Friday, May 18, 2012

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It: Game Show News Updates (Part 10)


In this week's article, I'm going to spotlight some of the headlines that has peaked my interest this month concerning game show news. From the revival of classic Nickelodeon game shows to Alex Trebek discussing retiring as the host of Jeopardy!, I'm sure you are going to enjoy reading about what has happened or what's in store for the future in the world game shows. Enjoy! 

GSN's The American Bible Challenge Contestants Casting Call 
GSN is currently casting for contestants for their new original game show American Bible Challenge, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. American Bible Challenge is a one-hour long, in-studio game show where contestants will be primarily quizzed on biblical facts and trivia. GSN is traveling across the country and holding casting calls for contestants who want to compete to win money for their favorite charities. They are looking for teams of three people who are experts in pop culture and biblical knowledge, and who have great personal testimonies and great competitive spirits. The casting sessions will be held in the following cities:

Sacramento: May 18- May 19
Los Angeles: May 18- June 3
Atlanta: May 25- May 26
Chicago: June 1- June 3
Dallas: June 1- June 3

This game show seems like it would be a better fit for TBN’s schedule, but we’ll see how this fare on GSN. Click here to for the Casting Call Entry Form and a special video featuring Jeff Foxworthy discussing the new summer series. American Bible Challenge is produced by RelativityREAL for GSN. Tom Forman (RelativityREAL) and Michael Davies (Embassy Row) will be serving as the Executive Producers for the show. American Bible Challenge will be airing on GSN during this summer.

MTV2's Hip Hop Squares Premieres May 22th 
The "soon-to-be-occupied" Hip Hop Squares
In less than a week, MTV2 will be bringing back Hollywood Squares with the premiere of Hip Hop Squares. In this remixed revival of the classic star-studded game show, nine of the biggest names in today’s hip-hop industry will be occupying the nine Hip-Hop squares. Machine Guy Kelly, Nick Cannon, Biz Markie, and Mac Miller are among some the big names who will appear on the series. New York radio DJ Peter Rosenberg will be hosting the show. From what I have seen from the sneak peek video posted on MTV2’s Hip Hop Squares page and on New York Times’ review of the show, Hip Hop Squares is more of party than a game show, which works for a show like this. Hollywood Squares has always had a party feel to it with the celebrities cracking jokes about each other, the host, and the contestants sometimes. However, Hip Hop Squares focuses more on the party aspect because the producers have allowed the celebrities to act more like themselves, as demonstrated in the preview video shown below. The set looks amazing and everybody on the set and the audience look like they are having fun on this show. I’m looking forward to this show and I will be doing a review on this show next week. Stay tuned for the series premiere of Hip Hop Squares on May 22 at 11:00pm EST on MTV2!



Figure It Out Returns in June
The four panelist basking in the slime
Double Dare, Wild & Crazy Kids, and GUTS: What do these game shows have in common?: They are all Nickelodeon game shows that spawned a revival. Next month, Figure It Out will be a part of that list as the 1999 series has been revived. Jeff Stuphen, the host (Family) BrainSurge, will hosting the Figure It Out revival. Stuphen has done a great job of hosting the shows he has done thus far (BrainSurge, 101 Ways To Leave a Game Show), and him hosting Figure It Out will not disappoint.  Nickelodeon has released a preview of Figure It Out which features shots of the new set, some the contestants’ secret talents, and the Nick stars who will act as the panelists on the show. I can’t help but wonder if Figure It Out will air in lieu of BrainSurge this summer. It’s just something to think about. Stay tuned for the return of Figure It Out this June on Nickelodeon!


Double Dare Returns as a Live Show in May
A snapshot of Double Dare in its heyday, filmed at the
Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Speaking of Nickelodeon revivals, Double Dare will be returning as a live stage show in the Nickelodeon Suites Resort in Orlando, Florida. Hotel guests will have a chance to watch and play an all new version Double Dare. It has been over 25 years since the show took Nickelodeon, the nation, and parts of the world by storm and I’m glad that show is making a comeback, even if it is just for a short time. The live shows will be as messy and exciting as the original version, while being meshed with today’s modern technology meshed and today’s pop culture. According to Inside The Magic, eight people will be chosen from the audience to play, (four on the blue team and four on the red team) and Studio Nick will be transformed into the famous super sloppy Double Dare stage. Shown below is a 1992 episode of Family Double Dare to remind you how great the show was and to make you feel nostalgic. The previews for Double Dare in Orlando will begin on May 21. The official show will premiere on May 25 at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort in Orlando, Florida. 




Brad Rutter and U.K. "Chaser" Mark Labbett named "Chasers" for FOX’s version of The Chase  
Soon to be "Chaser", Brad Rutter
Since Million Dollar Money Drop didn’t work so well, FOX is trying their luck with British game shows again with the upcoming U.S. premiere of The Chase. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, The Chase is a fast-paced British trivia game show where a team of four contestants has to build a cash jackpot by answering questions in a 60-second speed round and go head-to-head against a trivia expert. Click here to watch a head-to-head game in motion (Mark Labbett is the Chaser in this episode). Now for those of you who are familiar with the show, Bradley Walsh will be the host for the U.S. version of the series. The Chase has proven to be a hit series as the show is currently in its fifth season in the U.K. The U.S. has already produced two pilots of the show, one with Brad Rutter as a Chaser and the other with Mark Labbett as one as well. Brad Rutter is famously known for winning over $2 million in the Jeopardy’s Million Dollar Masters Tournament Ultimate Tournament of Champions, and  helping his team win $600,000 on Million Dollar Mind Game. Mark “The Beast” Labbett is currently a Chaser on The Chase and is known as one of the biggest quiz brains in the U.K. Needless to say, Rutter and Labbett are perfect candidates for Chasers because of their immense knowledge of general knowledge trivia and their vivacious and witty personalities. I will be very surprised if Ken Jennings is not billed as a Chaser. Click here for a summary of the rules to the U.S. version. They’re pretty much the same as the rules in the U.K. version with the major exception of the inflated dollar values. No news on when The Chase will premiere on FOX, but I will make sure to keep you informed. 

More Game Show News Headlines!

Sources: GSN, MTV, New York Times, Inside The Magic, Nickelodeon, BuzzerBlog, EW.com, The Hollywood Reporter, NineMSN, Fun Box Media

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