The $100,000 Pyramid - General Discussion

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Fable said:

I was a little stunned that the one guy didn’t guess Beyonce and didn’t know any Prince songs,

I will say when I tried to quickly think of a Prince song when I saw that, I had a brain fart.  And as for Beyonce, I believe the only clue Snoop gave was that she was married to Jay-Z.  He might have done better had Snoop named a Beyonce song.

[Racj82]

16 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I will say when I tried to quickly think of a Prince song when I saw that, I had a brain fart.  And as for Beyonce, I believe the only clue Snoop gave was that she was married to Jay-Z.  He might have done better had Snoop named a Beyonce song.

If you can't pull the name Beyonce off of her beau, then I don't what to tell you. They forever linked together for various reasons.

[iMonrey]

I would come up blank on "she's Jay-Z's wife" because I don't follow current music at all let alone the personal lives of the artists. But I could certainly name one or two Prince songs off the top of my head - who the hell doesn't know Little Red Corvette?

[Irlandesa]

9 hours ago, Racj82 said:

If you can't pull the name Beyonce off of her beau, then I don't what to tell you. They forever linked together for various reasons.

They may be linked but to really be aware of that, one has to be aware of some aspects of popular culture.  However, to get Beyonce, all one would need to be aware of is popular music which I feel is much more widespread since it appears in advertisements, Super Bowls, radio...etc.

[alexa]

I didn’t catch her name but the lady in the first episode didn’t seem very friendly. She was very odd about not understanding start versus finish. And she seemed mad the girl couldn’t pull out Hanukkah without much of a clue. 

[Diana Berry]

9 hours ago, alexa said:

I didn’t catch her name but the lady in the first episode didn’t seem very friendly. She was very odd about not understanding start versus finish. And she seemed mad the girl couldn’t pull out Hanukkah without much of a clue. 

Agree, I felt bad for the contestant.  I know most of the celebs don't appologize when they blow it.  But in that situation, I was expecting it. 

Also, I felt bad for the last contestant losing the 100 grand, I mean this show takes liberties all the time with answers.  Maybe they didn't want two contestants to win 150 k in one night.  

Edited July 2, 2018 by Diana Berry

[alexa]

3 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Agree, I felt bad for the contestant.  I know most of the celebs don't appologize when they blow it.  But in that situation, I was expecting it. 

Also, I felt bad for the last contestant losing the 100 grand, I mean this show takes liberties all the time with answers.  Maybe they didn't want two contestants to win 150 k in one night.  

I know--some of the things they allow for an answer in the big round is crazy.  A couple of times the celebrity didn't get the exact answer and they accepted it like they were throwing money away.  Crazy.  

[Mumbles]

I'm not sure if any of the retro game show channels show the old Dick Clark reruns but the judging then was so persnicketty in the final round. Half of the ones that got by last night would have never been allowed. And the topics were harder then.

I get the comment that Jennifer Lewis (the celebrity in the first half) seemed a little cold but boy was she good receiving clues and very efficient in the final round.

[opus]

3 minutes ago, Mumbles said:

I'm not sure if any of the retro game show channels show the old Dick Clark reruns

GSN runs the $25000 version

[peeayebee]

12 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Also, I felt bad for the last contestant losing the 100 grand, I mean this show takes liberties all the time with answers.  Maybe they didn't want two contestants to win 150 k in one night.  

I agree with the judging. She used a synonym for tough. But this was like her only mistake on the show. She was SO good. I was particularly impressed with how fast she got answers in the "PU" and "C to C" categories. You could tell she was visualizing the letters as her partner gave the clues. Oh, I remembered she made another mistake when she said "dress."

I didn't really care for any of the celebs, but Jenifer Lewis was OK. I think she's hilarious, though I was a little uncomfortable when she snapped at her partner re Hanukkah. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I know--some of the things they allow for an answer in the big round is crazy.  A couple of times the celebrity didn't get the exact answer and they accepted it like they were throwing money away.  Crazy.  

It still bugs the crap out of me when the clue is "thing a so-and-so would say" and the celebrity just answers with one word instead of properly answering "things a so-and-so would say." And the judges always let them have it.

