The Weakest Link (2020) - General Discussion

[lynxfx]

They should bank after every correct question in the first round. You need to get 6 questions right in a row before you earn more than just banking every turn. 

That 80k was one of the higher amounts though. 

[ams1001]

Today I learned that A Christmas Carol was a play by Lorraine Hansberry. 

[ByaNose]

I’m always amazed how many questions I get right. Either they are easy or I’m smart. I’m going with the questions being easy. Another good episode. I really like this show with the casting of the contestants. They seem almost normal which I appreciate. The one liners from Jane (the writers) are funny and I always seem to learn something I didn’t know, recall or had no clue of. Tonight’s POT seemed rather low. I think the last new episode I saw it was in the $80,000’s whereas tonight was “only” $43,000. Cecil who came in second seemed to be doing most of the banking. These contestants never got consistent enough with the correct answers and the banking. I need to start keep track of the winning POT . I’m curious what the winning average is. 

[saber5055]

13 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Today I learned that A Christmas Carol was a play by Lorraine Hansberry. 

At least you got something from this episode.

[iMonrey]

OMG they're back to having dummies. That first lady couldn't even subtract 15 from 50. Yee Gads. And how do you not know that Jane Lynch played Sue Sylvester on Glee when she's standing right in front of you? Assuming you have applied to be on this show and have been chosen, wouldn't you do a little Googling if you had no idea who she was? That's arguably her best known role. 

[ByaNose]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

OMG they're back to having dummies. That first lady couldn't even subtract 15 from 50. Yee Gads. And how do you not know that Jane Lynch played Sue Sylvester on Glee when she's standing right in front of you? Assuming you have applied to be on this show and have been chosen, wouldn't you do a little Googling if you had no idea who she was? That's arguably her best known role. 

Too funny! I was going on and on how great the contestants were and I totally forgot this. Of course, the one who couldn’t figure out 15 from 50 was done in cents. Perhaps that threw her off?! Nah! That was just all sorts of dumb. LOL!!!!! I still like the show though. I remember liking the version with Anne Robinson. She scared the bejesus out of me. LOL!!! I think there was a male host in there but don’t recall that nor did I watch the show. Jane Lynch does a good job and the questions aren’t that hard and that’s why I’m shocked the pot is always so low. It seems that each contestants really only gets 2.5 questions. It shouldn’t be that hard to get them right. IMO!!!

[candall]

I like this show and the teensy amount of strategy required.  I adore Jane Lynch.  But the goofy filler questions are starting to set my teeth on edge.  "WHOSE McMuffin is missing the cheese?!?"  "WHO thinks Girl Scout Cookies are made of girl scouts?!?"

I try to FF through, but it's a hard target to time perfectly.

 

####

I laughed when one contestant complained that Somebody-somebody had easy xyz questions, but he had been asked to come up with what key Leonard Bernstein liked his fluegelhorn played in.

Words to that effect.  It was clever.

[opus]

2 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I think there was a male host in there but don’t recall that nor did I watch the show.

George Gray did a syndicated half hour version. (He’s currently the announcer on The Price Is Right).

[DB in CMH]

Some of those questions were ridiculously hard. 

[iMonrey]

And some of them are ridiculously easy . . . and they still get them wrong.

Didn't someone here post that the contestants have to live within driving distance of the studio where this is filmed to try out? Because they're all introducing themselves as if they're from all over the country. Makes me think they're told to say they're from wherever they lived before the moved to SoCal to make it look like the show is recruiting contestants from all over the country rather than from the pool of reality show wanna-bes these people are actually from. 

[Katy M]

16 hours ago, iMonrey said:

And some of them are ridiculously easy . . . and they still get them wrong.

Didn't someone here post that the contestants have to live within driving distance of the studio where this is filmed to try out? Because they're all introducing themselves as if they're from all over the country. Makes me think they're told to say they're from wherever they lived before the moved to SoCal to make it look like the show is recruiting contestants from all over the country rather than from the pool of reality show wanna-bes these people are actually from. 

Yep. That was me. And, I think it's all game shows.  Not just this one.  If your goal was to be on a game show and you live in Southern CA, you have reason to thank this pandemic for something, because your odds of getting on one got a lot higher.

