ITV Greenlights "Babushka" With Host Rylan Clark-Neal

Last week, the UK network announced its 20-episode order of the Armoza Formats game show Babuska. STV Productions will produce the show alongside Armoza. The big money primetime game show has contestants face ten giant Russian babushka dolls and eight must be opened for a chance to win up to £44,000. The contestant continues to win money as long as they keep opening dolls with cash inside. However, if they open an empty doll, they lose all of the winnings they had accumulated to that point. This week, Rylan Clark-Neal has been named the host the upcoming game show. Clark-Neal was the former host of The Xtra Factor prior to its cancellation and is currently a host on Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit On The Side and This Morning. Babushka is scheduled to air later this year.

“The $100,000 Pyramid” To Hold Open Casting Calls + Quick Q&A with Casting Director Melissa Miron Stewart

Starting in a couple of weeks, ABC’s The $100,000 Pyramid kicks off its first-ever open casting call for the new season. Beginning February 7, Pyramid will be holding open contestant auditions in three cities including New York City, Chicago and Atlanta. Check out the flyer posted below and castingpyramid.com for more information. I had a chance to get in contact with a member of the casting crew for the series and ask a few questions pertaining to what it takes to become a contestant on The $100,000 Pyramid. Take a look at my brief interview with casting director Melissa Miron Stewart below.

NBC Orders “5 Gold Rings” Pilot Based On ITV Format

This morning, the network has announced its decision to greenlight a pilot episode of 5 Gold Rings based on the UK format developed by Possessed (part of ITV Studios) and Talpa. The US adaptation will be produced by ITV Entertainment. The game is played on an interactive LED floor and teams must answer questions against the clock while placing the five gold rings within the proximity of the correct answer. As the game progresses, the questions get tougher and the rings get smaller. Each incorrect answer costs a team a ring and the team with the most rings after five rounds wins the game. The show is also developing a play-along app for home viewers. 

New “Millionaire Hot Seat Super Game” Format To Debut January 23

In an effort to recapture its ratings dominance from Seven Network’s The Chase, Millionaire Hot Seat is set to expand its format from a half-hour to an hourlong series. The new format will also bring about new changes to the Nine Network show. "The original Who Wants To Be A Millionaire went for eight years, then we came back with this show eight years ago, so it's the right time to give it a bit of a shake-up", says host Eddie McGuire. Listed below are the changes coming to the recently revised game show.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #100

This was quite the busy news week in the world of game shows. Earlier this week, we had learned that Jamie Foxx will be the host of a “Name That Tune”-style game show called Beat Shazaam, Andy Cohen will be the host of FOX’s Love Connection revival and Starcade is making a comeback. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. This week's update article will take a look at more of the latest US and international game show news from the past week in 200 characters or less.

“Starcade” & “Love Connection” Revivals In The Works

It sort of feels like the 1980s again with pending return of the first-ever arcade game show Starcade and the once-popular syndicated relationship game show Love Connection. Earlier this week, Shout! Factory announced its acquisition to to the worldwide television and ancillary rights to Starcade from JM Productions and show creators James Caruso and Mavis E. Arthur, and FOX has ordered a season of its incarnation of Love Connection with Andy Cohen as the new host.

"The Wall" Review

Set Design- 9

Gameplay- 5

Show Flow- 7

Potential Viewer Ratings- 8

Play-Along Factor- 7

Host- 10

Overall Rating- 7.6

Best of 2016: Top 10 Game Show Moments Countdown

Happy 2017, everyone! Today’s article will take one final look at the game show world in 2016 with TBIR’s annual Best of The Year Top 10 Countdown. The yearly list will highlight the most memorable, enriching, unpredictable and incredible moments from the last 366 days (not counting today and yesterday), including the moments the readers have selected in a special poll throughout the month of December to be placed in the #10 through #5 ranking by majority votes. This was yet another year where it was difficult to compile the list considering it would mean that some great moments would be left out. At any rate, check out the countdown and enjoy the new year!

Quick Game Show Reminders For January 2017

There are quite a lot of game shows coming down the pike at the top of 2017 including season premieres, series debuts and continuing primetime shows. Listed below are a few game shows to set your DVRs for the next few weeks. All times below are in Eastern Standard Time.

