Ellen's Game Of Games - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run.

[jumper sage]

I like when she does her games on her talk show but watching for an hour was a bit boring.

[backformore]

I used to like Ellen.  But something about her enjoyment of others humiliation bothers me.  

She likes making people look foolish.  On her talk show, she enjoys pranking guests and having them freak out. This show has a similar vibe. I stopped after seeing a woman get sprayed with various liquids. Just not fun to watch.

[Lura]

I've enjoyed watching Ellen from time to time, but I've never enjoyed the pranks she has pulled on guests.  For one reason, I don't think the guests enjoy the pranks very much, and the other reason is that I sense a meanness in it.  Some of those pranks have been downright nasty.  If that's what her new show is about -- one prank after another -- I won't be watching.  If it's something else, I might give it a try sometime.

[ChiCricket]

   I just kept thinking I hope there was something EXTREMELY poofy at the bottom where they fell in to. I mean..like a million marshmallows poofy.

  I also thought I would have peed myself if I was unexpectedly catapulted into the sky while doing a puzzle. Wow.

[ChiCricket]

  OK, just watched the 2nd episode. This was a good thing to watch with my husband, who loves crappy slapstick shows like the 3 stooges.

   Also, English is his second language, so the dumbed down trivia questions were perfect for him. That's all I've got.

They do have a chance to win $100,000 though.

   I'd be humiliated on teevee for that!

[jhlipton]

I think it's funny that the first person to win $1000,000 (

Spoiler

in the second episode)

wasn't even a contestant, but the fiance of one!

Unlike Ellen's show, these contestants have a good idea what they've signed up for, so I don't feel too sorry for them. 

I think that the "chairs" in "Blindfolded Musical Chairs" should be picked at random.  Sometimes it seems like Ellen is favoring a contestant.

[ChiCricket]

11 hours ago, jhlipton said:

I think it's funny that the first person to win $1000,000 (

  Hide contents

in the second episode)

wasn't even a contestant, but the fiance of one!

Unlike Ellen's show, these contestants have a good idea what they've signed up for, so I don't feel too sorry for them. 

I think that the "chairs" in "Blindfolded Musical Chairs" should be picked at random.  Sometimes it seems like Ellen is favoring a contestant.

I agree! I think Ellen should have to punch the buttons blindfolded or something.

 But maybe they're trying to kind of control where they pop up so they don't punch right up into some guy's junk? Nah..they'd think that was funny. I did think it was funny when they groped the other contestants trying to find a seat. (So sue me, I guess I like 3 Stooges type humor too, sometimes) ;-)

[jhlipton]

2 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

But maybe they're trying to kind of control where they pop up so they don't punch right up into some guy's junk?

I think they may want to avoid having one come up on a contestant or directly in front of one.  That would really be unfair.

[ChiCricket]

1 hour ago, jhlipton said:

I think they may want to avoid having one come up on a contestant or directly in front of one.  That would really be unfair.

I just think the whole show is a lawsuit just waiting to happen.

But I'm sure they sign their lives away to get onto it. It was funny when the one woman held her nose when she was about to be dropped down and Ellen asked her if she thought she was going to be dropped into water. :)

[theatremouse]

On 1/5/2018 at 6:27 PM, ChiCricket said:

   I just kept thinking I hope there was something EXTREMELY poofy at the bottom where they fell in to. I mean..like a million marshmallows poofy.

Ever been to a gym that teaches gymnastics classes? They have these pits full of foam cubes. It is extremely likely that's what the show is dropping people into.

[LadyArcadia]

I want to know what drugs they are giving these contestants.  Not even The Price is Right people jump around and scream this much.  It screams fake to me.  And when they lose they're all "hahaha... good job, you! Ah well... I lost."  Say what?

[howiveaddict]

23 hours ago, theatremouse said:

Ever been to a gym that teaches gymnastics classes? They have these pits full of foam cubes. It is extremely likely that's what the show is dropping people into.

Which you can still get hurt in if you twist your body weird or land funny.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Which you can still get hurt in if you twist your body weird or land funny.

Well, then, go on Wheel of Fortune and stay away from this show!  

[jhlipton]

6 hours ago, LadyArcadia said:

I want to know what drugs they are giving these contestants.

My guess: Some combination of meth and speed, with a dash of cocaine!

[Gemma Violet]

In the musical chairs, the contestants should be wearing helmets.  I've seen two severe head bumps in the last couple of episodes.  I agree with what was said upthread about Ellen enjoying this a little too much.

[opus]

Don't see a media thread, so.....

Renewed for second season 

http://tvline.com/2018/01/09/ellens-game-of-games-renewed-nbc-season-2/

[ChiCricket]

1 hour ago, Gemma Violet said:

In the musical chairs, the contestants should be wearing helmets.  I've seen two severe head bumps in the last couple of episodes.  

Maybe not full modern football helmets, but more like the olden time soft leather ones should be enough for that game. They're crawling around, not up and running :)

[Blissfool]

I don't like that Ellen goes in a certain order to ask the contestants questions. If they each get their question wrong,  the last person in the line-up wins by default. Unfair! It should be spelling bee style, in which the last remaining contestant must get the next answer correct in order to win.