[opus]

Renewed for season 2

https://deadline.com/2021/01/the-weakest-link-renewed-season-2-nbc-1234679872/

[candall]

On 1/20/2021 at 5:31 PM, iMonrey said:

...

Didn't someone here post that the contestants have to live within driving distance of the studio where this is filmed to try out? Because they're all introducing themselves as if they're from all over the country. Makes me think they're told to say they're from wherever they lived before the moved to SoCal to make it look like the show is recruiting contestants from all over the country rather than from the pool of reality show wanna-bes these people are actually from. 

A-ha!  I had noticed the unusual sentence structure for the introductions.  "I was born in . . . "  "I grew up in . . . "

I didn't know why no one wanted to say where they currently live.   Got it!  Thanks.

[saber5055]

Andrew: "Me and my girlfriend ..."

Jane Lynch, interrupting Andrew: "My girlfriend and I."

THANK YOU JANE LYNCH!

[ByaNose]

Very tense ending with Glen getting the first 2 wrong at the Final 2. He ended up winning with a pretty cool amount of $80,500. I’m really enjoying this current version. They have great casting. 

[CrystalBlue]

19 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

Very tense ending with Glen getting the first 2 wrong at the Final 2. He ended up winning with a pretty cool amount of $80,500. I’m really enjoying this current version. They have great casting. 

I have happy that Glen won.  He seemed like a nice, easy-going guy who was always smiling.  Good for him!

[iMonrey]

Their casting is hit-or-miss IMO. And it's strange we should be using the word "casting" for a game show because they aren't supposed to be hiring actors to play parts - and yet that seems to be sort of what's going on. They usually get a few really good (or at least fairly good) players but always have some real dummies too. Again, it speaks to their prioritization of "diversity" over substance. Hard to imagine Jeopardy throwing in a few morons just because they think three eggheads would be boring. 

[ByaNose]

1 minute ago, iMonrey said:

Their casting is hit-or-miss IMO. And it's strange we should be using the word "casting" for a game show because they aren't supposed to be hiring actors to play parts - and yet that seems to be sort of what's going on. They usually get a few really good (or at least fairly good) players but always have some real dummies too. Again, it speaks to their prioritization of "diversity" over substance. Hard to imagine Jeopardy throwing in a few morons just because they think three eggheads would be boring. 

It’s funny I didn’t even realize I had used the word casting when I clearly did. I know The Price is Right had always done a fast interview(s) with awaiting contestants which is casting in a way. After that, they are on their own. On Jeopardy you have to pass a test and Wheel of Fortune you had to go through a process playing the game to make it through. Bringing it back to The Weakest Link it surely does some form of casting. Most of them come from everyday life and occupations but I’m sure certain people such as the guy Colin FX was cast just for the name alone. I’m just glad the contestants aren’t bouncing off the walls and so OTT like a lot of the “new” nighttime game shows are presenting. Why can’t they be normal like in the 70’s? LOL!!!!!

[lynxfx]

This team started to use the strategy I mentioned before. Bank after every right answer in round 1 and also in round 4. (The 100k rnd) They did that in round 4 and it paid off. Their bank was one of the highest this season. 

I would like to see a team run the chain at least once. I believe there was one moment this season where they did get 8 right in a row during the first or second round but banked a couple times. 

 

[opus]

Remember this show? Hang in there till March.

NBC Slots ‘Transplant’ & ‘Weakest Link’ On Sundays Post-Olympics

[ams1001]

I missed the first fifteen minutes but as far as I can tell the players aren't any better than last season... 

[ByaNose]

I was glad see this return and also that I had it on permanent recording. I was glad Adaam won. $71,000 is a nice piece of change. He seemed like a nice guy and nicely dressed. Quite dapper. The rilvary between the bartender and lawyer was funny. Of course, the one liners were hysterical, well written and delivered perfectly by Jane Lynch. I’m looking forward to more episodes. I do well on the questions but I know I couldn’t deliver them on the spot with the lights and attention on me. I’m better sitting in my barca lounger and giving the answers. LOL!!!!!

[iMonrey]

I'm still irritated by the players banking such low amounts but aside from that I enjoy the game. Grace made a fatal mistake voting out the bartender instead of Adaam - she never stood a chance against the latter, in spite of doing OK on the first three questions. I knew the answer was Gilda Radner but when she was saying to herself "Oh, I can see his face" I knew she lost. I guess they don't see the questions on their screens so she had no way of knowing Jane was saying "comedienne" and not "comedian." 