[Irlandesa]

In the first game, both Erika and the women were so good. The men were so bad.  And when they swapped, the women seemed to raise the game of the guys but ultimately, Adam failed her in the end. 

But the judges did screw up in the first game between the two guys.  The contestant said hair but the judges didn't ding until he said it a second time a second or two later.

Edited July 9, 2018 by Irlandesa

[opus]

Lost my voice twice tonight. Once yelling electricity (for things that shock you), once yelling Whoopi (you know for what).

Edited July 9, 2018 by opus

[iMonrey]

Yeah . . . Adam Rodriguez was really bad at this but the male contestant he played with in the first round was also a dummy. If the clue is "frosting" and the person says "icing" you should just say "another word for icing." And who couldn't get someone to say "boobs?" 

Quote

Lost my voice twice tonight. Once yelling electricity (for things that shock you),

My clue would have been "the electric chair." He was going for metaphorical shock rather than literal, unfortunately.

I can't remember who couldn't come up with "Charlie Brown" but I was smacking my head over that one. Wowza. 

Lauren Ash was on fire. She's clearly a serious gamer who came to compete.

Edited July 9, 2018 by iMonrey

[peeayebee]

On 7/8/2018 at 6:46 PM, Irlandesa said:

But the judges did screw up in the first game between the two guys.  The contestant said hair but the judges didn't ding until he said it a second time a second or two later.

I thought he'd said hair, but maybe it was something else. I'm sure the judges would have heard.

I was a little irritated when Michael Strahan came over to Michael to get him to say boobs. It wasn't Michael's fault. I don't know why Adam was saying "Not tubes" and "Not bibs." Didn't he think he could say breasts?

I think Erika Christensen is a lot more attractive now than when she was younger. 

The contestant Freddy kinda reminded me of the lead singer from Fine Young Cannibals. 

 

On 7/8/2018 at 7:20 PM, opus said:

Lost my voice twice tonight. Once yelling electricity (for things that shock you), once yelling Whoopi (you know for what).

I was yelling in my head. Freddy kept repeating clues with "unexpected" which of course led Lauren to surprise, not shock. I wanted him to say electric socket.

And Adam Goldberg? Pretty random. Oh well.

[iMonrey]

To be honest I blanked on Goldberg too. I don't know why . . . I guess Whoopie has been off my radar for a long time now. (I don't watch The View. Is she even still on that?) The only thing I could think of was "The Goldbergs" TV show and I don't know how you get there without actually saying "Goldberg."

[Irlandesa]

Yvette really is a good player.  Kathy's usually pretty good too but there was more stumbling in this episode. 

I'm happy the Giada lookalike won 150K but she had no business winning that with Gary Cole.  I love him but he swung wildly between horrific and on-the-ball.  I do think there was a difference in the pyramid he was given and one of the pyramids Yvette had to handle.  There were more straight forward categories for Gary Cold whereas cuddle seemed kind of vague.  That contestant screwed up though in that she could only think of one or two examples for some of the categories.  Hancock and Adams? 

[iMonrey]

Yeah, usually Kathy Najimy is much better at this but I just don't think either pairing quite clicked. I also can't believe she's never seen a Star Wars movie. Even so, surely she knows the last one was called "The Last Jedi," right? I mean, it's not like nobody was talking about it. Then again the contestant didn't think to try "the last one was called "The Last Blank."

I can't think of any good clues for "things you sneak into." And about the only think I could think of for "Things you Snuggle" is the stuffed Downy bear.

[opus]

9 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

 

 

9 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I can't think of any good clues for "things you sneak into."

The only concept I could think of was a teenager into an R rated movie. But I don't know how to work that into a legal clue. 

Edited July 16, 2018 by opus

[ajsnaves]

Would “Home after curfew” work?  I think “R-Rated Movie” would have been acceptable.  I was surprised by the Kathy Najimy’s dismial performance, but I think it truly was a situational thing, not an indication of her intelligence.

