The Scuttlebutt On GSN Part Cinq: Dates Set for “Mind Of A Man”, Marathon Tribute To Marcia Wallace and “The Chase”

Besides the premiere of Trust Me, I’m A Game Show Host and a fairly recent record-breaking performance on The Price Is Right, the American game show news wire has been rather dry in the past couple of weeks until recently with the death of well-known game show panelist Marcia Wallace and GSN setting a premiere date for a new original game show. Additionally, the network’s breakout hit series, The Chase, will be returning to GSN in nearly exactly one week from today. As well all of my “Scuttlebutt On GSN” articles, I will be only spotlighting the newest updates from the aforementioned network.

Special Marcia Wallace Tribute Marathon To Air Friday

If you were to ask an avid game show fan to list ten iconic celebrity panelists during the 70s and 80s, Marcia Wallace is certain to appear on a few of those lists. Wallace passed away last Friday at 9:00pm at the age of 70 due to complications related to breast cancer. She began her television career as a frequent guest on The Merv Griffin Show during the early 70s. Later in her career, the comedienne was best known for her starring role on The Bob Newhart Show and as the voice of Edna Krabappel, Bart Simpson’s fourth grade teacher. She will certainly be missed among game show viewers who enjoyed her competitive spirit on various versions of Pyramid and Password and her endearing, quick-witted, genuine personality on Match Game. This Friday, GSN will be dedicating its early morning schedule by airing game shows featuring some of Marcia Wallace’s funniest moments on television. The 8am-12pm marathon consists of four episodes of Match Game, two episodes of Password Plus and two episodes of The $100,000 Pyramid.

For those of you who are not familiar with how good of a game player Marcia Wallace is, check her out in action on a 1986 episode of Super Password as she helps a contestant win $50,000, the series' second-biggest bonus round win (bonus round segment begins at 3:35).

Mind of A Man To Premiere Early 2014

The network has finally set a date for its newest original game show, Mind Of A Man. Yesterday, GSN announced that the show will debut on January 8, 2014 at 8:00pm EST. Consider this your “Save The Date”. The show, hosted by actor and comedian DeRay Davis, has two female contestants attempt to pick the brains of men and to figure out what the opposite sex really think about numerous subject matters including dating, marriage and working. Each questions has been previously answered by a survey of 100 men and the contestants will be offered help by a star-studded panel comprised of funny male and female celebrities who will voice their opinions about what men are really thinking. The contestant who fares the best in three rounds will win a grand prize. This show is produced by Never Nominated Productions with Mark Cronin, from 51 Minds Entertainment, as the executive producer.

I think GSN might have another winning series in the making with this upcoming show. I can see Mind Of A Man fitting well on the network to add a comedic dynamic to the schedule of original programming. The last two comedy-driven shows GSN aired were Late Night Liars, where your financial fate lied in the felt hands of puppets, and (yes, I’m counting) the Drew Carey’s Improv-a-Ganza -- and, we saw what happened to both series after their first seasons. I have a little more confidence in this show.

The Chase Returns For Second Season November 5

Speaking of more confidence, Mark “The Beast” Labbett returns to American television for round two against everyday civilians who believe they have the boldness, bravery and brains to dethrone Labbett. The Chase will be back for a second season beginning next week on Tuesday, November 5 at 8:00pm EST. Not much has changed between seasons; Brooke Burns will still be at the helm and “The Beast” is still going to bring his A-game. The only alterations made were slight aesthetic changes to the set and graphics and the team will now have the option to choose one of two “A or B” question packs before the Final Chase round begins, as seen on the current series of the ITV version. Judging from the episode I previewed, courtesy of GSN, the contestants and games will be just as competitive and fierce as they were last season and will not disappoint. Last season, we saw contestants on The Chase shatter GSN winnings records including “Highest Amount Won By A Single Player” and “Highest Amount Won By A Team”. Who knows what may happen this season. We will find out next week.

Source: GSN Blog