I've found myself both repulsed and fascinated with this show(both versions). Repusled in that it professes to be a game show of knowledge and skill,yet seems to be as much or more about nominally average(sometimes below average)contestants' guile,duplicity and arrogance. Added to that is the fact that though either Anne Robinson(the original host)or George Gray(the American host,who would be applied to this particular version)are very keen on reminding how dim and inept the assorted group of contestii(a Ken Ober term. Anyone remember "Remote Control"!?)are at banking the maximum amount of money that each round of answers collects,whereas one could argue that between the complicitly choice assortment of individuals that are assembled on the show and the fact that is actually QUITE difficult to reach maximum banking on a given round,so as the show is mostly more about setting up each individual to FAIL rather than succeed. Perhaps I'm just not a great fan of irony in unscripted television(in this case,game shows)but I feel like shows that profess or portend an element of "honest" competition,while fostering the what is essentially the opposite,AREN'T great examples of good television.
Having said all of that,and having watched a fair number of shows now in re-runs on GSN,I can honestly say that it IS,flaws and all,an intriguing show,albeit for probably many of the wrong reasons just stated. I suppose that if one can be better resigned to this as sort of a distaff Q-and-A show,or an "Anti-Quiz Show" as per my SL,then one can sit back and watch,play along and even feel a sense of superiority(or,contrarily,embarrassment)to those hearty but often dense souls who stand behind that luminescent lit semi-circle of podiums. A better show than equally suited for dim,attention-ed-deficit-ed participants such as "Dog eat Dog","Greed" or "Fear Factor",it is something that I cannot claim a great affinity for--call me old-fashioned,but to me quiz/game shows SHOULDN'T have a side-agenda of humiliating those who so bravely partake in them--but I probably wouldn't turn away from. Since,in this area,it runs against,among other shows,"Dr.Phil" and "Oprah",shows that have almost NO business being run in daytime,this show will suffice.