The level of difficulty of the Pyramid rounds between the episodes was stark.  It makes me wonder if they used harder ones for Yvette Nicole Brown and Kathy Najimy since they were expected to be so good. (And by and large that was a more enjoyable episode because of it.). I love Gary Cole, but he did about as well as I expected, which was good enough for his contestant I guess. (I have no thoughts either way about Vanessa WIlliams, so I can’t really judge her)

[peeayebee]

Yvette is pretty amazing, though I was surprised  she couldn't come up with cuddle. Maybe if the clues were "A baby, a widdle puppy (said in baby talk), your sweetie-pie."

I thought both Kate and John were good players. John in particular was surprisingly good.

Things you sneak into was hard. "An R-rated movie" is a good clue. Even here at home I'm having trouble thinking of clues. "Your girlfriend's dorm room?" "A rockstar's green room?" I don't know.

[jhlipton]

On 7/3/2018 at 10:26 AM, iMonrey said:

It still bugs the crap out of me when the clue is "thing a so-and-so would say" and the celebrity just answers with one word instead of properly answering "things a so-and-so would say." And the judges always let them have it.

I actually prefer that -- why waste time with empty words.

On 7/9/2018 at 9:57 AM, iMonrey said:

And who couldn't get someone to say "boobs?

 

On 7/9/2018 at 8:38 PM, peeayebee said:

I don't know why Adam was saying "Not tubes" and "Not bibs." Didn't he think he could say breasts?

There are "99 Words For Breasts" (this is an actual song!) so he was trying to steer the contestant by rhyming and alliteration.  

=============

For "shock", I was saying "Taser"

[DasFlavorPup]

I really wanted to like the contestant who won the $150K in the first episode tonight, but holy hell dude, dial it down a few notches.  I'm sure Bobby Moynihan's chiropractor appreciates the extra work you just sent his way, though. 

[iMonrey]

I don't know how the first guy managed to win 150K with those dummies. Both Bobby Moynihan and Melissa Fumera were terrible at this game. Ugh. Melissa gave away "dangerous" by starting to say the word, she should have been buzzed on that. And you really aren't cut out for this game if you can't think of a way to get someone to say "mayonnaise" or "none." Jeepers.

Terry and Andre were better, and I love Terry Crews, but wow he needs to dial it down a notch. If I didn't know better I'd swear he was coked up out of his mind. 

I don't know how you don't guess "Utah" when it's the only state in the country that begins with U.

The contestant trying to guess "frisking" actually said "fuck" and didn't get bleeped. I rewound it to make sure my ears weren't deceiving me - even the audience heard it, and you could hear them tittering over it.

Also, in the winners circle round, Andre actually said "hair" before the contestant got buzzed for saying "hair bands." She should have gotten that.

[opus]

If the word is "300", and you say two hundred, isn't that an illegal clue (word "hundred" in both of them)? It was allowed yesterday.  

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The contestant trying to guess "frisking" actually said "fuck" and didn't get bleeped. I rewound it to make sure my ears weren't deceiving me - even the audience heard it, and you could hear them tittering over it.

To my ear, it sounded a little like 'fuck,' but I don't think she was trying to say that. I'm not sure what she was trying to say, but she was flustered. Maybe 'frisk' was somewhere in her head.

 

Quote

 

Also, in the winners circle round, Andre actually said "hair" before the contestant got buzzed for saying "hair bands." She should have gotten that.

 

I played it back, and I think she started to say hair bands a fraction of a second before Andre said hair.

I agree about the first contestant. He was pretty good, but the second he barked out, "FROG!" I worried we were in for more animation from him.

I was excited to see that three stars from Brooklyn Nine-Nine were going to be on, but I was a little disappointed in their performances. Terry was too excited, and Andre was too... Holt. :D He was so careful about choosing the right words and going slow that I wanted to drag the words out of him. He was pretty good some times, but too slow in general.

I was surprised that Michael didn't tell the contestant that "scour" is not a kind of facial expression. 

[Whimsy]

14 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I was surprised that Michael didn't tell the contestant that "scour" is not a kind of facial expression. 

