

Edited October 7, 2020 by 853fisher

[Snow Apple]

I agree about the nastiness. I can accept it from Jane because that's her act as the host, but coming from the contestants is just mean. They don't have Jane's experience and training in that type of thing. Jane probably gets fed the lines too. Ad-lib takes skill.

[saber5055]

I paid attention to the money in tonight's episode. The players need to be stronger and let a chain get going to make any amazing money, but I guess $69,000 (maybe $40,000 after taxes) is a nice pay day. But still, a banking technique pretty much doesn't exist in this new version.

Tonight I strongly disliked Tiffany, she had quite the attitude. Maybe the contestant pool is so small they have to take whomever they can get. Southern California wanna-be actors are getting a lot of air time lately on game shows. Anyway, I'm glad John won.

[gsnrocks92]

I actually was enjoying Tiffany towards the end, lol idk why but she became endearing despite being annoying at first.

Tonight’s group seemed less trashy then the previous one but they still aren’t intelligent, of course with them not being able to bring in contestants from the entire country the contestant pool is quite limited. Still can’t get over that one guy thinking Lee Harvey Oswald was a poet.

[Snow Apple]

Today's contestants got lots of answers but they kept banking too soon. At one point, they banked whenever a person got one answer correct. They could have built a long string a few times. 

I muted the tv when it was time for the contestants to talk and enjoyed it much better because I didn't know who ended up being annoying. Ha Ha.

[Tabasco Cat]

I didn't mind Tiffany by the end. She lost because her New York fu wasn't up to snuff. Couldn't name the lone Ivy League school in NYC and choked away the SNL question. The latter I had to think about because while I knew the year 1975 was right I didn't think "prime time" would encompass a show that didn't air until 11:30 PM in the east. I got to SNL by default because I didn't have anything else. Live from New York!

The banking annoys me a lot. I think one time they got to a 4th question in the chain before blowing it. They rarely seem to ever get 3 in a row, though, so I understand why everyone's yelling BANK after 2 correct answers. Still annoying. I really don't remember that they ever had a "long string" going. Only that one time when they tried for 4 and couldn't get there.

Edited October 8, 2020 by Tabasco Cat

[Tabasco Cat]

Did PRIMETIMER remove this show from its main forum page? When I looked for it tonight I had to search for it. Last week I think it was there on the list.

[saber5055]

41 minutes ago, gsnrocks92 said:

Still can’t get over that one guy thinking Lee Harvey Oswald was a poet.

Oh, I know. And he was Weakest Link three times before they sent him home. He can stop at the book store on his way home and pick up a few volumes of Oswald's best poetry.

[Rickster]

10 hours ago, Tabasco Cat said:

Did PRIMETIMER remove this show from its main forum page? When I looked for it tonight I had to search for it. Last week I think it was there on the list.

It had been at the bottom under New Forums. I think after some period of time each new forum gets removed from that list (when they are no longer “new”).

[lynxfx]

17 hours ago, Tabasco Cat said:

The latter I had to think about because while I knew the year 1975 was right I didn't think "prime time" would encompass a show that didn't air until 11:30 PM in the east.

That tripped me up too. Primetime is from 8-11 EST/PST. The question though was about the Primetime Emmys so that includes late night I didn't think of anything. I did get a good laugh at Family Ties being her guess.

Studio pressure aside, these contestants do make me feel smarter. 

[iMonrey]

I don't get it . . . are they not allowed to pass? Nobody has simply passed if they didn't know the answer. I would immediately pass so as not to eat up time on the clock. I wish they would explain this. It just makes them look dumb when they say things like Fred Flintstone FFS.

Quote

This show is difficult to watch when there is an obnoxious contestant who makes it to the last round. She might think she's "hot stuff," but honey, you be a dumbass. She ruined this episode for me.

Really dislike the (likely producer encouraged) trash talking between the contestants. Seemed like they went for a lot of IMBD page types,

Yeah, I too have a sinking feeling the producers are encouraging this sort of thing and I don't like it either. Have a little faith in the game itself. We're not here to see "personalities." This isn't Real Housewives. For some dumb reason networks today seem to think game shows should be more like reality shows. It's probably because of the rising popularity of reality shows.

