This show blatantly stole the "Millionaire" format; thus it has one contestant for the entire 1/2 hour. While each contestant has 3 "life-lines" and they can choose the category of the song they have to identify while they hike up the "Pyramid" what everything comes down to is this: a lot of bad singing by one person who tried out but didn't make the cut at "American Idol" + Wayne Brady being his usual annoying self. The only PRO I could come up with for this show was that it's only on one night a week. Save yourself aggravation and switch over to...
NBC's the Singing Bee. Here's why this show is just fun, although I've already written about this:1. Great band and "song introducers": Like on "Name That Tune" a singer from the band "introduces" most of the song and contestants are asked to fill in the words exactly correctly. The "stable" of singers they got covers all ranges and they really sound like the original artists.
2. Joey Fatone. I hate to say it. It almost makes me cringe. But Mr. Back-Street Boy knows how to host a show. Unlike attention-hogging Wayne, he doesn't sing a note (hey, he concedes his weaknesses) and creates a fun atmosphere full of laughing at the goofy contestants. The picture above is from the "80s Night" Special to which he showed up with a mullet and thin pink pleather tie--10 extra points.
3. Much better choice of songs and theme nights. These are actually songs you can and should sing to. They've already done "80s night" and "Girl-Power Night"--I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
4. Better game show format. It really does work like a spelling bee, only with songs...and singing.
5. Contestants clearly are not trying for 15 minutes (or 22 minutes not counting commercials) of singing success. They were chosen randomly by Joey at the beginning of the show and they come out with some awesomely-bad versions of the lyrics of the songs. It's hysterical.
My only issue: The Honey Bees. They're like the Fly-Girls...only not...and they're annoying and model-y and their presence is somehow exploitive (but thank god they have their own blog...sadly I assumed they were just mindless eye-candy)
CLEAR WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION:
Take that Wayne.
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2 comments:
I love this - its like your my own personal TV reviewer. :)
I agree with you on the format of the DFTL - lame. But you know what else is lame? TV game shows based on SINGING.
I tease - sorta. I was at the gym and had the misfortune of treadmilling behind the TV showing WifeSwap. Good gracious.
I'm really really really looking forward to two shows this fall: The final season of Battlestar Galactica and Fox's promising "K Town". Maybe a bit too soon to do a show on America's greatest natural disaster, but maybe this will put attention back on NO. Its like a creole Miami Vice meets "Homicide".
On the gameshows, I disagree. I have no problem with singing. It's actually fun--evokes what I imagine it was like watching "The Donny and Marie Show". The game shows I can't stand are the ones like "Deal or No Deal" where there is only luck involved. No skill. No prior knowledge. I suppose one could make a case for probability theory or something but really...do you think that guy in the oversize pink lame (la-MAY, not lame)Hawaiian shirts is a math genius. Something tells me no.
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