To find game shows these days bloody annoying?

[LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet]

<Klaxon> Lighthearted thread! Please don’t tell me I need to get a real problem <End Klaxon>

Im SE and WFH and on my lunch hour I like to watch game shows I’ve recorded the day before (I’m a geek and proud). I’m losing patience with them though.

Pointless - why do we need 10-15 minutes at the beginning to talk about how Sue likes to crochet and she once crocheted an effigy of Richard Osman? I want to get to the questions o I can pretend I’m on the game show and be smug when I’m cleverer than the contestants!

Tipping Point is worse. The contestants MUST be told to give long winded answers as to why they do or don’t know an answer.
Question: “How long was Alex Ferguson manager of Manchester United? A: 4 years B: 27 years C: 110 years”
Contestant: “Well Ben, I once had a neighbour, Steve, who was a HUGE Man United fan and I’d hear him cheering about ‘Fergie’ through the walls. I lived in that house for 11 years so it’s definitely not 4 years. And I don’t think Alex Ferguson is even 110 years old, so it’s going to have to be a process of elimination I’m afraid. I’ll go with B”.

Countdown is so long now but actually has v few letter and number rounds because they’re always asking an ‘expert’ to drone on about something or other for 5 minute spurts (though I do now and again like dictionary corner).

Deal or No Deal was the worst - it really got out of hand 😂 all the chanting and ‘positive thoughts about this box’. Just open the bastard box, the inside is not gonna change just because everyone holds hands and sings. And the best bjt was if it was a red number the box holder would APOLOGISE but not after being told off by Noel Edmonds. “Dear oh dear Tim. That’s not what we were expecting, you couldn’t have given them a worse number really”

Is there actually a game show where they just ask and answer questions?!

YANBU

Have you tried Challenge TV for the old classics like Catchphrase and Family Fortunes. It can be fun to see the dated fashions, haircuts and prizes too.

I mostly agree. I prefer the more serious quiz shows such as Mastermind, where they don't waffle on for ages.

I say 'mostly' - I do enjoy hearing people's deductive reasoning - “Well Ben, I once had a neighbour, Steve, who was a HUGE Man United fan and I’d hear him cheering about ‘Fergie’ through the walls. I lived in that house for 11 years so it’s definitely not 4 years. And I don’t think Alex Ferguson is even 110 years old, so it’s going to have to be a process of elimination I’m afraid. I’ll go with B”

But, I'm with you on Sue's crocheting hobby and Graham's long-winded 'hilarious' anecdote about how he fell over a photocopier in 1998.

I love Challenge TV! DH and I watch it together sometimes and play a game of ‘guess the age’ for the older shows. When you think people are about 48 and they say they’re 25 😂good old 80s/90s fashion!

They probs need to pad it out with idle chatter because if it was just the actual gameplay it would all be over in 10-15 mins!

I think the producers also like some time with the host ‘getting to know’ contestants because the audience are more likely to root for them to win/be invested if you like them - so less likely to switch over halfway through as you want to see if they manage it.

Yes that always strikes me too. People seemed to age much faster then. Like 19 year-old Princess Di and those middle-aged cardis she used to wear.

But the wheel is great!

I think the producers also like some time with the host ‘getting to know’ contestants because the audience are more likely to root for them to win/be invested if you like them - so less likely to switch over halfway through as you want to see if they manage it

Does that actually work, though, do people develop a liking for the contestants based on this? I tend to root for 'who is least annoying' or if it's Mastermind I root for the person who has chosen the most interesting specialist subject.

There’s a lot of good old stuff on YouTube if you search too. I used to really like that show with ‘the stinger’ letter that only the audience could see. Can’t think what’s it’s called now.

Like 19 year-old Princess Di and those middle-aged cardis she used to wear.

They weren't seen as middle-aged then! Fashion changes.

Clearly it must work in some way as you’re picking a ‘favourite’ based on what they say - Even if it’s because they’re the best of a bad bunch!

My mum is mid-60’s so was a young woman in the early 80’s when I was born. Pictures of me and her she looks about 45! All thick shapeless jumpers and ankle length brown skirts, against the backdrop of dusty pink corduroy sofas 😂

Yanbu this actually gives me the rage. Just get to it!!! It's like recipe books I don't care if this pie reminds you of a breezy spring afternoon! I want to know if it's 2 eggs or 3!

Because they are dumbed down for the benefit of average Joe who maybe compared to 30 years ago is more interested in ‘human stories’ than actual knowledge and taking part by shouting answers to questions at the tv.

I have auditioned a fair bit and been on 2! I can tell you they definitely do tell you to "show your working" when giving an answer

If you record the shows, why not fast-forward through the chatty bits and the adverts? The Chase is the best in terms of the most actual questions per show, it's on for a hour but if you fast-forward as above, it's about half an hour of actual questions.

Fifteen-to-One and the Weakest Link also had lots of questions and minimal chat.

I suppose, but not in the sense of caring enough not to switch the programme off if something even slightly better came along to do/watch!

University Challenge is about the only one left that isn’t full of tedious “get to know the contestant” waffle.

Even Mastermind has a five minute segment at the end now where the winner explains the incredibly fascinating experience they’ve just had, which is identical in every episode.

I wouldn't care if they actually could do deductive reasoning. Instead you get: 'what is the capital of France? A Paris B Botswana C an apple' contestant: "ooh Ben, I went to Paris once and had a banana so I don't think it's C. Hmm, I'll have to go straight down the middle and say B.' I turn over at that point, so not sure if Ben has ever just left the set.

@growinggreyer yes exactly 🤣 I feel like they do that when it won’t cut it to say “I just know the answer”

YANBU - I hate game shows these days and the way they are dumbed down - but then I doubt I'm their target audience. I've had some TV experience though and actually auditioned for a couple of shows as well.

The chit chat you refer to is largely designed to relax the contestant (people tend to freak out a bit once they are in a TV studio and/or face to face with the presenter) - and also so they mention a few things that their target audience will either relate to - or think is wildly exciting (even though it's usually not!).

The bizarre "reasoning" and rambling that goes on - that is encouraged by the TV producers and in fact, in auditions, you are expected to talk through how you are approaching something or how you are reaching an answer - even if it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. It's encouraged even more these days after the fiasco on Who What's to Be a Millionaire ("cough-gate") where the guy was just taking random stabs the dark at answers that ended up correct but there was ZERO logic. It helps them to weed out any possible cheating etc... because it highlights any suspicious patterns in answers and how the contestant selects them.

I imagine it’s partly to give the contestants some thinking time?