Mike Richards to host GSN's "The Pyramid".

Price is Right executive producer and Beauty and the Geek host Mike Richards is going to host GSN's "The Pyramid".

“We are thrilled to have found a talent in Mike Richards, who not only has great hosting ability, but whose vast producing experience makes him an expert in all that is game show,” said Amy Introcaso-Davis, Executive Vice President of Programming and Development, GSN. “We feel Mike is the perfect choice to carry on the tradition of THE PYRAMID, one of America’s most beloved television franchises.”

“I am honored to join the GSN family as host of THE PYRAMID,” said Richards. “I was fortunate to work alongside Dick Clark for many years. Not only was he one of the most respected game show hosts of all time, but he served as my mentor and it’s an honor to follow in his footsteps. This is an iconic game show that I grew up watching. I’m looking forward to introducing viewers to this fresh new version.”

Last Month & Recently in Game shows In Review

We start off with The American Bible Challenge and Beat The Chefs coming sometime in August 2012. War of the Rose Sisters had a casting call. Not real sure if it's still going but, Click Here for the Info.

Also, The week of June 11 GSN is making some schedule changes. They already made some earlier, so I will mention those as well.

8:00am - Family Feud (Dawson)
9:00am - Password Plus
10:00am - The $100,000 Pyramid
11:30am - Chain Reaction
12:00pm - Jeopardy!
4:00pm - Catch 21 (June 11)
4:30pm - Catch 21
5:00pm - Family Feud (O'Hurley)
5:30pm - Family Feud (Karn)
6:00pm - Family Feud (Harvey)
6:30pm - Family Feud (Harvey)

Predicting the hosts...

The reason Marie Osmond's picture is there is, people on the GSN Forums are predicting who's going to host the GSN revival of The $100,000 Pyramid. Someone mentioned Marie Osmond so she could follow in Donny's footsteps. Someone mentioned Jerry Seinfeld, Arsenio Hall, Alfonso Ribeiro, Cat Deeley, etc...

I say, you can't predict who the host will be on these game shows. It's impossible most of the time. It's a miracle if someone actually guesses right. But very rare. It can annoy me when people keep guessing who hosts a game show. People just sit all day and try to think of names it seems.

Donny Osmond wasn't necessarily a bad host. I doubt GSN would get him but, it is a thought. Donny Osmond would be my only choice. No one else. I know I'd be wrong but, that's my ONLY guess. Not like other people who can guess all day long.

GSN and Pyramid

There's discussion going on the GSN Forums about The $25,000 Pyramid. Currently, GSN is running Donny Osmond's Pyramid at 10:30am ET. I find this ridiculous that GSN is doing this with Pyramid. Dick Clark's version is a classic and I would hate to see it go.

Right now, however, according to the GSN Online schedule, it lists The $25,000 Pyramid again on Friday from 7pm - 11pm ET. I have a gut feeling it will change. I've been wrong but this is riduclous the games GSN is playing with us. They are so unorganized and the network is run by monkeys who don't know what to do.

I am a little mad Donny's Pyramid is still on at 10:30am. It may be from 2002 but I still wouldn't consider it "classic" in this day in age still. Dick Clark just died and I feel this is disrespectful. How come GSN can't be a little more like TV Land. A network devoted to mostly classic shows and they still air shows  that people have passed away who starred on those shows. M*A*S*H, for example. Harry Morgan died in December. Some people mentioned TV Land in that thread to. I agree with them.

I made a schedule on the GSN boards this past weekend with no classics, though. It looked decent but, as long as the schedule looks decent, I don't have a problem with it. If you want to read stuff in that thread, CLICK HERE.

GSN Needs to improve? Part 2

Here's part 2 of my little weekend series how GSN needs to improve the weekends. I think if GSN started their programming at 6:00am ET, that would give time for some trivia classic shows because, those shows I wouldn't air during the day. One reason, trivia games from like the 60's, 70's and 80's, the problem with them is the questions are outdated.

GSN needs to improve? Part 1

It's a slow Saturday, so I'll just be talking about how GSN needs to improve with their schedule since, apparently according to their online schedule, they're taking off The $25,000 Pyramid with Dick Clark.

I say here's how GSN needs to improve with their schedule. And I'm trying to do what works with GSN. I watch their schedule, I might know. First, here's what I said on GSN's board just now:

Million Dollar game shows

There's a discussion on the GSN Forums titled "What If? -- The $1,000,000 Press Your Luck Hour?" Here's basically what I had to say about it.