[jhlipton]

On ‎1‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 9:23 PM, Blissfool said:

I don't like that Ellen goes in a certain order to ask the contestants questions.

And some of the answers are fairly arbitrary... Twinkies are not a dessert?  I think that could be contested.

But these contestants' brains freeze up quick, don't they (Meth, speed and cocaine will do that!).  How hard is it to say "It" for Steven King movies?  And for beers, don't name one that's neither American nor top! 

[DrScottie]

On 1/11/2018 at 3:37 PM, jhlipton said:

And for beers, don't name one that's neither American nor top! 

Another brilliant answer was Honda for American cars too. 

The girl who didn't know the three branches of government. You deserve to lose. 

On 1/10/2018 at 0:23 AM, Blissfool said:

I don't like that Ellen goes in a certain order to ask the contestants questions. If they each get their question wrong,  the last person in the line-up wins by default. Unfair! It should be spelling bee style, in which the last remaining contestant must get the next answer correct in order to win.

That would probably lead to no one winning then in some cases. 

[jhlipton]

So... in this last episode, they wanted the Latin name for bones, but didn't stop the contestant until half her time was up.  As soon as she said "thigh", they should have stopped, explained what they wanted and reset the clock.  That was horribly unfair.

On 1/16/2018 at 7:25 PM, DrScottie said:

Another brilliant answer was Honda for American cars too. 

The girl who didn't know the three branches of government. You deserve to lose.

Honda makes more cars in America than some "American" car companies. 

I bet Bill would have known the three branches of government.  (Tonight was the first time I would have had a chance with the "fake" category.  Bring on Quantum Mechanics!!!)

[jhlipton]

I was hoping the winner of the Dizzy Dash was going to win it all.  She was so much fun!

I haven't played the app -- considering how many people are winning the $100,000, it really does seem to help.

[LadyArcadia]

16 hours ago, jhlipton said:

I was hoping the winner of the Dizzy Dash was going to win it all.  She was so much fun!

I haven't played the app -- considering how many people are winning the $100,000, it really does seem to help.

I can't find the app. Is it on iTunes?

[jhlipton]

On ‎1‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 8:03 AM, LadyArcadia said:

I can't find the app. Is it on iTunes?

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hot-hands/id1122826908?mt=8

Android version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wb.goog.hothands

[LadyArcadia]

3 hours ago, jhlipton said:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hot-hands/id1122826908?mt=8

Android version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wb.goog.hothands

Thanks!!

[Wings]

On 1/8/2018 at 11:33 AM, LadyArcadia said:

I want to know what drugs they are giving these contestants.  Not even The Price is Right people jump around and scream this much.  It screams fake to me.  And when they lose they're all "hahaha... good job, you! Ah well... I lost."  Say what?

YES!  The screaming on any show is annoying and it is much worse on this one. 

[jhlipton]

I'm a bit surprised that Standards and Practices approved this.

1) Some contestants are supposed to guess what Ellen knows and what she doesn't.  Dance moves, for example.

2) Repeating the question is sometimes OK, and sometimes is ruled as an answer

3) Nicki Minaj did not write or sing "Baby Got Back", Sir Mix-A-Lot did.  That could easily have thrown the contestant off.

I'll still watch, but Hollywood Game Night is much better.

[WAnglais1]

On 1/4/2018 at 10:10 PM, backformore said:

I used to like Ellen.  But something about her enjoyment of others humiliation bothers me.  

She likes making people look foolish.  On her talk show, she enjoys pranking guests and having them freak out. This show has a similar vibe. I stopped after seeing a woman get sprayed with various liquids. Just not fun to watch.

Agreed. I watched because Hulu kept throwing up the, "You might also like..." banner with this show. 

Nope. I do not like. And she cackles in a really evil way. Launching people, dropping them into pie, dropping through a trap door, or whatever else happens, is not funny. You have the person in power (Ellen) making people humiliate themselves for $100,000? Or, as Ellen calls it, "2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m." Perhaps she should get a monocle and a top hat. 

It's been renewed? NBC, you mystify me.

[DrScottie]

Some of the answers tonight were just absurd. Name a person with 50 million Twitter followers: "Facebook" What state is Flo Rida from? "Georgia" 

And to echo the sentiment here, she seems awfully mean to people here. 

In Make it Rain, the lady answers correctly and gets the money on the first guess, then she's required to test one of the other umbrellas?! Why? She won.  Make the other one do it. 

On 2/8/2018 at 2:05 PM, jhlipton said:

I'm a bit surprised that Standards and Practices approved this.

1) Some contestants are supposed to guess what Ellen knows and what she doesn't.  Dance moves, for example.

Also, her subjective assessment of whether or not a Twinkie would qualify as a dessert. I say it can. 

That blindfold musical chairs looked biased to me. She controls the location of the chairs that pop up. It certainly seemed like she wanted to help the girl who was doing the chicken dance to win by raising a chair up as she's moving in that direction.  

[jumper sage]

On 1/11/2018 at 3:37 PM, jhlipton said:

Twinkies are not a dessert?  I think that could be contested.

