S03.E10: Cedric Gives Niecy A Hand

[yeswedo]

 

Contestants play party games with celebrities Pete Wentz, Niecy Nash, Ming Na Wen, Kevin Nealon, Cedric the Entertainer and Mel B.

 

Season finale

[Taeolas]

I felt like the female had the stronger celebrity team, but the male civilian was more into the game. 

 

Ming seemed to be having fun, but she admitted she didn't have the pop culture knowledge the game needs. Cedric and Niecy were almost forgettable for me. (And Ming stands out because I'm a SHIELD fan :) )

 

Pete on the other hand ( I think it was Pete) was obviously surprised by his own knowledge when he popped out the answers. He single handedly won the category buzzer game I think. Kevin and MelB were there for the fun. 

 

Still not liking the balloon game. Loving the 2-man Charades game. (And glade they have platforms ready for when the hands are different heights from the body. :) )

[Irlandesa]

DId this air early in Canada?

[Taeolas]

Come to think of it, I do believe that ATV (Sorry CTV Atlantic) does air it early (~7PM Eastern), since it airs over the late news block otherwise. (10PM Eastern?). Atlantic is an hour earlier than Eastern, so it aired at 8PM when it would air at 11PM local otherwise.

 

Usually I PVR it and don't watch until later, but my PVR is so empty, I had little else to watch. (Still didn't watch it live :) )

[April Bloodgate]

Come to think of it, I do believe that ATV (Sorry CTV Atlantic) does air it early (~7PM Eastern), since it airs over the late news block otherwise. (10PM Eastern?). Atlantic is an hour earlier than Eastern, so it aired at 8PM when it would air at 11PM local otherwise.

 

Usually I PVR it and don't watch until later, but my PVR is so empty, I had little else to watch. (Still didn't watch it live :) )

It appears to have aired a full day early for you. It's not going to air in the States until tonight (9/8).

[Taeolas]

Ahh I see. Well CTV's schedule is so full of US imports, that isn't too surprising either. :) *checks schedule* That explains it. CTV has the 2 hour Zoo finale filling its nite tonight, so they had to move HGN. 

[Aliconehead]

I can't believe they gave Mel B an Eddie Murphy question after everything that happened.

The celebrities almost mucked that one up. Passing on Bill Murray and screwing up the Daily Show. Luckily they pulled it out or I would have been pissed.

While Kevin screwed around he did play very well

Edited September 9, 2015 by Aliconehead

[Rinaldo]

I like Ming-Na Wen, but she really isn't good at games like these, is she?

 

On the other hand, Pete is excellent -- maybe not one of their all-time top celebrities, but he can come back any time as far as I'm concerned. He's unknown to me, and my (wrong) snap judgment on first sight was that he was more concerned with his image than with playing the game, so that was nicely unexpected.

 

I appreciated the prompt passing in the final round. That's an option that isn't used as much as it should be.

[Irlandesa]

I was just about to say that Pete Wenz could rival Paul Scheer and then he froze in the final round. 

 

Still, Niecy and Pete did well in that round in the end because they each froze at different times and got hot at different times.  The contestant kicked butt in that round, though.  She did really well as soon as they gave her clues that were accurate.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Irlandesa

[Racj82]

I felt like the female had the stronger celebrity team, but the male civilian was more into the game. 

 

Ming seemed to be having fun, but she admitted she didn't have the pop culture knowledge the game needs. Cedric and Niecy were almost forgettable for me. (And Ming stands out because I'm a SHIELD fan :) )

 

Pete on the other hand ( I think it was Pete) was obviously surprised by his own knowledge when he popped out the answers. He single handedly won the category buzzer game I think. Kevin and MelB were there for the fun. 

 

Still not liking the balloon game. Loving the 2-man Charades game. (And glade they have platforms ready for when the hands are different heights from the body. :) )

I'm just going to disagree on the Kevin point because he kicked ass in more than one game. The balloon game and two man charades for examples. He was the rare funny guy that was also really into the game.