Yeah, and the way she was doing her face, I thought she thought the word was sour again.  I was thinking she should've said "scrub a pan" or something....

[Good Queen Jane]

I thought she thought the word was scowl.

[Orillia]

On ‎7‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 9:37 PM, DasFlavorPup said:

I really wanted to like the contestant who won the $150K in the first episode tonight, but holy hell dude, dial it down a few notches. 

 

I wish they'd all dial it down. This has been my favorite game show from as far back as the Dick Clark days. I've always thought you had to have a lot on the ball to be successful and couldn't just luck into a win. I want to see players who take it seriously. The over the top reactions when they get all 7 in the first round drive me crazy. Enough with the dancing. It's not like they just won the game. If they get the 50 or 100 thousand, then go nuts. I like Michael as a host because he seems to really like the game and when someone misses the word he tries to come up with clues that would have helped. I love this game and would be thrilled if it came back as a daily half hour show.   

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, Good Queen Jane said:

I thought she thought the word was scowl.

Me too, but I believe Andre (I think that's who was playing with her) said scowl, so she should have picked up that she misread or misunderstood the word.

 

5 minutes ago, Orillia said:

 I like Michael as a host because he seems to really like the game and when someone misses the word he tries to come up with clues that would have helped. 

He's a good host. I also liked when Dick Clark would always try to come up with clues or even ask the audience for some ideas.

[iMonrey]

Quote

If the word is "300", and you say two hundred, isn't that an illegal clue (word "hundred" in both of them)? It was allowed yesterday.  

Excellent point. The judging is so random sometimes. 

Quote

 I like Michael as a host because he seems to really like the game and when someone misses the word he tries to come up with clues that would have helped.

I like that too, although the cynic in me can't help but wonder if some producer is feeding him those clues, or whether he actually thinks of them himself. 

[SoMuchTV]

3 hours ago, Orillia said:

I like Michael as a host because he seems to really like the game and when someone misses the word he tries to come up with clues that would have helped.

 

13 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I like that too, although the cynic in me can't help but wonder if some producer is feeding him those clues, or whether he actually thinks of them himself. 

Oh, I'd think it wouldn't be too hard for someone watching the competitors to come up clues like Michael does, when you're not the one under the gun.  He usually says something that I was yelling at the TV.

[ajsnaves]

I also would not be surprised if he has seen the answers before, so he has some time to think of clues.  Either way, he does a good job at managing the craziness, and tempering the disappointment when things don’t work out.  I wonder how he would do on shows where the host is more involved with the game play, like Jeopardy or Family Feud.  

[opus]

I'd say in the bonus game, with only the six categories (12 per episode), the writers probably supply him a quick cheat sheet of good clues for each ahead of time.

But in the main game, with the words so plentiful ( a potential 84 per episode), those clues he comes with on his own if he can. 

[theatremouse]

I was glad they ran out of time on the "places you eat" because before they originally passed, she said "in kitchen" which is an illegal clue, so they should've been buzzed for that one anyway.

[DasFlavorPup]

I'm officially hate-watching this show now.

I don't like the tie-breaker rule at all, but that kind of pales in comparison to what happened with the Mystery 7 in the second round of the second game.  The game was over at that point, and with two categories still on the board the show just decided to reveal it and give it to the contestant who had already won.  That was SERIOUS bullshit - the contestant who had lost should have gotten a chance at it as a consolation prize.

And I don't think it is just the caliber of contestants and celebrities that are hurting this show (if Leslie Jones or Taye Diggs had throat-punched that shrieking Maggie Q/Olivia Munn-looking contestant in the first game, ain't a jury in the world would convict).  It's also the fact that the categories in the front game are fucking stupid and are usually so vague it's too hard for the contestant or celebrity to get "on track" with the answers.  "Things that don't make great anniversary gifts"?

I think the high point of the show tonight was watching that nerded-out contestant in the first game talk about how good he was at thinking fast, and then promptly going 2 for 7 in his first round.  Schadenfreude-licious!

[Irlandesa]

I don't think anyone cares about their contestant winning more than Leslie.  She was in tears when she won 100K for her guy.  I'm glad she recovered well enough to perform because before then, she was having an off day. 