[LennieBriscoe]

I couldn't  take an entire episode. Insultingly easy questions coupled with Jane Lynch's inability to pull off seriousness without nastiness = Nope. 

[ByaNose]

3 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

I couldn't  take an entire episode. Insultingly easy questions coupled with Jane Lynch's inability to pull off seriousness without nastiness = Nope. 

I think Jane does okay but she ain’t know Anne Robinson. That lady used to scare me until I found out it was her shtick. She is now 77 years old. The questions are easy but they never seem to bank enough either. 

[helpmerhonda]

Wasn't the choice in the Downton Abbey question between the castle and the White House? Good lord.

 

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, helpmerhonda said:

Wasn't the choice in the Downton Abbey question between the castle and the White House? Good lord.

Unless you know literally nothing about Downton Abbey it should have been obvious. (And I have never watched the show; all I know is the basic setting.)

[CrystalBlue]

9 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

I couldn't  take an entire episode. Insultingly easy questions coupled with Jane Lynch's inability to pull off seriousness without nastiness = Nope. 

I like Jane Lynch's snark, not OTT and I don't think she's nasty.  I liked her outfit tonight and thought she looked good.  At first I liked Nadeen and then when she threw shade at Lexi about not knowing the Mexican drink, I thought she was semi-bitchy but when Lexi left the stage her parting remark was really bitchy.  "I can't believe I lost to a bartender."  Lexi full of herself because she passed the Bar and doesn't work in a bar?

I'm glad Adaam won.  I would have voted Grace off long before only because she took so long to answer the numbers question.

[UsernameFatigue]

I love Jane Lynch, and while of course some of her lines are written before hand, she is great at off the cuff banter. I loved her remark when the lawyer exited that she had said goodbye twice. I was glad to see Lexi get the boot, as she was much too full of herself given her performance. I said to hubby after her remark that she didn't watch Downton Abby because she was studying for the bar, "How many times did she have to take the bar?", given that DA was on for several seasons. 

I'm so glad that Adaam won. I know it is part of the game when the strongest player is often voted out when it is down to the final three, but I am glad that didn't happen in this case, A well deserved win. 

[853fisher]

I met one of my close friends when I was in college and he was a law student.  We looked forward to watching "Downton" together every week.  Would you believe he still found time to pass the bar? ;)  Lexi sure made herself easy to root against!  The contestants seemed less clueless than I recall from last season, despite a few real awful answers.

Jane's light snark is good for me.  In hindsight, some of Anne's comments seem more cruel than funny.  They were considered edgy 15 years ago but many would find them in bad taste today.  Anne hosts "Countdown" in the UK now and has a dry edge that's new for that show.  "Weakest Link" is back with a new host more in Jane's vein there too.

[Taeolas]

"Could you repeat the question?" The second time she wasted time that way would've been the time she was on my weakest link boot list. I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did. 

They were banking too much early on, and left a lot of money on the table. Maybe sometime we'll find a team that is bold enough to risk it all. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I love Jane Lynch, and while of course some of her lines are written before hand, she is great at off the cuff banter.

Yeah, she really doesn't need the scripted insults after every round ends. "Who's so stupid they think blah blah blah?" It's too formula. Stick with the off the cuff remarks, Jane.

Quote

They were banking too much early on, and left a lot of money on the table. Maybe sometime we'll find a team that is bold enough to risk it all. 

This irritates me too but I think part of the problem is they seem to get credit for banking money so they aren't considered a weak link. I actually think it could be used to argue they are a weak link because they got scared and broke the chain too early.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

his irritates me too but I think part of the problem is they seem to get credit for banking money so they aren't considered a weak link. I actually think it could be used to argue they are a weak link because they got scared and broke the chain too early.

I almost wonder if they should do it the other way around.  They bank before their question. Maybe they should bank after.  Instead of worrying they won't get a question right, they'll have to worry about their neighbor.  Then, at least, they're also banking their own money (partly) and not their neighbor on the other side.

[lynxfx]

I pointed out before that in the first round you might as well bank after every correct answer. You would need to get 6 right in a row before the value was more than $1k per question. 