 

I get too into whether or not they are going to win in the end. Every time they reach 10 answers I do a loud clap. I just get so excited towards the end.

 

Fucking up on the Jon Stewart part of the final round probably bugged me the most. THE DAILY SHOW. Even if you don;t watch the show, it gets featured on the Emmy's every year and it's his swan song year. And it's been on for a long damn time.

 

I kept second guessing myself during the celebrity fusion and the balloon game but actually getting the a lot of the answers right. So, I was proud of myself on that one.

 

I think this last round was biggest slam dunk of the season in terms of people with really recognizable roles/credits.

 

This episode also showed how the two person celebrity final is supposed to work in conception. If one celebrity freezes, the other can pick up the slack. Instead of having it be where if your celebrity is frozen, you get no chance. You have back up. It worked really well tonight.

 

I'm going to miss this crazy show. If they brought it back midseason, I would not be mad.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Racj82

[purplemouth]

Am I crazy or did the red balloon get magically bigger between wrongs?

Impressed by Kevin Nealon...not at all by Ming-Na.

[sinkwriter]

That balloon game is really frustrating. There's no rhyme or reason to it, and when you think the balloon isn't going to pop and you're already almost back to your seat, THEN they pop it? What the hell... no wonder Cedric and Ming-Na were complaining a little bit. It was pretty unfair to lose their points twice, especially when it seemed like the balloon wasn't going to pop and they were safe.

 

I also don't love the celebrity face mash-up -- I can usually get one person but it takes me too long to figure out who the other person must be. I find that game really annoying.

 

And then they had the letter game too, where it's just fumbling over the shapes of letters, so for me the first three games were pretty eye-rolling. And by the time they got to the more fun games (charades and the diving to smash the buzzer) the points were so far apart between the two teams, I felt like it was almost unnecessary to keep playing. Which makes for a slightly boring final episode of the season.

 

Still, kudos to the civilian guy Bob for getting caught up as close as he possibly could under the circumstances.

 

I thought Pete was going to do well in the bonus round, but when he froze up a few times Niecy just stood there so I found myself shouting at my screen, "Somebody, say something!" Thank goodness they both kicked it in gear right at the end. I started to get nervous that they wouldn't make it in time.

 

Kind of a bummer for the final episode, since the one team had such trouble with the games. I wish the season weren't over.

[paigow]

The producers should do a better job of balancing the celebrity skill levels...it's really turning into a lottery of which civilian gets a crappy team.

[ShadowDenizen]

Was Pete Wentz always that hot?

Or is it just me?

 

Maybe it's the pink hair, or his enthusiasm and general enjoyment (many of the "Celebs" on this show seem to be full of sour-grapes lately.)

But I was like "DAY-UMN"!

 

[Iboatedhere]

That balloon game is really frustrating. There's no rhyme or reason to it, and when you think the balloon isn't going to pop and you're already almost back to your seat, THEN they pop it? What the hell... no wonder Cedric and Ming-Na were complaining a little bit. It was pretty unfair to lose their points twice, especially when it seemed like the balloon wasn't going to pop and they were safe.

 

Is someone popping the balloon or does it just go on it's own? I always thought it was going on its own. I don't like the game though. I feel like that one game sets the tone for the whole show. If you lose those rounds you're already far behind and it's hard to dig yourself out of that deficit.

 

More Than A Mouthful Burger sounds disgusting. I am not going onto the Hooters website to see what's in it but I am curious. I laughed when Pete said he knew that a Double D Burger (or dog, I can't remember) was a real thing but he didn't want to admit to ordering it.  

[Rinaldo]

I don't like the game though. I feel like that one game sets the tone for the whole show. If you lose those rounds you're already far behind and it's hard to dig yourself out of that deficit.

That's my immediate reaction too -- but then I remember that a difference of something like 6 points is nothing in the scheme of things. The fifth game is always 5 points per correct answer, and it becomes easy to make up a deficit if you're any good. The problem in this case was that the team on our left was pretty weak all around -- except the civilian (he was, rightly, the first one Pete eliminated in the smash the button game).