Quote

Am I misremembering, or on the original didn't the last two players play another round just to bank?  That gives a little bit of incentive not to vote off the strongest link.

I think you're mis-remembering. It's always been a delicate balance between being a strong player and being too strong and making yourself a target with it's down to three. The last three tonight didn't seem to understand that: they should have voted off the strongest player, not the weakest, in improve their own chances of winning the final round.

[Swenson]

Oh I so agree the strongest player in a round should be immune from the vote.  That would make the game better.   But we'll never see a chain go longer than two or three questions because some of these idiots think if they bank everytime it's their turn....that it's helping the cause when in fact.....they're just afraid of getting a question wrong and breaking the chain because they will be targeted.   On Jane Lynch..... when she says "the WEAKEST link" it sounds absolutely pre rehearsed.  Like she's trying to be Anne Robinson.  I would like Jane to just act like Jane.

[saber5055]

39 minutes ago, Swenson said:

Oh I so agree the strongest player in a round should be immune from the vote. 

I had agreed with this earlier, but thinking about it, if the strongest player is safe every round, and is the strongest every round, that player would just auto go to the play off at the end.

I do think there s/be a pass instead of a player taking FOREVERRRRRRR to come up with a wrong answer. A pass could still send the bank back to zero, but there would be more time for that round to progress.

I'm also not sure players realize they need to build a chain of correct answers to make any serious money, although with these people I guess two correct answers is a chain they are lucky to bank.

[853fisher]

Three episodes in, I feel like I'm at a crossroads.  I can roll my eyes and complain every week about the contestants and their results, or make up my mind to let the questions be a challenge to myself and just hope that one day they can get even 5 or 6 questions up.  I don't believe in "hate-watching," and I like a bit of easy breezy trivia, while I can check texts while they talk in between questions.  So going forward I think that'll be my approach.

One thing I don't think I've seen mentioned, and which I only realized today, is that the announcer is Debra Wilson, late of MADtv.  I think she's fantastic and have never disliked her in anything, as an actor or "as herself."  Actually, while I think Jane is doing fine, if a substitute host were ever required, I'd love to see her spin on things.

That noted poet Lee Harvey Oswald appears to have been the group favorite, but I found the exchange about mishearing "betrayal" and remembering some scandal about Judy Garland highly amusing, if inscrutable.

Finally, I was surprised to see a second episode in one week.  Overexposure helped doom network "Millionaire," and "Weakest Link" too if I'm remembering correctly?  Perhaps they just had a one-time hole to fill.

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

think you're mis-remembering. It's always been a delicate balance between being a strong player and being too strong and making yourself a target with it's down to three. The last three tonight didn't seem to understand that: they should have voted off the strongest player, not the weakest, in improve their own chances of winning the final round.

This is the British version, but around the 39 minute mark you can see the final two players playing a round jsut to bank money.  I had to look it up to make sure I wasn't daft.

 

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

I do think there s/be a pass instead of a player taking FOREVERRRRRRR to come up with a wrong answer. A pass could still send the bank back to zero, but there would be more time for that round to progress.

You can absolutely pass.  Nothing stops a player from saying pass or I don't know.

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

You can absolutely pass.  Nothing stops a player from saying pass or I don't know.

No one has bothered to tell the players that on this new version.

[853fisher]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

This is the British version, but around the 39 minute mark you can see the final two players playing a round jsut to bank money.  I had to look it up to make sure I wasn't daft.

The American version did this too.  I think UK usually trebled (tripled) and US doubled?  But it's been a while.  And US had the network and later syndicated versions to keep track of.  Oy!

[JeezumCrow]

It’s been days now but I can still send myself into a fit of giggles with two little words: Colonel McMustard. 

[Lois Sandborne]

On 9/30/2020 at 9:53 AM, vibeology said:

The format is fine but if that is going to be the quality of contestants and gameplay, I will struggle to keep watching. I want to see people build an actual chain at some point not fuck up where polar bears live.

Agreed. It's boring to watch them panic and bank $1000 over and over.

