S02.E15: Off With the Top of Your Head

[Lisin]

Nate Berkus, Adam Devine, Tony Hale, Arsenio Hall, Malin Akerman and Bradley Whitford.

[Rinaldo]

They seemed like a fun group, but not so much with the actual playing of games most of the time. At least this was a disaster final game that could be blamed equally on both participants; basically neither of them knew anything. (Bailing on Billy Joel? really?)

[formerlyfreedom]

What about Tower? Seriously, Arsenio could only focus on the raging inferno, how about the Leaning ----- of Pisa? And Bradley Whitford must have had a little too much 'enjoyment' there towards the end, because he couldn't do anything in that word on the head game (sorry, I don't watch regularly, so I don't know the name. I only know I was throwing things at my tv, screaming at them).

[Rinaldo]

Yes, it was hard to tell whether Arsenio or Bradley was worse in that game. They both seemed to think they had to give minimal one-word clues or something, whereas they can pretty much say anything that will elicit the word. (Malin did a long-way-round with "Maine" too, unless she knew literally nothing about the state including its location. Yeah, Adam would have been a better final choice.)

[TheOtherOne]

Boy, bringing Ackerman and Whitford on to promote "Trophy Wife" didn't really work out, huh? Too bad they didn't air the episode earlier. (Or did NBC hold it on purpose? Hmmm...)

 

I was rooting for the other contestant and thought it sucked that they didn't have to play some kind of tiebreaker. I mean, yeah, it makes sense that the one who won the most games gets something out of it, but I just liked the other one better (and she had to deal with how terrible Whitford was in that final round. Oof). And I bet she would have done better in the final round. God knows she couldn't have done worse.

 

Kind of a middling episode. Not the best, not the worst. The song guessing round was my favorite this time. Both contestants seemed to do better than they usually do, which made it a lot more fun.

[bybrandy]

I prefer games that you can play from home so I found this episode a bit of a letdown with four games you couldn't.  However, of the none play along games the song charade one is one of my favorites and Whitford and Burkus trying to do like a virgin was totally worth the whole episode to me.

[Tara Ariano]

Here's my post on the episode!

[A Boston Gal]

Rinaldo, stacey, theotherone, bybrandy: you all hit the nail on the head. Disasterous final round by two clueless folk, when the losing contestant was far more preferable, both in personality and game-skills. (She hit the song title game out of the park! Impressive!) Don't know Billy Joel? Can't make ONE House of Cards reference? Then what the heck are you all doing on this show?

 

Slightly off topic: Are the snack things new? Never noticed the players eating before; I guess it makes  sense. Next up: passed hors d'oeuvres!

[Rinaldo]

I will say that I do very much enjoy the "enact the song for the contestant who can't hear it" game (is this only the second time they've done it?). Probably it takes some care in pre-production, choosing a lineup of songs that lend themselves to a visual-only representation. And a lot of the very best ones for the purpose were used the first time ("Single Ladies" and "Baby Got Back" were made for this game, and now they've been used). But it's great fun to see the celebrities being so uninhibited on the spur of the moment. I'd say this is one of the most visual of all the games, it lends itself to TV viewing, and it probably wouldn't be as much fun (in the same way, at least) to play at home.

[Ltg.jon]

Malin Ackerman just choked so badly on the bonus round, but I agree with Tara that she appeared to be a good pick going into it, based on her performance throughout the episode.  But Arsenio was just awful -- "tower" should have been incredibly easy, just referring to either Eiffel or Pisa.  And "Carrie" took way too much time -- if he had mentioned the prom and the blood, she would have gotten it much quicker.

[Grammaeryn]

Bradley Whitford has young children right?  How did he choke so badly on the Dr. Seuss word game? That was almost as bad as that team that never had watched Star Wars (the Zachary Levi episode). The fact that the yellow dress lady's team was able to catch up from so far behind to salmon dress team was very impressive! I liked the block game better with words not people's body parts. A good episode with no one pulling a Short or Weatherly.

[Rinaldo]

 I liked the block game better with words not people's body parts.

I like it both ways, and was really tickled to see how the pictures worked out this time: a different shape distribution for each person, and usually appropriate to that person. That was clever construction on someone's part, and all due credit to the team that got all 6 of them.

[TheOtherOne]

Arsenio's talk show was just canceled today. That means half of the celebrities in the episode are now unemployed.

 

Tony Hale has no reason to worry, since Veep likely isn't going anywhere, but Berkus and Devine might want to brace themselves....

[turnitwayup]

Show Me the Music game was my fav of the episode. I was dying at Like a Virgin but I couldn't believe that coral dress contestant couldn't get Jumpin Jack Flash when Malin was doing jumping jacks. Clue Boom is like me least fav game so I was glad it wasn't in this ep.