[Taeolas]

The Balloon game seems random; that's why it often pops after they think they've won. I get the feeling that both rounds ran long, so instead of showing the full rounds, they skipped some answers (probably on the losing side since their points don't matter) and possibly a few pumps on the red balloon stage. I wasn't paying that close attention to it, but I did notice the red balloon seemed to get bigger between questions, and (I may be wrong here) the question order seemed to jump around a bit too. 

[elzin]

I didn't mind the balloon game before, but it annoys me now. I liked the exploding confetti one. The tick tick tick slowly speeding up gave you a clue and it wasn't all-or-nothing for points.  Like if you lose the balloon game, you're pretty much out of the running for the rest of the night, and the clues for the balloon game are some of the hardest in the show.  So hard questions, randomness, and all-or-nothing make it a bad game.  A few tweaks and it could be good.

[Primetimer]

Mission accomplished. Pipe down, Ming-Na. FOREVER.

Read the story

[swimmyfish]

The Balloon game seems random; that's why it often pops after they think they've won. I get the feeling that both rounds ran long, so instead of showing the full rounds, they skipped some answers (probably on the losing side since their points don't matter) and possibly a few pumps on the red balloon stage. I wasn't paying that close attention to it, but I did notice the red balloon seemed to get bigger between questions, and (I may be wrong here) the question order seemed to jump around a bit too. 

I'm glad you mentioned this - I thought it seemed like they kept skipping over Cedric the Entertainer & Mel B. in Scary Poppins, but I chalked it up to my not really paying attention. Now, at least, I know I'm not the only one who thought that was weird. And I think you're absolutely right that the rounds of that ran long - I've enjoyed that game when it showed up earlier this season, but this episode showed that, to move along, it very much depends on the contestants/celebrities doing badly. I don't particularly care for that aspect of it.

 

Both Pete Wentz and Kevin Nealon did a good job of balancing genuine competitiveness with having fun - I'd say they were two of my favorites from the whole season. Ming-Na was a terrible player, but she seemed like she was having a good time and was supportive of both teams, which was nice. I probably would have picked Cedric the Entertainer over Niecy Nash to go into the finals, but he did seem a little laid-back through the whole game.

 

I mentioned this over in the Show & Yell thread, but dumbest moment of the night (imo) was passing on Bill Murray during Celebrity Name Game. I mean, maybe there's just too much to choose from and Pete & Niecy were paralyzed by options, but I don't know - that seemed like a very easy get. It made me very nervous that they were going to lose the bonus round.

[WentMissing]

The producers should do a better job of balancing the celebrity skill levels...it's really turning into a lottery of which civilian gets a crappy team.

 

The problem is they can't know a celebrity's skills unless they've been on the show before or they've seen them on another game show. So unless they play a practice game before coming on the show, which I doubt most would want to do, it’s just going to be the luck of the draw a lot of the time.

 

 

I get the feeling that both rounds ran long, so instead of showing the full rounds, they skipped some answers (probably on the losing side since their points don't matter) and possibly a few pumps on the red balloon stage.

 

This makes sense. I also thought that the balloon seemed to get magically get bigger so that would explain it.

I didn't realize the season was so short. I wish they'd do more.

[ae2]

Sorry, but the recap for this episode is so damn nitpicky and spiteful. Can't someone that actually enjoys the show write those?

 

I thought both Kevin Nealon and Pete Wentz struck a perfect balance of having fun and being competitive. Although I don't know if passing on Bill Murray is a forgivable offense.

 

Ming Na Wen was kind of entertaining to watch but would have driven me nuts if she was on my team. The rest of the players, including the non-celebs, kind  of faded into the background for me. Not a very memorable episode. But not terrible.

 

The letters game is one of my least favorites. It's probably a fun party game, but after watching it a few times it just gets old. And since it isn't one where we can play along at home it loses a lot of entertainment value.