On 9/30/2020 at 12:08 PM, 853fisher said:

I'm not entirely convinced that the contestants themselves were the problem.  The last three or four standing were definitely no slouches, but they didn't get far up those later chains either.  I thought Jane might've been taking a bit long to read wordy questions, actually.

No, the contestants are definitely a problem, but Jane's delivery doesn't help. The mannerisms that she's using to get this snarky character they want are all wrong, way too slow and stilted. She's trying really hard to have an "attitude" but it's not working.

I've just watched these all over the weekend (thanks, hulu) so Colonel McMustard is still fresh in my mind. It's trivia at the end of the day, isn't it, so I try not to judge people on these shows too, too harshly when they say dumb things, but I kept wondering where (and why) they'd found these people. Whoever said they'd done "IMDb page" casting was spot on.

I kept wondering who was doing the voiceovers, too so thank you @853fisher for saving me looking it up.

[Eolivet]

I wasn't a fan of the original (Doctor Who episode excepted), but I kind of feel like Jane Lynch as a toned down version of Sue Sylvester is sort of perfect for this (the whole "black market root canal" was straight out of Glee). They finally found an appropriate American host. And my kids love this, because of the insults. Win/win.

[ams1001]

Queen Shereen (from Queens), the "Intuitive Healer." Okay, then.

"Shawdi" just made me think  of

(which is literally the only part of the song that I know)

God, they waste so much time, it's so frustrating. Trying to take @853fisher's approach and just focus on the trivia challenge, but some of these people just make me want to smack 'em.

 

[opus]

How do you know the name of the college president, that the college starts with a “p”, but not the name of the college itself?

[853fisher]

16 hours ago, opus said:

How do you know the name of the college president, that the college starts with a “p”, but not the name of the college itself?

I was guessing it was a sports thing?  Like perhaps he followed their team and something the president did or said affected them.  The president of a friend's college was known locally for wearing wild costumes in the stands.  I could imagine hearing about that but being unable to remember the name of the school.  Beats me!

 

16 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Trying to take @853fisher's approach and just focus on the trivia challenge, but some of these people just make me want to smack 'em.

*bows daintily*  *shakes fist*

 

I don't know what's come over me, but I kind of liked her from Queens.  "Queen Shereen the intuitive healer" definitely got my eyes rolling to begin with, but I found her entertaining.  If they're all going to be meh players, they might as well have fun.  The reparations line killed me.  Unsurprisingly, she is really a working actor.  She plays best as a passionate lover, warrior woman, go-getter, or healer!  She's gorgeous, no question about it.

[ams1001]

45 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

I don't know what's come over me, but I kind of liked her from Queens.  "Queen Shereen the intuitive healer" definitely got my eyes rolling to begin with, but I found her entertaining.  If they're all going to be meh players, they might as well have fun.  The reparations line killed me.  Unsurprisingly, she is really a working actor.  She plays best as a passionate lover, warrior woman, go-getter, or healer!  She's gorgeous, no question about it.

She was kind of alternately entertaining and annoying.

She said her college major was chemistry. I wonder how one goes from studying a hard science to becoming an 'intuitive healer' (whatever that even is...can you tell I'm a skeptical type?).

[853fisher]

31 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

She said her college major was chemistry. I wonder how one goes from studying a hard science to becoming an 'intuitive healer' (whatever that even is...can you tell I'm a skeptical type?).

You wash your mouth out with essential oils before someone comes and drops a crystal on you!

Per her website: "Though she had natural talent, she was encouraged by family to focus on math and science. She went on to study chemical engineering and chemistry at North Carolina A&T State University. During her matriculation there, she couldn’t quiet that voice that kept calling her to the stage!"  Can you tell that I'm trying to avoid working this morning, to have done such a deep dive into the life of a game show contestant? 😉

[opus]

Reminder, moving to Mondays 10 ET starting Oct. 19

[ams1001]

Yay, I liked Mark; he was funny.

[Katy M]

I was rooting for Rachel, but then Mark.  So, second choice.  I liked that the final round was a bit of a nail biter.  They may not have done that great getting there, but they really brought it when it mattered.