I missed the second half of the second game because of a local news conference so I missed what happened as far as the Mystery 7.

[opus]

9 minutes ago, DasFlavorPup said:

but that kind of pales in comparison to what happened with the Mystery 7 in the second round of the second game.  The game was over at that point, and with two categories still on the board the show just decided to reveal it and give it to the contestant who had already won.  That was SERIOUS bullshit - the contestant who had lost should have gotten a chance at it as a consolation prize.

That's what I thought was going to happen when they said they were doing the mystery 7. They way they actually did it just seemed like rubbing it in.

At least give the woman first shot at picking the right category. If she picks the wrong one, then they can skip over it and let the guy try for the trip.

[readster]

2 hours ago, opus said:

That's what I thought was going to happen when they said they were doing the mystery 7. They way they actually did it just seemed like rubbing it in.

At least give the woman first shot at picking the right category. If she picks the wrong one, then they can skip over it and let the guy try for the trip.

I know, I didn't think that was fair. Plus, seriously, the woman was bad. I mean some of those clues were obvious and she kept trying to over explain them. However, giving the guy the Mystery 7 like that? That was really mean.

[Jaded]

I watched this show for all of it's first season, most of the 2nd and only a couple episodes this season. What I liked about the older weekly versions is that the celebs were on for a week at a time and had the potential to improve as partners for the civilians. Since these reboots are on once a week the celebs only have to film one episode and most of them except for a few don't seem like they try to do much to prepare beforehand. The celebs that give off the vibes that they don't care if their partners win and act a fool to make themselves the center of attention drive me crazy the most. I appreciate the celebs who actually put forth the effort to play the actual game.

The times I've watched this show this season I've seen more then one contestant get treated rudely for entertainment purposes it's part of what had made me watch less. It's happened at times in the previous two seasons but it's gotten worse during this one. All the while Michael laughs and/or is just standing there grinning or laughing. I used to like him and felt bad about how Kelly treated him when he co-hosted with her and how she reacted after he departed. 

I like that Leslie puts forth an effort to actually play on the game shows she appears on. She was good on Match Game when I've seen her on there. That's another one I quit watching regularly. I'm not a prude but I don't want to watch a game show where the celebs answers have to be blurred and bleeped out to the point where viewers have to guess what was said/written down. I feel like I probably take game shows to seriously by wanting to see the game aspect be played properly. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

The game was over at that point, and with two categories still on the board the show just decided to reveal it and give it to the contestant who had already won.  That was SERIOUS bullshit - the contestant who had lost should have gotten a chance at it as a consolation prize.

I know right?!?

I like that Leslie Jones is really serious about trying to win money for her partners but she is just too hyper and scattered for this type of game. But I have to admit I was awfully touched to see her crying when her partner won the $100K. And I didn't think Taye Diggs did very well either considering he's been here before -  the category is "words that rhyme with erect" and he wasn't even guessing words that rhymed with erect. That was annoying - it's like giving a team a super easy category like "words that start with the letter H" and then they don't even guess words that start with that letter. On the other hand, I did appreciate that Diggs gave the correct responses in the winners circle, like "things that are ..." and "what a so-and-so would say" rather than just one-word responses. It bugs the hell out of me when they do that and the judges give it to them anyway.

I can't think of anything other than "an itch" for "things you scratch." Maybe those scratch-off tickets but you wouldn't be able to say scratch, and if you said lottery tickets it might throw you way off.

[Whimsy]

17 hours ago, DasFlavorPup said:

I'm officially hate-watching this show now.

I don't like the tie-breaker rule at all, but that kind of pales in comparison to what happened with the Mystery 7 in the second round of the second game.  The game was over at that point, and with two categories still on the board the show just decided to reveal it and give it to the contestant who had already won.  That was SERIOUS bullshit - the contestant who had lost should have gotten a chance at it as a consolation prize.