Both Pete Wentz and Kevin Nealon did a good job of balancing genuine competitiveness with having fun - I'd say they were two of my favorites from the whole season. Ming-Na was a terrible player, but she seemed like she was having a good time and was supportive of both teams, which was nice. I probably would have picked Cedric the Entertainer over Niecy Nash to go into the finals, but he did seem a little laid-back through the whole game.

 

I mentioned this over in the Show & Yell thread, but dumbest moment of the night (imo) was passing on Bill Murray during Celebrity Name Game. I mean, maybe there's just too much to choose from and Pete & Niecy were paralyzed by options, but I don't know - that seemed like a very easy get. It made me very nervous that they were going to lose the bonus round.

 

Heh, you posted almost the exact sentiments I did just moments before! :)

[BananaRama]

Loved the final round.  I could see that going into the game Niecy was "Okay Pete. This is all you." but then when he froze - she stepped in and when her clues got correct answers - she gained confidence and continued to help.  They worked well as a team.  I liked all the celebrities this week.  I can forgive them for giving stupid answers.  What I can't forgive is when they don't try or blame their stupidity on their teammates, i.e., Michelle Trachenberg and Jenna Elfman. 

[BobH]

There was definitely something weird going on in the order of Scary Poppins, but I couldn't bring myself to care enough to figure out if it was in the editing or they were skipping around. It's definitely my least favourite game on the show, and that's even though I do like the actual questions. I just want them to find a better game to use them in. Sooner or later we're going to see someone pump up the balloon, followed by two or three right answers and then have it spontaneously pop, which doesn't seem fair at all. At least Clue Boom and Pop Quiz the explosion is connected with something and someone.

 

Smash the Buzzer was the only game I really liked on this episode, and that ended up being short because Pete dominated in it.

 

I did think it was a good sign that I liked all of the returning players better this time around. I guess Pete was okay his first time, but was on a team dominated by Yvette Nicole Brown. This time around he was definitely the MVP. Kevin and Niecy seemed much sharper, while Mel B clearly didn't do well on most of pop culture knowledge games, she did okay on the charades one.

 

Final round was definitely a lot more tight than it needed to be thanks to a few flubs, but I kind of like that the clue "Politically Incorrect" didn't even get a guess of Bill Maher's name, since Maher kind of annoys me whenever I hear about him these days.

[Kat]

This episode was SO painful to watch, start to finish. And seriously? If I ever meet Ming-Na I'm not sure that I'll be strong enough not to slap her in the face. What an embarrassment.

[Tara Ariano]

Sorry, but the recap for this episode is so damn nitpicky and spiteful. Can't someone that actually enjoys the show write those?

 

Sorry, but liking the show -- which I do -- doesn't mean I have to overlook the deficits of a blah episode. When there are praiseworthy elements, I absolutely highlight them.

[jmunney]

If I were Ming-Na, I would have been calling bullshit on that Inglorious Basterds clue in Scary Poppins. Bastard does not in any way mean "fatherless."

[Racj82]

If I were Ming-Na, I would have been calling bullshit on that Inglorious Basterds clue in Scary Poppins. Bastard does not in any way mean "fatherless."

That is what actually help me get that one so I wouldn't complain about it. I got the bastard part first thanks to fatherless and then got the first part. Also, it was Ming Na. It doesn't matter.

[peeayebee]

If I were Ming-Na, I would have been calling bullshit on that Inglorious Basterds clue in Scary Poppins. Bastard does not in any way mean "fatherless."

I know! I was thinking "Something Orphans.... "

 

I really hate that Scary Poppins game. It's just another version of the bowl-and-confetti one and the popcorn one, but this one is actually worse version because the celebs sit on the couch and then walk up and then sit down. Just boring.

 

I thought it was a mistake to follow this game with Four Letter Words because the teams were again sitting on the couch. 

 

I'm so bad at Celebrity Fusion. Janelle was very good at it.

 

The only thing I liked about Smash the Buzzer was how much Paul Wentz dominated it. And then in Lend Me A Hand, he was amazing. An excellent guesser. BTW, he reminds me of someone, but I can't figure out who.