[EATherrian]

This last one Mary had much harder questions than her opponent.

[iMonrey]

This latest one wasn't too bad, they didn't really have any dummies competing. Only one or two eyerolls from me, and I have to admit I froze up on Lando Kalrizian too. Sometimes names just don't come to me. There was something else I knew that I knew but couldn't come up with it. So it happens, even when you're sitting at home playing along.

I still wish they would just PASS if they can't come up with an answer right away. It's such a time suck and I don't get why it keeps happening. They must not be allowed to pass. That wasn't the case in the original show but it's the only explanation for why it keeps happening on this one.

[853fisher]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I still wish they would just PASS if they can't come up with an answer right away. It's such a time suck and I don't get why it keeps happening. They must not be allowed to pass. That wasn't the case in the original show but it's the only explanation for why it keeps happening on this one.

I think I remember one or two passes over these episodes.  I could be wrong, though.  Surely even if they were prohibited from saying "pass" they couldn't be prevented from deciding on an answer to spit out if nothing is coming.  I play in an online trivia league and always want to say something.  If the question asks for a person's name and I have no idea, for instance, I say "Johnson."  I've been right once or twice over several years and a few thousand questions, so who knows when it could pay off for these folks?

Bit of SF local trivia: Lombard is sexier (paved with brick and adorned with plantings) and nearer the main tourist areas, but Vermont between 22nd and where 21st would be if it were continuous has been judged "more sinuous."  It has only seven rather than eight sharp turns but is steeper.  Let the true crookedest street remain our little secret, because I don't think the people in Potrero want the traffic backups the tourists cause.  I can give restaurant tips for after. 😉

Edited October 20, 2020 by 853fisher
21st, not 21sts

[lynxfx]

I don't recall anyone saying "pass" so far. If they really aren't allowed to then they should just spit out a wrong answer quickly. I have seen that happen and we usually get a ridiculous guess that is made fun of later. 

I agree with above that Mary got screwed with her final question. While both look like hard trivia questions, Mark's was the easiest to guess with zero knowledge of the question.

[Racj82]

On 10/20/2020 at 5:07 PM, iMonrey said:

This latest one wasn't too bad, they didn't really have any dummies competing. Only one or two eyerolls from me, and I have to admit I froze up on Lando Kalrizian too. Sometimes names just don't come to me. There was something else I knew that I knew but couldn't come up with it. So it happens, even when you're sitting at home playing along.

I still wish they would just PASS if they can't come up with an answer right away. It's such a time suck and I don't get why it keeps happening. They must not be allowed to pass. That wasn't the case in the original show but it's the only explanation for why it keeps happening on this one.

I legit forgot Landon too. And I love Billy Dee as Landon. All of those stupid star wars names blend together in a pressure cooker situation like this.

[saber5055]

On 10/20/2020 at 6:26 PM, lynxfx said:

I don't recall anyone saying "pass" so far.

My guess is they are not allowed to PASS so they will say something stupid that Jane can make fun of. Their wrong answers give her plenty of easy snark that she wouldn't have if players passed.

This version seems to be more about cracking bad jokes than actually making a chain to earn money.

Edited October 22, 2020 by saber5055

[lynxfx]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

My guess is they are not allowed to PASS so they will say something stupid that Jane can make fun of.

That's my feeling too. Not that big of a deal other than people just wasting time by not even guessing nonsense. 

Speaking of wasting time, Jane is incredibly slow. Reading the questions is slow and her transition to the next contestant is frustratingly slow. There was one point when they got the last question right and she took a couple seconds to say correct, turn to the next player and call his name. Then time ran out and he couldn't bank. This pacing just makes the final question with 10-15 seconds left pointless. I also don't see much sense of urgency from anyone. 

I know this show is set in its rules and gameplay but I think the banking requirement is its....what would you say...weakest link. They should be able to keep the money accumulated when time runs out. That doesn't change much as banking is meant to prevent a wrong answer from wiping you out. But they are being punished by a slow host even when they answer correctly. 

Just my opinion. I watch for the trivia. 