You didn't grow up in the 60s then?

Having payed close attention to the "tubes" they fall down into.......It looks like it is a slide.  Kind of like when you are on a water slide.

[jhlipton]

6 hours ago, jumper sage said:

You didn't grow up in the 60s then?

I take it you're referring to the murder of Harvey Milk and George Moscone (which led to the rise of our now-senior Senator)?  Oh, yes, I most certainly did!!!

[jumper sage]

5 hours ago, jhlipton said:

12 hours ago, jumper sage said:

You didn't grow up in the 60s then?

I take it you're referring to the murder of Harvey Milk and George Moscone (which led to the rise of our now-senior Senator)?  Oh, yes, I most certainly did!!!

No your comment on Twinkies not being dessert.  We would have applauded for a Twinkie.

[jhlipton]

6 hours ago, jumper sage said:

No your comment on Twinkies not being dessert.  We would have applauded for a Twinkie.

I don't recall -- the show being almost a year ago! -- but I **think** that Ellen said Twinkies were not a dessert.  I think that they are.

[UncleChuck]

I enjoy this show in a perverted, brain-dead way, but why do the contestants get dunked/sprayed with strange goop in the clothes they were wearing in the audience?  I'd be a bit pissed if Ellen dropped me in a vat of brown or green goo and then I had to wear those clothes home.  "What the hell, Ellen!  How am I supposed to go to the restaurant now???????"

[luvmylabs]

On 1/5/2018 at 4:19 PM, Lura said:

I've enjoyed watching Ellen from time to time, but I've never enjoyed the pranks she has pulled on guests.  For one reason, I don't think the guests enjoy the pranks very much, and the other reason is that I sense a meanness in it.  Some of those pranks have been downright nasty.  If that's what her new show is about -- one prank after another -- I won't be watching.  If it's something else, I might give it a try sometime.

I've not watched Ellen's show, but I have watched Game of Games.  This last time, for the first time, I felt a little funny at how Ellen responds when someone is dunked, pulled up in the air, squirted, or whatever penalty they get when they lose.  I also sensed a slightly sadistic vibe when she watches the contestants.  I suppose it's just me.  She does seem genuinely happy for them when they win the big bucks. That meanness thing...yeah.

[Jeldisney]

On 1/18/2019 at 10:23 AM, UncleChuck said:

I enjoy this show in a perverted, brain-dead way, but why do the contestants get dunked/sprayed with strange goop in the clothes they were wearing in the audience?  I'd be a bit pissed if Ellen dropped me in a vat of brown or green goo and then I had to wear those clothes home.  "What the hell, Ellen!  How am I supposed to go to the restaurant now???????"

I have always wondered how these contestants come back out and they're cleaned up. I would be so ticked off if my nice outfit were squirted or dunked or my hair looked like krapp. Do you think they have the contestants shower afterwards or they wash their clothes somehow for them?

[Ubiquitous]

On 1/4/2018 at 10:10 PM, backformore said:

I used to like Ellen.  But something about her enjoyment of others humiliation bothers me.  She likes making people look foolish.  On her talk show, she enjoys pranking guests and having them freak out. This show has a similar vibe. I stopped after seeing a woman get sprayed with various liquids. Just not fun to watch.

I've heard from multiple sources that she's not nearly as nice as she tries to appear.

[Maverick]

 So this was clearly filmed post-Covid since there were had questions about quarantine.  There were no shots of the audience so the applause was just dubbed in, but the contestants clearly weren't social distancing.  

[dmeets]

Yep, there was definitely no audience since all of the contestants rushed unannounced from backstage. I get why they had to dub an audience since most of the games are so goofy. Had to be a strange experience for the contestants.

I was surprised they kept in a lot of games that required physical contact. Figured they'd have stuck with more of the dropping/launching/blasting contestants in the face games. The only preliminary game that didn't entail pushing and shoving was the new texting roller coaster one.

So they changed up the Hot Hands finale. Interesting. I'd always wondered what would have happened in prior finales if a contestant decided to call Ellen's bluff and choose the third category ("well Ellen, I don't know many celebrities, but I'm a big research buff so let's go with Scandanavian Nobel Prize winners")

[blackwing]

I'm wondering what the procedure was on choosing the contestants... are they just people from her own production team, if not, how they got picked, were there any 14 day quarantine procedures, etc.

The new games included the texting rocket ship game... good concept and fun to watch.  Particularly the idea of the winner of each question getting to select who to raise up.  The Mirror Maze game... seems like would be great to play, but it was really boring to watch.  Just a lot of screaming.  Couldn't really tell where people were even with the overhead map, and the costumed character jumping out and scaring them wasn't even that fun.

They need harder questions for Hotter Hands.  So incredibly easy.

I've been trying to figure out the platform drop for Know or Go... the contestants don't appear to be wearing a harness.  We see a shot from underneath of the door opening and them falling.  They show us the view from the front and we see the shadow falling straight down.  Now I suppose they could be falling onto some kind of slide/ramp that we can't see from the underneath shot, and the shadow is the shadow of them going down the slide.  Or the shadow could be faked.