 

I loved Kevin Nealon miming a parrot on the pirate's shoulder. Very smart move.

 

Cedric and Niecy started out slow in Lend Me A Hand, but then they picked it up and Bob was great at guessing. One issue, I think, is that because Cedric has a big belly, it was harder for him to get much of his arms out in front of Niecy. 

 

Oh, and "Words that begin with S" on Smash the Buzzer? What the hell?

 

Pete surprised me with how poorly he started out in the final round, but fortunately it all worked out. Niecy worked well with him. I think I would have picked Cedric to go with Pete. 

 

I think I'll check out Kevin Nealon's AOL show. That might be fun.

 

Ming-Na's shoes made me roll my eyes. 

[A Boston Gal]

While Niecy and Pete turned out to be adequate choices, I would've gone with Kevin and Cedric myself. I thought they were the star performers this time around.

Edited September 9, 2015 by A Boston Gal

[Kel Varnsen]

If I were Ming-Na, I would have been calling bullshit on that Inglorious Basterds clue in Scary Poppins. Bastard does not in any way mean "fatherless."

Well the title of the movie is Inglorious Basterds, with an "e" and that isn't even a real word.

[Kromm]

Niecy was REALLY bad at that blind letters game. She tried to pass the letters in the wrong direction pretty much EVERY time.

Kevin's gig is "on AOL"?  Where the hell is THAT these days (and why would anyone care?)

[paigow]

Kevin's gig is "on AOL"?  Where the hell is THAT these days (and why would anyone care?)

AOL bosses think Nealon is still anchoring Weekend Update....

[Black Knight]

That balloon game is really frustrating. There's no rhyme or reason to it, and when you think the balloon isn't going to pop and you're already almost back to your seat, THEN they pop it? What the hell... no wonder Cedric and Ming-Na were complaining a little bit. It was pretty unfair to lose their points twice, especially when it seemed like the balloon wasn't going to pop and they were safe.

Jane had a line in this episode that really clarified that aspect of the game: When the balloon pops, it's whatever team last had a wrong answer that loses their points. It doesn't matter whose turn it currently is, only who last had a wrong answer. That accounts for the situations where the balloon pops time-delayed.

 

As the first game, the answers were only worth one point. A six-point deficit is nothing on this show since the final round is for five points per answer.

 

Some of the earlier episodes this season were much more balanced - there was even that one episode where the teams were basically tied every round and were tied going into the last round. I don't think the imbalance of a couple of the last few episodes is the producers' fault; new celebrities are just a wild card, that's all.

 

The male civilian may have been the best player on his team, but it was still bad form for Pete Wentz to eliminate him first in Smash the Buzzer. I noticed his own team criticizing him for it. The celebrities usually do not boot the civilians off first. The male civilian wasn't that good.

[sinkwriter]

 

It doesn't matter whose turn it currently is, only who last had a wrong answer. That accounts for the situations where the balloon pops time-delayed.

 

That doesn't make any sense to me. We already see who had a wrong answer, because they had walk up to the balloon and push the pump down to inflate the balloon some more because of their wrong answer. So why the time delay? Why wouldn't the balloon pop when they pushed it? Why does it go off when they're already walking slowwwwwly and carefully and nervously back to their seat? Or in some cases, they've already sat down! It just seems really weird to me, and I don't like the game. I think it seems unfair and very strangely controlled.

[Rinaldo]

That is what actually help me get that one so I wouldn't complain about it. I got the bastard part first thanks to fatherless and then got the first part. 

Same here; "fatherless" immediately said "bastard" to me. True, it's a historical, now rather quaint connotation (I've read countless Victorian or Edwardian novels with variations on the "is it better for them to marry for appearance's sake even if it will go badly, or for the child to have no father?" conversation); but then so is the word "bastard" in its literal meaning now. So it went together and got the job done, for me.

[FormerMod-a1]

But a "bastard" *has* a father, right? It just means a child born out of wedlock.