I'm starting to hate million dollar game shows. Honestly. So therefor, I don't want a Million Dollar Whammy/Press Your Luck. Seriously, I sure liked it when a contestant was happy winning over 10,000 on a game show or 5,000 for that matter. Nowadays, 100,000 or 250,000 isn't so bad. Maybe even 500,000. On certain game shows, giving away 1,000,000 is good. But, that's beside the point. I don't want a new version of Whammy!/Press Your Luck.

Another Poster: Come on Phimat. If you had the choice of being on a $25,000 game show or a $1,000,000 game show, both with the same type of gameplay and both having an equal level of difficulty, I'm sure you would choose the latter. 

Come on, I would be just as happy with a $25,000 game show. But, you can do so much more with $1,000,000. I just think game shows nowadays are dumbed down in a way.

I just hate it people on game shows nowadays don't seem to be happy with what they win, they get greedy. People used to be happy with $5,000, $10,000, $25,000 or possibly $50,000. Maybe even $100,000, $250,000 or $500,000 but that's as far as I'll go.

Another Poster: Press Your Luck is just all luck, and I still doubt any network is going to recreate it, except GSN. With Whammy!'s ratings, I can see GSN reviving Whammy! between now and the next 10 years. If GSN were to revive it now, it would be cheaper than the 2002-03 version 

 I agree there, but GSN would somehow screw it up and air it a lot (like any other network does with their shows) and overdo it. But, it would be worth a shot, I think.

I hope I don't sound like a certain person that owns a blog called the Game Show Follies. But, I think you know my view on million dollar game shows now.

Which "Password" host fooled around more?

There's a thread on the GSN Forums asking this question. This is a good poll, I think.

I had to say Bert Convy because, Bert laughed and fooled around a lot as, Allen seemed kind of laid back, if you know what I mean. He laughed of course but, he just seemed kind of mellowed.

Poster #2:  Hmm...Bert also had more energy. 

 That too but, nothing against Allen of course. Allen is my favorite host of Password, I think.

Poster #3:  Judging by this scientific poll, Convy is a screw up. IMO, he was the bigger screw up on Password. His jokes weren't that funny and his incompetence (intentional or not, most likely forced) was pretty lame.
When he revealed the word, screwing up once is okay but, he did it several times. I'm surprised Mark Goodson Television productions didn't fire him for his embarrassments with that.
When Rip Taylor lost control on the set, Convy couldn't handle it and let it drag on. Not to mention, he took Taylor's wig and placed it on his own chest and claimed he has a hairy chest. Not funny. 

I agree his jokes weren't that funny. He sounded like a fake almost, no offense to Bert Convy's fans. But, honestly, I think he's okay.

Most people voted for Convy right now. Allen Ludden seemed like the more laid back type to me.

GSN: The world of games and prizes

Honestly, today is a slow news day for me so I will be talking about GSN's Oodles program. I think it has gone downhill since a few years ago. The prizes have gone downhill for sure. The games are fun but I've stopped playing for the time being until GSN can restock the good prizes.

I started a new group on Facebook called "Oodles for Nothing" a group to complain without getting in trouble. I'm speaking out right now. I emailed GSN and complained to them at a certain email address. Peter Blacklow, President, GSN Digital and Executive Vice President, WorldWinner. I think that's how it goes. It wasn't a form letter, he said he would pass it on and meet as a group to discuss it.

Hopefully they did. I've been with GSN since 2006. I'm a hardcore GSN fan. And, me, as well as many players are not happy with the direction GSN has turned. I'm not a complainer, just an outraged customer who states his opinion and tells it like it is.

GSN's Help team sucks. All they can do is write standard form messages. I won't stand for that anymore so I'm trying other email addresses. I can't stand their UnHelpful team.

Last GSN prize I bought actually, was GSN Oodles Lip Balm. I hope you outraged fans continue to speak out as well.

Dream Schedules

People on the GSN Forums make their own schedules in a thread. Some people, however, think that the purpose of the thread is to make a schedule that you think would give good ratings. I say, it's your dream schedule. I recently suggested ideas for the prime time block.

Rerun abuse and Classic chit chat

Slow Sunday afternoon, so I'm going to be talking about rerun abuse. It is not a good thing, and on weekends is the time where lots of shows get rerun abuse. Certain shows that are more than enjoyable to watch and are "classic" type shows, like on GSN such as Lingo (Woolery), Chain Reaction, Whammy!, Family Feud (If not run into the ground like GSN does on Monday's and Saturday's.), etc...

