"CHECK IT OUT!": Game Shows To Watch In The Near Future

For this week’s article, I have decided to spotlight a few game shows that you should check out for the next few weeks, as well as a schedule of game shows coming on this week. Enjoy!

Jeopardy! Power Players Week

All this week, starting on Monday, Jeopardy! will be at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. in honor of show’s third annual Power Players Week. During this week, fifteen celebrity contestants, named some of country’s most influential media personalities, will be playing against each other for charity. Celebrity contestants include Chris Matthews from MSNBC’s Hardball, stand-up comedian Lewis Black, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. These fifteen power players have collectively earned 21 Emmys, eight Peabodys, four Pulitzer Prizes, and a Grammy Award, served under three White House administrations, and earned the record for All-Time Leading Scorer in the NBA. You can go on the show’s page to check out who is competing each of the five games this week. The winner of each game will receive a minimum of $50,000 for the charity of their choice and the runners’ up will each receive $10,000. Here’s an episode from the 2006 edition of Power Players Week featuring Anderson Cooper tearing up his competition, despite him answering the Final Jeopardy! question incorrectly. Click here to check out the episode. Check out the 2012 Jeopardy! Power Players Week all this week from May 14-18. Check your local listings. 

Wheel of Fortune College Week

On April 30, Wheel of Fortune packed up the Wheel and traveled to Portland, Oregon to do what they do best: giving away thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. For the month of May, Wheel is celebrating “going green” by taping their shows in Portland using an all-green set. All natural materials, including water-based paint and reusable greenery, were used to create this special set. This week, Wheel is giving college students a chance to spin their way to big bucks during “College Week” in Portland. Wheel kicked off their Portland theme month with a bang with a $100,000 bonus round winner. Check it out here. Could the same thing happen this week? Check out College Week all this week from May 14-18 to find out. Check your local listings.

Are You Normal America?

OWN Network’s first original game show, Are You Normal America?, is set to premiere on June 4. Hosts Kim Coles and Barry Ponznick will be testing two contestants’ knowledge of what the people consider to be normal behavior through a series of polls. These opinion polls feature questions such as "Have you ever peeked at your boyfriend's emails?" or "Have you ever done your household chores naked?"

Like the survey questions on Card Sharks, these questions will have you wondering if you’re normal or not. Contestants who do particularly well could win up to $100,000 in cash. This promising entertaining new show is produced by Harpo Productions with Zoo Productions. Stay tuned for the special sneak peek preview of Are You Normal America? airing on June 3 at 10:00pm EST, and the official series premiere on June 4 at 9:00pm EST on OWN Network.

Sneak Peek: Are You Normal, America?

From Harpo Studios and the producers of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? comes a lively new game show that will answer an age-old question: Are you normal? Are You Normal, America? premieres June 4 at 9/8c, with a special sneak preview on June 3 at 10/9c.

The 39th Daytime Emmy Awards

Well, it's that time of the year again: time for the Daytime Emmys. The Emmy nominations were announced on Wednesday, May 9. Last year, Ben Bailey won his second Emmy for "Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show". Here are this year's nominees for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show and Outstanding Game Show Host:

Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show

BrainSurge (Nickelodeon)

Cash Cab (Discovery)
Jeopardy! (Syndication)
Let’s Make A Deal (CBS)
Wheel of Fortune (Syndication)
Who Wants to be a Millionaire (Syndication)

Outstanding Game Show Host

Ben Bailey: Cash Cab

Todd Newton: Family Game Night 
Wayne Brady: Let’s Make A Deal
Meredith Vieira: Who Wants to be a Millionaire

It’s no surprise that Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and Cash Cab are nominees for Best Game Show. What shocked me the most is seeing BrainSurge on that list and not Family Feud. After two seasons of great ratings and positive feedback from thousands of viewers due to Steve Harvey taking the helm of the long-running game show, Family Feud or Steve Harvey would have received at least one nomination. I would like to see Todd Newton or Wayne Brady win an Emmy because of Newton’s overall game show hosting experience and Brady’s entertaining, humorous, and improvisational hosting style on Let’s Make A Deal. We’ll see what happens at the 39th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. The awards ceremony will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA on June 23. 

Schedule of Game Shows to Watch This Week:

Monday, May 14, 2012

7:00pm: NEW! The Substitute (MTV)

7:30pm: The Substitute (MTV)
10:30pm: NEW! Money From Strangers (MTV)
11:30pm: NEW! Money From Strangers (MTV)


Tuesday, May 15, 2012
1:30am: Money From Strangers (MTV)
2:00am: Money From Strangers (MTV)
10:30am: Money From Strangers (MTV)
1:00pm: Total Blackout (SyFy)
1:30pm: Total Blackout (SyFy)
7:00pm: NEW! The Substitute (MTV)
7:30pm: The Substitute (MTV)
10:00pm: Repo Games (Spike TV)

10:30pm: Repo Games (Spike TV)
11:00pm: Repo Games (Spike TV)
11:30pm: NEW! Repo Games (Spike TV)


Wednesday, May 16, 2012
12:00am: Repo Games (Spike TV)
12:30am: Repo Games (Spike TV)
7:00pm: NEW! The Substitute (MTV)
7:30pm: The Substitute (MTV)
10:00pm: NEW! Total Blackout (SyFy)
10:30pm: Total Blackout (SyFy)


Thursday, May 17, 2012
12:00am: Total Blackout (SyFy)
12:30am: Total Blackout (SyFy)
7:00pm: NEW! The Substitute (MTV)
7:30pm: The Substitute (MTV)
11:00pm: Funny or Die's Billy On The Street (Fuse)


Friday, May 18, 2012
7:00pm: NEW! The Substitute (MTV)
7:30pm: The Substitute (MTV)


Saturday, May 19, 2012
12:00am: Total Blackout (SyFy)
12:30am: Total Blackout (SyFy)
1:00am: Total Blackout (SyFy)
1:30am: Total Blackout (SyFy)


Sunday, May 20, 2012
10:00am: Total Blackout (SyFy)
  

Currently in Syndication (Check Your Local Listings)

Family Feud

Wheel of Fortune

Jeopardy!

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

Currently on CBS (Check Your Local Listings)

Let’s Make A Deal

The Price Is Right