hilltopics
Friday, April 21, 2000
culture society entertainment health
8A
Quiz show mania
University of Kansas is home to fans of new, old game shows
By Katrina Hull
Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
"M elissa Davis, come on down. You're the next contestant on The Price Is Right."
Davis, Wichita junior, heard those words resonate through a Hollywood studio this summer in an experience she describes as surreal.
Her bid — closest to the actual dollar "without going over" — on a painting moved her out of contestant row and on to the stage with Bob Barker. Davis spun her way into the Showcase Showdown but didn't outbid her opponent to win the game
She said her mistake was not planting a kiss on Barker's cheek.
"I know that's why I lost," Davis said. "You have to give him a kiss or youinx yourself."
But, classic game shows themselves may be jinked with a the resurgence of big-money game shows that started with ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire this summer.
Move over Barker, there's a new man in town. Regis (Is that your final answer?) Philbin is attracting 26 to 32 million viewers per show, more than doubling viewership for game show classics like The Price is Right, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, said Steve Beverly, Webmaster for the National Game Show Convention Center.
"The United States had gone 10 years without a new, successful game show," Beverly said. "The timing was right. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire hooked people and hooked people in all demographics."
An arena-like setting and musical score add to the drama that draws new game show fans, including fans at the University of Kansas.
Beverly said Philbin deserved part of the credit and
served his place with Bob Barker in the Top 5 game
show hosts of all time.
"It's the technique and ability above everything else to make the contestant the star of the show." Beverly said. "Barker will come up with a way to make contestants funny."
Davis said that was true. When Barker saw her Kansas Rowing shirt, he asked her where people rowed in Kansas.
More than Philbin though, Millionaire is tapping into popular culture with its questions and by waving a $1 million prize.
Long-time Jeopardy fan Charlie Hirsch, Los Angeles sophomore, admits falling under the Millionaire craze partly because of the dollars.
"What's the point if you're not going to win any money," Hirsch said.
Although Hirsch enjoys Millionaire, he said it was still not Jeopardy.
"They do a good job of building up the tension," Hirsch said. "But the questions are not particularly challenging. It's not like Jeopardy where you need to be smart and well rounded."
However, for Anne Daugherty, Western Civilization adjunct lecturer, Millionaire's questions are part of the attraction — especially the questions asked to get into the hot seat.
Proceeding to the hot seat requires that a contestant place a list of items in order quickly.
"Less than 10 percent of women make it into the hot seat," Daugherty said. "I'm fascinated with the gender inequity. Brain research indicates that it's more difficult for women to put things in order quickly."
Once in the hot seat, Daugherty said the questions are not gender biased, but the process of making it there favors men. Nevertheless, she calls the show's hotline every day attempting to earn a spot on Millionaire.
More disturbing for Daugherty, however, was a Millionaire spin-off.
Taking game shows another step farther, on May 31 CBS will debut Survivor, a show that places 16 castaways on a
"I was absolutely and totally appalled by Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire," Daugherty said. "People hate Miss America, but that was the ultimate cattle show for women."
deserted tropical island. At the end of each week, the contestants vote one person off of the island. The last one left wins $1 million.
But Beverly said that crossing MTV's Real World with millionaire might result in the Gong Show gone wrong. Instead of people humiliating themselves for a few minutes as on the Gong Show, the humiliation will be spread over weeks.
"For people to watch, this is going to have to get ultimately compelling," he said.
On the other hand, the attraction to Millionaire is its simplicity.
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire draws on a concept of drama and captures the excitement of a sporting event," Beverly said.
Millionaire's success had left the other networks scrambling to compete, which could be problematic. The popularity of big-money game shows in the 1950s ended in scandal when the public found out some of the shows had been fixed.
Although Beverly said most shows had safeguards to prevent rigging the show, that didn't mean the new breed of big money game shows were scandal-proof.
The federal law written in 1962 prohibiting game show fraud only calls for a $5,000 fine and possible jail time. If a producer wanted to rig a show, $5,000 probably wouldn't stop them, Beverly said.
But if big-money game shows fall by the wayside, classic game-show lovers still will be waiting in line to kiss Barker.
Meridith Ashley, a Prairie Village sophomore, said she was planning a trip to Los Angeles this summer and crossing her fingers that she would get to meet Barker. Ashley, a KU mascot, said she might even take the Jayhawk head to California to increase her chances of being chosen as a contestant.
"That's been one of my dreams to be on The Price is Right," Ashley said. "I'm probably not an addict, but I really do enjoy it."
Ashley said she preferred the old-fashion game shows to Millionaire.
But as with Millionaire, the attraction to the game show is in its competitiveness.
"I guess I'm kind of competitive." Ashley said. "I like seeing people getting up there and playing games."