[Rinaldo]

Yes, obviously, every creature born has a father and mother. But historically, being a bastard generally meant that the child had no father who would stand up and claim it; there was only a mother in the household. So "fatherless" was in fact a word used (I suppose it sounded a bit kinder and more generous than bluntly calling some kid a bastard).

[FormerMod-a1]

I didn't just mean the father being a bio dad and nothing else.  When I think of fatherless, I think of dead father or deadbeat, not just unmarried dad.   When I google "define bastard" all the definitions I see say a child born to unmarried parents, nothing about absentee fathers.

 

Regardless, it is an antiquated term.  And it worked for some, so I guess it worked for the game.

[peeayebee]

That doesn't make any sense to me. We already see who had a wrong answer, because they had walk up to the balloon and push the pump down to inflate the balloon some more because of their wrong answer. So why the time delay? Why wouldn't the balloon pop when they pushed it? Why does it go off when they're already walking slowwwwwly and carefully and nervously back to their seat? Or in some cases, they've already sat down! It just seems really weird to me, and I don't like the game. I think it seems unfair and very strangely controlled.

I hate this game, too, and think the delay is weird. I wonder if when the inflating mechanism stops, there's still a bit of air coming into the balloon. In any case, they should scrap this game.

[Taeolas]

It's just the randomness of the balloon rubbing the framework basically. Once the balloon is stretched enough, I'm sure the currents in the studio, or just the heat from the lights would probably be enough to tip it over. I think the randomness is something they are going for with that game. They WANT it to pop randomly after the game is going on, so everyone still thinks they have a chance, and the team with the last wrong answer should be hoping the other team gets it wrong. Once the other team has a wrong answer, even if they don't pump the balloon, if it pops after they answer wrong, they lose the points.

 

In practice, it clearly isn't working that way and I agree it's a game that should be ditched. (Maybe we should have a Games of HGN thread for this sort of talk?) 

[Actionmage]

They WANT it to pop randomly after the game is going on, so everyone still thinks they have a chance, and the team with the last wrong answer should be hoping the other team gets it wrong.

 

Then there needs to be a tweak where the teams face each other at podiums hooked up to the balloon sculpture and there is a button and a plunger. Button to answer the question and plunger for the team member who gets the answer wrong to pump. The balloon can still pop at an inopportune time, like changing  team members, but the ping-ponginess is taken away and replaced by teams fighting to 1) get the correct answer and 2) not have to pump. This way, there is still a chance the answering team could get a wrong answer and have to use the plunger.

 

Of course, I may have just made a stupider fix. I can count on y'all to explain where I went terribly wrong. *g*

[jhlipton]

I can't believe they gave Mel B an Eddie Murphy question after everything that happened.

 

Standards and Practices will insist that the questions be random.  And Mel and Eddie are apparently friends (without benefits) these days.  And it was just the name of his movie, not anything about him personally.  I don't think there was that much of a problem.

 

"Fatherless" led me to "orphan", not "bastard" as well.  "Fatherless" does not show up as a synonym for "bastard" on thesaurus.com -- "love child" would have been better.

 

I hate Scary Poppins too.  Each round takes too long and then one team gets all the points -- Clue Boom and Pop Quiz are much better.  I think that SP may have done better when they were testing it than it does live.

 

Ming-Wa is a female action star over 50.  I can't think of any others -- that gives her a lot of points in my book, plus she is gorgeous.  I'd love to see someone try to slap her in her face.  

[peeayebee]

She's over 50!? *faint*

[dcalley]

Standards and Practices will insist that the questions be random.

I am curious about those rules at times. They have done the L'il Picassos of someone on the show, so that's deliberate insertion of an item. Why not allow deliberate removal, then?

[QTBlueMoon]

Kevin's gig is "on AOL"?  Where the hell is THAT these days (and why would anyone care?)

What an ISP snob  ;-)

[Kromm]

What an ISP snob  ;-)

Hah. That would work if AOL was still an ISP.