Set Design- 9
Gameplay- 10
Show Flow- 5
Potential Viewer Ratings- 9
Play-Along Factor- 10
Host- 9
Overall Rating- 8.5
The contestant in control of the Money Chair will earn $10
per second and will continue earning money until they lose a bout. The four
highest-scoring winners will be assigned to the Winner’s Row, where they will
have to temporarily reside in living quarters beside the Hourglass structure in
Manhattan until the million-second clock hits zero. The last bout of each show
will pit a Winner’s Row contestant against the Money Chair contestant. The designated "Power Player" of the night will decide to either play or force a Winner's Row contestant to compete in the final aired bout. The winner
of the special bout will take control of the Money Chair and will add their
opponent’s winnings to their bank.
The four contestants in Winner’s Row and the current Money
Chair contestant remaining when the million-second timer runs out will compete
in a series of final, knockout bouts. The last contestant standing will win an
additional $2 million prize.
And now, for the review…
Live broadcasting is a lost art when it comes to American
game shows. The last live game show to air in the U.S. was Paranoia on FOX Family (now ABC Family) in 2000. Given that it has
been over a decade since any game show has made the attempt to air live, The Million Second Quiz did a respectable
job of doing so last evening. The live broadcast ran smoothly with a few premature
directing calls during the breaks and the gameplay lived up to its promoted
name as being fast-paced and intense.
A five-minute trivia speed round plus a pinch of strategy
and smart and competitive contestants equals nail-biting excitement and great
gameplay. Watching the bouts will keep you on edge for the entire 300
seconds, providing there are no pauses for commercial breaks. This show
resembles The Bank Job and The Million Pound Drop by its wide
selection of general knowledge questions including information about recent
current events and an interactive play-along internet game where you could win yourself onto the program through playing the app.
One in-game element that really took me by surprise was the
use of strategy on this show and Winner’s Defense end game. The addition of the
Doubler and Double Back options adds more depth to the game itself, especially
when it comes down to the last few seconds of a bout and when contestants use
it like a Hail Mary Pass to win the game. The Winner’s Defense bout was another
surprising element. Already, we have seen a contestant essentially double their
winnings by a little over $70,000 by stealing their opponent’s bankroll upon
winning the bout. Similar to the Terminator round on Greed, it’s going to be interesting to see the rising cash at stake
and at risk in future Winner’s Defense bouts and what future designated Power
Players will decide to do.
The $10/second payout rate works for a show like this
because it exemplifies why endurance is key in this show, beside the players in
Winner’s Row having to essentially live beside the hourglass until the final
show. While we may not see any staggering, million-dollar payouts anytime soon, there have
been a few contestants who have won impressive five and six-figure amounts for
primetime television.
Ryan Seacrest is the optimal choice as host of The Million Second Quiz with his
experience as a game show host and hosting live television programming such as American Idol and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking Eve. His enthusiasm, social and
amiable presence when speaking to the contestants, making appropriate, relevant
comments while the contestants are locking in their answers during bouts and
asking the questions in an undistracted and hasty fashion makes the
show more enjoyable and exciting to watch. Seacrest’s minute-long interviews
with the contestants reminded me of how Bill Cullen and Dick Clark would
conduct their contestant interviews to make them feel less nervous and more
comfortable before proceeding with the game.
I’ve given you the pros. Now, it’s time for cons and the problems I have with this show.
Better Explanation of
Rules: If you have played The Million Second Quiz online game regularly and have watched the intro briefly explaining the game’s rules, you will already have a
general idea of how each bout is played. Being the series premiere, the
producers need to have Seacrest explain the rules for the live broadcast bouts. There was no clarification on the time limit,
point structure or on the unlimited use of Doublers and Double Backs: two key
factors that are critical to the game in which the home viewers need to be
aware of firsthand at the top of the show. This is the same issue that Who’s Still Standing had which was
partly responsible for making the show unbearable to watch. I understand that,
as the viewers, we are tuning into the show while the non-stop clock is
running; however, a special exception should be made to fully explain the bout
rules, considering it’s the show’s series premiere in primetime. I hope the
producers make the adjustments to remedy this issue later this week, but we
will see what happens.
Too Many Gaps Between
and During Games: Each bout lasts for roughly 300 seconds, or five minutes.
As an hour-long game show that promises ‘non-stop’ trivia, one would expect at
least five to seven bouts played per show, taking account for commercial
breaks, behind-the-scenes clips and contestant change-outs. On the first
episode, only three bouts were played – meaning, out of the 60 minutes of
airtime, only 15 minutes were devoted to gameplay. It doesn’t make any sense
how only three games were played for the entire show. While the lengthy pauses
in between and during bouts are swing in the Money Chair contestant’s favor by
earning more money, it is disadvantageous to the viewers who are looking from
the outside in who are waiting for a bout to start. Also, the extra clips
featuring the Line Jumper ambushes should be shortened or removed altogether
and the commercial breaks need to be placed in better spots. There were two unnecessary
commercials breaks that aired during the third bout, which could have been
replaced with another bout.
Fake Suspense: On
the final question of the night after Brandon locked in his answer, the show
attempted to build pointless suspense by removing two incorrect answers,
leaving only the correct and incorrect answers. If this method had been used
throughout the show, then I would be more open-minded to the idea. Otherwise,
it’s not need. The game itself is suspenseful enough without making corny and
futile attempts to add useless, dramatic elements.
Interactive Glitches: During the week and a half-long
season, viewers will be able to play along with the show via smartphone and
watch the 24/7 live coverage of inside the hourglass at anytime on the show’s
website. On The Million Second Quiz’s
first day and first airing, there were technical difficulties with the live
feed as viewers were not able to readily tune in to see bouts in progress and
problems with the smartphone app once the update was applied as users could not
open the app without it sending an error message and closing constantly. As
seen on Channel 4’s The Million Pound
Drop, the interactive play-along feature also needs to be enabled online
for non-smartphone users and people who may not want to download the app. These issues definitely need to be
fixed quickly to enhance the audience’s viewing experience, especially in the
relatively short period of time that this show is on the air.
Watch new episodes of The Million Second Quiz for next two weeks live weeknights at 8:00pm EST on NBC!
**All screenshots have been taken from the actual episodes of The Million Second Quiz. No ownership is implied.**
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