Series Premieres
– The Wall: January 2-3 at 10:00pm & 8:00pm on NBC
– Big Fan: January 9 at 10:00pm & 10:30pm on ABC
– Caraoke Showdown: January 12 at 10:30pm on Spike
Divided: January 19 at 9:00pm & 9:30pm on GSN

Season Premieres
– To Tell The Truth (Season 2): January 1 at 9:00pm on ABC
– Match Game (Season 2): January 4 at 10:00pm on ABC
– Idiotest (Season 4): January 19 at 10:00pm & 10:30pm on GSN

Seasons Currently Airing
– Billy On The Street (Season 5 Continued): January 3 at 10:30pm on TruTV
– Winsanity (Season 1 Continued): January 4 at 1:00am & 1:30am on GSN
– That Awkward Game Show (Season 1 Continued): January 12 at 11:00pm on Spike

December 2016 Game Show Highlights

Rather than attempting to cram all of the late-arriving December moments into my annual quasi-reader-selected top 10 countdown list, today’s article is dedicated to listing the top December highlights (as well as some honorable mentions) that will not be featured in the aforementioned end-of-the-year list. Some of the top December moments include yesterday’s incredibly quick $100,000 win on The Price Is Right, Channel 4’s Deal or No Deal crowning its ninth £250,000 winner, Timothy Howe winning the first (and more than likely last) season of GSN’s Window Warriors and the latest Countdown champion.

Game Show 2016 Holiday Watch List

Happy holidays, game show fans! This week will be another busy one in the wide world of game shows, especially with all of the Christmas specials coming down the pike. US viewers should stay tuned for GSN’s Window Warriors first season finale, the sneak preview episode of NBC’s The Wall, Let’s Make A Deal and The Price Is Right’s Christmas specials and BUZZR’s special slate of shows to air during the network’s A Betty White Christmas promotional marathon. In the UK, make sure to stay tuned for ITV’s Blankety Blank Christmas special and Channel 4’s Deal or No Deal wrapping up this month.

Vote For Your Favorite Game Show Moments of 2016!

On the last day of this rather interesting year, The Blog Is Right will be once more counting down the top ten most memorable game show moments of 2016. Starting today, you can vote on which of the following moments below you believe are deserving of a place in the annual list. On December 31 at noon EST, the polling will close and the five moments that have received the most votes will be ranked #10 through #5 (since I’ve already determined the top half of the list). There are a lot of enriching, unforgettable moments to peruse through, including this week's latest Double Showcase winner on The Price Is Right, so get to it! If there are any moments you believed I’ve have erroneously left out, please let me know in the comments section and I’ll consider adding it. Click here to vote and check out each moment below.

“Celebrity Name Game” To Be Cancelled After Three Seasons

According to Deadline Hollywood, the Courteney Cox/David Arquette-executive produced game show will not be renewed once this season concludes. Jennifer Mullin, Co-CEO of FremantleMedia North America, states: “We’ve had a wonderful time producing Celebrity Name Game and we are exceptionally proud of its three seasons in syndication. While we are not renewing in syndication at this time, it is a format we believe in. We are thankful to our loyal audience, our celebrity guests, the incredibly talented Craig Ferguson, our partners at Debmar–Mercury and Coquette, and our crew — whose passion for this series has been unparalleled.” 

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #99

This week's update article will take a look at the some of the latest US and international game show news from the past week in 200 characters or less. Highlights include a monumental win on Millionaire last week, a new game show debuting on NBC Sports Network, pending premieres of two of ABC’s hit summer game shows, The Wall receiving an early preview date and some of the latest game show ratings.

STAY TUNED: “Canada’s Smartest Person” and “Billy On The Street” Returns & GSN’s “Window Warriors” Debuts

This week is going to be quite a busy one for game shows. In addition to Let’s Make A Deal’s Super Deal Week, Millionaire’s Whiz Kids Week and the continuation of Jeopardy’s Teen Tournament, viewers will also be treated to season premieres of returning series and a new competitive reality show set to debut on GSN. CBC’s Canada’s Smartest Person, hosted by Jessi Cruickshank, returns for its third season beginning tonight at 8:00pm ET / 8:30pm NT. In its search to find the country’s smartest and shrewdest contestant this year, the show is also giving home viewers more opportunities to play along with two new interactive features: CSP SmartPlay and  CSP Live. On Tuesday, November 15, GSN’s retail window design competition series Window Warriors premieres at 9:00pm ET with host Garcelle Beauvais and TruTV’s zany man-on-the-street game show Billy On The Street starts its fifth season at 10:30pm ET. Mark your calendars and take a look at the promos for all three shows in the videos below. 