And I don't think it is just the caliber of contestants and celebrities that are hurting this show (if Leslie Jones or Taye Diggs had throat-punched that shrieking Maggie Q/Olivia Munn-looking contestant in the first game, ain't a jury in the world would convict).  It's also the fact that the categories in the front game are fucking stupid and are usually so vague it's too hard for the contestant or celebrity to get "on track" with the answers.  "Things that don't make great anniversary gifts"?

I think the high point of the show tonight was watching that nerded-out contestant in the first game talk about how good he was at thinking fast, and then promptly going 2 for 7 in his first round.  Schadenfreude-licious!

 

17 hours ago, opus said:

That's what I thought was going to happen when they said they were doing the mystery 7. They way they actually did it just seemed like rubbing it in.

At least give the woman first shot at picking the right category. If she picks the wrong one, then they can skip over it and let the guy try for the trip.

I was SO mad for that contestant.  That was complete bullshit.  It was her turn next.  They should've given her the opportunity to pick a category for the mystery 7.  If I were the contestant, I would've said something.  That was in no way right at all.  

Overall, this episode was baaaaaad.  The first half was so embarrassingly bad I was actively cringing.  The second half was bad in that I had no idea who those "celebrities" were but the one on the left was so obnoxious that she made everything about her. 

[SoMuchTV]

I agree with several of the above - not sure who all I should quote.  But if there's a "mercy rule" then stop the game with the current score, otherwise let it play out so someone who doesn't have the most points still has a fair shot at the bonus.

[peeayebee]

I don't think the show should have just given the woman the Mystery 7 category, but I think since it was her turn, she should have had a chance to pick.

Leslie crying warmed my heart. That was really touching. Her persona is so tough and aggressive, so it was nice to see her ooey-gooey center.

Abigail really did look like Olivia Munn.

The celebs in the second game were completely new to me. "From Barely Famous...!" What? "... Sara Foster!" Who? "And  Erin Foster!" Who? However, I ended up kind of liking them.

I didn't think Things You Scratch was all that difficult, although I thought it was weird that Nick chose a forehead to be itchy. Still, the Foster gal just didn't latch onto scratch. "An itch. A bug bite. Poison ivy." 

For Things Made of Glass, the contestant (Jesse?) got Taye Diggs confused by starting with a drink tumbler. (I think that's what he said.) And then he couldn't think of anything else made of glass! "A wine goblet, a window pane, a boxer's jaw, a fake diamond."

[LizDC]

5 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

The celebs in the second game were completely new to me. "From Barely Famous...!" What? "... Sara Foster!" Who? "And  Erin Foster!" Who? However, I ended up kind of liking them.

I believe they are David Foster’s kids, a/k/a the future stepchildren of Katherine McPhee. 

[TAG42481]

I also had to come give Leslie Jones some love.  I think she was on the Match Game two years ago, and she was angry at the other celebrities for not taking the game seriously enough.  That girl COMPETES.  So I know how much it means to HER to try to help the contestants out, so that's why I was so happy to see her win - to see how happy it made her.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I believe they are David Foster’s kids, a/k/a the future stepchildren of Katherine McPhee. 

That doesn't help me . . . I don't know who he is either!

I had to look it up but "Barely Famous" was a reality show parody that aired on VH1 in 2015 and 2016. Nobody should feel out of touch for not knowing about it.

[opus]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

 

I had to look it up but "Barely Famous" was a reality show parody that aired on VH1 in 2015 and 2016. Nobody should feel out of touch for not knowing about it.

Well, you have to admit, they were honest about the title!

[Blissfool]

Worst. Episode. Ever.

A whole bunch of scatterbrained tomfoolery and unfair gameplay. 

[JeezumCrow]

They’re consistently letting prepositions fly in the Winner’s Circle. I’m not a fan. 

 

I want to believe that Taye Diggs was low-key blowing the round with the female contestant because she was so annoying. 

 

ETA: I posted while watching and oh, the RAGE about the last round Mystery 7.  The girl should have gotten to pick a category because it was her turn; if it wasn’t the prize category then skip the clues and let the guy play for the trip. That was COMPLETELY unfair!!

Edited August 2, 2018 by JeezumCrow
Posted mid-episode and didn’t anticipate the crappy judgment call