[Kromm]

I don't know if it quite meets the burden of irony, but it was certainly oddly tragic that this episode aired soon after the cancellation announcements of several of the shows that Jane Lynch hawked for those celebrities (Trophy Wife, and The Arsenio Hall Show).  

Boy, bringing Ackerman and Whitford on to promote "Trophy Wife" didn't really work out, huh? Too bad they didn't air the episode earlier. (Or did NBC hold it on purpose? Hmmm...)

As bad as it must have felt to be Ackerman or Whitford watching that episode at home this week, it must have felt even worse to be Arsenio, the moment he had to hear that "former host of the Arsenio Hall Show" joke of Jane's in it's new context (HGN being taped months ago, but Arsenio having been re-cancelled this week.

Edited May 31, 2014 by Kromm

[Kromm]

You know something that's been bothering me more and more with this show is that (starting with this season) the "civilians" have been getting better and better looking--not so "ordinary".  The "housewife" in this last episode, for example, was as much of a looker as any female celeb in her same age range they've had on. And this has been the pattern overall.  They're casting for TV-friendliness, at the very least (and since they do so few of these, unlike a regular game show, you have to suspect that anyone who gets on is "connected" into the business somehow, be it through representation, or knowing someone in the biz).

[A Boston Gal]

Kromm, I'm with you, my friend. It's getting harder to tell the difference between the contestants and the cast members of the latest basic cable drama.

[opus]

I don't know if it quite meets the burden of irony, but it was certainly oddly tragic that this episode aired soon after the cancellation announcements of several of the shows that Jane Lynch hawked for those celebrities (Trophy Wife, and The Arsenio Hall Show).  

As bad as it must have felt to be Ackerman or Whitford watching that episode at home this week, it must have felt even worse to be Arsenio, the moment he had to hear that "former host of the Arsenio Hall Show" joke of Jane's in it's new context (HGN being taped months ago, but Arsenio having been re-cancelled this week.

The dangers of pre-tape airing in May.

[charlieboo]

The winning contestant reminded me a lot of Christine Baranski.

[Kromm]

The winning contestant reminded me a lot of Christine Baranski.

I can see the resemblance in the face, although she was something of a "hot body" (whereas Baranski is okay, but nothing special).  She was basically "what if Christine Baranski had a hot young niece show up without us admitting it" (which she probably wasn't, but the point remains that they've clearly stopped inviting ordinary looking folks and now only admit civilians who "match" the glamour of the show's faux-setting).

[jhlipton]

...t must have felt even worse to be Arsenio, the moment he had to hear that "former host of the Arsenio Hall Show" joke of Jane's in it's new context (HGN being taped months ago, but Arsenio having been re-cancelled this week.

 

When Jane said "Former host of the Arsenio Hall Show and current host of the Arsenio Hall Show", I said "And former host of the Arsenio Hall Show again!"

 

The winning contestant reminded me a lot of Christine Baranski.

I thought so too. There was one shot where she looked just like CB.

One of their better episodes. The "x" with the fingers on Like a Virgin was priceless!

[aradia22]

I think with the casting on this show you really need ringers. Not in terms of gameplay but in terms of entertainment. At least one comedian or comedic actor (e.g. Zachary Levi) to a team. Someone who knows how to keep the energy up and tell jokes when they're needed. I don't think Adam and Tony Hale were enough as they didn't have the energy. You can't just get an actor who has been in comedies. You need someone that kind of knows what role they're supposed to play.

 

The woman in the red dress was so bad at Show Me the Music. I thought yellow dress did much better but they somehow ended up with the same score.

 

I like the block game. It feels kind of pop culture-y but it has the physicality of the 4-Letter Word game. I've been getting a little tired of the games that don't have anything to do with pop culture like 4 Letter Word and Clueboom.

 

 

You know something that's been bothering me more and more with this show is that (starting with this season) the "civilians" have been getting better and better looking--not so "ordinary".

Yeah I've been noticing that the contestants are mostly very attractive. I think it's more of a season 2 thing. There were attractive contestants in season 1 but the balance is tipping in one direction.

 

I don't think there was a clear person she should have chosen other than Malin. Adam and Nate didn't seem that much better during the actual game.

[gwlisa]

There was a civilian who was described as a jewelry designer from Hawaii. No mention of her entertainment background as a TV host there or her behind-the-scenes specials with the Hawaii 5-0 cast. My husband has maintained for a while that some of the civilians are more attractive than the celebs! That includes the Christian Baranski lady, who was very beautiful.