It used to be the same in round 3 but I noticed they tossed in $1k for the first question before doing a string of $2.5k values.

On the flip side the first round questions are easier. You have 2 maybe 3 chances to get the 8 run. I wonder if the contestants are separated so they can't strategise ahead of time. 

[Totale]

On 3/16/2022 at 2:38 PM, lynxfx said:

I wonder if the contestants are separated so they can't strategise ahead of time. 

I wondered that too when the show returned.  In Anne's day they all visibly hung out before the taping and you could tell there were alliances like "we three together will vote off the player farthest to the left, regardless of performance, and end up as the final three."  It was another layer of evil that couldn't be overcome.

[Cloud9Shopper]

Watched last night. I loved Jane Lynch on Glee (albeit I no longer watch that show) so was happy to see it back when I was looking for something to watch.

I honestly can’t believe some of the softball questions these people miss. One of the contestants doesn’t even know who Vanna White is? They also seem to panic and bank wayyy too quickly. (Probably because most of them are dumber than a box of rocks and the chain falls apart after two or three questions when they miss a softball.) 

I vaguely remember watching this when Anne Robinson was the host too. Even my grandmother (god rest her soul) would get a kick out of some of the jokes at the time. I’m always here for the snark. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I honestly can’t believe some of the softball questions these people miss. One of the contestants doesn’t even know who Vanna White is?

Brandon wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, for sure, but to be fair kids his age don't watch Wheel of Fortune. That's an "old people's" show. I mean, I may have watched it when I was younger but we didn't have a lot of choices back then. 

A lot of the questions really are generational. If they were to ask anything about current pop music or rap, I'd have no idea.

That said, this group really was a bunch of dummies. When I watch Jeopardy I feel like a moron. When I watch this show, I feel like a genius.

[Cloud9Shopper]

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

That said, this group really was a bunch of dummies. When I watch Jeopardy I feel like a moron. When I watch this show, I feel like a genius.

Haha my sister is (was) a Jeopardy champion. Not like Tournament or Champions and won 10+ games or more famous but she won for two days before losing on the third day. She was trying to encourage my family to take the Jeopardy test and I was just kind of like …I don’t know that much useless information. 

But like you I also feel like the smartest person ever when I watch Weakest Link. I’m pretty camera shy so I have no desire to be on TV but since I love Jane Lynch so much I’d almost be tempted to audition just so she could roast me. 🤣🤣

[853fisher]

I thought Jane looked really nice in her sparkling outfit with the pearls.  My award for stupidest answer of the episode goes to "Doug Emhoff is the first person with the title Second..." "in command!"  I know not everyone had the benefit of a comprehensive civics education, but curiosity about what's going on in the world, or basic sentience, is free.

11 hours ago, iMonrey said:

To be fair kids his age don't watch Wheel of Fortune. That's an "old people's" show. I mean, I may have watched it when I was younger but we didn't have a lot of choices back then. 

It's certainly not a show 20-something ravers follow, but it seems pretty ubiquitous anyway.  I've seen Wheel parodied many times and often see general media headlines about one or both hosts.  And he was never home sick from school watching daytime TV?  Maybe I'm being extra hard on him because he just seemed like such a doofus!

On 3/18/2022 at 8:29 AM, Totale said:

In Anne's day they all visibly hung out before the taping and you could tell there were alliances like "we three together will vote off the player farthest to the left, regardless of performance, and end up as the final three."

That brings me back!  I used to giggle at the "casual" tableau they would arrange the players in for an opening pan across their supposed 9-way conversation, but the alliances were no joke.  I think they were trying to emulate shows like "Survivor" a bit.  It sure would be interesting to know whether they still interact beforehand.

Edited March 22, 2022 by 853fisher

[iMonrey]

Quote

It's certainly not a show 20-something ravers follow, but it seems pretty ubiquitous anyway.  I've seen Wheel parodied many times and often see general media headlines about one or both hosts.  And he was never home sick from school watching daytime TV?

Again, that's simply not something he would have done if he was stuck home from school. His generation would have been playing video games or been on their phone or streaming something on their laptops. Not watching Daytime TV. I'm often shocked at people that age not knowing something that seems so commonplace to me. Makes me feel so old. 

