65 Love Affair
Well, we did it...another 65 episodes done. The second season of "Whammy!" is all taped and what a season it's been. Tuesday was our final day of taping. The day got off to an interesting start. I got to host the rehearsal and in doing so re-defined the term "winging it." Without cue cards to aid me, I gave Bob Newhart a run for his money with all the stammering that I did. Nevertheless, it was a hell of a lot of fun. It gave me a better appreciation for the work Todd does and really any other game show host does. It also showed me why I shouldn't quit my day job. :-)
The shows we taped on our last day were phenomenal. The last five shows we taped were our special tournament week of shows. The first of the tournament shows was a special "Losers" edition of Whammy featuring three of our most memorable losers, one of which (depending on whom you ask) is one of the most well-loved or much-hated contestants from our first season. The last four shows of tournament week were our tournament of champions shows. We brought back nine of our most memorable big winners. They played three at a time in the three semi-finals shows and the winners of the semi-finals played in the finals match on Friday. The winner of the Friday show got to take home a brand new car in addition to the winnings they gathered along the way. The finals show also features a board that should please many classic "Press Your Luck" fans. You'll all see what I mean when the show airs at the end fo the season. It was a really great way to end a great season. What I loved about the tournament shows is that we had some of the best players from the two seasons. Also there was a great vibe amongst the contestants, especially the champs. Everybody seemed to be rooting for each other. Finally, we had some great games, especially the "losers" show. I literally jumped out of my seat at the production table many a time on Tuesday. The games were THAT good. In looking back at this second season, I can truly say that it blows away the first season. This is a testament to the hard work of the producers, the staff, the crew, the execs, and of course Todd and Gary. This past month and a half taping Whammy has been quite a happy experience and defintely one I'll never forget. I'm just sad that it went by so quickly...
In addition to the fact that it was the end of the season, there was a bittersweetness to Tuesday's taping because of some terrible news that we received that morning. We received word that Bill Carruthers, the executive producer and creator of "Press Your Luck," had passed away over the weekend. In thinking about Tuesday's taping and how great the games were that day, I can't help but wonder if we were paid a visit by the spirt of Bill Carruthers that day. Thanks Bill, wherever you are, for making one hell of a game show...And to answer a question that I saw on one of the boards, from the rough cut that I saw, Bill Carruthers did an interview for the "Big Bucks" documentary that's airing on Game Show Network in a couple of weeks.
So with "Whammy's" second season done, where does that leave me? Back in the world of development trying to come up with hopefully the next big idea. In just 11 days, all of you will see the new season of "Whammy." I hope that all of you will enjoy watching the shows as much as I did in helping to make them.
Oh, one last thing...A few of you who read the site and frequent the game show boards dropped by many of our tapings this season. A big, big thanks to you guys and for the kind words you've been posting on the message boards. Being a die-hard game show fan myself, it means a LOT to hear compliments from my fellow game show fans!
Well, we did it...another 65 episodes done. The second season of "Whammy!" is all taped and what a season it's been. Tuesday was our final day of taping. The day got off to an interesting start. I got to host the rehearsal and in doing so re-defined the term "winging it." Without cue cards to aid me, I gave Bob Newhart a run for his money with all the stammering that I did. Nevertheless, it was a hell of a lot of fun. It gave me a better appreciation for the work Todd does and really any other game show host does. It also showed me why I shouldn't quit my day job. :-)
The shows we taped on our last day were phenomenal. The last five shows we taped were our special tournament week of shows. The first of the tournament shows was a special "Losers" edition of Whammy featuring three of our most memorable losers, one of which (depending on whom you ask) is one of the most well-loved or much-hated contestants from our first season. The last four shows of tournament week were our tournament of champions shows. We brought back nine of our most memorable big winners. They played three at a time in the three semi-finals shows and the winners of the semi-finals played in the finals match on Friday. The winner of the Friday show got to take home a brand new car in addition to the winnings they gathered along the way. The finals show also features a board that should please many classic "Press Your Luck" fans. You'll all see what I mean when the show airs at the end fo the season. It was a really great way to end a great season. What I loved about the tournament shows is that we had some of the best players from the two seasons. Also there was a great vibe amongst the contestants, especially the champs. Everybody seemed to be rooting for each other. Finally, we had some great games, especially the "losers" show. I literally jumped out of my seat at the production table many a time on Tuesday. The games were THAT good. In looking back at this second season, I can truly say that it blows away the first season. This is a testament to the hard work of the producers, the staff, the crew, the execs, and of course Todd and Gary. This past month and a half taping Whammy has been quite a happy experience and defintely one I'll never forget. I'm just sad that it went by so quickly...
In addition to the fact that it was the end of the season, there was a bittersweetness to Tuesday's taping because of some terrible news that we received that morning. We received word that Bill Carruthers, the executive producer and creator of "Press Your Luck," had passed away over the weekend. In thinking about Tuesday's taping and how great the games were that day, I can't help but wonder if we were paid a visit by the spirt of Bill Carruthers that day. Thanks Bill, wherever you are, for making one hell of a game show...And to answer a question that I saw on one of the boards, from the rough cut that I saw, Bill Carruthers did an interview for the "Big Bucks" documentary that's airing on Game Show Network in a couple of weeks.
So with "Whammy's" second season done, where does that leave me? Back in the world of development trying to come up with hopefully the next big idea. In just 11 days, all of you will see the new season of "Whammy." I hope that all of you will enjoy watching the shows as much as I did in helping to make them.
Oh, one last thing...A few of you who read the site and frequent the game show boards dropped by many of our tapings this season. A big, big thanks to you guys and for the kind words you've been posting on the message boards. Being a die-hard game show fan myself, it means a LOT to hear compliments from my fellow game show fans!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home