[Katy M]

7 hours ago, saber5055 said:

My guess is they are not allowed to PASS so they will say something stupid that Jane can make fun of. Their wrong answers give her plenty of easy snark that she wouldn't have if players passed.

I'm pretty sure I do remember someone just saying "I don't know," though.  That's the same as pass if not slightly more time consuming.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I think I remember one or two passes over these episodes.  I could be wrong, though. 

Quote

I'm pretty sure I do remember someone just saying "I don't know," though.  That's the same as pass if not slightly more time consuming.

Nope. I've been watching specifically for it. Nobody has said pass or any equivalent. They've all given obviously wrong answers if they couldn't come up with anything. I think the above speculation that they're required to give any answer so Jane can make fun of it is probably spot-on. 

[ams1001]

Hey, the Australian guy just passed! (And the answer was Jane Lynch... 😄)

ETA: the guy who got the NASA question also passed.

[Katy M]

They got rid of the actual weakest link quite a few times last night.  Who won?  I wet to bed before the one-on-one?

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

They got rid of the actual weakest link quite a few times last night.  Who won?  I wet to bed before the one-on-one?

It came down to the science teacher in the green shirt and the guy with the beard (can't remember their names, except hers starts with Ros-). He won.

[Katy M]

25 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

It came down to the science teacher in the green shirt and the guy with the beard (can't remember their names, except hers starts with Ros-). He won.

His name was Kyle. I was rooting for Rosina.  But, not enough to stay up a whole 5 more minutes:)  Before he got eliminated I was rooting for the Australian guy because I loved his accent.

[ams1001]

19 minutes ago, Katy M said:

His name was Kyle. I was rooting for Rosina.  But, not enough to stay up a whole 5 more minutes:)  Before he got eliminated I was rooting for the Australian guy because I loved his accent.

Rosina! I kept thinking Rosita but I knew that wasn't right.

I, too, am a sucker for an Australian accent.

[ajsnaves]

While I am enjoying the show (Im a sucker for trivia type shows) I hope next season they get people who actually understand the point of building the chain.  For a while they kept banking after each correct answer instead of trying to work their way up the chain.  

I do wonder though, how I would do under the pressure of the show.  I would say that I get about 90% of the questions right.  But, would I remember in a few seconds that Bobby was JFK’s Attorney General, or would I fall apart trying to think of it, while wasting everyones times.  Thats why I try to not to judge.  I am not always successful at the attempt. 

[Swenson]

I think Monday night at 10 is a lousy time slot.  I say either air it at 8 and push the Voice back to 9....or move it to Tuesday at 8.....and air the Tuesday episode of the Voice at 9.

[lynxfx]

I think Jane is starting to find her groove as host. At first she was doing a slight imitation of the past host. Now she is still stern but a lot more of her own personality creeps through. Especially with these weak players she has to deal with. 

She still reads the questions slowly and confirms the answer slowly. I noticed a few times that when time ran out but the person answered she said she would accept the answer. I was wondering why as that money never goes into the bank. So it is just for calculating strongest and weakest link which is only important in a tie. 

[Totale]

Am I not remembering right, or wasn't setting up a pre-game alliance among three players a bigger part of this game the first time around?  If your squad made it through the first round (likely, since your three votes would go for your first chosen victim and you'd be unlikely to have four of the other five peel off one of yours) you pretty much had the top three locked up after it and didn't have to fight until you were down to three, regardless of who answered how many questions right.  I remember lots of chatter over alliances and lots of skilled players knocked out by them, with Anne accusing the players of chicanery as one after another strongest link got cut.  Maybe they let them all hang in the Green room before, and now they are isolating them until gametime.

[Katy M]

20 minutes ago, Totale said:

Am I not remembering right, or wasn't setting up a pre-game alliance among three players a bigger part of this game the first time around? 

I think sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn't.  I don't know how long they gave them before the game, but if you have a half an hour or less to get a trustworthy alliance going amongst 8 strangers, it probably doesn't happen all the time.

[Katy M]

I am shocked that Spenser didn't vote for Kaya.  She hadn't missed a question the entire game.  Did he really think that was going to work out for him?  Although, he did do incredibly well in the final round but ended up losing on what I thought was a pretty simple question.