Edited March 22, 2022 by iMonrey

[TheGreenKnight]

Is it just me or are people on the new version of this much more dumb than they were on the old one? Maybe less reflective of the show than the times, I guess. This past week was honestly the most pathetic lot I've ever seen. Especially the one guy who couldn't do basic math (17 minus 9 equals 8--he said 6) and the woman who was asked what carbs stood for (her answer was Paleo???). And anyone who asks for the question to be repeated would be the person I'd vote for to go because of how much time they waste.

Edited March 25, 2022 by TheGreenKnight

[ams1001]

Damn, tonight's second round was painful.

Tre went on a game show to support his kids? Solid plan, there. Wow, anonymous vote (well, except for his own)!

Today I learned Frankenstein is a cosmetics company and Italy is a city in France.

[knitorpurl]

That whole game was painful. I was hopeful in the first round when they'd banked $9000. and seemed competent. But it went downhill quickly. 

The final round was embarrassing, with the former wrestler and the nervous guy in the suit trying to out-fail each other.

[iMonrey]

Really. I wish they did a better job screening for contestants. It's almost as if they are weeding out the smart ones. " . . . makes a man healthy, wealthy and what?" OMG. Who doesn't know that? And "Heads or tails, which one is formal wear." "Heads?"  {headsmack}

I don't know what kind of name Nazli is but that's dangerously close to another word you'd never name a kid.

I'll give the final 2 credit, they made the right play in voting out the stronger contestant. That's what you're supposed to do in the final round. You want to go up against the person you're most likely to beat.

[MrAtoz]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I don't know what kind of name Nazli is but that's dangerously close to another word you'd never name a kid.

According to wikipedia, it's a name of Turkish origin, and apparently means "beautiful," more or less.  There are a number of women named Nazli with wikipedia articles, including several born post-World War II.

[853fisher]

I couldn't really root for anyone by the end of this last episode.  Nazli was too intense and ultimately a sore loser, the wrestler seemed like a nice enough guy but a dunce, and Sean seemed like such a schlemiel that I didn't even feel bad for him.  "Takes one to know one" was such a pathetic comeback to Nazli calling them cowards for voting her out.

On 3/22/2022 at 3:42 PM, iMonrey said:

Again, that's simply not something he would have done if he was stuck home from school. His generation would have been playing video games or been on their phone or streaming something on their laptops. Not watching Daytime TV. I'm often shocked at people that age not knowing something that seems so commonplace to me. Makes me feel so old. 

If it was your intention to also make me feel a lot older than I did 10 minutes ago as I reconsidered this, you've succeeded beyond your wildest dreams.  You monster! ;)  I'm not much older than him but my childhood was really on the cusp of the mobile tech revolution.  We were slow adopters in our house, so I'm probably not a good judge of what was available when.  I do remember one day in middle school when I got sick and had to lie down in the infirmary.  A friend lent me their iPod Video and I watched "Desperate Housewives" on the tiny screen.  I thought that had to be the very height of technology in our world.

[Enigma X]

I think I may find this show more entertaining if there was a way for them to strategize (and, in some cases, betray).

[iMonrey]

Quote

I think I may find this show more entertaining if there was a way for them to strategize (and, in some cases, betray).

It's possible they have the opportunity to do that before the show starts. We don't really know. Sometimes I think a couple of them might secretly make final 2 deals beforehand.

The tricky thing about this game is that you want to be good enough not to get voted out but not so good that nobody will take you to the final 2. That's a pretty tough course to navigate.

[ams1001]

I know what a fluke is, thank you very much.

 

I'm rooting for Ian just because he's delightfully weird. Doctor Who at a Renaissance Faire. 😄 Also, I'm pretty sure he got a genuine laugh out of Jane when he said the weirdest thing he'd taken off a plane. I'm mad they voted him off. If he hadn't gotten his questions right, Drew would have had nothing to bank.

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by ams1001

[TheGreenKnight]

I personally didn't like Ian because he seemed very annoyed when Jane said that Jaya (I believe that was her name--the woman who streamed video game playthroughs) was the strongest link at the beginning of one round.

Surprisingly, I ended up liking both of the final two. This lot were much better than the last few shows, but I didn't understand why they wouldn't bank. Almost the whole game, they would go up and up, and not bank until 6-7 answers in. That was really risky although it did work out a couple of times.