500 Questions (The TV game show)

May 22nd, 2015 at 12:23:47 PM permalink
Ayecarumba
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 89
Posts: 1744
I watched this for a bit last night. It's sort of a cross between "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?", "Jeopardy", and "Wheel of Fortune".

Contestants select from ten differnt categories containing five questions each. The goal is to build a prize pool by answering each question correctly with your first response. They typically get ten seconds to say a correct answer. Like the final puzzle in WoF, guessing an incorrect answer carries no penalty in this portion of the game. However, the prize pool only goes up if your first response is correct.

There is a competitior who must wait for the contestant to get miss two responsese in a row, or be activated to compete when the contestant opens a "battle" spot (in which the two compete by taking turns providing correct, non-repeating responses to a question with a list of possible answers, (e.g., Name the secondary titles to the first six Star Trek movies)). If the contestant misses three questions in a row, or loses a "battle", they are eliminated, and lose any non-guaranteed prize money. The competitor then starts a new game with a new competitor.

A correct response to a question erases any previous strikes.

If the contestant lasts through all 50 questions, they bank the accrued money from their correct first responses, and eliminate the competitor. 10 new categories and a new competitor are then introduced, starting the process again.

My impression is that some of the questions are extremely difficult, while others are extremely easy. They are mixed, and do not get more difficult, ala Jeopardy. Some questions actually required knowlege of facts that were only tangentially related to the category. Allowing the players to spout as many guesses as they can in 10 seconds must make it very difficult for the judges, especially when some of the questrions require three correct responses in 15 seconds.

The host seems to have been coached to play up the "strategy" aspect of the game by asking players about "why" they are choosing a particular category. Unfortunately for him, the responses are typically, "because I think I can answer it".

In my opinion, the patter between questions is too long, the game should only accept first responses more of the time, and not allow contestants to just spout guesses all the time.

Watch it once while you can, I don't think it will be around for long.
May 22nd, 2015 at 12:40:12 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
One of the funniest game show episodes of all time. John Wayne actually hired him to star in movies after this segment.


May 22nd, 2015 at 1:03:40 PM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
Posts: 18633
I was going to start a post about this game. I like the format of the game okay. Not my favorite host choice, but okay.

It's a two week event, I think, so I assume someone will get all 500 questions and win by the end.

I know I missed some of the show. A lot of the questions I heard would be informational, which would put most of them under trivia I suppose.
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