Shows like Deal or No Deal, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (Which at a time was rerun abused on GSN), 1 vs. 100, Million Dollar Password (However, I find that an enjoyable show), Lingo (Engvall, though that gets fair ratings, if GSN made a new season, I would say continue airing reruns), Catch-21 (Same applies. Get new episodes, it's done well) and the list goes on and on. Though, I do enjoy Catch-21 still. All those shows could stand to go.

Then you might ask, what will GSN air in their place? Well, GSN should really try to acquire fresh, new shows and new episodes of classics. Young people like classics, from what I heard on the press release about the $25,000 Pyramid tribute. The ratings for that increased 35% or something like that. Classics that don't involve outdated trivia questions like Tic Tac Dough, Blockbusters, The Joker's Wild, etc... I actually enjoy those old trivia game shows but, those questions on those shows are outdated and the shows get low ratings. Tic Tac Dough when it aired on GSN, bombed.

Card Sharks (Perry) did well at 10:00am Monday - Friday when it aired. It wouldn't kill GSN to expand time on classics, either. Get new classics, fresh episodes too and you're set. Classics are good for 8am - 2pm ET at least on Mon - Fri since that's the time frame when the older generation watches. Although, I'd like classics to expand from 8-3pm but still. Either way.

Classics have proven to do well. They made the network where it got today. But, my whole point is rerun abuse is not good. If GSN wants to revive a show like Deal or No Deal or any of those shows mentioned above, I wouldn't care one bit. 1 vs. 100 should be brought back again. The remake did fairly okay ratings. GSN needs to do something to stop rerun abuse on shows. All networks should. Rerun abuse is NOT a good thing.

I almost forgot to mention Family Feud a little more. GSN has been running Karn/O'hurley and Harvey into the ground for some time and it's getting old. This is one of my favorite game shows but GSN should massively cut down on this show and cut block scheduling. So, if GSN cut back on it, GSN should air it Weekdays: 4pm, 4:30pm, 5:00pm, 5:30pm, 8:00pm, 8:30pm. Weekends: 3:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm, 5:30pm, 11:00pm, 11:30pm. I'm talking about Karn/O'Hurley and Harvey, by the way.

That 90's Show

Has anyone noticed how GSN airs mostly game shows from the 70's, 80's, and 00's? I saw a post by a person on the GSN Forums mentioned that and I noticed it too.

From what I see, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? is the only 90's show GSN airs. Late 90's that is. GSN could be showing more from the 90's and air it on weekends maybe. Greed (Also late 90's), Match Game (90's) and probably more. There are a lot of game shows from every decade GSN could show. They just don't want to spend the money or anything like that.

Honestly, I wish GSN would get rid of Regis Philbin's Millionaire. It's old and stale by now. What GSN should do if possible is acquire the 10th Anniversary edition and maybe re-show Meredith Vieira's Millionaire. There are some good 90's game shows GSN could show. And some good ones from early in the 2000s. GSN had documentaries Play It Back: 70's, 80's and 90's GSN should do one for the 2000s now.

Some people would probably say 90's had some lame shows, not to speak for any of you but, I'm just saying. 90's though, I admit, was probably when game shows started to "suck" so to speak.

50 Cent's Blackjack

Today I'm posting about a game. Rapper 50 Cent and GSN Digital teamed up to bring you a new game called 50 Cent's Blackjack. (By the way, I'll say this is probably old news but I wanted to post about it.)

Here's what GSN says:

The Year was 2002

We've approached a milestone. Whammy! had it's 10th Anniversary on April 15th. This year it's time to look back at what great GSN Originals GSN used to have. Friend or Foe?, Russian Roulette, and Lingo. Over the years though GSN has produced great originals. Until now, In my opinion.

Buzzerblog did a nice post on Whammy for its 10th Anniversary. Though, it would've been nice if they did a post including all game shows from 2002. That was a good year for GSN, I think in originals. I started watching GSN in 2006 but I heard a lot of good about 2002. You just can't beat those old originals, in my opinion.

Back to Whammy, though. There were some posts on the GSN Forums about Whammy and a couple polls (One which I created). http://www.gsn.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4895&page=1 is the link to the "Whammy turns 10" thread.