Super Deal Week Returns To “Let’s Make A Deal” November 14

Starting next Monday on CBS Daytime, the show’s infrequently recurring Super Deal Week returns for five episodes. On each show, each contestant who wins the Big Deal of The Day has a chance to risk it all to pick either the ruby, emerald or sapphire envelope which contains $1,000; $2,000 or $50,000. If the $50,000 envelope is selected, the contestant wins the cash plus the Big Deal prizes; otherwise, they just receive the cash. Since the Super Deal returned in 2012, at least four contestants have won the $50,000+ Super Deal, including this lucky winner. Stay tuned next week to see if anyone will have the gust to go all the way and win over $70,000 in cash and prizes.

“Jeopardy” 2016 Teen Tournament Begins November 9

After taking a two-year hiatus, the show’s Teen Tournament returns this week with fifteen whiz kids competing for a chance to win $100,000. The two-week event will be held in Washington D.C. at DAR Constitution Hall, making it the second time in four years the show has held the tourney at the historic venue. The 2014 tournament was quite memorable when Alan Koolik and Jeff Xie tied with $54,200 each at the end of the of the second day of the finals and the game was decided by a tense, tie-breaking clue. Xie buzzed in with the correct response and won the $75,000 top prize. The winner of this year’s tournament receives $100,000; second place earns $50,000; third place takes home $25,000; and the semifinalists and quarterfinalists will respectively leave with $10,000 and $5,000. One of these fifteen contenders listed below will emerge victorious and $100,000 richer on November 22. 

BUZZR To Air “Salute To Politics” Marathon November 6 and 8

As we are approaching the end of a seemingly long and exhausting presidential election year, BUZZR will be airing a special “Salute To Politics” marathon featuring game shows with politically-themed rounds and questions. The marathon, which airs Sunday, November 6 starting at noon ET and Election Day Tuesday starting at 10:00am ET, includes episodes of Match Game, Family Feud, Press Your Luck, To Tell The Truth, What’s My Line?, I’ve Got A Secret and Super Password. One of the more interesting episodes you will want to tune into is a 1962 episode of To Tell The Truth in which the clever and inquisitive panelists attempt to guess which of the three challengers were the real Gerald Behn, special agent in charge of guarding Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. 

VIDEO REPLAY: Christen Freeman Sets New TPIR Daytime Records With $210,000 “Cliff Hangers” Win

All this week, The Price Is Right has given contestants a chance to win massive cash prizes throughout each episode. This year’s "Big Money" games were “Hot Seat” for $100,000; “Hole In One” for $100,000; “Plinko” for $1 million and “1/2 Off” for $100,000. Some of the other temporary Big Money Week changes included a perfect bid worth $5,000 (normally $500), winning $45,000 for landing on 45¢ in a bonus spin during the Showcase Showdown and earning a $10,000 bonus if “Race Game” was won in 30 seconds or less. After it seemed like the lone highlight of the week was Raymond Keefe’s $101,000 win in “1/2 Off” on Monday’s show, Christen Freeman rose to the occasion and capped off the special week by winning an impressively staggering $210,000 playing “Cliff Hangers” – the final pricing game of the day whose top prize was worth $250,000. After waiting all show to win her way on stage, Freeman soon became The Price Is Right's biggest pricing game and overall winner in the history of the CBS daytime version. Freeman won a grand total of $213,876, including a $1,000 bonus from the second Showcase Showdown.

News In A Flash!: Quick Game Show Updates #98

This week's update article will take a look at the some of the latest US and international game show news from the past week in 200 characters or less. Highlights include SNL's latest sketch lampooning Jeopardy!, QI returning for its "N" series with a new host, Wheel of Fortune returning to GSN, Idiotest airing a new episode this week and some of the latest game show ratings.