The Price is Right. Press Your Luck. Let’s Make a Deal. Double Dare. The $100,000 Pyramid. These were all fantastic shows that I grew up watching, that for some reason have gone by the wayside For some reason though today, well produced game shows are not being created. It seems like every other game show on TV nowadays is a singing competition or a re-hash of an old show with a terrible new host. So what are we to do? Well I’ve got a couple of ideas that might blow your socks off.
First off, what creates a good game show? For the most part, simplicity is the key to any show’s success. For example, think of Press Your Luck: First round is some trivia questions, and the second round is a flashing board with money and whammies on it. Rinse and repeat for round 2 and then you have a winner. Shows that have been around forever are extremely simple too like Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune. These shows are just a night of bar trivia and a game of hangman respectively, yet they have been on for thirty years.
The second part of success is a good host. I can say for certainty that I specifically would watch old re-runs of Let’s Make a Deal specifically so I could see Monty Hall making fun of people who make dumb decisions, or Bob Barker laugh at some college kid’s pathetic attempt at a putt. There’s a reason Wink Martindale hosted about 1,000 game shows, and that Dick Clark was on the air for about 100 years it seemed. They have that “it” factor, something that draws people in and makes them trust the host. They’re entertaining, charismatic and a little sarcastic.
So without further ado, I give you my idea for a new game show that will surely sweep the nation: Eat that thing.
Remember Name that Tune? Yeah, I barely do either, but the goal of that game was to listen to a few musical notes and be able to name the song based on them. Well, in today’s gluttonous society, I’ve taken that idea and applied it to food. The first round of this show would be simple trivia questions in multiple choice form to build up a few dollars. Questions could range from amount of calories in chocolate shake, when was the first drive through opened or any variety of food related questions.
The second round would then be a mini eating contest. 6 donuts. 15 chicken wings. A huge bowl of soup. They gotta eat and eat fast.
One more round of trivia questions and then the grand finale: Where the contestants are told to “Eat that Thing!”
Much like Name that Tune, a contestant will be given a food category, like Italian, Chinese, Bakery foods and the like. They will then bet a dollar amount and say that they can eat that thing in a certain number of bites. For example, the betting can start out simple, with a Taco Bell Soft Taco, and one contestant betting $100 of the money they won in the earlier rounds that they can eat that thing in 4 bites, if the other contestant thinks they can do it in 3, they’ll up the dollar amount and lower the bites. If the first contestant thinks the other can’t do it, they’ll triumphantly announce: EAT THAT THING. Bets will escalate until all money has been bet for an “all in.” (I love the double entendre there)
Where could this go wrong? The corporate sponsorship will be there for sure. What better place to advertise a Sausage McMuffin with Egg than this show? Every major chain in America will want to promote their newest dish on air as contestants shove it in their face. The simplicity is there, the fun is there, all we’re missing is the host.
My choice for host: Alton Brown. He’s smart, has a history on the Food Network and can be the face that this show needs.
Wouldn’t you rather watch this than the next season of American Idol? Or The Voice? Or Singing Bee? Basically wouldn’t you rather watch people eat than sing poorly? I knew you’d see it my way.
Filed under: David, Entertainment
